Growing the sport critical for manufacturers

Hockey equipment manufacturers don’t just win over new customers. They strive to touch and grow them. National advertising and NHL pitchmen are the splashiest parts of the marketing mix for companies that make skates, sticks and protective gear. But “grass-roots” programs — ones that communicate with consumers personally — are used most consistently by manufacturers and often considered the most important. The industry’s two giants, Bauer Nike Hockey and The Hockey Company, air national television spots in Canada and the United States. Their names are splashed on boards in NHL rinks. These firms, along with Easton, Mission, Louisville, Itech and others, invest in endorsements with NHL stars hoping that moving, televised big-league billboards will expose and validate their wares. Still, manufacturers place as much emphasis on reaching out to house and beer leaguers…

SUMMER HOCKEY SCHOOL GUIDE - WESTERN CANADA

Consistency throughout program basic philosophy for Puckstoppers

The keys to a successful goal school are consistency, fun, adaptability and explanation. Training goaltenders is something London, Ont.-based Puckstoppers Goaltending Services has been doing for over 10 years. “Our philosophy is simple,” said camp director Chris Dyson. “We have a solid group of instructors, each of whom has been with our program for a minimum of five years. At our schools we believe CONSISTENCY in teaching is an absolute must for student development. “You simply cannot have instructors teaching the same thing several different ways. It only confuses the student. We continually stress consistency with our instructors at pre camp meetings and throughout the camps. This emphasis, coupled with our veteran instructors, helps create that necessary consistency.” Adds Gerry Ellison, Puckstoppers’ senior instructor: “To excel at anything in life you must enjoy it.…

American League leads charge in developing stars that go on to shine in the big league

Fans of the American Hockey League have a two-fold appreciation of what the circuit has to offer. There’s the immediate entertainment value available at AHL rinks, provided by those who play the fastest game in the world in hockey’s second-best league. However, maybe just as compelling is the long-term connection fans have with their AHL favorites. With so many advancing to the NHL — nearly three out of four current NHLers have played in the AHL — the relationship between AHL fan and AHL player is extended. It involves a mixture of nostalgia (‘I remember him when’) and the fans’ pride in the fact their community and club assisted in the development of those who have made the final step up to the highest level of hockey. Of course, there are other leagues…