Fans excited about the return of hockey

Kevin Gabert felt like a kid in a candy store.
For Stephanie Goldberg, the mood was like Christmas in June.
And Bob and Derek Johnson are a father/son combo who took a trip down memory lane to a time they shared, watching hockey at Kemper Arena.
These folks are the newest Missouri Mavericks super fans, and they joined a couple of hundred other residents who are hungry for hockey and counting down the minutes and the hours until Independence’s new team opens the season the weekend of Nov. 12-13 at the brand-spanking-new Independence Events Center.
They gathered at the Fox and Hound restaurant earlier this week when the Mavericks announced former Central Hockey League MVP Jeff Christian as their first signee.
“I’m a hockey nut,” said Independence resident Gabert, who told me he buys The Examiner because of the hockey coverage. “It’s going to be great watching the guys on the team – seeing how they play early in the season, then make progress as the season goes along. If you aren’t a fan of hockey, just go to one game. I guarantee you will become a fan.”
The Mavericks mean so much to Gabert that he arrived that the then unnamed team’s office on The Square at 4 a.m. the first day season tickets went on sale.
“I wanted to be able to say I was the first season ticket holder,” Gabert said with a touch of pride in his voice. “We got two season tickets on the second row, near the bench and the penalty box. Man, we’re going to have some fun once the season starts.”
Goldberg, who is such a big fan she named her dog Zamboni, is already getting in on the excitement as the team’s booster club president.
“I live in Overland Park, Kan., but I’m spending a lot more time in Independence,” Goldberg said. “I was the fourth person to buy season tickets. I live for hockey and can’t believe we’re getting our own team.
“And the Mavericks are doing everything right – like having this get-together for our first player. That is so cool, to come out and see everyone in the front office and meet Jeff Christian. If you feel like you know the players and the people with the team. It just makes the sport more personal and fun.”
Bob Johnson and his son, Derek, went to countless Kansas City Blades games when they were a part of the IHL. The elder Johnson even wore an old Blades jersey to the Mavericks open house.
“I live in Independence and am thrilled we’re getting hockey,” Bob Johnson said. “We’d go to 30 or 40 Blades games a year, and I’m thinking about buying seats to the new team.
“The Events Center seems like it’s going to be the perfect place to have a hockey team, and it’s something that Independence can be proud of.”
I’m betting the fans will be proud of Christian, a 39-year-old offensive force who led the CHL in scoring over the past four years.
“I’ve been in town for a day, and I already love Independence and the fans,” Christian said. “When we woke up this morning, it was 20 degrees cooler than it was where I came from.”
When asked if he came from the Sahara Desert, he grinned and said, “No, we came in from Oklahoma. I know it’s going to get warm and humid, but I don’t care how hot it gets in Independence, it’s going to be cooler than it is in Oklahoma.”
Christian will be a player/coach for the Mavericks, assisting head coach Scott Hillman with scouting, recruiting and coaching duties.
“I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work,” said Christian, who scored a league-high 116 points in his MVP season with the Youngstown (Ohio) SteelHounds. “Guys are already calling me up, asking how they can get a workout. We’re going to get some exciting young players in here – players the fans are going to really enjoy watching.”
With apologies to Harry Truman, the puck stops here. And when it does, the excitement will begin.