Kalamazoo Wings’ new scoreboard is a bit ostentatious, possible puck magnet (PHOTO)
The ECHL Kalamazoo Wings opened up their 2012-13 home schedule on Friday night with a 1-0 win over the Fort Wayne Komets — a game played under the shadow of the mothership from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."
Oh, sorry, our mistake: That's actually the new scoreboard at Wings Stadium, part of a $2 million renovation. (Click here for a larger image of this monstrosity.)
According to MLive.com, it's "40 feet by 12.5 feet by 12 feet and [weighs] more than 12,000 pounds." In other words, the scoreboard covers 20 percent of the ECHL team's rink.
We don't want to say that the K-Wings are proudly flaunting their new scoreboard, but this video is the equivalent of Michael Fassbender in skinny jeans:
But here's the thing about the new toy: It's a little too large to be that low to the ice.
Justin Cohn of the Journal Gazette, one of our favorite minor league scribes, checks in from the game last night:
You have to realize, this is a really small building. The only thing I can equate this thing to is the Cowboys Stadium one, because it's proportionally so big, but more because it's so close to the ice.
The first game tonight, the puck didn't hit it, but it came close. I could see potential for hitting the scoreboard five times a game, any really high lifts into the air.
In other words, don't expect to see any Kopitar-ish rainbow passes. Or flip dumps on the penalty kill. Or Zdeno Chara ever being able to skate through center ice without ducking. You know, should he ever end up in the ECHL for some reason …
Congrats to the K-Wings on their new scoreboard. We always wanted to know what it would look like if every HDTV in Best Buy was glued together and all tuned to the Kiss-Cam at the same time.
s/t Justin Cohn for the image.
