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Hey, you.

Yeah, you — the sports nut who gets that condescending roll-of-the-eyes going whenever someone mentions hockey. You, the tried-and-true football fan who claims he would rather watch an Animal Planet documentary on spider monkeys than sit through three periods. You, the guy who refers to hockey as "ice soccer" and complains about how boring it is.

Yeah, I'm talking to you. What the puck is your problem?

Obviously, you need an attitude adjustment. And the Knoxville Ice Bears are willing to bet that one trip to the Knoxville Civic Coliseum on a game night will do the trick.

Not because you'll be
threatened or brainwashed; sure, it's a physical sport, but they don't beat
hockey newbies into submission. They don't have to, because the experience of
attending a game does the job just fine. An Ice Bears game, you see, isn't just
a game or a sport. It's an event. It's a three-ring circus on the ice of skillful skating, physical contact, fan interaction, hot girls, fuzzy mascots, prize giveaways, halftime spectacles and a lot more.

It's entertainment, and it's fast winning over those who once thought hockey was better left to north of the Mason-Dixon line.

A winning product

If an Ice Bears game is a circus, then General Manager Mike Murray is something of a ringmaster. A former professional player himself, he oversees the Ice Bears operation, and he's very aware of the franchise's need to be more than just a sport in order to be financially feasible.

"I think a lot of our success is due to the product we put on the ice," Murray told The Daily Times this week. "We've got some great guys who come back year after year because they love it here, and I can attest to that as well. I'm originally from Canada, but I've made my home here. The players feel comfortable here, and when they do that, they feel comfortable on the ice, and that makes for a great product.

"Other than that, we've really made an Ice Bears game into an event. It's not just a hockey game — it's an entertainment venue. The fans are interactive; some of them get to go on the ice and participate in our intermission festivities, and we've really gotten great support from local corporate people and season ticket holders. It's all a part of the formula that makes us go.

"And really, it's been a great thing to have the support, first and foremost, from the community," he added. "This organization has really done a great job of getting out into the community and getting our name out there."

The Ice Bears franchise isn't East Tennessee's first fling with semi-professional hockey. From the Cherokees to the Speed to the Ice Bears, hockey has struggled to find a niche in Big Orange country. But Murray, who's spent time in one capacity or another with all three aforementioned franchises, and his team may have just found a way to make it work. And it has as much to do with the entertainment value a fan experiences at a match as it does with the actual game unfolding on the ice.

"A lot of it is the fact that it's something different in the South," he said. "It's not something you see everyday, and although it is growing in other areas — Phoenix, Atlanta, Nashville — it's generally been seen as a Northern sport. For an area like East Tennessee that's into football, it's like football on ice, except that there's an occasional fight. And we do our best to gear the sport around the entertainment value as well.

"During the early stages of the sport, it was kind of limited to certain clientele, but I think that's changed drastically. Now, there's something going on at all times, and it's more family-oriented. It's also affordable for a family to come and enjoy the game, and we have arguably one of the most popular mascots around in Chilly Bear. Everybody knows who he is, and the kids love him."

There's also the Ice Bears Hunnies — the team's dancers and cheerleaders who add a bit of titillation to the event. Throw in the Miss Ice Bears contest held every season (this year, it's scheduled for the Jan. 27 game against the Florida Seals) and you've got something to entice young, single guys to the rink as well. And of course, there's always the fights.

"That's just always been a part of the game," Murray said. "Every team has one or two guys who are maybe more known for that than others, and I believe it will always be a part of the game. It is changing slightly where it's more wide open and not so much clutching and grabbing, but you can pretty much expect it at some point during a game with the physical contact that goes on.

"And it might be that for some fans, that's all they come for. But there are various opportunities for us to hit on every little thing someone may come to a hockey game for — and for sports enthusiasts, we've got some great players with great talent who do some pretty great things out there. Usually what happens when a person experiences a game one time, they're hooked. It's not something you see every day, and to see it and see what these players can actually do on these butter knives of skates — the ability and talent that goes into what they do out there — it's pretty incredible stuff.

"And as for the fighting ... whatever it takes to result in a win, the fans appreciate that, too," he added.

