With the exception of the tragedy of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the main topic on your local and national news is that of the economy. In any community you can see evidence of the recession whether it’s home foreclosures or businesses closing up shop. Local school districts have had to make crucial cuts in their budgets, which usually include the layoffs of teachers and support staff. Regardless of which demographic of the socio-economic spectrum you find yourself in, you have found yourself making cuts in your budget. For most of us however, we reconsider taking trips, going out for dinner, and consider purchasing the store brands at our supermarkets.
So while you and I are tightening our proverbial belts, the phrase “economic downturn” doesn’t seem to exist in the world of professional sports. New arenas and stadiums are popping up in Dallas, Newark, Pittsburgh, and yes, Minneapolis. In my homestate of Minnesota, taxpayers have had to pony up for three (two if you don’t count the new football stadium at the University of Minnesota) new sports facilities in just over ten years. Supporters of such building projects claim that they create jobs, especially in the hard hit construction industry. While they do create jobs, the construction ones are short term. And the worse part, is that the very people who build these shrines to sports or those that end up working in them (ushers, concessions, etc) are the very people who can’t afford to take their families out for a game.
The Minnesota Wild are not exempt from this nasty trend. They have repeatedly raised ticket prices. In fact when most teams either froze or lowered ticket prices after the lockout ended, the Wild were one of a handful of teams that had the gall to actually raise ticket prices. Not only did they raise their ticket prices, but they counted the year of the lockout as a year in a multi-year price freeze for season ticket holders. Friends of mine, who started out owning their own season ticket packages back in 2000, are now either having to split the cost with multiple other parties or have had to give them up completely. When former team owner Bob Naegle, Jr. announced that he was selling the team, many hoped the continual price increases would slow down. However, current owner Craig Leipold has done little to stem that trend. Prices continue to rise, yet many argue that there’s little reward to be seen on the ice.
The Wild recently demonstrated just how out of touch they are with their fanbase. With the 2010 NHL Entry Draft just around the corner, many of us were curious to see what the organization would put together for their fans to celebrate. Many NHL teams host an official function for the draft, because it’s unrealistic for most of us to travel to the host city. Sometimes it’s a small event at a local sports bar or a larger event hosted at their respective arenas. The latter variety are usually done by teams with the first overall pick, especially when there are highly touted prospects to be selected. While the Wild have the ninth overall pick, this would have been the perfect draft for the Wild to host an official party at Xcel Energy Center. Why, you ask? The Wild will be hosting the 2011 Entry Draft, and it would have been a perfect way to drum up some additional excitement for that event. Fans would have gladly paid $10, which proceeds going to charity. The Wild cannot even claim a scheduling conflict, as there is nothing scheduled for Xcel Energy Center for June 25th.
Demonstrating just how out of touch the Wild are, they are hosting a draft party at an upscale restaurant called Aperitif in suburban Woodbury. I didn’t even need to look them up to know what kind of place it is, because it’s name and location said it all. For the sake of amusement and to see if I was going to attend, I figured I better check out the menu for myself. A bowl of soup costs $6 and the cheapest entree is $17. Prices like that remind me of the Miller High Life commercials with the delivery guy who says “Ten dollars for a hamburger. Y’all must be crazy.” One friend of mine wondered what the waitstaff were going to do when he showed up wearing a hockey jersey instead of a polo and khakis or shirt and tie. The placement of a hockey draft party at a place such of this reminds me of the scene in The Blues Brothers where Jake and Elwood go to Chez Paul.
It’s not like this is the only place in Woodbury where such a party could be held. There are sports bars in Woodbury. What’s even worse though, is that Wild radio personality, Tom Reid owns a hockey bar just down the street from Xcel Energy Center. While it might be smaller than Aperitif, it certainly has a better atmosphere for such an event. If location size is an issue, I’m sure they could have found a larger sports bar. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather drink cheap beer and eat a burger and fries at a draft event. Last I looked the words “wine-bar” and “hockey” don’t exactly go hand in hand. I don’t want to eat a Sicilian veal meatball sandwich that cost me more than it should. Personally, I’d love to interview the person (or persons) who chose this location.
So, if you’re looking for a Twin Cities locale to watch the draft and have real hockey talk with fans, we’ll be at Tom Reid’s Hockey City Pub located at 258 West 7th in St. Paul. Unlike the official party, we won’t have any celebrities or prizes (although we were tempted to purchase the NHL toaster that the guys on NHL Live demonstrated on air yesterday). We won’t have the supposed phone interviews Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher. Of course the true benefit of joining our unofficial get together is that we won’t have to deal with the presence of the highly unnecessary mascot, Nordy (or his orange mullet).
It’s up to you. We all decide where we spend our money. And I choose not to spend mine at a yuppie wine-bar to watch the draft.
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