BY THE SEA IN AC!

by Cal Kitson

It’s hard to believe but with each passing year, the National Hockey League Booster Clubs’ Convention gets better and better!

Coastal Atlantic City, New Jersey (home of the Miss America pageant), was our host city for convention this August.  I was pleasantly surprised by this destination, with its interesting mix of flashy hotels and casinos and beautiful beaches.  The skyline was crowded with bright neon signs for well-known gambling Meccas such as Harrah’s, Trump Taj Mahal, Caesar’s, and Bally’s, while a few blocks further on you could find the famous Jersey shore and boardwalk. 

Our home base was the Sheraton Atlantic City Convention Center Hotel, which has a beautiful winding grand staircase in the lobby and features a collection of Miss America memorabilia (sparkly gowns, tiaras and scepters, and contestant photos).  There was even a continuous video of past winners being crowned playing on a large monitor in the lobby!

The 2002 NHLBCC Convention Committee did a great job in planning a wide variety of pre-convention activities for early arrivals.  On Monday, definitely the hottest and most humid day of the week, we headed out on a lighthouse tour, visiting the Hereford Inlet, Cape May, and Absecon Lighthouses.  Each one was different from the others, with their own rich history and unique features.  We stopped for lunch at The Lobster House, where everyone dined on delicious seafood while sitting on the waterfront patio.  Joan and Barb Rog surprised us by showing up, even though they weren’t on the lighthouse tour.  They were spending a few days in Cape May before checking in at the convention hotel.  A thunderstorm passed through Monday night, which cooled things down considerably.  The weather the rest of the week was in the low 80’s and much drier—just perfect!

There was an exhibit of JFK memorabilia at the Tropicana Hotel that sounded interesting, so a small group of us went over on Tuesday to check it out.  Consisting of personal and Presidential papers, photos, and artifacts, this exhibit featured items from a private collection that had never been displayed to the public before.  It was a fascinating and touching tribute to the personal and professional life of President Kennedy and his family.

The Renault Winery was our pre-convention activity Tuesday night.  While having dinner in the wine cellar, we were invited to sample some of their products, such as the semi-sweet Blueberry Champagne; the May Wine, with its sweet strawberry flavoring; Royal Rouge, a light, mellow red wine; and Pink Lady, a sweet rosé.  Their gift shop was almost bought out as our members left with individual bottles and even cases of their tasty wines!

Wednesday was my longest and most active day (also the day on which I took the most pictures!).  A busload of us visited Cape May, a seaside town known for its beautiful Victorian architecture.  A one-hour trolley tour took us through the quaint neighborhoods, pointing out the gingerbread trim, cupolas and cornices, mansard roofs, and other ornamental touches of these vibrantly painted homes.  Bright beach umbrellas dotted the shoreline—a very colorful little town indeed!  We also had time for some lunch and shopping.  I think everyone went home that day with at least one box of the local favorite—saltwater taffy!

The highlight of the pre-convention activities was the Pub Crawl.  We “crawled” through the Old Anglesea area of North Wildwood, a.k.a. the Irish Riviera.  All the bars and restaurants were located in a 3-block area, so we really took over the neighborhood.  There were over 100 of us on the pub crawl this year, and our two main hangouts seemed to be Echo’s and Shady O’s.  We drank, danced, drank, took pictures, drank, played Tippy Cup, drank, played pool…oh, and did I mention that we drank?!  ‘Nuff said!

While a bunch of folks went off to tour historic Philadelphia on Thursday, I wisely chose to keep the day free, so I could sleep in after Pub Crawl.  I woke up just in time to hook up with a few friends for a stroll along the oceanfront boardwalk and lunch at the Hard Rock Café—a nice, relaxing way to pass some time.  (I’m intentionally omitting the fact that I “donated” $35 to Caesar’s via their slot machines!).

