Page 46 - BusinessWest Sept. 29, 2021

During the pandemic, the Thunderbirds partnered with local restaurants, including Nadim’s Downtown Mediterranean Grill, to donate meals to frontline workers
Thunderbirds
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thing I wanted to do is not play. So we’ll do whatever we need to do to get back on the ice and get back to some normalcy.”
One change this year is an absence of high-profile promotions like previ- ous years’ visits from the likes of David Ortiz and Pedro Martinez. Those are expensive investments, and with no guarantees all games will even be played, the Thunderbirds will focus
on more locally based promotions — and there are a lot of them, including returning favorites like a throwback jer- sey night (the Falcons this time, instead
of the Indians), the Teddy Bear Toss, a Military Appreciation Night, the Pucks ‘N’ Paws pet night, and Pink in the Rink, which supports the fight against breast cancer. Every Friday night brings a Deuces Wild concessions deal, with sodas, hot dogs, and cups of Coors Light selling for $2 each.
“While we’re not investing in huge promotions, there’s still a good founda- tion of promotions and themes,” Costa said. “We want to re-establish our- selves, get through this year, and hope- fully have this in the rear-view mirror next year and really blow it out.
“We always want to provide value and not get complacent,” he added. “And I think we’re providing as much value as anyone in the American Hock- ey League. I’ll put our stuff up against anybody’s; I take a lot of pride in that. But it’s still a fraction of what we nor- mally do. We have a long-term vision, and that means getting back on the ice first.”
Many of the promotions will sup- port causes and groups of people, like Frontline Fridays, in which healthcare workers, first responders, and other frontline workers who serve the public will be honored.
“I wanted to make sure it was a
“Last year was really such a blow to me personally just because the last thing
I wanted to do is not play. So we’ll do whatever we need to do to get back on the ice and get back to some normalcy.”
season-long thing, not just one night,” Costa said. “A lot of people in our com- munity stepped up and did the right thing, working through COVID, and we want to say ‘thank you,’ and it’s really on behalf of the season-ticket members.”
That’s because, with seven home dates left in the curtailed 2019-20 season, most season-ticket hold-
ers, instead of demanding refunds, donated the tickets back to the team, and that formed the foundation of the Thunderbirds giving those tickets away to the frontline honorees every Friday this year.
“I feel really good about what we’re doing — not only the fun stuff, but we have a community piece to it as well that will hopefully give a break to some people who have been working hard, give them a chance to come out.”
It wasn’t only season-ticket hold- ers that stayed loyal, Costa said. All the corporate sponsors are back as well, and even though they lost those seven games of exposure, he was able to
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