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Chill Factor: How a Minor-League Hockey Team Changed a City Forever
The city of Columbus, Ohio, had always struggled to support any professional sports franchise. It’s a town where Ohio State University reigns supreme, and everything else is less important. That was until 1991, when the Columbus Chill, a minor-league hockey franchise, arrived. Using Veeckian marketing tactics and on-ice shenanigans, the Chill became the talk of the city and gained a religious local fan base. Based on the success of the Chill, from 1991–99, the city of Columbus was awarded with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2000, the city’s own NHL franchise.
Chill Factor follows the wild ride through the eyes of team president and general manager David Paitson, from the early formation of the minor-league franchise through the decision to rattle the status quo by going to the edge and beyond with a marketing and promotional plan that was both edgy and controversial.
The success of the Chill after their first season gave the organization the impetus to challenge local civic and business leaders to build a world-class arena and emerge from the shadow of OSU. There were setbacks and triumphs on and off the ice, and eventually the realization that the Columbus of today would not be possible without the aid of the Chill.
Chill Factor takes readers into the front office and onto the rink, giving every angle of how a small town was able to get behind a working-class team that fought both on and off the ice. This thrilling account will appeal to those who remember the Chill’s reign, as well as those who enjoy seeing the underdog climb the ladder to sports supremacy.
Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team.
Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
Chill Factor follows the wild ride through the eyes of team president and general manager David Paitson, from the early formation of the minor-league franchise through the decision to rattle the status quo by going to the edge and beyond with a marketing and promotional plan that was both edgy and controversial.
The success of the Chill after their first season gave the organization the impetus to challenge local civic and business leaders to build a world-class arena and emerge from the shadow of OSU. There were setbacks and triumphs on and off the ice, and eventually the realization that the Columbus of today would not be possible without the aid of the Chill.
Chill Factor takes readers into the front office and onto the rink, giving every angle of how a small town was able to get behind a working-class team that fought both on and off the ice. This thrilling account will appeal to those who remember the Chill’s reign, as well as those who enjoy seeing the underdog climb the ladder to sports supremacy.
Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team.
Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
- GenresSportsHockeyNonfiction
344 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 3, 2015
18 people are currently reading
116 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
June 1, 2018
The Columbus Chill was a minor league hockey team in the East Coast Hockey League from 1991 to 1999. They were noted for unusual promotions, advertising and a rabid fan base. Many give credit to the success of the Chill for swaying the NHL to award an expansion team to Columbus, the current Blue Jackets. The history of the Chill is captured in this very entertaining book written by David Paitson. He was the Chill’s President and General Manager from 1991 to 1998.
The book covers the unsuccessful history of minor league hockey in Columbus before the Chill. Due to the fact that three previous attempts to bring professional hockey to the city in which Ohio State football was the king of sports, not many gave the Chill much of a chance to succeed. However, that was not the case as the team waged an unusual marketing campaign in order to grab the attention of Columbus sports fans. They wanted to reach the younger demographic of fans and edgy advertising slogans were the chosen method.
Here are two examples of these advertisements: “Assault someone, you get five years. In hockey, five minutes. Is this a great game or what?” “The late vulture gathers no roadkill.” These ads were making some people uneasy, but the team was doing what it set out to do – make people pay attention and want to see a Chill game. The team was a success at the gate, setting an attendance record for minor league hockey with 83 consecutive sellouts. For its early years, the Chill had some success on the ice under coach Terry Ruskowski and kept it up for the life of the franchise which ended in 1999 to make room for the Blue Jackets, who started play in 2000.
This isn’t to say that everything was easy for Paitson and the Chill. Some of his best stories are about when the team had to scramble for dates at the old Ohio Expo Center Coliseum. There were issues about booking, about the quality of the ice and so many other problems that it was at times a miracle that the team could book home games. But the team and its management team was determined to continue play and the fans rewarded them by showing up at the games.
Hockey fans, especially fans of the Blue Jackets and those who followed the Chill will love these stories about the team that overcame long odds and proved to the world that Columbus was indeed a hockey city. This isn’t the best written or flowing hockey book I have read and far from the worst, but it was certainly entertaining.
I wish to thank Mr. Paitson for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
http://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/201...
The book covers the unsuccessful history of minor league hockey in Columbus before the Chill. Due to the fact that three previous attempts to bring professional hockey to the city in which Ohio State football was the king of sports, not many gave the Chill much of a chance to succeed. However, that was not the case as the team waged an unusual marketing campaign in order to grab the attention of Columbus sports fans. They wanted to reach the younger demographic of fans and edgy advertising slogans were the chosen method.
