Vol. 15 , No. 2
The official newsletter of the Carolina Hurricanes Booster Club
January 2015
Greenley Brings New Direction To In-Game Experience
Chris Greenley, Director of Canesvision and In-Game Marketing
Change was in the air this offseason for
the Carolina Hurricanes. They changed the
general manager, they changed the coach,
and they also made a significant change to
the in-game experience.
Enter Chris Greenley. The Colorado
native was hired as the Director of
Canesvision and In-Game marketing back in
August.
Chris has over 10 years of
experience in the sports industry including in
the NBA, MLB, MLS, and international
soccer. He worked with the Colorado
Chris Greenley, Director of Canesvision, was the
Avalanche prior to his current position with
special
guest speaker at the October CHBC meeting.
the Carolina Hurricanes.
As seen in the first home games of the
to showtime idea. It shows the locker room,
2014-15 season, Greenley and his staff
rink, and team as the numbers count down.
implemented changes in philosophy and the
He had to make changes to corporate
quality of music. He hired DJ Marcus Mista
promotions to make sure the promos work for
Illz Ward, who mixes music live during the
the fans, players, and sponsors. (It was noted
home games.
that players would sometimes watch the
The first major challenge was hiring a
promos instead of listening to the coach
new producer. “Finding a new producer was
during TV timeouts.)
a real challenge for us.” Said Greenley. “We
“One thing I brought with me was the
brought in Christine Williams, who has
Harris Teeter Crazy Caniacs, which show
worked with NFL films, the Pittsburgh
nominees throughout the game and at the
Penguins, and was an intern with the Canes
end, we show a 3-person contest for the
a year ago.”
winner.” Said Chris. “It’s really simple, all
Williams made an immediate and
about fan engagement, and gets people
noticeable impact with the new countdown
going.” Continued on page 7
What’s inside
2
3
President’s Message
Cheap Seats / John Gallagher
4
6
CHBC News
September Meeting – Shane Willis
Next CHBC Meeting: Thursday, January 22nd at the Backyard Bistro
Officers & Directors
John Gallaher
President
[email protected]
President’s Message / John Gallagher
Celebrities Galore at the CHBC Kiosk!
Barbara Stump
Vice President
Sandi Watts
Treasurer
Chris Clark
Secretary
Cathie McCorkle
At-Large Member
Patrick Noonan
At-Large Member
Taylor Stacey
At-Large Member
Donna Jo Stephenson
At-Large Member
Website Coordinator
Mark Hall
Carolina Hurricanes Booster Club
P. O. Box 20776
Raleigh, N. C. 27619
www.hurricanesboosters.org
For the latest CHBC news,
follow us:
@CHBCHurricanes
ESPN’s Scott Burnside at the CHBC kiosk at Sec 124. Pictured (left to right): Sandi
& David Watts, Burnside, Chris Clark, Lynnae & Patrick Drollinger, John Gallagher
Happy New Year CHBC Members!
It’s been a tough season so far, but your unwavering support is very much
appreciated. Times like these call for diehard hockey fans to band together. The
return of Jordan Staal should provide our team a much-needed boost.
The CHBC kiosk has had some visits from hockey celebrities including ESPN’s
Scott Burnside, Justin Faulk’s mom, and Andres Nestrasil. Link to ESPN
CHBC coverage can be found here http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=11860266
Despite the team woes on the ice, the CHBC is thriving with support from longtime members and some new ones as well. We encourage all members to stop
by the kiosk, help us out, or just say hello.
Our Fall/Winter Jersey Raffle went well. We earned enough funds to provide at
least one youth hockey scholarship to the Canes Summer 2015 Hockey Camp.
hurricanesboosters
Send newsletter submissions to:
[email protected]
Newsletter deadline:
Friday, January 31 for the
Spring 2015 issue
Our next area of focus at the CHBC kiosk is the CHBC Fan Favorite Award for
2014-15. Just $1 to vote. Justin Faulk has the early lead (thanks to a donation
from his Mom!) Details about the Fan Favorite award can be found on page 4 of
this newsletter. Vote for your favorite Canes player today!
Also on page 4, take a look at the calendar of events and support the Canes and
the Hurricanes Booster Club. Thank you for your support.
Let’s GO CANES! And that’s hockey to me….
John Gallagher, President
Carolina Hurricanes Booster Club
e-mail: [email protected]
Page 2  Hurricane Warning  January 2015
From the Cheap Seats / John Gallagher
Canes Win at Pittsburgh!
My daughter, Isabelle, and me following Canes
win at Pittsburgh!
