Post by dogcatcher on Oct 16, 2007 7:01:36 GMT -4
Sticks and stones... Well, not in the Q
Commentary Here's a suggestion how Sea Dog fans can have their voice heard
PETER MCGUIRE
GAME ON
Published Tuesday October 16th, 2007
Appeared on page B12
Sticks and stones may break your bones but names will never hurt you.
Unless you play in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, of course.
It seems the powers that be who man the mothership have decided enough is enough.
How dare the Saint John Sea Dogs have a little fun?
Sea Dogs francophone public address man Stage Lachance began to carve a nice little nickname niche for himself, but QMJHL commissioner Gilles Courteau played party pooper with a phone call to Sea Dogs president Wayne Long last week.
"I was terrified when I got the call from the commissioner," Long said. "I didn't know why he'd be calling. He said we'd be receiving a letter and then told me why. He said we would have to cease and desist using nicknames."
Good to see Courteau is earning his fat six-figure annual salary.
Lachance has become known for dressing up announcements for goals, assists and penalties. Fans were enjoying the pizzazz and the players were, too.
The league will allow Lachance to continue to exaggerate the surnames of Alexandre Picard-Hooper when he stretches out H-o-o-o-o-o-per and Chris Di Domenico to Di-Di-Di Domenico, but that's where it ends.
Apparently a league supervisor attending the Moncton/Saint John game on Oct. 6 took note of the added entertainment and, like the tattle-tale in the schoolyard, reported the offence to head office.
How dare the Sea Dogs try to liven things up?
Karl Jahnke handles media relations for the Q and was very helpful in getting to the bottom of things, so it's important not to shoot the messenger.
"We want to avoid any incident in which a nickname could accidentally be misinterpreted and be discriminatory towards a player," was the official word from Courteau, via Jahnke.
Let's see, Brett (The Hitman) Gallant and Mike (The Hammer) Thomas.
Pretty offensive stuff.
"We adopted an anti-discrimination policy last season," said Jahnke in an e-mail. "It was a preventative measure."
The policy's definition reads: "A discriminatory conduct is a hurtful conduct which may be expressed through behaviours, words, acts, gestures or writings, that affect the dignity and the honour of any person and that are made in relation with race, sex, colour, religion, language, ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation, handicap or social condition of the person, or in relation to any other ground of discrimination prohibited by the law."
Trying to tie nicknames to this is a stretch at best.
Lachance is disappointed he's been reined in but we have a suggestion to bring a little fun back to 99 Station Street.
Why not bring the patrons on board when the opportunity arises? Courteau may rule the roost when it comes to league matters, but he certainly doesn't have control over 4,000 or so fans at Harbour Station, does he?
If Gallant happens to score or pick up a point, Lachance could announce, in French, of course, "Sea Dogs' goal scored by No. 44, Brett (pause) Gallant."
During the pause, fans could chime in with "The Hitman".
"It's sad because I had some other names I wanted to use," said Lachance, the 37-year-old morning man with Saint John's French radio station CHQC.
He was throwing around some ideas and was ready to anoint defenceman Simon Despres as "The Natural".
"We were just beginning," Lachance said. "It was going to be fun."
It still can be.
BEAT THE LINEUPS:
Did you happen to catch the lineup that snaked halfway up the pedway crosswalk just prior to Sunday afternoon's game?
It's not like it has to be this way.
Fans have the option to buy tickets online, at no additional cost, or they can buy tickets earlier in the week or earlier on game day. At 3 p.m. on Sunday, there was no lineup to speak of, but more than a handful of fans missed the entire first period because they were stuck in the logjam that formed shortly after.
The Harbour Station box office is open seven days a week - from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday and noon until 6 p.m. on weekends.
"On a positive note, because of renewed interest in the team, we're getting great walk-up crowds," said Long, adding that the club is always looking for ways to improve service for the game-day rush. "We'd just like to encourage fans to get their tickets online or in advance."
Commentary Here's a suggestion how Sea Dog fans can have their voice heard
PETER MCGUIRE
GAME ON
Published Tuesday October 16th, 2007
Appeared on page B12
Sticks and stones may break your bones but names will never hurt you.
Unless you play in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, of course.
It seems the powers that be who man the mothership have decided enough is enough.
How dare the Saint John Sea Dogs have a little fun?
Sea Dogs francophone public address man Stage Lachance began to carve a nice little nickname niche for himself, but QMJHL commissioner Gilles Courteau played party pooper with a phone call to Sea Dogs president Wayne Long last week.
"I was terrified when I got the call from the commissioner," Long said. "I didn't know why he'd be calling. He said we'd be receiving a letter and then told me why. He said we would have to cease and desist using nicknames."
Good to see Courteau is earning his fat six-figure annual salary.
Lachance has become known for dressing up announcements for goals, assists and penalties. Fans were enjoying the pizzazz and the players were, too.
The league will allow Lachance to continue to exaggerate the surnames of Alexandre Picard-Hooper when he stretches out H-o-o-o-o-o-per and Chris Di Domenico to Di-Di-Di Domenico, but that's where it ends.
Apparently a league supervisor attending the Moncton/Saint John game on Oct. 6 took note of the added entertainment and, like the tattle-tale in the schoolyard, reported the offence to head office.
How dare the Sea Dogs try to liven things up?
Karl Jahnke handles media relations for the Q and was very helpful in getting to the bottom of things, so it's important not to shoot the messenger.
"We want to avoid any incident in which a nickname could accidentally be misinterpreted and be discriminatory towards a player," was the official word from Courteau, via Jahnke.
Let's see, Brett (The Hitman) Gallant and Mike (The Hammer) Thomas.
Pretty offensive stuff.
"We adopted an anti-discrimination policy last season," said Jahnke in an e-mail. "It was a preventative measure."
The policy's definition reads: "A discriminatory conduct is a hurtful conduct which may be expressed through behaviours, words, acts, gestures or writings, that affect the dignity and the honour of any person and that are made in relation with race, sex, colour, religion, language, ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation, handicap or social condition of the person, or in relation to any other ground of discrimination prohibited by the law."
Trying to tie nicknames to this is a stretch at best.
Lachance is disappointed he's been reined in but we have a suggestion to bring a little fun back to 99 Station Street.
Why not bring the patrons on board when the opportunity arises? Courteau may rule the roost when it comes to league matters, but he certainly doesn't have control over 4,000 or so fans at Harbour Station, does he?
If Gallant happens to score or pick up a point, Lachance could announce, in French, of course, "Sea Dogs' goal scored by No. 44, Brett (pause) Gallant."
During the pause, fans could chime in with "The Hitman".
"It's sad because I had some other names I wanted to use," said Lachance, the 37-year-old morning man with Saint John's French radio station CHQC.
He was throwing around some ideas and was ready to anoint defenceman Simon Despres as "The Natural".
"We were just beginning," Lachance said. "It was going to be fun."
It still can be.
BEAT THE LINEUPS:
Did you happen to catch the lineup that snaked halfway up the pedway crosswalk just prior to Sunday afternoon's game?
It's not like it has to be this way.
Fans have the option to buy tickets online, at no additional cost, or they can buy tickets earlier in the week or earlier on game day. At 3 p.m. on Sunday, there was no lineup to speak of, but more than a handful of fans missed the entire first period because they were stuck in the logjam that formed shortly after.
The Harbour Station box office is open seven days a week - from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday and noon until 6 p.m. on weekends.
"On a positive note, because of renewed interest in the team, we're getting great walk-up crowds," said Long, adding that the club is always looking for ways to improve service for the game-day rush. "We'd just like to encourage fans to get their tickets online or in advance."
