Build it – and they came.
More than 200 people attended Tuesday’s Independence Council for Economic Development’s quarterly luncheon, a record attendance for the event.
Those in attendance got a bite to eat, a quick hockey tutorial and the chance to walk around the new Independence Events Center, home of the Missouri Mavericks. The team played – and won – its first two home games ever last weekend.
Attendees also got this tidbit.
“ ... we will now have a mascot named Mo,” said Brent Thiessen, the team’s president and general manager.
Independence City Manager Robert Heacock put a twist on the “buck stops here/puck stops here” language some have used to welcome hockey to Harry Truman’s hometown.
“The buck starts here – because in many ways that’s what this is about,” he said.
The hockey team, playing 32 home games a season, is bringing people to businesses in the area.
Some at Independence Center, he said, have already noticed an uptick in traffic.
“They’ve noticed business going up, and that’s good for Independence,” Heacock said.
Mike Young, general manager of the Events Center, said growing up in Independence, he never imagined the city would have such a facility, and he claimed that the community ice sheet next to the center is the best for 300 miles in any direction.
“It shows you the vision that our leaders in Independence have for this facility,” Young said.
The Mavericks’ coach, Scott Hillman, directed a half-dozen players through a demonstration of some hockey basics: icing, off-side and strategy during a power play. He also alluded to the team’s high number of penalties minutes so far this season.
“A few guys have been loading up the (penalty) box for us,” he said. “That’s OK. It’s good entertainment.”
The team plays in the Central Hockey League and played its first nine games on the road – from South Dakota to south Texas. Hillman said it’s great to at last be home.
“There is no building in North America that can top this building,” he said.
