"Life imitates art far more than art imitates Life." - Oscar Wilde
First, let me thank Eklund for the forum - this is a wonderful place for hockey fans (and media) to come together. I am glad to be a part of it.
I am sure most of you are familiar with The Simpson's episode where Homer acts like a fool at a Springfield Isotopes game, gets camera time on the scoreboard video wall, and the team hires him to be their mascot.
Well,at a recent home game with the Flyers not generating too much "entertainment" on the ice, the arena camera crews were panning the crowd as they normally do during a television time-out. Of course you had the shy girls not wanting to show their face, and the 20 kids jumping all over each other to get in the camera shot. The usual stuff you see at any arena.
Then it happened. Dancin'Homer 2006 was born.
The camera zoomed in on a rather portly fellow busting out dance moves that would make Napoleon Dynamite proud. The crowd popped for the wannabe Re-Run and a star was born.
You see , for each Flyers home game I sit right next to Shawn Tilger, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the Flyers. Shawn is a tremendous guy and has a knack for ...lets just say that if there is something Shawn wants or needs it better be done yesterday.
Anyway, Shawn turns to me with a grin and says "That guy is awesome."
No sooner than that he is on his Blackberry instructing the camera crew to get the guy in on every break and once again the guy kicks out a new move or two and the crowd is going nuts.
After that, the Dancin Homer was a star. Shawn got on the phone again and instructed a member of his staff to give his business card to the Flyers version of the Phille Phanatic. With the card was a note saying that anytime the fan wanted tickets to any home game, he should call Shawn and he'd be in for free. A couple of wacky dance moves earned this dude season tickets on the house.
So it just goes to show...hockey does imitate art.
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