Michael Chiklis: When the Game Stands Tall

(This story is posted on DigitalSportsDesk.com as part of a regular supply of original content, available for sports and entertainment sites worldwide).

By TERRY LYONS (Special to DigitalSPortsDesk)

During these past few lazy days of summer, there's been a lot going on in the New England sports scene. The New England Patriots are firing up their preseason engines with coach Bill Belichick and QB Tom Brady leading the way. The Boston Bruins and Celtics are scouring the earth for some added scoring, as each approach the 2014-15 season on opposite ends of the projected ladder. Over on Yawkey Way, Ben Cherington, the GM of the Boston Red Sox orchestrated a midseason coup, trading pitching ace Jon Lester and a slew of role-playing World Champions for some hope and home runs as a strategic first step in the re-engineering of the BoSox. One of Cherington's bosses, Tom Werner, is on the short list for consideration as Major League Baseball's new Commissioner. And, speaking of Commissioners, over in the western portion of the Commonwealth, the Basketball Hall of Fame is staging its annual tribute and the inductee of honor is former NBA Commissioner David Stern.

Actor Michael Chiklis (Getty Images)

With all of that going on, I thought it was time to step back, maybe escape a bit from the reality that I won't be watching late October baseball at Fenway. So, with that in mind, there was one reliable ole' friend I could reach out to, in order to set my mind on a clear path from the Mass Pike of the depressing local sporting news, so I could look toward the future.

My inside source to all things sports - historical and soon-to-be imagined - provided some fan-friendly perspective as a real New Englander, one with appreciation of the past and the ability to see the future. Fittingly, like Stern, he was someone who had the credentials of a Commissioner but, they were mixed with the passion of a sports fan.

I needed to speak with Michael Chiklis, the actor. 

Chiklis was born in Lowell, Mass, and gained wide notoriety as an actor when, from 1991-96, he played Tony Scali - The Commish. Since that career-breaking role, he went on to star in "The Shield," and even played Curly in "The Three Stooges.” More recently, Chiklis starred in "The Fantastic Four" and he is currently filing FXs "American Horror Story: The Freak" in New Orleans. However, it was Chiklis' previous casting that was the more appropriate subject of discussion when we spoke by phone this past weekend, catching up as though we were old friends sitting in my West Village studio watching his "Commish" reruns, but talking about his soon-to-be-released film role, the portrayal of Terry Eidson an assistant coach to Bob Ladouceur in the true story of (Concord, California’s) De La Salle High School's 151-game winning streak, the backdrop for “When The Game Stands Tall,” a SONY Pictures release, hitting theatres nationwide on August 22.

First, Chiklis was sure to set the record straight when I brazenly asked if he continued to have ample time to follow sports, and in particular, Boston sports while he was so busy with life as a famous actor and jaunts between New Orleans and Los Angeles.

"I still am, and will always be, -- until my last breath -- an avid Boston sports fan," said Chiklis with an emphasis that might've been taught in drama class by Kurt Douglas. "I think one of the single greatest things about my celebrity is that it’s gained me access to my beloved Boston teams."

Where you at Fenway last fall, I asked?

"I was there.  I was at Game 6.  My wife and I went with my dear friend and his wife.  We were there for the celebration, and we ended up going to the owner’s box after the game and had the greatest time in the world.  It’s been wonderful. And, one of the most special things was that I lived out a "Jimmy Fallon moment" (noting the motion picture, Fever Pitch) when Curt Schilling brought me out onto the field right after we won in ’07 in Colorado.  I was right on the field right after the win.  To be that close in proximity to those guys, right there. I was standing there, literally, right with Mike Lowell’s brother while they gave him the MVP trophy on the field, I mean that’s incredibly special, it was insane.  You’re right there, it’s historic stuff that’s happening, and you’re privy to it."

Chiklis then opined on the sport of football, being that the role of assistant coach Eidson was fresh in his mind.  What is it about football, anything with the Patriots that made you particularly insightful to your role in the movie?

"Look," Chilkis said. "I’ve always grown up with the mentality that I’d rather be a good player on a championship team than the "franchise" player on a lousy team.  When you see the way Coach B (his nickname for Belichick) coaches the team and the way he picks players, he’s never been about stars.  One of the goose-bump moments of my life as a Patriots fan was in 2001 at the Superbowl when they introduced the (St. Louis Rams) 'Greatest Show on Turf' player by player.  And then, after all of that fanfare, they went 'introducing the New England Patriots.' and they came out just as the Pats team. Every hair on my body stood up and I thought, 'we are winning this game.' Something about being a New Englander, we love the idea of a team, as opposed to the individual. 

"We don’t like blow hards much."

