Brad Elliott Schlossman's Blog mentions that the National Collegiate Hockey Conference will announce Monday that its postseason tournament will be held at the Target Center. This should be the best neutral site for attendance purposes.
25 comments:
Aluuum
said...
Mistake! If they cared about student attendance, rather than the almighty dollar, they would have selected Omaha. Omaha is the only centrally located sight that students could drive to in about eight hours. A college tournament is about student attendence,blaring bands up in the top section,guys in togas(duh),etc. This "finacial" deal is what is to be expected given the way college sports is run these days.
I don't think it is fair to label this choice a mistake, at least until it is proven to be. I personally was for Omaha but a spot in Minnesota is probably the safer bet. I'm sure it will be as quality of a tournament as the F5 is and will be just as much fun to attend.
There is an out in the contract if they want to get out... The WCHA went to the Target Center while the Xcel Energy Center was being built but the ice was bad and some have complained about the sight lines.
So.... which NCHC team is hosting? The one based in Minneapolis? :/ I don't like this decision, but I understand it, and I guess I support it, for now. BTW - that's pretty much means it's a sure bet that the WCHA and NCHC will be sharing officials....So yes Pioneer fans, there's still hope that we'll see all the Shepherds and Anderson for many years to come, right here at DU. Lucky us.
It will also be interesting, when the NCHC finals and the WCHA finals both get won by non-Minnesota teams. But if the Mankato Mavericks and the Bulldogs become Dynasty's and the trophies never leave Minnesota.... God Bless 'em
My neighbor is a Linesman. It's NOT a done deal , but according to he, they've been talking about sharing Refs since the realignment was announced. It does make sense, atleast to get the league up and running. It's not like NCHC can hold a job fair, and hire the best, experienced Refs in college hockey in one day. And you're right, just announcing the playoff venue means nothing as far as ref staffing goes. But if someone wanted to bet me today.....my money would be on, atleast SOME WCHA Refs, working in the NCHC a few games, or maybe even Big10
I dunno...I'm not going to argue about this, however I am pretty well connected with the WCHA ref system and have never heard anything about this type of co-op situation. Personally, I highly doubt this is how it will go. I was a part of many discussions about the possibility of the "Super Conference" with the people who run the WCHA and I never once heard a peep about a ref-sharing agreement. At least I know that my position in the "system" is safe...
Truth be told, in terms of a building and nothing else, Ralph Engelstad arena is the rightful place to hold the NCHC Championships. Absolutely beautiful place - honestly. But that's kind of like your dorkass friend who somehow scores a date with a hot chick. Everyone's like, are you friggin kidding me? Outside of the building itself, there's nothing else. Attempting to host a league playoff in North Dakota.... would be like, building a marina in a desert.
Omaha? Why, so that the only people there are Omaha fans? Get real. Nobody would drive 8 hours to go to Omaha. Better to have it in the Twin Cities where 3 teams' (St Cloud, Duluth, Sue) fans can drive under 5 hours than in a place where only the host team's fans will show. Omaha would have been a disaster.
Just because you won't invest an 8 hr drive to see your team play doesn't mean no one else would. The N in NCHC stands for National. The MSP-centric days of the WCHA (aka the Rodent and Minnesota community college league) are almost over.
I don't give a shit where they hold it, as long as CC never gets in the playoffs! All that tournament is.....is team practice for the 16 team national tournament. So let all the nearby teams get all giddy about making it to the inaugural NCHC playoffs. DU needs to see it as an extra weekend of play, in preparation for the NCAA Regionals.
Scott, the only teams who have a shorter trip to Omaha than to Minneapolis are DU, CC, and UNO.
There are only 2 schools under an 8 hour drive away from Omaha.
There are 4 schools under 6.5 hours from MSP.
Miami is the same distance to both places. Kalamazoo has a slightly shorter drive time to MSP. Duluth, St. Cloud, and North Dakota are MUCH closer to MSP. Omaha is 6 hours from MSP.
DU and CC fans hardly travel regardless of where the games are located. Don't believe me? We couldn't even fill Magness for the WCHA playoff games against Wisconsin this year, a big name opponent in our OWN arena. What makes you think any DU fans would travel? There's no evidence to back your hypothesis.
So no, just because YOU would drive 8 hours to follow your team does not mean anyone else (at least in the DU family) would. History shows nothing to support your claim.
Yeah, Scott is a little misguided...as is Aluuum...as is anyone who thinks this is the wrong choice. It's actually the logical and safe choice. I said earlier that personally I preferred Omaha, but that does not mean that Omaha is the best choice for the CONFERENCE...it's pretty obvious that Minneapolis is the proper location, at least initially
All you people who rip on this decision don't really have a clue.
The WCHA toyed with the idea of alternating venues and tried out Milwaukee for a few years, alternating between St Paul and Milwaukee. Just to see what would happen. The WCHA realized that if it couldn't work in Wisconsin then it wouldn't work in Colorado or anywhere else. I'm sure it would sell out in Grand Forks, but the Ralph is too small in order to reach the desired attendance.