Here are two examples of these advertisements: “Assault someone, you get five years. In hockey, five minutes. Is this a great game or what?” “The late vulture gathers no roadkill.” These ads were making some people uneasy, but the team was doing what it set out to do – make people pay attention and want to see a Chill game. The team was a success at the gate, setting an attendance record for minor league hockey with 83 consecutive sellouts. For its early years, the Chill had some success on the ice under coach Terry Ruskowski and kept it up for the life of the franchise which ended in 1999 to make room for the Blue Jackets, who started play in 2000.
This isn’t to say that everything was easy for Paitson and the Chill. Some of his best stories are about when the team had to scramble for dates at the old Ohio Expo Center Coliseum. There were issues about booking, about the quality of the ice and so many other problems that it was at times a miracle that the team could book home games. But the team and its management team was determined to continue play and the fans rewarded them by showing up at the games.
Hockey fans, especially fans of the Blue Jackets and those who followed the Chill will love these stories about the team that overcame long odds and proved to the world that Columbus was indeed a hockey city. This isn’t the best written or flowing hockey book I have read and far from the worst, but it was certainly entertaining.
I wish to thank Mr. Paitson for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
http://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/201...
May 16, 2017
This was a really interesting look into how the Columbus Chill, a minor-league hockey team, paved the way for the current NHL franchise, the Blue Jackets. This would be interesting enough on its own. But this was also a story of how minor league hockey revitalized a city that allowed no challengers to Ohio State athletics. As an honorary Buckeye and a Columbus resident myself, this made it extra fascinating. You will spend this entire book wondering "Wait-how did ANY of this actually work?" Columbus is apparently a graveyard for minor league franchises across multiple sports and decades. The home arena of the Chill, the Fairgrounds Coliseum, was the only non-OSU affiliated arena in town and was so well booked that the Chill were unable to have home games for multiple months every year. And then, of course, there's OSU athletics, which dominated and continue to dominate the media and fan attention in this city. Yet somehow, with some really genius marketing (that was certainly out there), the front office and players forced this team to be a success. It's a really inspiring story. One thing that took me out of the book-just a bit-was the inserted blurbs separated from the narrative. They contained good information, but were weirdly placed in my opinion. However, this a must-read for any Blue Jackets fan who either wasn't here or doesn't remember where their franchise (or thriving Downtown area) came from.
August 19, 2023
When people ask me where I'm from, I always say Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It's a logical answer. I was born 30 minutes from there, I went to college there, and my grandpa constantly calls my dad to ask "when yinz comin' out to visit?" But I didn't grow up there, not really. No, the town that took on the thankless task of raising me happened to be nearby Columbus, Ohio. It's a place I never truly appreciated, never truly fell in love with. Even if that ship has sailed, I had the great pleasure of reading a book that taught me just how hard Columbus fought to love itself.
Chill Factor tells the story of the Columbus Chill, a minor league hockey team with hardly anywhere to play but absolutely everything to give. Not only did the Chill gain a die-hard following and introduce an entire metro area to the joys of hockey, but it quite literally changed the makeup of the town. Much more than just a collection of hard-nosed anecdotes about bloody knuckles and misplaced teeth, this book is a thoughtful and detailed history of a small town finally taking itself seriously.
It's entirely predictable that I enjoyed reading a book about hockey. Not only is it my favorite sport, but the relative lack of any kind of writing on hockey means that I'm eager to lap up whatever does get published. However, most of my friends would be surprised to know that I enjoyed a book about successful business marketing strategies, because that's what this actually is. The efforts of the Chill's management to build an alternative brand to the stuffy, exploitative "amateur" athletics of Ohio State were beyond herculean, and I can't help but root for an underdog, even in the corporate sphere.
I would be remiss to not point out that this book is authored by the former president and general manager of the Chill and the beat reporter who covered the team during the entirety of their existence, so the perspective is certainly not coming from an unbiased third party. There is very little introspection in the telling of this tale, and I would have liked a bit more of that and a bit less chest-thumping from Dr. Paitson. Even so, I can't deny the impact the team had on Columbus and the entire sport of hockey. It certainly left an impression on me, and even helped me appreciate the town just a little bit more.