"It’s about the way we’re raised, I guess," he continued.  "In New England, if you get too far ahead of yourself, you’re going to get brought down to earth really quickly.  When I was growing up, it was really instilled in me that it’s just a better experience in life to be yourself and not be a narcissist, but rather to be a part of a community.  And our teams are like that.  You look right and left of you and you feel that bond between the people. It’s an incredibly special thing, and you’ll get a feel for it in this movie, When The Game Stands Tall.  You’ll see that camaraderie, that brotherhood that happens on a team.  And you can see that in real life with the Patriots and Belichick when he speaks to the players coming into this team he says, 'You want to succeed? You want a ring on your finger? Then, you’re gonna plug into this system, we’ll all pull our weight, we’ll all do this together.'"

Chiklis was quick to put two-and-two together.

"Of course, superstars have emerged (in the New England Patriots' system) due to their level of commitment and play," said the actor. "Tom Brady couldn’t be a better example of a guy who’s all class, who never would say disparaging words about another player.  But, it’s not about the other guy.  It’s about his personal execution as it relates to the guys right and left of him and his commitment to them as a team.  He knows that they can be relied upon.  These guys can rely upon each other.  They have each other’s backs.  And that’s the kind of thing that makes your chest swell when you’re watching this movie.  You can see that in the context of the picture.

"When you’re watching movies like 'Remember the Titans' or 'Rudy' or 'Miracle,' you’re always threatened by that fine line between too corny and something that doesn’t make a mark. But, what I love about this movie is that it's not about 'the cliché version of 'two seconds left on the clock and he scores and the game’s over and we win.'  The film we're so proud of doesn’t take it from that place. The De La Salle high school football team won 151 games in a row in twelve years which for anybody who knows sports, that’s ridiculous.  It just doesn’t happen.

"There’s a reason why their formula was successful and they kept winning," noted Chiklis.  "Sure they want to win their games, but the onus and the focus wasn't on winning games. It’s on making these boys into young men.  They are conscionable, responsible, credible human beings and you rely upon them.

 "I’m very passionate about the movie, I’m a supporting player in this movie, When the Game Stands Tall, but I love what it says."

You will too.

Welcome Back to the Lucicadores

Where, Oh Where, are the Lucic-a-dores ...

"Lucic-a-dors?"

On the day of the Bruins' Stanley Cup Championship parade, Mike Dowling of WCVB-TV Boston ran across some fans dressed in strange, Halloween-like garb - Knights or Swordsmen, I do not know.  They were a cross between Zorro and Robin Hood with Black & Gold.

They were the "Lucic-a-dors."

Great fun.

And, guess what?  That's what a pro sport, specifically Hockey, is supposed to be about - F.U.N.

Lockouts and collective bargaining, business and salary caps, bickering and arguing between the Donald Fehrs and the Gary B. Bettmansof the world are the last things a fan wants to hear about.  Sports fans want to watch their team play, and for many fans, the dream brings hope their team can compete for a playoff spot or maybe even a title.  While doing so, all a fan wants is to enjoy themselves. 

Whether it is "in-person" (and we know the NHL is the best "in-person" experience of the four (4) major North American-based sports) or, if it is only on TV (where the NHL might be the "worst" of the major sports in terms of the ability to soak in the game on TV), we just want to have two hours and 30 minutes of fun, excitement, while we can show our love and enthusiasm and and live -out a mechanism to display all of our competitive nature as we witness one of the highest levels of sport. We ask - only, that the players are prepared and play HARD, as hard as they can.

***

I'll dig in deeper into this concept for a column on DigitalSportsDesk - but for now, welcome back to the NHL, Welcome Back for the Bruins and a high five to all of our fellow businesses in and around the TD Garden.

In Tuuka, we trust.

Let's get it signed, sealed, delivered and in the file drawer.  We want HOCKEY!

See:

Boston Globe Coverage:

Becky Southworth has a full-time job as a high school tutor. But the 37-year-old Malden resident said that her part-time job waiting tables at the Harp in the North End of Boston is the one that “pays the bills.”

“Or used to,” she added, referring to the crowds who normally flock to the pub before and after Boston Bruins hockey games held in the arena across Causeway Street. “Hopefully, it will again soon.”

Southworth should soon get her wish. The National Hockey League is expected to start its season later this month after a four-month lockout, which led to the cancellation of about half of the scheduled games, ended Sunday morning when owners and players reached an agreement.

That means businesses like the Harp that surround the TD Garden expect to see sales heat up once the team returns to the ice and their loyal fans return to a part of the city that is often quiet when the venue is empty.

Related
On hockey: Will fans and sponsors come back to NHL?

“It’s been so boring around here without hockey,” said 26-year-old Joshua Sheppard, who wore a B’s T-shirt while manning the counter at North Station Liquors on Causeway Street. “The Bruins are a big draw to the neighborhood.”

Many retailers in the area described Bruins fans as being especially loyal, more so than those who visit the Garden to watch the Boston Celtics play basketball.

And, “hockey people spend a lot more money across the board,” Sheppard said.

Standing beside Sheppard and wearing a Bruins jacket, the store’s owner, Smitty Patel, 37, of South Boston, estimated that sales to those who come to the area for hockey account for 10 to 15 percent of business.

