Blues begin camp with Content Day

Have you ever asked yourself “Which Blue can name the most Kardashians?” or “How much does Justin Faulk know about Friends?”

Probably not, but you can find the answers at St. Louis Blues games throughout the season.

That – and most other in-game and social media content – was all filmed at the Blues’ annual Content Day on Wednesday at Centene Community Ice Center.

There’s more to it than pop culture trivia, however.

“It allows us from a game presentation standpoint to get all of the content we need to engage and activate and energize a crowd for opening night and beyond,” said Trevor Nickerson, Vice President and Executive Producer of Blue Note Productions.

The first Blues players arrived at the rink shortly before 7 a.m. They were each sent through 12 different stations, which could have included posing in front of a green screen for graphics, modeling different shirts and hats for STL Authentics, or playing head-to-head games with Joey Vitale that air at Enterprise Center in between whistles.

A new touch this year was an ice throne etched with the “Rhythm & Blues” tagline for players to pose with. The logo was added by a computer, but the rest of the chair was carved and assembled in a single day according to Terrence Hamner of Ice Cuisine Ice Sculptures, who provided the chair.

“You have to program the machine,” he said, “and that took about three hours to program the cuts, sizes and all that. And then the hand-carved [portion] was about three hours, and then we box it so we can transport it here, and then we’ll put it together here.”

The preparation for Content Day is a group effort. The Blue Note Productions team began planning the rooms and games three months in advance. Between them, a few interns and a union crew hired for the day, Nickerson said it takes just over 20 people to ensure the process runs smoothly.

“We started setting up [Tuesday] at 4 p.m.,” he said, “and the last guy to leave here was probably approaching midnight.”

Once the rooms are set up, all 60 players on the Blues’ training camp roster come through one-by-one to take their official headshots.

“This is our first day, and really our only day with the entire organization,” Nickerson said, “including prospects – not just our main players – that are going to go to Springfield, go back to juniors or go back to college.”

Whether it’s a GIF on social media or the amazing graphics you see after goals at Enterprise Center, chances are it was filmed on Content Day.

“From a content generation and content gathering standpoint, it’s the biggest haul we will make all season," Nickerson said. "It allows us to get ready for opening night, which is roughly under a month away.”