When you watch a pro hockey game, all the focus is on the ice. Seems pretty simple, right? Two teams, four officials and between 60 and 65 minutes of game action.
But did you ever wonder how many people it takes to orchestrate the game behind the scenes? The number would startle you: more than 1,500, according to the Washington Capitals’ website.
One of those who helps out part time on the Caps’ Game Day Operations staff is Northfield native Emily McGee.
“I didn’t realize how many people it takes to put on a sporting event,” said McGee, now 44. “This is a big deal.”
McGee — whose parents, Bill and Joanne, still reside in Northfield — is in her ninth year with the club. She estimated that she works about half to two-thirds of the Caps’ regular-season home games each season, depending on her availability.
The Arlington, Va., resident spends her days as Media and Public Relations Manager at WorldatWork, a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C.
McGee, a Northfield Mount Hermon School (1990) and Colgate University (1994) grad, said she didn’t play any varsity or sub-varsity sports in school.
“I played intramural golf and hockey, but not very well,” she laughed.
She recalled first watching hockey during the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics, but really didn’t start getting into the game until her NMH days. She first learned of the Game Day Operations position from a friend who was doing the same job at the time. “He knew they were hiring more game-night staffers and asked if I would be interested.”
Since then, she’s become the second-longest active game-night staffer. She added that there are eight to nine staffers, and four work each game. She also had her first opportunity to perform internal PA duties on Nov. 5.
McGee’s typical game night looks like this:
• Helping with the distribution of media credentials prior to the game. She obtains the list of starters and scratches from off-ice officials and distributes them to the TV trucks;
• During the game, she assists with various requests from the media, obtains stats at the end of each period from off-ice officials, and distributes them to media, coaches, TV trucks and locker rooms;
• After the game, she visits the home- or visiting-team locker room (as assigned) and records quotes from players and coaches to distribute to the media.
She noted that all employees are required to sign non-disclosure agreements.
What’s the best part of the job?
“I get paid to watch hockey,” she said, adding that she’s made many friendships within the Caps organization and the hockey media.
Another part of the position that appeals to her is the lack of stress.
“What I like about it so much is that when I’m there I’m a peon,” she said with a laugh. “I’m the low person on the totem pole. I don’t have to make any decisions. I can just sit there and watch hockey and hang out with people I’ve gotten to be friends with over the years.
“It’s a low-pressure job,” she added. “My full-time job has much higher stress and pressure, and you have to make decisions. At the games, I can say, ‘Hey, I’ll run over to Dunkin Donuts and get the donuts for the press box.’”
She said her average game night lasts six to seven hours, and she and the other staffers are paid the D.C minimum wage. But the experience of being around a professional team, as well as getting to know and developing friendships with writers, sportscasters, the PR staff and off-ice officials (“Those guys are my vintage,” she quipped) is more than worth it.
“No matter how long I’ve been there, I’m still a little star-struck,” admitted McGee. “Although I don’t really get to know the players because I interact with them so briefly, it’s amazing how great they are. They are always willing, kind people, and I’m impressed with their professionalism.”
She added that, with so many European players on the team, “it would be very helpful to speak Russian.”
Among her best memories are being in the press box on May 4, 2009 for the dueling hat tricks of Washington’s Alex Ovechkin and Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby during the Caps’ 4-3 Game 2 win of their second-round playoff series.
“Just to get to see things like that is amazing,” she said. “I’ve also had my heart broken in more Game 7s than I care to remember.”
McGee admitted that working both jobs in the same day can cause exhaustion, but the thrill of being at the arena is still there.
“Every year I tell myself this is probably going to be my last year,” she said. “But by the time the season starts, I’m back. It’s just been so much fun.”
Oh yeah. McGee also has another cool side job during the summer months. She’s been a walking scorer for the D.C.-area PGA Tour events for about the past decade. She is assigned a group each day and uses a handheld wireless device to keep their shot-by-shot score. She also notes what club they hit off the tee and where each shot is hit from (fairway, rough, bunker, etc.).
“I’ll walk with the group inside the ropes and also supervise the Standard Bearer, a young teen who carries the standard (the small scoreboard that walks with each group),” she said. “The information I feed into the handheld device is fed automatically to the TV crews, the Internet, and the scoreboards throughout the golf course.”
Busy lady.