Chill Factor tells the story of the Columbus Chill, a minor league hockey team with hardly anywhere to play but absolutely everything to give. Not only did the Chill gain a die-hard following and introduce an entire metro area to the joys of hockey, but it quite literally changed the makeup of the town. Much more than just a collection of hard-nosed anecdotes about bloody knuckles and misplaced teeth, this book is a thoughtful and detailed history of a small town finally taking itself seriously.
It's entirely predictable that I enjoyed reading a book about hockey. Not only is it my favorite sport, but the relative lack of any kind of writing on hockey means that I'm eager to lap up whatever does get published. However, most of my friends would be surprised to know that I enjoyed a book about successful business marketing strategies, because that's what this actually is. The efforts of the Chill's management to build an alternative brand to the stuffy, exploitative "amateur" athletics of Ohio State were beyond herculean, and I can't help but root for an underdog, even in the corporate sphere.
I would be remiss to not point out that this book is authored by the former president and general manager of the Chill and the beat reporter who covered the team during the entirety of their existence, so the perspective is certainly not coming from an unbiased third party. There is very little introspection in the telling of this tale, and I would have liked a bit more of that and a bit less chest-thumping from Dr. Paitson. Even so, I can't deny the impact the team had on Columbus and the entire sport of hockey. It certainly left an impression on me, and even helped me appreciate the town just a little bit more.
June 21, 2025
This book completely changed my perspective on Columbus, a city I’ve lived in for the majority of my life. It’s always felt like Columbus is a second rate city that’s lucky to have major sports teams other than Ohio State. And that feeling was only empowered when the owner of the Crew threatened to move the team to Houston a few years ago.
But Columbus isn’t lucky to have major sports teams, it deserves more. There’s no question in my mind that Columbus could have (and support) an even larger sports footprint regardless of whether it’s sandwiched between Cincinnati and Cleveland who already host their own NFL and MLB teams. Now bigger than Cincinnati and Cleveland combined and growing rapidly with the arrival of major companies, it’s only a matter of time before Columbus adds a major sports team. If major cities like NY, LA and Chicago can support two major teams in the same sport, why can’t Columbus support its own NFL, NBA or MLB team in the next 15 years?
This book talks a lot about the stranglehold that Ohio State had (and still has to some degree) on Columbus and how OSU used its overwhelming influence to strangle any thought of a major sports team coming to Columbus. And we just let that narrow-minded thinking of “well we have Ohio State football” hold us back for decades. So why are we holding Columbus’ potential back by saying “well we have the Browns and Bengals. We have the Guardians and Reds.” I love the Browns (at times) and Guardians, but why can’t Columbus have an NFL, NBA and MLB of our own?
Most notably basketball. We only have one Ohio basketball team in the Cavs and they’re overwhelmingly popular thanks to LeBron. Simultaneously, we’re watching Columbus and Cincinnati host two wildly successful MLS soccer teams in the Crew and Cincinnati FC even though they’re only 100 miles apart. So why can’t we have two successful NBA teams in Ohio just 100 miles away from each other in Cleveland and Columbus. Columbus already has Nationwide arena in place to host the team.
I’m forever radicalized by this book and will forever preach the word of “Columbus is a great city that deserves nice things!”
Chill Factor, especially if you’re from Columbus, had the vibes of that random Netflix documentary you finish and think “how did I not know any of this was going on?”
My dad always talked about the Chill and their crazy games and promotions. At three years old I went to the first ever Blue Jackets game and many more over the years. I even grew up playing hockey in Columbus primarily at the old coliseum. Maybe it’s an age thing but I had no idea half of this was going on. From the potentially disastrous opening night, to the failed Issue 1 ballot (classic Columbus honestly lol), to the overwhelming support the Chill organization showed Columbus with the Chiller hockey rinks, I had no idea this was all going on.
It’s crazy to think about all of the ways a minor league hockey team, that was started before I was even born, changed my life. I owe hundreds of memories to Paitson and the Chill. I had countless hockey games and practices at the Chiller locations and went to so many Blue Jackets games as a kid, mostly with my dad who passed last year. Hell, the Blue Jackets are part of the reason I’m with my fiance who also loves hockey. Our first date was at a Kent State hockey game where we went to school together.
The Chill have had an overwhelming impact on my life. Paitson’s stories gave me a glimpse into the events in the young sports history of Columbus that would eventually change my life later.
