SPRINGFIELD — When Nathan Costa watches the Thunderbirds play in the MassMutual Center, the president of the Springfield hockey team isn’t just watching action on the ice — he’s hoping the game is scoring with everyone in the stands, including spectators who may not even be fans of the sport.
“We’re trying to create an event where people can come together and have a good time,” he told Reminder Publishing. “We want to make it more than just a hockey game. That’s what I remember and that’s what has driven me in this role.”
Costa said, as a child, his grandfather would take him to see what was then the Springfield Falcons play in what was called the Springfield Civic Center. He’s fuzzy on a few details, like who played on the team and which teams won, but he’s clear on what was really important to him.
“My grandfather was a hockey guy and would take me to the games. Those are some of my best memories and it wasn’t about hockey. I don’t remember scores or what was going on, but it was the time I spent there with him,” he said.
The road to Springfield
Costa has been president of the Thunderbirds for more than seven years. He was born and raised in Springfield, attending Cathedral High School where he played basketball.
After graduating with an associate’s degree from Holyoke Community College and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Northeastern University, he landed a job with the San Antonio Spurs. At the time, the professional basketball team owned the San Antonio Rampage, a pro hockey team that played alongside the Springfield franchise in the American Hockey League.
“I started selling season tickets, corporate packages and group tickets, but my goal was getting over to the Spurs. It didn’t end up going that way, but I saw a path for my career in hockey,” said Costa.
That path took Costa from Texas to Springfield where he became vice president of team business services in 2009 for the AHL, with its head offices in Monarch Place. He remained in that position for more than six years until being named Thunderbirds executive vice president in 2016 and president one year later.
Revolving door
From Kings and Indians to Falcons and Thunderbirds, there has been a revolving door of NHL team affiliations and owners of the AHL franchise in Springfield. Along with that turbulence has come uncertainty at times about whether pro hockey would stay in Springfield. Game attendance has also waxed and waned over the years.
“When I got to the AHL and started traveling, I saw teams in other markets, like Syracuse, Grand Rapids and Utica, that were similar to Springfield — some of these smaller northeast teams were having tremendous success,” said Costa.
The current ownership group led by Springfield businessman Paul Picknelly has committed to keeping the Thunderbirds in Springfield, adding certainty to the future of a team that will be affiliated with the St. Louis Blues of the NHL through the 2030-31 season.
“There have been zero talks of hockey going anywhere anytime soon,” said Thunderbirds spokesperson Ryan Smith.
Settling down
With this stability in place, Costa is focused on creating an entertainment experience that includes not only hockey, but also theme nights, activities that bring fans onto the ice between periods, local talent singing the national anthem before games and developing a foundation that has donated $300,000 to charities in the community.
The formula is scoring with fans.
“We took over a team that was last in league attendance in 2015 and [2016], and hit an attendance record last year, with an average of over 6,000 fans a game,” said Costa. “We finished with 20 straight sellouts. We’re one of the smallest markets in the American Hockey League and we’re top 10 [out of 32 teams] in attendance. We’ve got an eye on trying to sell this building out every single night.”
While the team ended last season in seventh place out of eight spots in the AHL’s Atlantic Division, the Thunderbirds are in the thick of a playoff hunt with strong play after a slow start to the season.
Very often pro teams raid their AHL franchises, taking local stars and bringing them to the NHL to help the parent team win the Stanley Cup, leaving their AHL franchises to struggle with second tier players.
Costa said that is not the case in Springfield, where the Blues ensure the Thunderbirds have strong players that help the team compete for the championship Calder Cup.
“St. Louis has been a great partner because they value winning at our level, they want to win here, they want their best players to be in a winning environment. You don’t want to be losing every game at this level, because that doesn’t help guys learn how to be pros or win at the next level,” said Costa.
Costa is too young to have grandchildren he can bring to games, like his granddad with him. His wife does bring their two boys — ages 3 and 1 — to see the Thunderbirds. Beyond all of the marketing, player development and pursuit of championships, Costa says the key to netting new fans is introducing the next generation to hockey and making it more than just a game.
“You go to games with your parents or your grandparents. You hand that off to the kids and if you’re not building fans that way, and by being out in the community, then it’s not going to work,” said Costa. “That’s been a huge focus of ours.”