Fighting's all right

And the players themselves don't mind it so much, either. Ice Bears forward Mike Craigen, originally from Canada, understands that Southerners love a good brawl, but he also believes that the whole package keeps the stands full even when fisticuffs aren't involved.

"I understand Southerners really like that part of hockey, and if that gets them to the rink, I'm happy to do it and see others do it," he said. "But once they get there, I think they're impressed by the speed of the game and the athleticism of the players. They scream for fights, but there are lots of things going on between fights, and fans are still in their seats. They don't just leave when there's not a fight happening."

Craigen first came to Knoxville three years ago, when the franchise was in its infancy. He's seen it grow by leaps and bounds, to the point that fans number from 2,500 to 3,000 for every home game. Such support is crucial to his satisfaction as a player.

"It's just overwhelming the support we've gotten, and that's a really good feeling for a hockey player," he said. "There's a low salary cap to this league, so none of us are doing it to get rich. I've been around for a few years now, and there aren't many games that go by that I don't notice and feel thankful for all the Ice Bears organization does.

"You notice the volunteers, the kids in the stands with jerseys on, and it feels good. It reminds you of where you are and the hard work it took for you personally to get there."

And the players do work hard. In the spring, the Ice Bears defeated the Florida Seals to take the SPHL (Southern Professional Hockey League) championship and were awarded the President's Cup. The franchise has also been awarded the Commissioner's Cup for the best regular-season record in the SPHL for the past two years.

"We've got players who are dying to play here, and it's too bad we couldn't have more than 18 players on our team," Murray said. "We have some great, die-hard supporters, and there are some who just love a winner, and we've been fortunate to have that, too.

"Keeping (Coach) Jim Birmingham around to help mold a defending championship team has been great, and each year, we look forward to something bigger and better — both in terms of the support, and in terms of the entertainment value for everyone in East Tennessee."

SCHEDULE through December (for 2007 dates, visit the Ice Bears Web site)

7:30 tonight: vs. the Jacksonville (Fla.) Barracudas

7:30 p.m. Saturday: vs. the Fayetteville (N.C.) FireAntz

7:30 p.m. Nov. 17: vs. the FireAntz

7:30 p.m. Nov. 18: vs. the Huntsville (Ala.) Havoc

7:30 p.m. Nov. 24: at the Richmond (Va.) Renegades

8:30 p.m. Nov. 25: at the Havoc

7:35 p.m. Dec. 1: at the Florida Seals

7:30 p.m. Dec. 8: vs. the Columbus (Ga.) Cottonmouths

7:30 p.m. Dec. 9: vs. the Seals

8:30 p.m. Dec. 14: at the Havoc

8:30 p.m. Dec. 15: at the Havoc

7:10 p.m. Dec. 16: at the Pee Dee (S.C.) Cyclones

7:35 p.m. Dec. 21: at the Seals

7:05 p.m. Dec. 22: at the Barracudas

7:30 p.m. Dec. 23: at the Cottonmouths

7:30 p.m. Dec. 26: vs. the Cyclones

7:30 p.m. Dec. 30: vs. the Cottonmouths

Italic =away games

Home game promotions

— "Chuck A Puck": Purchase a puck for $1 (proceeds go to non-profit selling pucks) during second intermission; fans throw the puck onto the ice trying to hit targets to win prizes

— "Dance for your Dinner": Two fans are chosen to compete in a dance off, winner is chosen by the crowd and the winner wins dinner for two

— "Ice Bears Trivia": A chosen fan is asked a random trivia question about the Knoxville Ice Bears to win a prize

— The Ice Bears Hunnies entertain fans during intermission as well as in the stands

— Mascots Chilly and Nippy entertain fans throughout the game

— "Sweethearts of the Game": A couple is chosen, they share a kiss and win a prize

— Post game autographs: Two players per game sign autographs for fans after every home game

— "3 Stars of the Game": Three players chosen each game to throw autographed T-shirts into the crowd

Promotional nights include:

Nov. 18, "Guns and Hoses" Weekend, featuring an intermission scrimmage between local police and fire personnel

Nov. 24, area food drive featuring "Turkey Bowling"

Dec. 9, a hockey game between members of the local media will be held during one of the intermissions

Dec. 26, "Pack the House Night"

Dec. 29, "Extreme Sports Icehole 500 Tricycle Races"

Dec. 30, Hospital bed races