Page 44 - BusinessWest Sept. 29, 2021

The 2021-22 promotional schedule is filled with favorites like the Teddy Bear Toss, which collects stuffed animals for local charities.
and aren’t likely to support the team anyway. Most people, he believes, understand what it will take to stage a season that won’t have to shut down.
“We are in an industry that relies on packing buildings, getting large gatherings together,” he said. “I think we have a responsibility to do the right thing. And we’ll work through it.”
In a wide-ranging interview conducted a few weeks before the sea- son opener on Oct. 16, Costa told BusinessWest what the franchise has been up to over the past 18 months, what fans can expect this season — and why he feels a responsibility to stay connected to the commu- nity as more than just its local hockey team.
Safety First
But first, he talked about safety, and what it will take to achieve it as COVID continues to be a threat.
“It’s a lot of moving parts, but they’re neces- sary,” he said. “At the end of the day, we realize that the last thing we want to have happen is to not have a season again. And everybody recog- nizes that, and everybody understands that. So, internally, it hasn’t been that tough.”
To that end, the entire staff is required to be vaccinated, and everyone associated with the Blues is vaccinated as well. “The AHL has pro- tocols that anybody that’s going to be within six to 12 feet of players is required to be vaccinated, and the St. Louis organization is having their players vaccinated.”
That’s critical, Costa added. “With the close quarters our guys are in, and being on buses together and all that, it’s imperative that we have the guys vaccinated.”
“At the end of the day, we realize that the last thing we want to have happen istonothavea season again. And everybody recognizes that, and everybody understands that.”
As noted earlier, he’s a believer in the city’s current mask mandate as well. “I’ve been keeping my thumb on the pulse of what’s going on for the last year and a half, and I feel like I’m a de facto COVID expert at this point,” he said, adding that requiring masks at the arena is sim- ply a social responsibility to the city, mandate or not.
“We want to sell the place out opening night, and we want to be socially responsible. We felt like it was probably coming at some point that we were going to have some kind of mandate, whether that was going to be mask or vaccination, and I think the mask mandate is per- fectly acceptable, because then you don’t have to get into conversation of who’s vaccinated and who’s not. Everyone who comes to the rink will wear a mask, except to eat or drink.”
He admitted it’s an extra challenge to enforce that behavior among fans. “We don’t like wearing masks as much as the next guy. But it’s our livelihood. We’ve committed our resources so much to doing this the right way and bringing the sport
back. Last year was really such a blow to me personally just because the last
Thunderbirds
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44 SEPTEMBER 29, 2021
SPORTS & LEISURE
BusinessWest