By: Brent Smyth
There’s more to an NHL game than just hockey, and the fan experience can be used to create in-game success
She looked down from the press box at the basketball court that just last night was home to a thrilling 1-0 Leafs overtime win, backed by an incredible shutout by Frederik Andersen.
The ice was gone, and converted to host the Raptors on Friday night. She looks back up and realizes her importance of her role in the win. She was the one who ignited the crowd.
“I can only imagine what Freddie was like last night in overtime and hearing the crowd behind him killing off the penalty. The crowd was with him, pushing him. That was his game and he knew.”
Not that she would take credit for the victory, but she was arguably the one who orchestrated the end of the game.
It’s part of Canadian culture and a part of the Torontonian DNA. As good as the Raptors and Blue Jays have become, the colours blue and white will forever reign supreme in the hearts of local sports fans.
Attending a game and seeing your heroes in person is the Mecca of hockey. Feeling the chill of the ice, the roar of the crowd, the unifying force of celebrating a goal. This is something fans take at face value, enjoying the experience, watching the game, being immersed.
24 hours before the game, how it’s going to play out is already set. The music being played is timed out, and all the giveaways and contests are predetermined. Fans flood the gates the next night, ready for the game, unbeknown to them the meticulous planning that has formed their experience.
At the centre of this experience is Taylor Dean, the Manager of Game Presentation for the Toronto Maple Leafs. A fan her whole life, she understands the everlasting impact attending a game can have on someone as she begins her ninth season with the team.
“A hockey game is three hours long. There are only 60 minutes of hockey that are actually being played so we entertain for the other two hours. If we’re making you laugh, if we’re making you cry, if we’re making you react to something that isn’t hockey, then we’re doing our jobs right.”
Dean is in charge of what she calls the entertainment aspect of a Leafs game, mainly comprised of a Game Crew and Blue Crew Interactive.
The Game Crew is more execution-based, grabbing contestants from the crowd, handling props and equipment and bringing the 3 Stars out on the ice following the game.
The Blue Crew is a team built on hype, to increase the energy levels and build the positive atmosphere. Igniting the crowd and forming hype in the ACC.
The Game Crew is where Dean got her start, although her first shift ended up with her flat on her back on the ice.
AUDIO: Dean recalls her first shift with the Game Crew, where a piece of hockey tape got stuck to her skate blade, causing a wipeout on the ice.
The passion shines through her eyes, and she cracks a smile as if recalling a childhood memory. In that moment her love of her job, the game, and opportunity is more than apparent, and the effort she truly puts in, all for people who will never know what she has created.
She admits Leafs fans are not always easiest to hype up, and they have a heavy reputation as a corporate crowd, but Dean is optimistic.
“This city would go bananas if we had success here. It’d be unreal. I don’t know how you can match winning a Stanley Cup in Toronto. I don’t think you could. Sometimes we’re too quiet. We’ve got knowledgeable Leaf fans and it’s not that we’re too quiet because we’re stiff. I honestly believe we’re quiet because we’re paying attention. We’re here for the hockey.”
But this understanding doesn’t prevent her from dreaming of all Leafs fans could be. She dreams of success other teams have, such as Nashville Predators fans thanking the PA announcer each period, or New York Yankees fans chanting players names until they are acknowledged.
And as much as she longs for creating a tradition like that, she identifies how important it is to be fan created.
“I’d love those kinds of traditions but sometimes they’re organic and they just happen over time. That’s something that we’re trying to, not force, but to promote and garner and grow with having a Blue crew.”
And as much as the crowd interactions are out of her hands, she still feels connected and anxious over even the smallest details.
Last Friday was the annual Hockey Hall of Fame ceremony, and when the honorees were brought on the ice, she noticed the carpets were crooked. “It was like the end of the world for me, but really it’s just the carpets that were a bit off and it’s fine.”
She also recognizes the impact an excited crowd can have on player performance.
“There’s this really good photo of Naz (Nazem Kadri) a few years ago in Buffalo and Buffalo’s essentially a home arena for the Leafs. He scored a great goal and he jumps up right against the glass and there are Leafs fans all against the glass. They see these things, they know it. They feel it too.”
Dean has had her share of memorable moments in the job, but there was one moment she created that transpired to become larger than hockey itself. Following the Ottawa terrorist attack in 2014, she was the curator of a shared moment of silence between 3 rival teams in 3 cities.
AUDIO: Dean talks about organizing a shared moment of silence with the Leafs, Canadiens and Senators following the 2014 terrorist attacks, a show of solidarity. The slogan of the night was “We’re enemies on the ice but tonight we stand united together.
But the most important and inspiring aspect of her job is when she revealed her motivation behind each shift. She does her job loosely based on one paraphrased Joe DiMaggio principle;
“It could be someone’s first game or their last, we owe them our best.”
Because, as Dean says, every fan experience is different. “You could be a fan that was brought here because your dad dragged you and we could inspire you maybe to enjoy something about the game. Maybe you’re not a hockey fan or maybe you might be a hockey fan you just don’t know it yet, if we can somehow make you happy for being here, that I think is important.”
While the average fan will only ever desperately grab for that t-shirt, or be amazed at making the jumbotron, Dean will know that she is the mastermind behind the maximum fan enjoyment that takes place. The celebrations during the Leafs 100th year and all her accomplishments can only be surpassed by one event.
“The only thing that would be bigger in terms of Leafs hockey would be winning a Stanley Cup.”
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