As planned, I joined my wife Jo Ann in Bethesda, Maryland late on Friday, February 11th. Our plans to see the Titans in Richmond on the 12th and spend a long weekend in the Washington, D.C. area had been jeopardized earlier in the week when Jo Ann learned that her training for the following week was cancelled. She decided to support the hockey addict and convinced me to still fly in, catch the game in Richmond with her, and make my trip to New Jersey a bit longer while she returned to Dallas on Sunday (instead of the following Friday as originally planned).
By Friday night, I was over my disappointment in the forced change of plans and began looking forward to seeing the Titans finally. That is, until Saturday morning when we turned on The Weather Channel. A wintery mix of snow and ice was being predicted for the East Coast that day. We snickered each time (at least half a dozen) that the weather gurus singled out the city of Richmond as a focal point for the stormy weather. Murphy's Law? We chose to ignore the possibility that the game would be cancelled and headed into D.C. for some sightseeing. The gloomy sky gave way to light snowfall as we strolled along the National Mall.
After a brief visit to Nation's Capital and an early dinner, we returned to our hotel room. The Weather Channel showed that the snow and ice arrived as predicted, but was on the way out of Virginia. A quick call to the Richmond Coliseum confirmed that the Titans - Renegades game was still on! The drive from Bethesda to Richmond wasn't too bad: a bit of snow, bit of ice, but a lot of salt on the windshield as we drove down Interstate 95. We arrived at the Coliseum just in time for the gates to open, getting our "Target" frisbees as we entered. Frisbees as a giveaway at an arena? Somehow, I just knew that was asking for trouble.
The Richmond Coliseum was older (opened in 1971) and bigger (seats 11,088 for hockey) than I probably expected, but had the feel of a good place for hockey. After all, it was the home ice for the Renegades' 1995 Riley Cup Championship and their Game Seven double-overtime Kelly Cup near miss last season. As we wandered through the concourse, I was a bit curious about the "1A" listed for the section on our tickets. The signs indicated U's and L's (Upper and Lower), but I wasn't quite sure where "A" came into the picture. When I purchased the tickets online from Ticketmaster, I requested the best seats available, but didn't expect much figuring that season ticket holders would have the best seats.
Jo Ann and I arrived a row D of section 1A and prepared to sit in what we consired to be pretty darn good seats, only six rows behind the Titans' bench. The only problem was that those weren't our seats. Still wondering about the "A", I asked a member of the Event Staff where section 1A row D was. He directed us to the first of two rows of folding chairs directly behind the Titans' bench (Rows A through C only existed on the sections beside the players benches). Unbelieveable seats for our first East Coast Hockey League and Trenton Titans game! And for only $15 each! ($80 a piece less than tickets a few rows further back from the benches we purchased from a season ticket holder for a Dallas Stars - New Jersey Devils game last season).
While Jo Ann and I were technically the Titans fans that travelled the farthest to see them play in Richmond, over 1300 miles from Dallas, due credit belongs to Pam and Barbara Bloom. As they have done for several Titans road games (as far away as Roanoke), the Blooms made the long drive from New Jersey to Richmond to rout for their team. Pam and Barbara have been the Trenton Titans very own "Road Warriors" this season! Although, it does sound like they are encouraging many fans to hit the road for "The Boys". For the February 12th game at Richmond, it was just the four of us there to cheer the Titans to victory in the face of an announce Renegades crowd of 5,388. And we were seperated by a couple of sections - divided WE conquer?
As the Titans warmed up, we were happy to see that their newest goaltender, Mike Tamburro, had arrived in time to backup Taras Lendzyk for the game. With a three-game losing streak starting to weigh heavily on the team as they arrived in Richmond, the Trenton Titans came out a bit flat again in the first period and allowed the Richmond Renegades many quality chances on 15 shots. However, netminder Taras Lendzyk seemed determined that none shall pass. While Trenton failed to produce any quality chances, Taras kept them in the game. As the game entered the second period, the Titans were still a bit on the lethargic side and the Renegades took advantage. Richmond's David Hoogsteen (hmmmm, where would we hear that name again?) broke the scoreless tie at 1:06 of the second period with his third goal of the season. That got the home crowd fired up and into the game. The Rengades continued to outshoot the Titans throughout the second period, but Lendzyk continued to make excellent saves to hold Richmond's lead to 1-0.