And the stories are independently great even if you weren’t so deeply impacted by the book. Especially the build up to opening night. That was my favorite chapter of any book I read this year.
I can’t thank Paitson enough for all his work including this book. I’m forever changed and radicalized (in classic Chill fashion). Columbus isn’t lucky to be here - we deserve more.
But Columbus isn’t lucky to have major sports teams, it deserves more. There’s no question in my mind that Columbus could have (and support) an even larger sports footprint regardless of whether it’s sandwiched between Cincinnati and Cleveland who already host their own NFL and MLB teams. Now bigger than Cincinnati and Cleveland combined and growing rapidly with the arrival of major companies, it’s only a matter of time before Columbus adds a major sports team. If major cities like NY, LA and Chicago can support two major teams in the same sport, why can’t Columbus support its own NFL, NBA or MLB team in the next 15 years?
This book talks a lot about the stranglehold that Ohio State had (and still has to some degree) on Columbus and how OSU used its overwhelming influence to strangle any thought of a major sports team coming to Columbus. And we just let that narrow-minded thinking of “well we have Ohio State football” hold us back for decades. So why are we holding Columbus’ potential back by saying “well we have the Browns and Bengals. We have the Guardians and Reds.” I love the Browns (at times) and Guardians, but why can’t Columbus have an NFL, NBA and MLB of our own?
Most notably basketball. We only have one Ohio basketball team in the Cavs and they’re overwhelmingly popular thanks to LeBron. Simultaneously, we’re watching Columbus and Cincinnati host two wildly successful MLS soccer teams in the Crew and Cincinnati FC even though they’re only 100 miles apart. So why can’t we have two successful NBA teams in Ohio just 100 miles away from each other in Cleveland and Columbus. Columbus already has Nationwide arena in place to host the team.
I’m forever radicalized by this book and will forever preach the word of “Columbus is a great city that deserves nice things!”
Chill Factor, especially if you’re from Columbus, had the vibes of that random Netflix documentary you finish and think “how did I not know any of this was going on?”
My dad always talked about the Chill and their crazy games and promotions. At three years old I went to the first ever Blue Jackets game and many more over the years. I even grew up playing hockey in Columbus primarily at the old coliseum. Maybe it’s an age thing but I had no idea half of this was going on. From the potentially disastrous opening night, to the failed Issue 1 ballot (classic Columbus honestly lol), to the overwhelming support the Chill organization showed Columbus with the Chiller hockey rinks, I had no idea this was all going on.
It’s crazy to think about all of the ways a minor league hockey team, that was started before I was even born, changed my life. I owe hundreds of memories to Paitson and the Chill. I had countless hockey games and practices at the Chiller locations and went to so many Blue Jackets games as a kid, mostly with my dad who passed last year. Hell, the Blue Jackets are part of the reason I’m with my fiance who also loves hockey. Our first date was at a Kent State hockey game where we went to school together.
The Chill have had an overwhelming impact on my life. Paitson’s stories gave me a glimpse into the events in the young sports history of Columbus that would eventually change my life later.
And the stories are independently great even if you weren’t so deeply impacted by the book. Especially the build up to opening night. That was my favorite chapter of any book I read this year.
I can’t thank Paitson enough for all his work including this book. I’m forever changed and radicalized (in classic Chill fashion). Columbus isn’t lucky to be here - we deserve more.
April 15, 2022
It’s not often you get to see the events that truly shape a town and make it what it is today. However the book The Chill Factor by David Paitson and Craig Merz gives the reader an exclusive inside look at the birth of one the most popular sports in columbus, Hockey. This book provides plenty of interesting information that shows how a single team shaped the future of Columbus and continues to influence us today. This book also has a great writing style that builds suspense throughout the book and makes the reader understand the dire circumstances the Chill faced.
Most people know that Columbus is home to a professional hockey team known as the Columbus Blue Jackets. However most people don’t know that without the Chill Columbus would’ve never gotten this team. This book opens by describing what we know now as the area district. The only thing is during the Chill’s time it wasn’t the busy city center we know it to be now, no at the time it was simply a lot of construction and low development buildings. From the very start of the book we are given an indepth look at the rough start that downtown Columbus had. This section is even more impactful for those who currently do or have lived in Columbus because the attention to detail in this book goes as far as mentioning specific street names and restaurants that occupied space downtown. This attention to detail doesn’t just stop at the beginning of the book though. Throughout the book the author routinely steps away from the main story to describe the progression of the community's opinion on hockey and the overall state of Columbus.
