Dust off your jerseys and clear your throats.
Although fans aren't permitted in the arena for the NHL's restarted season, teams are getting creative to include their voices.
Literally.
Greg Wyshynski of ESPN first reported the story of clubs reaching out to season ticket holders, asking them to submit videos of them cheering on their teams.
The emails include guidelines from the NHL on best practices for filming, including location, sound quality and shot composition. They also discuss how to dodge potential trademark and copyright violations by "avoiding the appearance of paintings, posters, professional photography or any other art in the background" as well as avoiding "wearing apparel that shows any brands" other than those of the NHL and its teams.
We don't know for certain that the Blue Jackets are among the teams who have made similar requests, but don't be surprised when they do.
It will be a unique environment for the qualifying round and playoff tournament; while the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs are playing in their home rinks, it won't be much of an advantage. All 24 teams are in the same boat, navigating this new frontier together.
Crowd noise – especially in the playoffs – is a major factor. Remember Nationwide Arena in Games 3 and 4 against the Tampa Bay Lightning last spring? John Tortorella said it was a big part of his team's ability to pull off one of the more surprising upsets in NHL history.
And though this crowd noise will be artificially pumped into the arenas, it should give the players and teams some familiar feeling when it will be hard to feel normal at all.
