The T-Birds Are Making Some Noise

Editorial

As he talked about the American Hockey League’s franchise in Utica, N.Y., Nate Costa said plans to place a new team there after one failed years earlier were greeted with great skepticism and even laughter.

He probably knows there was a somewhat similar reaction here when it was announced almost nine months ago that a group of businesspeople had purchased the AHL’s Portland, Maine team with the intention of moving it to the City of Homes. That’s because, just a few months earlier, the owner of the Springfield Falcons moved the team to Arizona, claiming he wasn’t getting the support he needed and couldn’t envision a scenario where he would.

No one is laughing in Utica these days, because the city’s team, the Comets, are selling out every night, and their games have become must-see events. And while it’s still quite early, no one is laughing in Springfield, either, thanks largely to Costa, the executive vice president of the franchise named the Thunderbirds, and the energetic team he has put together (see story).

Instead, most people are marveling — at the attendance (4,600 or so per game), the energy, and the manner in which the team is quickly weaving itself into the fabric of the community.

Costa is, among other things, quite realistic and level-headed. He is not getting carried away by this early success and is instead reminding his team in the back office that there is still a long way to go to make this story match that of Utica’s.

But the pace of progress is impressive, and it’s been achieved despite the fact that the team’s performance on the ice has been, well, far less so — sixth place in the AHL’s seven-team Atlantic Division.

But from the start, Costa said the plan was not to bring hockey to Springfield, but rather entertainment and an experience, and he and his team have done exactly that. And they’ve done it by essentially moving on from the past, meaning Springfield’s 80-year history of hockey — while still paying homage to it.

Perhaps the most notable example is the retirement of the long-time rally song “Shake, Rattle and Roll” and the introduction of a new one, “Out of Our Heads” by the Dropkick Murphys — a move made with younger audiences in mind — but there are many others.

Indeed, changes have been made in everything from how the team is marketed, with a much greater focus on social media, to the game-night experience (live music on Friday nights, for example, as well as concessions priced at $1), to the special promotions.

Indeed, Ric Flair, the flamboyant former wrestling champion (and smash hit at one of BusinessWest’s recent 40 Under Forty galas, by the way) will make an appearance at the Feb. 10 game.

Change was necessary, obviously, and it has come in waves, enabling the T-Birds to take flight, if you will.

As we noted earlier, this franchise still has a ways to go before it can be described with the word ‘established.’ The new management team has shown it can get people out to take in their team. It still has to show that it can do that consistently, over a full season and over multiple seasons, and build the necessary rock-solid foundation of reliable fan support.

We predict that it will happen, because the management team is doing all the right things. The focus is on the experience, providing value, and making the team part of the community.

Word is that you can’t get a ticket to a Utica Comets game these days. We’re not there yet in Springfield — a good thing, because many people still haven’t taken in this team or the experience, and they need to — but one can easily envision the day when we might.