One of if not the strongest part of this book is the way the author sets up not only the suspense for each major event but the suspense for the entire book. The author does this at the start of the book by describing how Columbus has had three minor league hockey teams before the Chill, all failed. We learn that they failed because before the chill all people cared about were the OSU Football and Basketball teams. The author even goes as far as to describe Columbus as a, “Minor league hockey graveyard” (Merz 12). Right from the start we are led to understand the incredible odds this team is facing both from a stubborn fanbase and a long time dominated market. This type of suspense building is prominent throughout the book. Another time it appears is during the appointment of a new scheduling director for the city of columbus. We are made to see how incompetent the man in this position is but the suspense truly sets in when the author writes, “This would be the last easy week since the office change” (Merz 140). This strong language lets the reader know that something big is about to happen. It leaves the reader wanting to know more about what’s going to happen and really hooks you to read just one more chapter before setting down the book.
Overall I’d recommend this book to anyone who’s a hockey or history fan. The book goes out of its way to describe not only what was going on in Columbus at the time but also the rest of the world. Hockey fans will enjoy this book because of how it ties into the modern day NHL. The Blue Jackets are known for having one of the best and most devoted fans and fans of the game will enjoy seeing how that fanbase was born and the overall creation of a major league hockey team. The inscription on the book reads, “How a minor-league hockey team changed a city forever.” This book will take you on a journey that will make you realize the power sports not only have over us but the power they have to change an entire city.
Most people know that Columbus is home to a professional hockey team known as the Columbus Blue Jackets. However most people don’t know that without the Chill Columbus would’ve never gotten this team. This book opens by describing what we know now as the area district. The only thing is during the Chill’s time it wasn’t the busy city center we know it to be now, no at the time it was simply a lot of construction and low development buildings. From the very start of the book we are given an indepth look at the rough start that downtown Columbus had. This section is even more impactful for those who currently do or have lived in Columbus because the attention to detail in this book goes as far as mentioning specific street names and restaurants that occupied space downtown. This attention to detail doesn’t just stop at the beginning of the book though. Throughout the book the author routinely steps away from the main story to describe the progression of the community's opinion on hockey and the overall state of Columbus.
One of if not the strongest part of this book is the way the author sets up not only the suspense for each major event but the suspense for the entire book. The author does this at the start of the book by describing how Columbus has had three minor league hockey teams before the Chill, all failed. We learn that they failed because before the chill all people cared about were the OSU Football and Basketball teams. The author even goes as far as to describe Columbus as a, “Minor league hockey graveyard” (Merz 12). Right from the start we are led to understand the incredible odds this team is facing both from a stubborn fanbase and a long time dominated market. This type of suspense building is prominent throughout the book. Another time it appears is during the appointment of a new scheduling director for the city of columbus. We are made to see how incompetent the man in this position is but the suspense truly sets in when the author writes, “This would be the last easy week since the office change” (Merz 140). This strong language lets the reader know that something big is about to happen. It leaves the reader wanting to know more about what’s going to happen and really hooks you to read just one more chapter before setting down the book.
Overall I’d recommend this book to anyone who’s a hockey or history fan. The book goes out of its way to describe not only what was going on in Columbus at the time but also the rest of the world. Hockey fans will enjoy this book because of how it ties into the modern day NHL. The Blue Jackets are known for having one of the best and most devoted fans and fans of the game will enjoy seeing how that fanbase was born and the overall creation of a major league hockey team. The inscription on the book reads, “How a minor-league hockey team changed a city forever.” This book will take you on a journey that will make you realize the power sports not only have over us but the power they have to change an entire city.
April 21, 2024
As someone who grew up during (and subsequently became a diehard hockey fan because of) the Columbus Chill's brief lifespan, this book was a special one for me.
Paitson does a great job digging through the history of Columbus hockey and sports. The book is split between the behind the scenes operation of the team, the life of the on-ice product and their promotions, and their efforts to secure an NHL franchise.
The end of the franchise was bittersweet, and let's face it - the Blue Jackets have never been anywhere near what the Chill was, at least from a success standpoint. Even with that being said, the team still has packed the house night in and out despite finishing the last 2 years in the cellar.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes hockey. If you're from Columbus and was alive in the 90s, you know about the Chill, but you might not know about the insanity that lived on every level. Anyone who has followed a minor league hockey team, especially an ECHL team, will laugh at the on-ice stories and the larger-than-life personalities from these double-A wonders.
