By Ray Smith, Exhibit City News
If civility prevails, there won’t be much blood spilled on the ice when the East and West teams face off April 25 in the second EDPA Hockey Extravaganza at City National Arena in Las Vegas.
Maybe a couple of loose teeth.
It’s a rivalry in its infancy, far from evoking the emotional intensity of the Dodgers-Giants or Lakers-Celtics, but the game is shaping up as a head-banging, stick-slinging affair, nonetheless.
The puck drops Thursday, 7 p.m., at City National Arena, 1550 S. Pavilion Drive, Las Vegas, practice site for the NHL Vegas Golden Knights.
The East slapped down the West, 10-7, in last year’s inaugural game, and Matt Farrell predicts an identical outcome this year.
“The East is going to win again,” the account director at Hamilton Exhibits in Indianapolis confidently states. “For one thing, we have better knowledge of the game.”
Farrell played forward for his college hockey team at State University of New York-Brockport and considers himself more of a scorer than an enforcer. Above all, he admittedly talks the best smack.
Farrell got the puck flying when he told Bill Hinchliff, co-founder and CEO of IPME and primary organizer of the Hockey Extravaganza, that the East would “kick the s–t out of you” during a barroom discussion about staging such a game. “You guys are going down,” he boasted.
Farrell may not be the enforcer, but he’s bringing along a couple guys from Hamilton named Josh (Halpern and Frisbie) who can do the job. “It’s just going to be a good time. Everybody has fun,” he says.
BRUTAL GAME
Hinchliff, who runs EDPA golf tournaments in Southern California, took up playing hockey seven years ago, and found a “connection” with other hockey players in the tradeshow business. It’s like a “brotherhood,” he relates.
He recalls playing a round of golf with Dave Brown, vice president of BeMatrix, and learned that he also played hockey.
“What if we book the ice in Las Vegas and promote it as East vs. West? Now it’s a unique scenario. It’s not your average golf tournament. It’s a new way of connecting than ever before,” Hinchliff says.
While the game of golf lends itself to friendly wagering and polite behavior, hockey fans expect to get their money’s worth from a couple of knock-down, drag-out fights.
These are people who work side by side at tradeshows and exhibitions, now beating each other up on the ice, Hinchliff says. Of course, nobody wants to endanger their job by taking out the company boss with a punishing corner check.
SOMEBODY’S CRYING
Players for both sides are randomly selected from a hat prior to the game, Hinchliff explains.
“It just so happened the West got all the young guys, and the East got the old guys,” says Hinchliff, who at 54 was the oldest player on last year’s West squad and scored the first goal. “Halfway through, we’re up 4-1 and the old guys (from the East) complained. I told them we pulled names from the hat, fair and square.”
The lead changed hands three times. Norm Friedrich, president and CEO of Octanorm North America, came up with a hat trick for the East, and Sean Clarke of CVS was simply a “beast,” Hinchliff describes.
This year’s roster includes two husband-wife players: Bill and Cindy Hinchliff, and Mike and Jessica Mezei.
EDPA (Experiential Designers and Producers Association) of Southern California and Las Vegas hosted the inaugural game at City National Arena. Gayle Wright of IPME and Angie Johnson of Freeman were instrumental in the event’s success. Hinchliff expects attendance to double from 40 to about 80 this year and feels it could reach 200 cowbell ringers at some point.
The event starts with a free skating session and social hour at 5 p.m., followed by the game at 7 p.m. It concludes with an awards ceremony and charity auction.
The cost is $65 for adults (includes food and one alcoholic beverage), $35 for children and $90 for players (includes food, drink and jersey). Advance registration is required to play in the hockey game. For registration, go to https://form.jotform.com/240597173103150.
