Five hundred and sixty-eight miles north is the home of the Nashville Predators’ AHL affiliate Milwaukee Admirals. Milwaukee has been Nashville’s AHL affiliate since the Predators’ founding in 1998 and although separated by an eight-and-a-half hour drive (on a good traffic day), the two teams have a close working partnership.
Of course there is the on ice relationship that develops players in the AHL into potential NHL stars, and there are also similar traditions that run though both fan bases. Just ask Chris Driedger, goaltender for the Coachella Valley Firebirds who recently played the Admirals in the Western Conference Finals as he listened to a chorus of “You suck! It’s all your fault! It’s all your fault!” rain down after an Admirals goal.
But there is one aspect of the Milwaukee game day experience that is uniquely Admirals.
They have a pirate ship.
That’s right – the Milwaukee Admirals have a pirate ship on ice. Contrary to rumor and assumption, it is not a Zamboni but a wooden ship built around a battery powered cart and doesn’t resurface the ice during its large intermission lap. The ship makes an appearance in between periods while its crew throws T-shirts to an enthusiastic crowd.
On my first visit to a Milwaukee Admirals game, I got a chance to learn about the Admirals ship and meet what I presumed would be the pirate ship’s old, weathered captain. I was surprised to be greeted by a fresh faced young man named Vinny.
Vinny is a student from the Milwaukee School of Engineering who captains the ship at Admirals home games. He earned the honor as a member of the Architectural Engineering Institute, the group that originally created the ship for the Milwaukee Admirals years ago. Vinny’s been captaining the ship for a full year now and shared a behind the scenes look at the magic.
The ship’s been around for many years, slightly rugged and weathered, its air pressure cannons not currently operational. When not in use, it is tucked away in a storage space deep inside the arena. Vinny invited me to come aboard as he prepared for his evening sail.
The job of getting the ship to the ice and ready for intermission is an impressive feat by Vinny for two reasons — one, the ship only fits through the hallways and around the corners if driven with exact precision and two, Vinny’s view is limited as he maneuvers through the tight space. While there are small portholes directly in front of the steering wheel, he can see very little out of them as he drives.
It’s a slow and careful expedition around tight corners, down the narrow hallways, and into an open area just off the ice where the masts will be added in the extra space. As Vinny drives by memory and an occasional glance up at the ceiling, he calls out “Shiiip! Shiiiiiiip!” warning everyone, including Admirals players, to move up against the wall as he passes. Vinny receives the occasional wave over the port and starboard sides as he passes safely by Milwaukee’s team and staff during their own pre-game preparations.
Once the ship clears the concrete channels of UWM Panther Arena, the masts are assembled and secured, the side cannons are mounted, and the ship is ready for its icy voyage.
For all the work and effort it takes to get the ship ready to go, the boat only spends about a minute on the ice at the start of each intermission. It is an exciting one hundred and twenty seconds per game night as fans are quick to stand and wave for a chance to catch the coveted Admirals swag. With the air cannons that used to shoot the T-shirts out the side portholes no longer in working order, Vinny’s dad has been recruited to toss shirts to the excited crowd.
When the two laps are over Vinny makes that careful yet familiar trek back to the bowels of the arena where the boat is parked and plugged in to recharge. With the Admirals season ending in the Western Conference Finals series against the Coachella Valley Firebirds this past weekend, it will sit in its dark corner of the arena waiting for next season’s maiden voyage.
