2008 Woodie Awards
Philadelphia Phantoms
Patrick Temple-West ’07
Issue date: 1/24/07 Section: Sports
After falling 3-2 to the Grand Rapids Griffins, the Phantoms players returned to the ice after the game to skate with fans 12 and under for half an hour. The players posed for pictures, signed autographs and traded laughs while gliding around the ice with the young fans.
It's an unusual scene in today's sports world. Outlandish salaries in the hundreds of millions and the celebrity status many professional athletes adorn often widen the gap between spectator and participant. But on this night the players and fans shared camaraderie on the same sheet of ice.
It's no surprise that Phantoms ice hockey is dwarfed in Philadelphia by the "big four" sports teams. They draw the media attention and the fans. Yet the Phantoms, and the American Hockey League (AHL) in which they play, offer a professional sports alternative in Philadelphia that gives fans a greater relationship with the team they follow. They are welcomed to be part of this hockey team, to share in the unique challenges that players and coaches face at this level of professional hockey.
"I noticed the games were very family oriented. Parents were there with their children," said Kealy Ryan '07 who attended his first Phantoms game last season. He compared the crowd to some major league games he has attended saying that families just can't go together because the seats are so expensive. And speaking about the hockey, he added, "the fights are great."
The Phantoms play in the Spectrum, the old home of the Flyers, right across the parking lot from the snazzy Wachovia Center where the Flyers play today. They are the Flyers minor league affiliate, which means the Flyers rely on the Phantoms to cultivate their prospects and give injured players a tune-up. But the Phantoms have winning ambitions of their own. Their loyal fan base of over 6,000 comes to see the Phantoms compete for the Calder Cup-the AHL equivalent of the Stanley Cup, which is awarded to the league champion.
In this season when Flyers have struggled, they have relied heavily on the Phantoms for players. Seventeen players have split time between the Phantoms and Flyers this season. It's a big number that created a lot of flux for the Phantoms. Players rarely find themselves with the same linemates from week to week making it difficult for the coaches to find formations that succeed. Additionally, the coaching staff must keep the Phantoms playing as a team. The temptation is there for players to pad their own stats in the hope of crossing the parking lot to the major league.
It's an unusual scene in today's sports world. Outlandish salaries in the hundreds of millions and the celebrity status many professional athletes adorn often widen the gap between spectator and participant. But on this night the players and fans shared camaraderie on the same sheet of ice.
It's no surprise that Phantoms ice hockey is dwarfed in Philadelphia by the "big four" sports teams. They draw the media attention and the fans. Yet the Phantoms, and the American Hockey League (AHL) in which they play, offer a professional sports alternative in Philadelphia that gives fans a greater relationship with the team they follow. They are welcomed to be part of this hockey team, to share in the unique challenges that players and coaches face at this level of professional hockey.
"I noticed the games were very family oriented. Parents were there with their children," said Kealy Ryan '07 who attended his first Phantoms game last season. He compared the crowd to some major league games he has attended saying that families just can't go together because the seats are so expensive. And speaking about the hockey, he added, "the fights are great."
The Phantoms play in the Spectrum, the old home of the Flyers, right across the parking lot from the snazzy Wachovia Center where the Flyers play today. They are the Flyers minor league affiliate, which means the Flyers rely on the Phantoms to cultivate their prospects and give injured players a tune-up. But the Phantoms have winning ambitions of their own. Their loyal fan base of over 6,000 comes to see the Phantoms compete for the Calder Cup-the AHL equivalent of the Stanley Cup, which is awarded to the league champion.
In this season when Flyers have struggled, they have relied heavily on the Phantoms for players. Seventeen players have split time between the Phantoms and Flyers this season. It's a big number that created a lot of flux for the Phantoms. Players rarely find themselves with the same linemates from week to week making it difficult for the coaches to find formations that succeed. Additionally, the coaching staff must keep the Phantoms playing as a team. The temptation is there for players to pad their own stats in the hope of crossing the parking lot to the major league.
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