A Corny Evening Of Hockey

If you're a fan of Lego, you know that the company has been producing a line of minifigures over the last number of years that feature all sorts of wacky characters along with a number of licensed characters not released in sets. One of those figures that came was the one you see to the right as they had a minifigure dressed up like an ear of corn. What one would use this for in a Lego setting outside of being a mascot is harder to imagine, but what if there was a hockey team who decided to dress like the corncob guy? You may chuckle at that question, but that's happening this weekend in the ECHL as one team has decided to get "corny" with their look on Saturday. Settle in and lend an ear for this story of kernels, skates, and rather unique uniforms that will hit the ice!

The Iowa Heartlanders will host the Cincinnati Cyclones on Saturday, but the midwest ECHL team won't be in one of their normal uniforms that to Saturday's game being "Cornfed Country Night" at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa! It seems that the Heartlanders are pulling out all the stops for this one as they'll give away Corn Thunderstix to fans as they come into the arena, there will be a pregame pyrotechnic show, the arena rock will be replaced with country music, and there will be giveaways for fans all night!

Of course, there will be the normal arena games between periods, and you know there will likely be a few cornhole boards setup along the concourse. It sounds like the concession stands will feature a lot of popcorn, there will be face-painting for the kids, and fans who want a larger-than-normal beverage can purchase the Heartlanders Boot Mug ticket package which comes with the boot-like mug seen to the left! Unfortunately, the toe appears to not be fillable so there won't be any physics needed to prevent spills, but that's a pretty cool promotional item nonetheless! I wonder how many Heartlanders Boot Mug tickets have been sold?

Ok, since I lured you into this article with the promise of corncob-clad players, the real deal are the uniforms to the right. Obviously, the players have to wear helmets so the hats shown in the image is just for fun, but the Iowa Heartlanders will wear the uniforms you see to represent "Cornfed Country Night" on the ice! I honestly can't think of any other team ever dressing as ears of corn for a hockey game, but it seems we can cross that one off the "did it happen in hockey?" list. If you're thinking, "I want one of those," fans can get their hands on these uniforms thanks to the Heartlanders putting them on Dash Auctions where both the jerseys and the pants shells can be won!

My hope is that a good crowd comes out on Saturday for this game between the Heartlanders and Cyclones. Currently, both teams sit at the bottom of the ECHL Central Divsion with the Cyclones having a nine-point edge on the Heartlanders. Cincinnati is 21-22-3 this season while Iowa is 16-28-4, so both teams will need to win games if they hope to have a shot at the playoffs. The good news is that Cincinnati is just six points back of the Indy Fire for fourth-place in the Central Division, but the Heartlanders have some serious work to do being 15 points back. A win on "Cornfed Country Night" would help that cause!

It should be a fun night on Saturday at Xtream Arena in Coralville and we'll get to see what the Heartlanders look like as they skate around the rink as ears of corn. "Cornfed Country Night" wouldn't work everywhere and it may not even be wanted anywhere else, but it works well in Iowa where, 90 minutes northeast, there was a story about a summer sport that came to life thanks to a cornfield!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!