Ice Flyers To Stage Grand Weekend With Jersey Giveaway, Blue Angels Night In Dual Games
By Bill Vilona
Ice Flyers Correspondent
The idea began formulating three years ago when Ice Flyers owner Greg Harris sought a way to partner with the Blue Angels to create a unique recognition theme night.
This weekend has presented perfect timing.
In what promises to be a memorable event, the Ice Flyers are matching Veterans Day on Saturday with the first Blue Angels Night and Military Appreciation Game, as part of special weekend of dual home games against the Knoxville Ice Bears. Tonight will be the season’s first giveaway promotion with Adult Jersey Night for the first 1,000 adult-age fans at the Pensacola Bay Center.
“I don’t think we’ve ever had back-to-back nights of this magnitude this early in a season,” Harris said. “These are two very significant game nights that we have planned. But that’s how we wanted it.”
The lead-up began Wednesday when Ice Flyers players and staff visited the Blue Angels and support crew at their famed hangar location at Naval Air Station-Pensacola.
Team members displayed the custom-designed Blue Angels flight suit uniforms they will wear Saturday night and were set to meet with members of the famed U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, which has been based in Pensacola since 1946. The Blue Angels wrapped up their 2023 national schedule in their 77th year last Saturday with the annual hometown November show at NAS-Pensacola.
One week later, the Blues and support crew will now be at the Bay Center. And the Ice Flyers will be wearing one-of-a-kind uniforms to honor them.
“This was always the target date, to do it on Saturday, on Veterans Day, one week after the (Blue Angels) air show,” Harris said. “The timing has worked out incredibly. We’re in a very military-supportive community and everything has just come together.
“I think this is going to be a tremendous night. It will still be our military appreciation night, so we will still do the 50-percent-off tickets for all active and retired military and their families. We wanted to keep that aspect of this night as well.”
Okay, so first things first.
Tonight the adult jersey giveaway features the powder-blue Ice Flyers design jersey with the number 24 on the shoulders and backside to reference the upcoming new year.
Now, don’t worry. The kids will have their day, too. The Ice Flyers Youth Jersey Giveaway Night will be Dec. 26, the day after Christmas, when the team faces Birmingham.
“So, families can say to their kids in a surprise, “We’ve got an additional Christmas present, we’re going to go to the game tomorrow night (Dec. 26) and we’re going to get jerseys for you.’ We thought it was a good timing,” Harris said.
“Everything we do with these theme nights and promotion giveaways, we plan out well in advance and it takes awhile to finalize,” Harris said. “We go through different versions of our theme night schedule, because we want to make sure it’s positioned in the right way.
“Other teams in our league have done jersey nights as well and had great success. Last year, we wanted to see what the youth jersey giveaway was like, and it was a tremendous success. We knew then, we’re adding an adult jersey as well and see what we can do.”
Making the Blue Angels Night happen was a far more arduous procedure. Harris and his front office staff began in July working on this event.
Harris first contacted the Blue Angels legal staff, located in Corpus Christi, Texas.
“I just decided this year to take a deep dive and see if we could make this happen,” Harris said. “I was able to start the conversation with the approach of, ‘This is what we would like to do. What can we do? What can’t we do? So, it was a dialogue back and forth and they were great about it.”
“I would say it probably took about a month and half and we received final approval in early September. Any time we got a proof image of the jerseys, we sent to their legal team and then it went back to our jersey company with changes. It was a process. And it was good communication.”
The jerseys were designed and made in the U.S. at the OT Sports company in Burlington, North Carolina, which is a company partner with the Southern Professional Hockey League. That was another important element to Harris and the Ice Flyers when planning the event.
“OT Sports really helped us with the material used and design and how the patches on these jerseys will look,” Harris said. “They realized it was a great way to showcase the Blue Angels, how significant this was, and what they could do as a jersey company.”
A sneak preview of the uniforms occurred last weekend when the Ice Flyers staff had a vending booth set up in the spectator area at NAS-Pensacola for the Blue Angels Air Show.
Naturally, it generated a wow factor.
“Everybody wanted them,” Harris said. “And people who were from out-of-town and just here that weekend wondered how they could get the jerseys.”
The replica jerseys will be sold Saturday for $170 apiece. There will also be two different commemorative pucks on sale and commemorative Koozies. There will be a merchandise stand outside on the main plaza with merchandise being sold on the upper concourses during the game.
There will be some special recognition in pregame events and the ceremonial puck drop, but mostly Harris wants the Blue Angels team, support staff and families to just enjoy being at an Ice Flyers game.
“It’s an honor for us to host them,” Harris said. “We just want everyone to have a good time. They mean so much to Pensacola. We are all just super excited.”
WANT TO GO?
WHAT: Ice Flyers Adult Jersey Night, Blue Angels Night
WHO: Knoxville Ice Bears vs. Ice Flyers
WHEN: Friday (Adult Jersey Giveaway), Saturday (Blue Angels Night). Both games at 7 p.m.
WHERE: Pensacola Bay Center
TICKETS: www.iceflyers.com/tickets. Or visit Bay Center box office during business hours.
PROMOTIONS: Friday: The first 1,000 adult-age fans will receive an Ice Flyers jersey. Saturday: Military Appreciation Night/Blue Angels Night. All active and retired military and families receive 50-percent off tickets. The tickets must be purchased at Bay Center box office and a military ID is required. Ice Flyers will wear specialty Blue Angels uniforms during the game and there will be recognition throughout game for the Blue Angels.
RADIO: Fox Sports Pensacola with voice of Ice Flyers Paul Chestnutt (WPNN 103.7FM AND790 AM – FRIDAY) (101.1 FM and 1450 AM – SATURDAY)
VIDEO: Livestream broadcast available on FloHockey (subscription required).
