Calgarypuck
 | |
Type of site | Hockey News and Discussion |
|---|---|
| Owner | Private |
| Created by | Mike Board, D'arcy McGrath |
| Website | http://www.calgarypuck.com/ |
| Registration | Free |
| Launched | 2000 |
| Current status | Active |
Calgary Puck is an online community of ice hockey enthusiasts, primarily supported by fans of the Calgary Flames. Calgary Puck, also known as "CP", "CalP" and "CPuckers" is visited by thousands of people every day. The site provides information and discussion through proactive moderation of the board, making it a source for its fan base and casual browsers alike. The Calgary Puck community prides themselves in maintaining integrity in discussions of all things related to both the Flames and the National Hockey League. Flames employees, players and local sportswriters have been known to frequent the site, including team President and CEO Ken King, and former player Andrew Ference, both of whom have interacted with members via the forums.
History
Calgary Puck was originally founded by Calgary Herald writer Mike Board. In the year 2000 Board merged the site with current owner and writer D'arcy McGrath's Fire on Ice forum. McGrath's user name on CP is "Bingo". Board has since moved on, leaving McGrath at the helm as both owner and publisher of the site. Calgary Puck bills itself as "the premier Calgary Flames fan site on the Internet". It features news and analysis on the Flames, as well as an active message board.[1]
Calgary Puck Culture
Like many Internet forums, Calgary Puck has some unique cultural memes.
Calgary Puckers often refer to re-posts of the same news articles or discussions as "Fatas" or "Red Hot Fatas". This came about after numerous new threads were started simultaneously to announce that former first round draft pick Rico Fata had been claimed by the New York Rangers on waivers in the 2001–02 season.
Flames' sixth defenceman David Hale, nicknamed "the Hale Storm" by Calgary Puck members, was an unlikely local hero during the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Led by Calgary Puck members, fans in the Pengrowth Saddledome took to emphasizing the word "HALE" during the American national anthem when the line "...what so proudly we hailed..." was sung. Fans as far away as Halifax, Nova Scotia helped to popularize the player most notable for having played more games than any other player without scoring a goal.[2]
Source of Inside Information
The CP user "Potty" had information regarding the Calgary Flames signing of Todd Bertuzzi on July 6, 2008. This was a full day before TSN announced and confirmed the signing on July 7, 2008. Calgary's Fan960 radio personality and blogger Pat Steinberg credited the site for having the information first.[3]
Flames President and CEO Ken King has at times made himself available to talk directly to the fan base on the site under the user name "kinger", his identification was verified by the moderation team. King made his first appearance in February 2005 to discuss fan reaction to the cancellation of the 2004–05 NHL season due to the ongoing lockout.[4] Former Flame Andrew Ference also interacted with fans on site under the handle "okotoker". Upon his trade to the Boston Bruins in 2007, Ference left a message on Calgary Puck thanking the fans of Calgary for their support.[5]
Calgarypuck was also the first to break news of Rene Bourque's 6-year, $20 million extension. They did so almost a week in advance to the official release.
References
- ↑ "About us". Calgary Puck. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
- ↑ Lefebvre, Jean (2008-04-20). "Hale and hearty fans look for No. 1". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
- ↑ Steinberg, Pat (2008-07-07). "Big Bert in Cowtown". Fan960.com. Rogers Communications. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
- ↑ "Ask Ken King about the cancellation". Calgary Puck. 2005-02-16. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
- ↑ "Thank You". Calgary Puck. 2007-02-10. Retrieved 2008-07-18.