While the view from directly behind the players' bench was not nearly as obstructed as one might think, it does allow for some interesting distractions. Take Titans' Assistant Coach Mike Haviland, the shadowy figure on the left side of the photo above, for example. (Where was Peter Bronsteen when we needed good photography?) Probably within a minute of Haviland assuming his position standing directly in front of us, Jo Ann noticed that his dapper appearance was tainted but one small flaw: above his suit jacket, you could see that his collar was twisted. I restrained her from acting on the instinct to pound on the glass to get him to fix the collar. I also assured her that there wasn't a living, breathing soul on the Titans bench that would fix the collar, even if they too couldn't help to notice. And so the collar remained for the rest of the game.
As the intermission came around, my concern over the frisbees became a reality. The Renegades and Target department stores sponsored a contest placing a bulls-eye target near center ice: the fan with the closest frisbee to the center of the target would win a prize (I believe it was a large color television, or something). This was the same sponsorship that unwittingly gives Richmond opponents a bulls-eye target to shoot at on Renegades' jerseys, just above the players' butt. I'll give the five thousand plus Richmond fans in attendance the benefit of the doubt and assume that their aim had more to do with our proximity to the ice than the Titans' hat and jersey Jo Ann and I were wearing. Thousands of Target frisbees filled the air in Richmond Coliseum. Despite our nervous watch and the noble Event Staffer's defensive maneuvers, two frisbees bonked me square on the head. Not bad, considering the thousands that were soaring through the air! Good thing the promotions people chose frisbees instead of something else. Soon after the frisbees stopped while Jo Ann and I joked about potential litigation, we noticed a group of paramedics, police, and arena personnel responding to the nearby stairs. We never did find out whether the fan they were aiding for several minutes slipped on the steps, had some other ailment, or was struck by a frisbee. As the third period began, one more aerial assault occurred, but this one was a bit more appreciated. I was watching action off of the play when I heard a telltale 'dink' off of the top of the glass. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Titans players on the bench and fans behind the glass dodge the flying puck. I turned just in time to watch it hit off of the stands a few feet away and take a perfect bounce in front of me. Dozens of hockey games, and I finally got my first game puck! I didn't catch which player shot the puck, but I guess it was a 'settlement' for the frisbees.
I've been to numerous sports events, occasionally as 'the enemy'. To my surprise, baseball fans seem more hostile than hockey fans. I've experienced few problems wearing my New Jersey Devils jersey when they come to town to play the Dallas Stars. Most of the heckling comes from Jo Ann, wearing her Stars jersey as an act of defiance. By contrast, Texas Rangers fans were much less supportive of my New York Yankees apparel (of course, the Yankees were in the process of sweeping them in the playoffs). I wasn't quite sure what to expect wearing a Trenton Titans jersey in front of thousands of Richmond Renegades fans. However, I must admit that the fans turned out to be rather polite and unthreatening throughout the game - at least towards us. A group of fans in the section between us and the Blooms relentlessly heckled one player from before the first puck was dropped until after the game ended. Some of their comments were rather predictable, some were a bit of a stretch, but I must confess that a couple were rather witty. One particular punch line even cause Mike Haviland to turn around and allow a restrained chuckle while looking at the hecklers. Other than their constant barrage against one player, the Richmond fans spent more time heckling the officiating crew (with whom they apparently had a long-running dispute) than the Titans.
Now back to the game, or at least to the end of the second intermission. As the dueling Zambonis worked to resurface the Richmond Coliseum ice for the third period, the obviously older one of the pair decide to literally dig into the ice right in front of the Titans' bench. The fans in the front few rows were treated to a nice cloud of gas as the aging Zamboni sputtered and croaked. The smell of propane still lingered in the air as the arena crew aided the wounded resurfacer off the ice and allowed it's younger cousin to finish the job. When the Titans finally took to the ice for the third period after the short delay, it appeared that they too had found some gas!