Canes defeated Penguins on Nov 28, 2014 at
Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, PA
I got the opportunity to see the Canes on
the road during the Thanksgiving break. Having
not been to Pittsburgh since 2006, this was my
first trip to Consol Energy Center (previously the
Penguins played in Mellon Arena until 2010).
While in the Wheeling area, I took in the
Hurricane’s ECHL affiliate, Florida Everblades
The Everblades lost an exciting 3-2 decision to
the Nailers despite scoring 2 in the 3rd.
The Ohio Valley is where I grew up.
Wheeling and Pittsburgh have a lot of character.
I highly recommend taking in the hockey in the
area along with a Primanti Brothers sandwich!
The arena is amazing, very modern. Lots of
room on the concourse and includes an
interactive Penguins Hall of Fame Area. This
area includes a touch screen where you can pull
up the stats, photos, and video of Penguin alltime greats including our General Manager, Ron
Francis.
The Pittsburgh Penguins Booster Club.
Florida Everblades at Wheeling Nailers
Nov 29, 2014 at Wesbanco Arena - Wheeling, WV
Page 3  Hurricane Warning  January 2015
CHBC NEWS
CHBC Fan Favorite Voting Under Way!
$1 Per Vote - 100% of Proceeds Benefit the Kids N Community
Each year the Carolina Hurricanes Booster Club holds the Fan Favorite of the Year Award. Fans
can vote for their favorite Carolina Hurricanes Player for a $1 donation. For each dollar donated,
a vote is recorded for that individual’s player of choice. At the end of the season, the Booster
Club donates 100% of the proceeds to the Kids N’ Community Foundation and presents the
winning player with the Fan Favorite Plaque.
Following his retirement in 2004 the CHBC Fan Favorite Award was re-dedicated to Ron Francis
with the engraving “In Honor of Ron Francis” added to the bottom of the plaque.
Past winners of the Carolina Hurricanes Booster Club Fan Favorite Award:
1997-98
1998-99
1999-00
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2005-06
Steve Chiasson
Kevin Dineen
Jeff O’Neill
Shane Willis
Ron Francis
Rod Brind’amour
Kevyn Adams
Matt Cullen
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11
2011-12
2012-13
Glen Wesley
Justin Williams
Tuomo Ruutu
Rod Brind’amour
Cam Ward
Brandon Sutter
Patrick Dwyer
CHBC Event Calendar
*Wednesday, January 7 @ 7pm Backyard Bistro – Canes Corner
Canes Corner Guest: Justin Faulk
^Saturday, January 17 7pm Backyard Bistro – Storm Watch Party
Carolina Hurricanes @ Ottawa Senators
^Thursday, January 22 @ 7pm Backyard Bistro
Carolina Hurricanes Booster Club General Membership meeting
Guest Speaker: To Be Determined
*Thursday, January 29 @ 7pm Backyard Bistro – Canes Corner
^Saturday, January 31 7pm Backyard Bistro – Storm Watch Party
Carolina Hurricanes @ NY Rangers
*Indicates events hosted by the Carolina Hurricanes
^Indicates events hosted by the Carolina Hurricanes Booster Club
Page 4  Hurricane Warning  January 2015
September Meeting – Shane Willis
Shane Willis Is Talking About Youth Hockey!
In the 2000-2001 hockey season, Shane
Willis was having a breakout season with
the Carolina Hurricanes. He scored 20
goals and 24 assists helping the Canes
make the 2001 Stanley Cup Playoffs. On
November 12, 2000 Shane scored 9
seconds into the start of a 4-0 win over
the Ottawa Senators, a record that still
stands to this day.
Despite having to overcome several
insurmountable hurdles, Shane continued
a hockey career that spanned over 10
years including other stints in the NHL,
AHL, and ECHL. This impressive drive to
succeed has carried over into his current
position as the Youth and Amateur
Hockey Coordinator with the Carolina
Hurricanes.
Former Carolina Hurricanes player, Shane Willis, was the
guest at the Booster Club’s October meeting.
There are currently over 1800 kids playing youth
hockey in the area today. Details of youth
hockey activity are well chronicled at
www.ryha.org.
In discussing youth hockey, Shane outlined the
phases of development in hockey:
Ages 8 to 10: Learn to play the game / have fun
Ages 10-12: At this age, players start to learn
and develop skill
Ages 13-14: Players start to develop physical
attributes to play the game
Ages 15-16: Off-ice work tends to begin
Youth hockey is thriving in the Triangle. The
2014 Summer Hockey Elite Camp (ages 13-17)
actually doubled in size this year.
The junior Hurricanes will once again be
competing in the Quebec International PeeWee Hockey Tournament beginning
February 11, 2015. For more information on
the tournament, go to www.tournoipeewee.qc.ca. The Carolina Junior Hurricanes
finished first in the International-B bracket back
in 2011.
