You see him on TV during during every Team Canada hockey game causing a ruckus, but for David Ash, rallying up the crowd and making the most noise is all about patronage. Ash stands out and gets the most screen time out of anybody else in the stands. It might have something to do with the fact he drapes himself in a Canadian flag and wears a helmet with a flashing red goal light on top.
Olympic bloggers first speculated Ash was hired by VANOC to rally the crowd at Canada Hockey Place. It wouldn’t be out of the ordinary to think so, as VANOC has planted “fans” at numerous venues to cheer on our athletes. But for Ash, handing out flags to fans in as many seating sections as possible is his own thing.
The Washington Post interviewed Ash, who they say is from Regina, Saskatchewan and runs a professional sports and concert tour business.
An e-mail we received suggested he was from Winnipeg. The photos in this post from Getty Images also label Ash as being a Winnipegger, but we haven’t been able to confirm it.
Whether he’s from Saskatchewan or not, you can guarantee this guy will be at tonight’s game as Canada plays Slovakia. Game time is 8:30 p.m. CT on CTV.