There was a totally different atmosphere when the Titans came out for the third period. It was obvious that Bruce Cassidy had inspired the team to find some energy a fight to salvage at least a point for Lendzyk's hard work. Just 1:17 into the third period, Dave Risk spoiled the shutout bid with his first goal as a Trenton Titan. As four of us cheered, the rest of the crowd grew morbidly quiet. The momentum had shifted against their Renegades. Five minutes later, the Renegades recaptured the lead. The Titans did not give up and continued to dominate play in the period, but Renegades netminder Maxime Gingras wasn't going to surrender either. As the minutes ticked away on the scoreboard, the Titans went on the power play with less than four minutes remaining. Then, as he has done many times this season, Cail MacLean lit the lantern with a power play goal to tie the game at 2-2 with 2:15 left in regulation. This game was headed for a shootout!
As the final second expired in regulation, I was already celebrating. Since mid-November, the Titans had demonstrated a strong confidence in shootouts, losing only one of five. Comparing the looks on the faces of the Renegades and Titans, it was clear to see which team was in the driver's seat. Jeff Trembecky started the shootout with his trademark slow-motion waltz to the net. A deke, a goal! Richmond followed with their first attempt only to be stoned by Taras Lendzyk. Cail MacLean came up empty on the Titans' second shot, but so did David Hoogsteen for the Renegades. Richmond was running out of shots. Mike Hall's shot failed as did his Renegades counterpart. With the fourth shooter, things were getting desperate for the home team, especially when Dave Risk hit the net for a 2-0 Trenton advantage. Ryan Kraft quickly responded with a Renegades goal to prevent a shootout shutout. But Scott Bertoli made sure that Richmond wouldn't get another shot by slipping one past Gingras for a Titans shoutout victory!
After the game, Pam and Barbara Bloom introduced us to a couple of pleasant Richmond Renegades fans, Dan and Jean Farmer. Well, actually they claimed to be their in support of their friend and former goalie Taras Lendzyk more so than the Renegades. In a wonderful show of southern hospitality, the Farmers offered to lead us to the Titans' team bus. Out of the arena and down the street they led us until we arrived at the entrance to a tunnel that ran beside the Richmond Coliseum. Up ahead, we saw our target - the bus with New Jersey license plates. To my surprise, nobody seemed to pay attention to the group of six fans walking through the tunnel. I guess once the novelty wore off, Richmond didn't need to worry about any security measures for the tunnel. We waited patiently for a few minutes, then the players began exiting the locker room.
Having been to a few dozens more Titans games than Jo Ann and I, the Blooms were much better at recognizing most of the players. They offered congratulations to various players and got autographs from many. The biggest hit of the evening (after the victory itself) was when Pam and Barbara Bloom produced a hockey card of Titans Head Coach Bruce Cassidy when he played for the Saginaw Hawks of the International Hockey League. The posed, helmet-less shot of a young 'Butch' Cassidy sent a ripple of laughter through the Titans roster. Players went out of their way to ensure that everyone had a chance to see the card.
While I've always been rather passive when it comes to collecting autographs and meeting players, there was one particular Trenton Titan that Jo Ann and I looked forward to meeting. While I had trouble identifying many of the players in their street clothes without the help of the Blooms, there was no mistaking Jed. Since his e-mail about the Unofficial Web Site back before the season even began, I paid special attention to the progress that Jed Whitchurch made with the Titans. I was discouraged when I read reports out of camp suggesting that Jed wasn't big or tough enough to play hockey in the ECHL. Jed wasn't discouraged! As we know, he has risen to the challenge and become one of the Titans top scorers and Most Valuable Players. Thanks to the Blooms and Farmers, I was able to meet several of the Titans including Jed at Richmond. After talking for a couple of minutes and having Jo Ann snap our picture, Jed told me to stop by the locker room after Wednesday's home game and he would have autographed stick waiting for me. I was honored by the offer and knew his fine reputation with the fans, but would he really remember?
