for cheerleader Crazy George,
OT, but I remember seeing a "Crazy George" doing the rounds of minor league hockey in the '90s. He was actually quite a lot of fun in the relatively small arenas, where he could be seen and heard clearly by everyone in attendance. Is this the same guy? Did he really get his start with the Seals?
Back on-topic, I went to a couple of games in Atlanta. My lasting memories:
- The coolness, but weirdness of the arena. One minute you're in a mall food court watching massive CNN screens, next minute you're in the concourse of an NHL arena. They had that massive wall of suites, and the bird head that shot fire out of its mouth after goals. It was an odd place to see a game, kind of monolithic and corporate but not as faceless as some of the slightly older arenas. It reminded me just a little of Nashville's arena, but felt a lot bigger on the inside.
- I showed up early to one of the games so I could go down to the player's tunnel for warm-ups. You could very easily bend over and see the area outside the locker room door -- players getting pumped up, trainers working on sticks, guys standing around in suits. It was neat to just walk up and get that close.
- The people in the arena were from all over the place. I met a guy from Quebec who just happened to be in town that night. The crowd was noticeably more racially diverse than in other NHL arenas, typical of Atlanta. It seemed like a young crowd to me, too, maybe because it was right downtown.
- If we're being honest, the crowd was tiny and you could pretty much sit where you wanted. That has its perks when you're just trying to enjoy the game as a visitor. There were a ton of fans for the visiting teams both times, and I felt for the home fans having to deal with that.
- The huge concourse murals from the All Star Game were neat.
I've said it many times on here, but it's a tragedy the way that organization was scuttled. There was nothing inherently wrong with having a team in Atlanta and they ought to have been very successful.