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GRADING THE OPENER By Jack Tany Review Sports Columnist Handing out grades on opening night: Boys in Blue - Law enforcement was prevalent both inside and outside the County Event Center. But they weren't Saginaw Patrolmen. They were from the Sheriff's Department since the Event Center is now a county facility. Grade: A Concessions - Here goes: Hot Dog ($2.50), Kielbasa ($3.50), Coffee ($1.50), Hot Chocolate ($1.50), Cappuccino ($1.50) Soda ($2.50 & $3.50), Draft Beer ($5.00), Fruit Works ($2.00), Aquafina ($2.00), Cracker Jacks ($2.50), Popcorn Bag ($1.50), Popcorn Tub ($3.00), Pretzel ($1.00) Pretzel with Cheese ($1.50), Chips ($1.00), Nachos ($3.50), Ice Cream Bars ($2.50) and Candy ($1.50). Grade: B+ Music - I enjoyed the mix of music from Classic Rock to Hard Rock along with the traditional sports jingles. But they need to back off a bit on the volume dial for the older clan. Grade: B+ Press Area - the Spirit couldn't have treated us better. On the opposite side from the working press was the public address announcer (who used to be at ice level) A few times the names of the goal scorers came a few minutes after the goal instead of directly after the tally. The timing will be worked out. A number of minor officials consisted of the same faces from the old Saginaw Civic Center from decades past (Gordie Mefford, Gene Ayotte, etc). Some, however, don't know the old media standard - No Cheering in the Press Box! Grade: A Saginaw County Event Center - The first things you notice upon entering the Event Center Arena are the advertising signs. Signs, signs, everywhere there's signs. There were seven large backlit signs on each side of the mezzanine and two more in each corner for a total of 18. On the top of each stairwell heading to the mezzanine were advertising signs, and vertical backlit signs were at the top of each section. Wait, I'm not done. Behind the benches and penalty box area were advertising signs, along with six large logos on the ice (in addition to twirling logos projected by lights onto the ice). There were the traditional ads on the dasher boards around the rink and McDonald Pontiac-Cadillac-Olds-GMC had its logo on the facing of each and every step of the arena. Mike's Hard Lemonade and Midland Tire sponsored the two white blimps flying around near the rafters before the game and between periods. Gone are the gaudy orange-and-blue seats (some with the stuffing pulled out) that were the original seats from 30-plus years ago. They have been replaced with blue seats throughout the Loge and Mezzanine sections. The telescopic seating closer to the ice was in black and featured cup holders. The lighting was vastly improved. Instead of the old scoreboard in the middle of the arena, a new scoreboard featuring video replays (with advertisers on it, of course) was the marvel of the evening. Also new were two scoreboards in the northeast and southwest corners that featured shots on goal. There were extremely long lines for the bathrooms and concession stands between periods but that can be overlooked since it was a sellout. Paper towels were overflowing from trash dispensers in the men's bathroom after just the first period. That is a small detail that can be remedied very easily. One of the nicest changes was the televisions (courtesy of The Listening Room) in the concourse so you won't miss any action while grabbing a dog. Grade: A Saginaw County Event Center Staff - The ushers have taken a bad rap in the past for their non-friendly behavior. But there's a new sheriff in town (SMG Worldwide) and they run a tighter ship. Ushers were all in black pants, white shirt, black necktie and blue Event Center vests. Grade: A Saginaw Spirit Hockey Team - They lost their inaugural game 5-2 but coach Dennis Desrosiers informed the fans weeks before the opener that it's going to take the team a while to mesh. There were a few lapses on the defensive end but I'm sure Desrosiers will get those ironed out. The contest was penalty-filled but a lot of that was because of first-game jitters. Grade: B+ Saginaw Spirit Fans - What can I say? Between 1,500-2,000 showed up at the Spirit Rally in Morley Plaza and a sellout crowd of 5,500 attended the opener. The fans have always been knowledgeable hockey people and yes, they do enjoy a good fistfight. Grade: A+ Saginaw Spirit Magazine - A great buy for $4. The full-color program features photos, rosters, player and staff profiles and ads aplenty. My favorite ad appeared on page 31 where the entire staff of Princing & Ewend donned hockey uniforms/equipment for a 'team photo.' In addition, an 'I Caught the Spirit!' poster, sponsored by Saint Mary's Cardiac & Vascular Research Center, was inserted into the center. Grade: A+ Souvenirs - Julie Korn, the Director of Merchandising, must have worked her fingers to the bone setting up the individual displays around the arena. Over half the fans in attendance donned either Spirit jerseys or tee shirts. On each seat was a white pom pon with the Spirit logo on it. The most popular item on opening night was the Saginaw Spirit Football Jerseys. Reasonable priced at $35, the jerseys featured the Ontario Hockey League logo on the front and the words 'Saginaw Spirit' in large letters on the back. The shirts come in either blue-and-white or red-and-white. Grade: A+ OVERALL - A great night for the Spirit and the county of Saginaw! If both teams' scores combine for a 7 or 11 at the end of the evening, each and every fan will be awarded a coupon for a free slurpee. The coupon comes from - you guessed it - 7-11. Grade: A.
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