Good reading to you.
Paitson does a great job digging through the history of Columbus hockey and sports. The book is split between the behind the scenes operation of the team, the life of the on-ice product and their promotions, and their efforts to secure an NHL franchise.
The end of the franchise was bittersweet, and let's face it - the Blue Jackets have never been anywhere near what the Chill was, at least from a success standpoint. Even with that being said, the team still has packed the house night in and out despite finishing the last 2 years in the cellar.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes hockey. If you're from Columbus and was alive in the 90s, you know about the Chill, but you might not know about the insanity that lived on every level. Anyone who has followed a minor league hockey team, especially an ECHL team, will laugh at the on-ice stories and the larger-than-life personalities from these double-A wonders.
Good reading to you.
March 11, 2024
3.5: I’m a sucker for sports stories about having to grind to get to the top, so I definitely appreciated this one. It’s definitely clear that Paitson feels pretty good about the success the Chill had, up to you on whether or not he could be considered a reliable narrator. I do wish the book had been more focused on the team and less on the lobbying and promo work to get the Blue Jackets to a reality, but you kind of have to rate the book you read, y’know? As a parting thought, shoutout to the Chill for being decades ahead of the alternate name team with the Mad Cows promotion
July 29, 2021
3.5. This book was way more interesting than I thought it would be. It was so cool to see the way that hockey developed in Columbus and how it changed the landscape of the city in its entirety. It was well written and entertaining and very easy to read. For me, it was fun to see the names of people and places I’ve become so familiar with and learn about ways that they played a role in the creation of the CBJ. Good book— would recommend to anyone who likes hockey or pro sports in general
February 18, 2025
As a fan of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets and an occasional patron of the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers, this book talked about both the league the Chill shared with the Wheeling Thunderbirds/Nailers and the direct role the Chill played in getting the NHL to recognize Columbus as a major league city. I had no idea just how instrumental the Chill were in getting Columbus a shot at its own major league franchise. I really enjoyed this book!
September 9, 2019
I loved this book. I admit, it was a lot more interesting because it's about my home city and my favorite sport. I moved to Columbus in 1995 and I do vaguely remember the Chill, a minor league hockey team, existing, but I had no idea they had been so revolutionary or that they had changed Columbus so much, all but making possible our downtown revitalization and the existence of our current NHL team, the Columbus Blue Jackets. Great stories, easy to read, super interesting.
July 31, 2018
I really enjoyed this look back at how the Chill changed my city forever.
May 8, 2025
Hockey stories were good. Business stories....ehhhh.
March 20, 2016
In the 1990s, for minor league hockey, there was the Columbus Chill and there was everyone else. The Chill were hip and progressive, with an edgy marketing campaign that pushed the envelope (“Assault someone, you get five years. In hockey, five minutes. Is this a great game or what?”). In fact, the popularity of the Chill directly led to Columbus being on the NHL’s radar when it expanded in the late 90’s, which is why there is now the Columbus Blue Jackets (and, ultimately, no Columbus Chill).
In this behind-the-scenes look at the history of the Chill, from day one to day last, Paitson, the General Manager of the team, provides wonderful anecdotes along with historical information and professional opinion. I picked up this book not expecting much and had a difficult time putting it down (as 2:00 am bed times will attest). The writing is witty and the story is compelling. It truly is a tale of the underdog winning the championship.
It takes a special kind of person to take a leap and make significant changes to the landscape of sports. It seems that David Paitson is that type of person. Many of the irreverent promotions pioneered by the Chill have found their way into other minor (and major) league arenas. The Chill had a promotion where fans would sling-shot frozen chickens across the ice into a net; the Nashville Predators (NHL) had a promotion where fans would be sling-shot across the ice and knock down bowling pins. Coincidence? I think not. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
My end take home is that, if you are a sport fan in general and a hockey fan in particular, this is a book for you. Even if you aren’t, the stories are great, which makes for a bloody good read. I even found that I wished I had been in Columbus when the Chill were going; it seems as though it was a place I would have liked to have been. And, as much as I hate to say this, I found myself rooting for a team from “that city down south,” something (as a University of Michigan and Nashville Predators fan) I never thought I would say.