Inside the Garden’s shop that sells official Bruins and Celtics gear, one worker said that sales of Celtics items tend to “fluctuate based on whether they’re doing good or not.”

But “Bruins fans are pretty much loyal the whole way through,” said the worker, who declined to give his name because he is not authorized to speak to media. “It’s crazy how much money Bruins fans will spend on merchandise.”

Laurel Ryan and Jen Parisi said that they often do not hold back on spending to cheer on their beloved B’s.

The friends, each wearing a Bruins T-shirt, said they do not follow any other sports, rarely watch television unless they are watching hockey, and buy as many Bruins tickets as they can afford.

Ryan, 19, of Abington, showed pictures of her bedroom wall, which is plastered with Bruins memorabilia.

She held out her wrist to show off a bracelet charm of the team’s spoked-B logo.

Ryan pulled out a Bruins-themed Dunkin’ Donuts gift card that she said she was given during the team’s 2011 Stanley Cup victory parade. She has hung onto it since, reloading money on it instead of getting a new one.

She said she had a hard time sleeping Saturday night as reports swirled that the lockout could soon end. She woke up Sunday at 7 a.m., checked Twitter, and saw a tweet from ESPN hockey columnist Pierre LeBrun, who said a deal had been reached.

“It was better than Christmas morning,” said Ryan. “I started freaking out. I didn’t know what to do.”

She woke her family to tell them the news and sent a joyful mass text to every number saved in her phone.

“I’m wicked excited that hockey’s back,” she said.

Not so fast, said some fans, who are still angry about the lockout and plan to stay away from the Garden and boycott team merchandise.

“I’m not going to go over there and throw my hard-earned money at them,” said Sheppard. “They could have ended this a lot sooner. In the meantime, it hurts everyone else.”

Patel shared his employee’s frustration.

“The owners are greedy and the players are greedy,” he said.

Still, Patel expects that once the pucks begin to drop again, his anger will subside. He will not hesitate to pay to watch the team play.

The return of such fans is what businesses in the area have been waiting for.

“It’s a big relief to us,” said Hannah Kempski, marketing manager for the Briar Group, which owns the Harp and several other Boston-area bars and restaurants.

Southworth said she picked up additional tutoring jobs to help pay for classes at UMass Boston, where she is pursuing a degree in education.

“It’s been a really stressful four months,” she said.

She said the crowds hockey draws to the bar make for a better-paying job, and one that is more enjoyable. “It’s fun. I’m looking forward to having fun again,” she said.

Matt Rocheleau can be reached at matthew.rocheleau@globe.com.

Boston METRO Coverage:

It may be a few months late, but the hockey fans are starting to come out of hibernation.

Excited fans wearing Boston Bruins hats and jerseys roamed the streets Sunday afternoon near the TD Garden, which will soon light up in gold again.

It appears that the 113-day National Hockey League lockout has come to an end. An agreement between the NHL and player’s union was announced early Sunday morning meaning a shortened season could start as early as the end of this month.

Inside the TD Garden pro shop most of the Bruins jerseys and paraphernalia have been relegated to the back walls.

But Craig Beauregard knew exactly what he was looking for and made a beeline right past the sea of green Celtics gear in the front of the store.

He traveled from Quincy to the Garden to buy his new Brad Marchand jersey. He waited to get it on purpose and principal.

"I didn't want to give my money to someone who was being selfish," he said, still feeling a bit bitter about the lockout.

But for dedicated fans like Beauregard, the battle back and forth between the players and the league and owners hasn't spoiled the game enough to keep him away from the Garden.

"I can't just sit at my apartment and watch it when they're so close,”" he said, adding that he will soon be hunting for tickets.

After hearing the news that hockey was returning to the Hub, Brian Lawlor of Medford headed to an eatery near the Garden for a celebratory brunch with friends.

Lawlor said that he tried to fill the hockey void with Celtics games, but with their winning inconsistency, they've been "difficult to watch."

"I'm just happy as a fan to have some hockey back," said Lawlor, who was wearing his Bruins jersey.

The Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau estimated that each canceled home game meant nearly $1 million in lost business to places like bars, restaurants and souvenir stands near the Garden, according to the Globe.

Becky Southworth described the past three months without hockey in one word: "Abysmal."

"The past few months [at work] have been slow and quiet and sad," said Southworth, a server for the last four years at the Harp, which is across the street from the Garden.

Besides the uptick in tips, Southworth said she's looking forward to seeing more Bruins fans and regulars back in the bar.

Hannah Kempski, the marketing manager for the Harp, said they "couldn't be happier" that the lockout is over.

"We have a ton of fans that come before and after every single game and even get a lot of fans that watch the away games, so it's a big deal for us," said Kempski.

Chris Fox, assistant general manager at The Greatest Bar near the Garden, agreed.

"Them coming back is pretty fantastic for us," he said.