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Circa 1992: David Paitson (right) interviewed by Channel 10's Dave Kaylor and Andrea Cambern.
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Considering the dreadful state of affairs consuming the Columbus Blue Jackets these days, it’s a relief to pause and remember a different scene 20 years ago. That’s when the Columbus Chill debuted in a city that already had seen three other minor league hockey franchises wither and die.
But Columbus had never witnessed anything like the Chill. The brains behind the operation understood the way to get attention in the market was to treat sport as entertainment. As Columbus Monthly noted in a 1992 story, “Yes, the Chill held a party and a hockey game broke out.”
Although played at the less-than-sexy fairgrounds Coliseum, the games were events—targeted to college kids and young adults (hockey purists were welcomed, too, by the way). They felt like big dorm bashes with plenty of music and sound bites from Animal House or Caddyshack. Intermissions were filled with stunts, such as flinging frozen chickens across the ice into a net.
And the marketing was inspired. One ad: “Sure, you may think hockey is a violent, perverted example of male machismo. But for only $5, what’s your point?” The buzz went national, with ABC News, Sports Illustrated and even the Wall Street Journal coming to town.
The president of the Chill was David Paitson, then 32 years old with a history in sports administration, but barely any experience in hockey. He and his small crew ended up creating an irreverent and beloved brand that at one point sold out 83 consecutive games. It also laid the foundation for the arrival of the NHL in town.
Paitson is now in Huntsville, Texas, where he’s worked as the associate athletic director for external operations at Sam Houston State since 2009.
It’s a long way from the days of thinking it was cool to play songs from alt rock band Ned’s Atomic Dustbin during breaks in a hockey game. But he’s clearly proud of his accomplishments and more than eager to chat about them and his former colleagues, many of whom ended up working with NASCAR, NHL teams and the like.
We talk about his favorite promotions and he lists two, in particular: “Hard Copy” Olympics and Mad Cows.
The former was a riff on the tabloid TV show; a couple of fans would go on the ice during intermission to compete in such tasks as whacking “Nancy Kerrigan” on the knee and cutting a sausage in half in honor of Lorena Bobbitt.
The latter happened soon after the city was awarded an NHL franchise in 1997. The Other Paper, a sister publication of Columbus Monthly, had the brilliant idea of calling the new team the Mad Cows. The Chill picked up on the campaign and actually changed its name for one game to the Mad Cows—complete with such stunts as bobbing for cow tongues.
Regarding the Blue Jackets today, Paitson plays nice, choosing not to offer any critique or advice. (He held a key position in the transition to the NHL and then worked in the front office for the
Blue Jackets from 1998 to 2008.)
Talk then shifts to the Chill’s legacy. One overlooked element was the fact the Chill operated its own ice rink, the Chiller, which started in Dublin in the early 1990s and since has expanded to include four other locations. That infrastructure helped hockey grow in the city through youth programs and adult leagues.
But the lingering effect, he says, is fairly simple: “A spirit of fun.”
