The dos and don’ts of the rink

Ice hockey is one of those sports that have a lot of tradition surrounding it. Just like the State of Origin brings to mind visions and memories of pies and beer, face paint and curly, ridiculous wigs in your state’s colours and more screaming than the world’s worst horror flick, ice hockey too has it’s own etiquette that fans the world over adhere to.

While Boondall Iceworld is a far cry from the (some would say) hallowed halls of Rexall Place, or any other ice rink that houses an NHL team for that matter, it is still the stomping ground of our beloved Blue Tongues. So when a single, echoing voice can be heard cheering on the boys when they’re skating their hearts out, something seems – to any die hard hockey fan who’s had the luxury of attending a game in the best hockey league in the world – a little out of place.

Fans cheer themselves silly at the football – why not at the ice hockey as well? The acoustics, it would stand to reason, be better for it considering the echo inside the rink. It’s one thing to have three or four people starting a chant, but how electrifying is it when the entire crowd gets going? It can only add to the atmosphere – as well as fire the team on to put in the hard yakka, even when their legs are turning to jelly from being on the ice for so long.

Hockey fans are expected to make noise. And not just a little. They’re expected to take the roof off the rink their team skates on. There is nothing more exciting than 300 fans, all together giving their team a standing ovation, cheers, screams and clapping hands echoing around the room as the boys in blue celebrate yet another goal. There is nothing more inspiring for the team, than the chant of “Blue Tongues… Blue Tongues… Blue Tongues…” when they need that extra boost of support and energy from their home crowd. Chants, clapping, heckling the opposition – that’s sledging for the cricket fans – it’s all expected when you attend a hockey game.

Do you feel silly just yelling out into that echo? Feel free to bring along noisemakers instead! A horn or clappers are great for generating some noise without straining the voice box. Whistles though are probably best left at home unless you want to end up confusing the team while they’re on the ice!

Then there are the more respected traditions. When a player scores a hatrick – the crowd throws their hats onto the ice. Well… unless you’re a fan of Detroit. They tend to throw Octopi onto the ice. If you want to know why… find a Detroit fan. Until then, let’s stick with the hats and beanies! This is a long standing tradition, to celebrate a momentous occasion. And for those who aren’t sure, yes you will get your hats back at the end of a Blue Tongues game! (You wouldn’t at an NHL game – they get the player to autograph them and auction them off for charity.)

Okay, so noise is expected, and don’t forget to bring your hat incase the guys decide to do another game like the one against Canberra on July 8th and score a hatrick or two. What else can the everyday fan do? Bring a sign! Banners, signs, rally towels, anything you can think of to show your support to the boys is welcome at every home game.

In short… think of a hockey crowd as you would a football crowd. It’s no different really! It’s just in enclosed in a very cold room. So c’mon Brisbane, let’s get out there and show our boys how much we love and support them! MAKE SOME NOISE!!