If looking for some of the latest updates, you
can also follow the Junior Hurricanes on twitter
@JrCanesU16.
Shane is currently partnering with Canes
defenseman Justin Faulk on grass roots
programs as announced on the canes website
back on Oct 31, 2014: There are two programs
to help introduce kids to hockey – Learn to Play
and First Goal. The First Goal program is a fourweek course that provides an introduction to try
hockey at a minimal expense. Upon completion
of the First Goal program, participants may
progress to Learn to Play, an eight-week
program that teaches the fundamentals of the
sport.
After completing Learn to Play, participants will
be invited to join the Hurricanes House League.
For more information on the Hurricanes House
League, please visit www.phhl.org.
Shane Willis is also scheduled to play in the
4th Annual Hurricanes Alumni Game on
Sunday, March 22. For more information,
skate over to www.hurricanes.nhl.com
Page 5  Hurricane Warning  January 2015
MEMBER NEWS
CHBC “Members Win!” During Games and Events
Logan won this signed Cam Ward card just
by following the Carolina Hurricanes Booster
Club on Twitter. Sometimes it’s just that easy!
Welcome New Board Member
Donna Jo Stephenson!
Donna Jo won a classic
Ray Whitney figurine at the October
membership meeting!
New CHBC Member Buddy Bartley won a Canes
Bobblehead and an autographed photo of Coach
Bill Peters at the October Storm Watch Party!
Long-time supporter Sherry Hollcraft holds a
signed Nathan Gerbe photo she won at the
October membership meeting.
Page 6  Hurricane Warning  January 2015
Chris Greenley – Continued from page 1
Another huge enhancement was the
addition of a wireless camera.
“So you will see one of our more senior
producers, Don Sill, get different camera
angles and shots for when we create
highlight videos and team opens.” Said
Greenley. “The shots are a little more in
depth and a little more emotional. We really
want to show the work and energy the
players are putting in and translate that to
video.”
Under Chris’ leadership, there is a real
focus on the quality of the broadcasts and
“You have to be mindful
and respectful of what
the NHL is, the history.
There is a lot of things
you just don’t do.” creating a better fan experience for the
ticket-buying customers.
Other franchises Chris has worked for
were more conservative than that of the
Carolina Hurricanes. Some do not allow you
to poke fun at other teams hardly at all.
Chris is careful to ensure the fun is
tastefully done.
“You have to be mindful and respectful
of what the NHL is, the history. There is a
lot of things you just don’t do.” Said
Greenley. “Incorporating videos involving
the mascot with a punchline at the end live.
That’s fun. That’s a good flow to have and I
want to incorporate more of those where it
makes sense.”
GAME DAY PROCESS
The game day process for Chris starts
about a week early for the Canesvision
team.
“Everything is scripted out and planned
to a certain degree.” Said Chris. “Some of
the things that aren’t planned, those are the
best!”
“We really want to
show the work and
energy the players are
putting in and translate
that to video.”
The staff critiques the script to make
sure all the elements have the right balance
of hockey with fun and excitement in the
content.
Finally game day arrives and a review
with staff starts around 2pm so each person
knows what is expected. Then Chris will
meet with Jon Chase and Amber Jay to
go over that night’s game plan. Any
changes
from
these
meetings
are
implemented before dinner. After dinner,
Chris meets with DJ Marcus for the Live
Music Mixes.
Then it’s gametime. Chris Greenley is in
his seat from about 6:30pm until the end of
the game (including Overtime when
applicable).
Following the game, Chris has a followup meeting with the staff to recap the night
and get 1 good thing and 1 bad thing to
learn from so they can constantly improve
the game-night experience.
All that said, even with a well-planned
script, the Canesvision staff always must be
ready to go off-script when the unexpected
occurs (i.e. long review call, player injury,
or extended shootout contest).
In a challenging hockey season like this
one, the production intangibles Chris
Greenley and his team bring to the rink help
keep the diehard hockey fans engaged.
Page 7  Hurricane Warning  January 2015
NEXT CHBC Membership Meeting
Thursday, January 22nd 7pm at the Backyard Bistro
Guest Speaker:
To Be Determined
The Backyard Bistro is located at 1235 Hurricane Alley Way Raleigh, NC 27607
(across from the PNC Arena).
The Backyard Bistro is the official meeting place of
the Carolina Hurricanes Booster Club
Hurricane Warning
The Carolina Hurricanes Booster Club
P. O. Box 20776
Raleigh, North Carolina 27619
www.hurricanesboosters.org
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