After giving thanks to Pam and Barbara Bloom and Dan and Jean Farmer for providing the wonderful opportunity to meet the Titans, Jo Ann and I headed back to Bethesda. On Sunday evening, she flew back to Texas while I drove up to New Jersey. Our original plan had been to spend the remainder of the weekend and Monday (Valentine's Day) together in the D.C. area. I figured that I could update the web site while she was in training on Tuesday, then leave for Trenton on Wednesday morning. After a quick visit of friends and relatives and the Titans-Chiefs game, I would spend the night in New Jersey before returning to Bethesda. However, with the cancellation of her training for the week, Jo Ann was required to return to Dallas on Sunday. My only options were to cancel my trip (cutting my losses at the plane and hockey tickets, but saving my vacation days) or extend my visit to New Jersey (incurring additional expenses and using up the vacation time without Jo Ann). My wonderful wife insisted that I make the trip! So after I brought her to Dulles International, I headed north to New Jersey.
When I woke up in New Jersey on Monday morning, I made a quick phone call to Ice Land to check the Titans' practice schedule for the week. Contrary to a half dozen reports that they don't practice on Mondays, I learned that the Titans were there as I called. I quickly drove to Hamilton to catch the last half hour of a voluntary practice. Less than half of the team was there, but it gave me a chance to see the Titans in action again. I also got the chance to meet the fine reporters who cover the Trenton Titans, at Ice Land digging for any breaking news. I had already met Mark Simon (The Times) on Saturday at Richmond. I had been meaning to visit the Press Box when he spotted me as a rare Titans fan in the Coliseum concourse. Mark was one of The Unofficial Web Site's earliest supporters, occasionally mentioning the site in his column. He was covering the practice on Monday, along with Scott Esposito from The Trentonian. For a Titans fan miles removed, Simon and Esposito have been extremely helpful in having their Titans coverage posted online - my site would be lost without it. Also at the practice on Monday, I met Nick8768 (I never did catch his last name). Nick has been a loyal fan at Titans' practices since their training camp days. At Tuesday's full practice, Rand Groves (In the Crease) joined the regulars covering the Titans. If you don't already follow his Titans column at www.inthecrease.com, you should check it out.
Tuesday gave me the opportunity to see a full practice session, but also to meet the man who provides picture perfect photography for The Unofficial Site: Peter Bronsteen. If you are reading this, you must be well aware of the fine work Peter does for my site and for the Titans' official web site. His photos add a spark to my site that I wouldn't be able to provide without his hard work and generosity. If you haven't met him yet, be sure to extend your appreciation next time you see him shooting photos from the corner by the goal (Section 109) or from the box between the players' benches.
Who needs maps? I figured that I had a fool-proof plan to find parking for Wednesday's Titans game: simply drive to the Sovereign Bank Arena and follow the signs. Sure, I read those horror stories about fans looking for parking, but that was back in October. Surely the instructions on where to park were clearly posted by now. When I arrived on Hamilton Avenue, I began following sign after sign only to find reserved lots for season ticket holders. I followed two particular signs clearly directing me to non-reserved lots only to have the lot attendants say they were reserved. Mistake number two was asking some of the attendants how to get to a non-reserved lot. After much deliberation amongst themselves, they provided me with a simple set of directions. Had I followed the directions perfectly, I think I would have ended up in either Pennsylvania or the Delaware River. I bailed out on the directions and returned back to Hamilton Avenue. After wandering the side streets of Trenton for about thirty minutes, I stumbled upon a spacious and (better yet) free lot within sight of the arena! But as I got out of my car, the skeptic inside me kept saying that this was too good to be true. With such a premium for nearby parking, there must be a catch to this free lot. I decided to ask a nearby Trenton police officer in his patrol car whether the lot was parking for the arena. In a rather indifferent tone, the officer replied that the parking lot was for the prison and he didn't know whether it was okay to park there or not. Luckily, my search ended a few minutes later when the fine attendants of the Hamilton Avenue lot gave me flawless directions on where to park.
