The Missing Touches
As NHL teams are gearing up to begin playing games once again, the hockey world feels a little different. With games being played inside the bubble, teams can no longer enjoy all of the home arena advantages they once had.
Now every time the Blue Jackets score, there won’t be the ear-splitting cannon going off, and mascots won’t be parading around the stands with the fans. Many of the entertaining elements of the NHL’s franchises are going to be missing, but there are some things that are going to make it feel like home for players.
It’s The Little Things
Sometimes it’s the little things in life that can make the difference. The NHL wants its players to feel like it’s business as usual. The league will provide the familiar sounds of goal songs and national anthem performers.
Although the players aren’t going to be playing in their home arenas, they are going to hit the ice to their own fight songs. The added bonus of pumping goal sounds into the arenas is that it will bring a sense of energy to the place. We can imagine there is nothing more anticlimactic for a professional hockey player than scoring a goal that is met with nothing but silence from the stands.
Added crowd noise that reacts to the plays are being tested, with the NHL expecting to improve its ‘performance’ as the season continues. It might be unfamiliar, but the NHL is doing what it can to make its players feel at home on the ice.