Every Second Counts: What it takes to run one professional hockey game
The Colorado Eagles have been a hot, up and coming, professional hockey team getting their start in 2003 in the CHL, moving up three leagues in the short 16 years they have been a hockey team. Now being paired with the Colorado Avalanche, the team directly works with the NHL and holds most of the teams young recruits from previous years so they can continue to get better. Some players even get to “graduate” and get to consistently play in the NHL after spending some time in the AHL. With players who were on the Eagles like Pavel Francouz, the second string goalie for the Avs, getting numerous starts and one of the best backup goalies in the league, Ryan Graves who leads the entire NHL in plus minus, Martin Kaut, Logan O’Connor, and Tyson Jost just to name a few.
But what is it like to run one of these hockey games? I asked Erin Prueter, the Game Day Operations Manager of the Colorado Eagles to see what it takes to run just a single game for this professional hockey team.
Q: In your position what are you in charge of for game days?
A: So I am in charge of all of the planning before the games, so any of the scripts passed out to the PA announcer, the Host, marketing, and In-house Video and Audio teams, all get scripts pregame. I plan out every little detail of the game down to the second with detail like where people are standing, if there is audio, where a video may be coming form, things like that. Then in the game I am the director, so I look over the script and cue everyone on when to go out or play a video or sponsor.
Q: How are you able to plan out every second of the game like that to script it out?
A: It’s tough, I’ll tell you that. I have estimates with sponsor reads and graphics, it’s nice when here is a video because it has a set time, but with things like the team run out video, they are supposed to come out with 6 minutes left on the clock, but it they come out at 5:30 on the clock that is 30 seconds we lose for other possible sponsors.
Q: When do you start planning for a gameday?
A: For me I will start planning for gameday weeks in advance, depending on what is going on in each game. If we have quick turnarounds for the games, that means I have to start working further ahead. Sometimes we have big sponsored nights like fight cancer night, for something like that we are planning months in advance. The corporate team is always working months in advance getting different sponsors and seeing what they want, whether it is graphics, videos, PA reads, and then it works it’s way towards me to actually make and plan it out into the game.
Q: So, when does your day start on gameday? What is it like?
A: We start at the office at 8 in the morning with meetings going over the day. Going over scripts and making sure everything is there, then I head over to the rink. I give teams all the time sheets, but I mostly try and get stuff done early so I can head home for a bit before the 7 or 8 hours we are at the rink for the game.
Q: Lastly, who is all working behind the scenes that you don’t even interact with on game days that makes it all run?
A: There is the corporate side with Ben who deals with sales and marketing on ice, Phil who is the Video Director, and mostly our Assistant GM Gavin, he talks with the event center to make sure the ice is all prepped and ready to go, concessions, ticket sales, seating, and everything like that.
Just in one gameday there are so many working gears within the whole operation.Taking a look, and getting a sneak peak into what it is like to run a single game for a professional hockey team with Erin Prueter, the Game Day Operations Manager.