My tour of Trenton ended up being beneficial after all, by reducing my wait for the doors of Sovereign Bank Arena to open. Finally, the time had come for me to see my first Trenton Titans home game. My ticket for the game was generously provided by Peter Bronsteen and family. I had the pleasure of attending the game with Peter and his son Derek. I began the evening with a thorough wandering of the main concourse, which turned out to be much shorter than I thought. I think I was well into my second lap before realizing that I was passing the same stands. After my tour, I proceeded to my seat and absorbed the interior of the Arena for the first time. What a contrast Sovereign Bank Arena was to Richmond Coliseum: newer, brighter, louder, more energetic, and of course, friendlier! I can't begin to describe my thrill as the National Anthem was sung and the puck was dropped (but I'm sure you have all been there months before).
Todd Fedoruk wasted little time getting the traditionalists in the home crowd all fired up just 4:24 into the game when he dropped the gloves with Johnstown's Jody Shelley, winning by unanimous decision. The game remained scoreless until 9:53 of the first period when Scott Bertoli made good on an Eric Brule rebound to get the rest of the announced crowd of 7,841 into the game! Thanks to the Bronsteens, I had nearly a front row view of this goal and the others Trenton would score this evening. (I thought it was rather nice of the team to accomodate us by scoring all of their goals at our end of the ice). The first period proved to be quite a shootout with 33 shots split almost evenly between the Chiefs and Titans, yet the score stood at just 1-0 Trenton.
As the game progressed, it became evident that my luck with flying objects had followed me from Richmond to Trenton. No, fortunately, frisbees didn't bonk me on the noggin at Sovereign Bank Arena. A scramble in front of the net sent another game puck fluttering over the glass straight to me. Two games, two pucks - not bad! In keeping with an old tradition I learned as a kid out at Shea Stadium many years earlier, I gave the puck to the youngest fan in my group: Derek Bronsteen. The luck followed the puck as Derek was one of two lucky winners of an autographed Titans jersey later in the evening.
The game also gave me the great opportunity to meet more of the awesome Titans fans that I previously only knew through the web site and e-mail. A Titans game wouldn't be complete without meeting Puckhead and wife (Joe and Cindy Bartzak), Blake and Willie, and Pam and Barbara Bloom (once again). Also pictured with me in the photo above are great Titans fans Derek Bronsteen and Nick Brener. Unfortunately, I didn't get to find everyone that I had hoped to meet on this trip. Hopefully, I will be able to attend a Booster Club meeting or a weekend game next season to meet more of the fine Titans fans that make my web site effort so rewarding.
No hockey experience could ever be complete without a run-in with the Hanson Brothers. No, I'm not talking about those teenage one-hit wonders, I mean the infamous Hanson Brothers from THE quintessential hockey movie: Slap Shot. I literally bumped into two of the Hansons as they made their rounds through the concourse as part of "Old-Time Hockey Night". Fortunately for me, they have mellowed over the years and didn't retaliate. I wanted to seize the opportunity to get the treasured autographs, but I could hear that action had resumed on the ice. With a close game at hand, I just couldn't risk it.
And now back to the game.... The second period was scoreless, turning what originally promised to be a Titans' romp into a nail-biter. The fans, myself included, were growing increasingly impatient with Trenton's hesistency to shoot as they tried to set up the perfect shot. It didn't help matters that Johnstown netminder Frederic Deschenes was on top of his game with 33 saves in the opening forty minutes. With a fragile 1-0 Titans lead heading into the third period, I could sense the apprehension in the air at Sovereign Bank Arena. Despite the stingy offensive support, goaltender Mike Tamburro was looking pretty sharp in his Trenton Titans debut, stopping all 26 shots he faced in the first two periods. However, in the opening minutes of the third period, Johnstown's Andrew Dale spoiled Tamburro's shutout bid by deflecting a power play shot off Tamburro's stick and under the crossbar to knot the game at 1-1. Four minutes later, Mike Hall rocked the house and put the Titans up 2-1 when he fired a backhander into the net. A few minutes later with the Titans shorthanded, Jerry Keefe provided the insurance, slapping the puck through Deschenes' five-hole for his first goal as a Trenton Titan. Only with the 3-1 lead did Titans fans start to get loud and confident! With less than two seconds left in regulation, the Chiefs cashed in on the extra attacker to cut Trenton's lead to 3-2. It was too little, too late: the Titans won 3-2!
