Score one for me (Bartl’s blog)
Score one for me.
Players rarely admit to reading blogs by the media guys, but my blog last week about famous Condors trades actually got a tweet: from Evan Stoflet, who, needless to say, considered his deal a “blockbuster.”
I also received a bunch of feedback from the fans, and I think I disappointed our current head coach for not including any of his deals. In all fairness, I think one or two of them would make the list, but I will wait until the season ends to judge. But it’s hard not to look at the Helfrich and Dee deals and not feel very good about them. So just wait your turn, Odie…
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Ryan Holt is on the road with the team and he took along with him a dusty copy of They Don’t Play Hockey In Heaven that was sitting on a display shelf in the office, so he could read it on this trip. From the texts I received during the team’s layover it’s clear that he’s enjoying it.
There are multiple ways to read that book and judge its contents. One is from the perspective of working or playing for a minor league hockey team, imagining the behind the scenes things happening. Which probably brings you a few chuckles. Another is from a dedicated fans’ perspective, perhaps bristling at some of the not-so-flattering things said about the town and the players that you have admired. One is from the angle of a general person unfamiliar with the names, teams and the city, just reading it for the intriguing story line. And yet another is from the perspective of having been there along the way and knowing where and when some liberties to story angles were taken. And with that, one would also know there was a lot that he left OUT of the book, thank God (some things need to stay in the locker room).
Many people from inside that team were not happy with the finished product that Ken Baker published, but there’s no denying that it was a compelling tale, with quirky characters, odd events and situations, and the drama and excitement of his one game in the pro ranks. I remember much about that game, and probably always will, because at the time, calling it was one of the biggest highlights of my career. It IS a very good read, with a remarkable and unlikely ending. And I still recommend it, 10 years later.
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Evan Trupp’s goal last weekend has garnered over 28,000 views on our YouTube page. “The Brawl” video has been watched over 170,000 times on our page alone, and that’s not counting the 10’s of thousands of views it has from other assorted websites that lifted it. Think about that. A goal, scored in a Condors game, has been watched online 28,000 times. That’s truly amazing.
Other stats from the brawl video are noteworthy as well. The top websites that brought in the most “views” of that fight were (in order): BarstoolSports.com, DeadSpin.com, Yahoo!, BarstoolU.com and aktuality.sk. Besides the fact that Barstool Sports was responsible for a combined 26,000 views between their sites, the ‘.sk’ website made Slovakia the third highest ranked COUNTRY for people watching that video. That’s right, it goes: the United States, Canada, Slovakia.
I guess I don’t know where else it would end up being so popular, but I would not have predicted Slovakia would be third. Ukraine was next. Probably Denis Shiryaev and Vlad Serov’s friends and family, still following along with the Condors.
That’s all I have for now.
Kevin Bartl is the Vice President of Communications and part of the broadcast team for the Condors, in his ninth season with the team.
