Photo by Marissa Baecker/Shoot the Breeze
Anne-Marie Hamilton is a game day gem

Hamilton works quietly behind the scenes

Aug 31, 2022 | 10:30 AM

She receives little in the way of fanfare. She doesn’t want it. Fact is, she avoids the spotlight.

However, without Anne-Marie Hamilton, things would undoubtedly go sideways on a Kelowna Rockets game night.

‘Anny’, as she is best known to her colleagues, is the team’s marketing director, which means she is in charge of making sure the off-ice activities are executed to perfection: everything from pre-game presentations, the singing of the national anthem and the intermission entertainment. Her attention to detail is impressive, yet it is all accomplished with stealth.

If you haven’t already guessed, Hamilton is the wife of Gavin Hamilton, the Rockets’ vice president of business development. It provides an interesting dynamic as life partners and colleagues in a work environment.

“We have very different roles.  We come home and we talk about our days. Neither of us has an idea of what the other was up to that day,” Anne-Marie told RocketFAN.

The two started working together when the team was located in Tacoma, Washington. Eventually they married and like the team, relocated to Kelowna for the start of the 1995-96 season.

“I wouldn’t say there weren’t any bumps in the road at the very beginning trying to figure it out, especially once we moved here from Tacoma,” she explained. “I don’t know if it would be good for us not to work together because of the schedule. When you work seven days a week, it is hard to have a relationship when you don’t have the same schedule.”

Born in Huntington New York, Anne-Marie was an avid sports fan, so finding fulfillment working in sports seemed like a no-brainer.

“I was an athlete when I was a kid. I’ve always loved sports. My family is all involved in sports. My sister and I are big Yankee fans. My brother is a big Boston Red Sox fan, so there is a lot of fighting that goes on”, Hamilton joked.

“I usually plan the entire season in August. I know what is going on in every intermission and what is going on during game breaks. I depend on the off-ice officials and volunteers to make it all run smoothly. I make sure the anthem singer is out on the ice in time, all sorts of little things.”

Hamilton would be an excellent event planner. Organized and meticulous to every detail, she believes that being punctual is an important detail.

“I believe that if the game is supposed to start at 7:05, that is starts on time. Not just the fans, but the teams are counting on it, the broadcasters are counting on things to start when they were supposed to.”

Twitter: @rocketfandotca

Instagram: @RocketFAN.ca

 

Comments

Leave a Reply