With the thousands of fans pouring out of Sovereign Bank Arena, I pondered my dilemma. Jed Whitchurch had said to stop by the locker room after the game for an autographed stick, but this seemed much easier said than done. Several Titans fans assured me that it was no easy task to get to the locker room. I wandered through the concourse looking for some indication of which way to go, hoping to run into one of the few members of the Titans' staff who might know me by name. Most of the people remaining were Arena workers, cleaning up and preparing to go home. After asking a few 'important looking' SBA workers on how I might accomplish the task, I was sent on a wild goose chase searching for Titans' staff members. Repeatedly, I was told that I just missed catching up with them. I was sent to one section expecting to find a Titans' staffer, but only found an elevator. Not sure whether that was why I was sent to the section, I figured that I had nothing to lose and follwed some Arena workers into the elevator and to the lower level. Looking like a lost puppy wandering the lower level, I was approached by a member of either the Titans or SBA staff. I explained my dilemma and he instructed me to keep walking down the corridor and I would eventually see some people waiting. Sure enough, I found a handful of fans waiting outside the Titans' locker room.
I was greatly relieved to find the locker room and waiting fans, but couldn't help wondering whether Jed would remember. After all, even ECHL hockey players must have a lot going on to remember one stick for one fan. I patiently waited outside of the locker room as a few players exited and reporters entered. My optimism increased as an unknown Titans' staffer holding a stick stepped out of the locker room, looked around and then ducked back in. Moments later, Jed Whitchurch emerged from the locker room. Not only did he have the autographed stick as promised, he motioned for me to follow him into the locker room. As an unexpected bonus, Jed introduced me to Vince Williams, Sergei Skrobot, Cail MacLean, and many of the other Titans, some of whom actually remembered me from after the Richmond game. Jed introduced me as the guy who runs The Unofficial Web Site, which made it easy to guess which players could be considered net-savvy with responses varying from "My Mom loves your site" to an expressionless "Oh". After the brief tour, I thanked Jed once again and was on my way. How could I have doubted?
As I exited Sovereign Bank Arena and stood on the corner of Hamilton Avenue and 129 with the hockey stick, waiting for the traffic light to change, I was feeling as giddy as a ....., well you know. The autographed stick and locker room visit capped off a great trip that made every minute that I devote to the web site worth it. Call me crazy, but I'll treasure the autographed stick and what it represents a bit more than the old Siberian Husky gnawed baseball mit with autographs from former New York Mets Ray Knight and Clint Hurdle that hangs in my closet. The Trenton Titans have launched what promises to be a great ECHL franchise, and I am happy to share my tiny part of it. Jed Whitchurch embodies that ECHL spirit perhaps more than any other player on the Titans' roster with his determination, optimism, and his devotion to the fans. The fans, who in turn provide phenomenal support that I frequently hear praised by the players, staff, and media. It's been one pretty spectacular inaugural season and it was one pretty spectacular Unofficial Visit. I suppose I was still a little giddy on Friday as I walked through Dulles International Airport and onto my flight home with my autographed hockey stick in hand.
Until next time, Jo Ann and I would like to thank everyone who made our Richmond trip and my Trenton trip absolutely wonderful: Pam and Barbara Bloom, Jean and Dan Farmer, Jed Whitchurch, Peter and Derek Bronsteen, and many many others!!! We had a great time and look forward to catching up with the Titans and Titans' fans in the not-too-distant future! If the Kelly Cup Finals bring the Titans to nearby Louisiana, we'll see you there!