In this behind-the-scenes look at the history of the Chill, from day one to day last, Paitson, the General Manager of the team, provides wonderful anecdotes along with historical information and professional opinion. I picked up this book not expecting much and had a difficult time putting it down (as 2:00 am bed times will attest). The writing is witty and the story is compelling. It truly is a tale of the underdog winning the championship.
It takes a special kind of person to take a leap and make significant changes to the landscape of sports. It seems that David Paitson is that type of person. Many of the irreverent promotions pioneered by the Chill have found their way into other minor (and major) league arenas. The Chill had a promotion where fans would sling-shot frozen chickens across the ice into a net; the Nashville Predators (NHL) had a promotion where fans would be sling-shot across the ice and knock down bowling pins. Coincidence? I think not. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
My end take home is that, if you are a sport fan in general and a hockey fan in particular, this is a book for you. Even if you aren’t, the stories are great, which makes for a bloody good read. I even found that I wished I had been in Columbus when the Chill were going; it seems as though it was a place I would have liked to have been. And, as much as I hate to say this, I found myself rooting for a team from “that city down south,” something (as a University of Michigan and Nashville Predators fan) I never thought I would say.
April 21, 2015
Chill Factor recounts the story of the Columbus Chill an ECHL franchise that called Columbus home from 1991-1999. Now Columbus had already experienced its’ share of professional sports face plants and when the Chill debuted in 1991, they were expected to be just another flash in the pan for a city dominated by Ohio State football. Yet, by employing a team of sports mavericks and more than a little ingenuity and outside the box [diplomatic way of saying crazy] ways of promoting itself, the Chill began to show the world that professional sports was viable in Columbus.
It was far from a perfect journey as the team had to deal with arena issues, backlash from conservative types who were put off by the teams’ brash ways, skepticism among long term residents and resistance to a professional sports franchise from Ohio State just to name a few. This book is a terrific read for the sports marketer and the sports fan alike. Fans will gain an appreciation for what goes on inside a sports franchise and find themselves chuckling at all the loony things the Chill did. Sports marketers will hopefully find themselves inspired by the Chill to think outside the box in their situation as well.
Without the Chill, the Blue Jackets may not exist.
It was far from a perfect journey as the team had to deal with arena issues, backlash from conservative types who were put off by the teams’ brash ways, skepticism among long term residents and resistance to a professional sports franchise from Ohio State just to name a few. This book is a terrific read for the sports marketer and the sports fan alike. Fans will gain an appreciation for what goes on inside a sports franchise and find themselves chuckling at all the loony things the Chill did. Sports marketers will hopefully find themselves inspired by the Chill to think outside the box in their situation as well.
Without the Chill, the Blue Jackets may not exist.
February 25, 2015
Inside story on an insane underdog story of how a minor league hockey team succeeding in impacting and transforming a community. The story speaks for itself with great inside stories and moments. Yet somehow it loses it's way in a somewhat ego driven shift away from the coliseum ice and chill antics to the boardroom weeds of NHL expansion politics. The motivations and shift from minor league business to altruistic mission seems blurred and tacked on. But The heady list of accomplishments of this overachieving minor league team is staggering and needs telling. Hopefully others more with more objective perspective can build on this account.
April 28, 2016
The title is, unfortunately, the best part of this book. It's about a minor league hockey team spurring change in a city. Since it brings together HOCKEY and URBAN PLANNING, I expected to LOVE this book. It's not a bad story, it's just that the writing is so, so, so very bad. I repeat, as the authors repeat. Like maybe if they say the same thing over and over in slightly different sentence constructions, some of it might be put together correctly. Over and over, the Chill beat the very long odds. The Chill used very clever, edgy guerrilla marketing. Columbus never would have gotten the Blue Jackets were it not for the Chill. We get it. Ugh. And those sweaters must be the ugliest in sports.
March 20, 2024
I do like hockey and typically enjoy these types of books but I did not enjoy the writing in this one. A very redundant novel that does not benefit from presenting the history of the Chill in a timeline fashion. Midway through, it was a snooze fest with redundant storylines and phrasing. Go Blue Jackets tho
August 31, 2015
Written by old friend David Paitson, Chill Factor tells the story of how a minor league hockey team turned a "cow town" into a professional sports city. Great stories throughout.
February 5, 2020
Great history of Columbus sports in the 90s
Intersecting view on Columbus in the 90s from sports to the politics behind getting a professional franchise in an OSU dominated town.
Intersecting view on Columbus in the 90s from sports to the politics behind getting a professional franchise in an OSU dominated town.
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