We had another large crowd for the evening event on Thursday.  A barbecue buffet was served on the waterfront patio of the Flying Cloud restaurant, followed by a sunset cruise aboard the Cruisn’ I, through Atlantic City’s back bays.  Lenny Bagarozzo of the Devils club ordered a drink on the boat called a Miami Vice (a strawberry daiquiri and pina colada combination), and before long everyone wanted them!  So much so that the boat had to turn around, head back to port, and stock up on more ice and alcohol!  I’m sure that was a first for the boat’s crew!

Friday took us back to the Flying Cloud and the Cruisn’ I, but both the buffet and our day time cruise route were different this time—along the waterfront with a view of the hotels and amusement piers.  We also visited the Ocean Life Center and had some ice cream to cool us down on this lazy afternoon.

The Standbys hosted their usual Friday afternoon hospitality suite back at the hotel, but it was extra special this year.  With dozens of friends and fellow hockey fans gathered, our own Elaine Uhrik was honored for her 50 years as a Standby as well as for her attendance at all 32 NHLBC conventions!  Gladys Wheeler gave a touching tribute to her long-time friend and presented her with a certificate of recognition.  Congratulations, Elaine!

Friday night’s banquet is always a costume party, and this year’s theme was St. Patrick’s Day.  Almost everyone wore some shade of green at the very least, while others went all out—we saw lots of leprechauns and even a pot of gold!  The Standbys, including Mickie and Frank Opalecky, Lynette Lehn, and Blanche and “Uncle Roy” Erdmann, all wore tee-shirts covered with stamped images of shamrocks!

Each booster club paraded into the banquet room behind a banner representing their team.  Standbys Barb Milecki, Liz Duncan, Barb Kintzer, Karen Natelson, and I marched proudly behind Joan Rog’s beautiful banner.

Perhaps some of our members will become famous in the months to come—a cameraman and reporter from NHL Cool Shots were at the hotel for Friday’s costume event interviewing us hockey fans, and we were told that a segment about the NHLBCC will be featured sometime in October.  (An e-mail should be sent out via The Big List when the piece is scheduled to air, so stay tuned!).

We were all eager for Saturday morning’s breakfast meeting, to hear an update from the Hammerheads of San Jose about next year’s convention, and to find out the location of the 2004 NHLBCC.  Mike Matthews of San Jose told us their theme will be “Hockey Week in San Jose,” and the convention will be held at the Wyndham Hotel.  Have patience—final prices and pre-convention activities will be available in several months. 

Larry Zub of Detroit really grabbed the crowd’s attention when he announced that the Redwings For’em Club planned to host the 2004 convention in…Toronto, Canada

Gasps could be heard when he told us that the Hockey Hall of Fame has already been reserved for a private party for our group on Friday, August 13, 2004.  Wow!

Our banquet on Saturday night is always our last chance to all be together as a group, and it’s a festive night of dining, drinking, and dancing.  After speeches and awards by the host club, the guest speaker was introduced.  Dr. Mike Emrick, the television voice of the NJ Devils, received a warm welcome from his audience.  His speech reflected his experiences over thirty years’ involvement in professional hockey, and his stories about Paul Stewart, Bobby Orr, and other famous hockey personalities were funny and insightful.  To say he was a big hit would be an understatement!  He stayed for hours afterward, greeting everyone who waited in line to talk to him.  He posed for pictures and signed autographs until every last person who wanted to meet him had a chance to do so.  Truly a warm and gracious man.

We had a great group of rookies this year, including three Islanders fans from England.  While I didn’t make it through Survivor’s Night, I hear a fun time was had by all.  Congratulations to Joyce Barden from San Jose—the 2002 Rookie of the Year!

Sunday is when the annual “weep fest” begins.  As people start to head home, the hugs and tears are genuine.  I’ve often tried to explain convention to friends who have never been, and I can’t.  It’s a special week that you have to experience to understand.  If YOU haven’t been yet, consider going next year…you’ll have a great time!

I look forward to watching the Miss America pageant on September 21, hoping to spot places I visited during convention week and reliving the happy memories of NHLBCC 2002.  On behalf of the Standbys, I send out heartfelt thanks to the members of the 2002 Convention Committee for their hard work and dedication to this year’s successful convention. 

See you all next year in San Jose!