So, you wise ones, I have seen nothing but bland and generic statements about how this decision is wrong but you offer nothing to support your conclusions. Even my freshman year high school English teacher would not accept a paper that contained statements without out at least two supporting facts for every statement. I wanna see just one from you guys...Come on, it's not hard...
As the only postseason hockey I regularly attend is the F4, I really could give a flying fig newton where the NCHC conference tourney is held.
I do know this though:
1)Attendence at most any post-season college hockey event is substantially less than SRO unless played on the homeice/hometown of one of the participants, and
2)Many if not most college hockey venues would struggle to accomodate the additional visiting fans of a tourney.
UNO does not play its home games on campus, but rather in the 16,700 seat CenturyLink Center (nee Qwest Ctr), the 2nd largest NCAA Div I venue in the nation (avg UNO attendance=6600). Thus the Omaha location has homeice excitement/attendance (with a small claim to off-campus 'neutrality') plus spare capacity for visiting fans. Add to this the long Omaha history of supporting the College World Series, the relative paucity of competing sports events (unlike MSP) and it's relatively central location and I stand by my conviction that Omaha would have been the better choice for a NCHC tourney venue.
City of Denver doesn't need the headache of this tourney. Right now, thier focus is on the Olympic Winter Games bid......which is going to be a long, tough fight. If it happens, Magness Arena could very well be the epicenter of mens hockey
25 comments:
Mistake! If they cared about student attendance, rather than the almighty dollar, they would have selected Omaha. Omaha is the only centrally located sight that students could drive to in about eight hours. A college tournament is about student attendence,blaring bands up in the top section,guys in togas(duh),etc.
This "finacial" deal is what is to be expected given the way college sports is run these days.
These conference tourneys have one purpose. To pay for the league office, the refs and the expenses of the league.
If they do really well, they can even kick some money back to the schools.
Forging a relationship with the Target Center was a good move IMO.
I don't think it is fair to label this choice a mistake, at least until it is proven to be. I personally was for Omaha but a spot in Minnesota is probably the safer bet. I'm sure it will be as quality of a tournament as the F5 is and will be just as much fun to attend.
There is an out in the contract if they want to get out... The WCHA went to the Target Center while the Xcel Energy Center was being built but the ice was bad and some have complained about the sight lines.
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!
So.... which NCHC team is hosting? The one based in Minneapolis? :/ I don't like this decision, but I understand it, and I guess I support it, for now. BTW - that's pretty much means it's a sure bet that the WCHA and NCHC will be sharing officials....So yes Pioneer fans, there's still hope that we'll see all the Shepherds and Anderson for many years to come, right here at DU. Lucky us.
It will also be interesting, when the NCHC finals and the WCHA finals both get won by non-Minnesota teams. But if the Mankato Mavericks and the Bulldogs become Dynasty's and the trophies never leave Minnesota.... God Bless 'em
@6:57
how does the tourney being played at the target center have anything to do with having the same refs as the wcha? I don't see the relation.
6:57 is making strange assumptions in regards to the refs.
Please educate us into how you came up with such a statement.
My neighbor is a Linesman. It's NOT a done deal , but according to he, they've been talking about sharing Refs since the realignment was announced. It does make sense, atleast to get the league up and running. It's not like NCHC can hold a job fair, and hire the best, experienced Refs in college hockey in one day. And you're right, just announcing the playoff venue means nothing as far as ref staffing goes. But if someone wanted to bet me today.....my money would be on, atleast SOME WCHA Refs, working in the NCHC a few games, or maybe even Big10
I dunno...I'm not going to argue about this, however I am pretty well connected with the WCHA ref system and have never heard anything about this type of co-op situation. Personally, I highly doubt this is how it will go. I was a part of many discussions about the possibility of the "Super Conference" with the people who run the WCHA and I never once heard a peep about a ref-sharing agreement. At least I know that my position in the "system" is safe...
Truth be told, in terms of a building and nothing else, Ralph Engelstad arena is the rightful place to hold the NCHC Championships. Absolutely beautiful place - honestly. But that's kind of like your dorkass friend who somehow scores a date with a hot chick. Everyone's like, are you friggin kidding me? Outside of the building itself, there's nothing else. Attempting to host a league playoff in North Dakota.... would be like, building a marina in a desert.
Should have been Omaha, end of story.
Omaha? Why, so that the only people there are Omaha fans? Get real. Nobody would drive 8 hours to go to Omaha. Better to have it in the Twin Cities where 3 teams' (St Cloud, Duluth, Sue) fans can drive under 5 hours than in a place where only the host team's fans will show. Omaha would have been a disaster.
It could of been in Denver where only CC fans would of shown up.
Just because you won't invest an 8 hr drive to see your team play doesn't mean no one else would. The N in NCHC stands for National. The MSP-centric days of the WCHA (aka the Rodent and Minnesota community college league) are almost over.
I don't give a shit where they hold it, as long as CC never gets in the playoffs! All that tournament is.....is team practice for the 16 team national tournament. So let all the nearby teams get all giddy about making it to the inaugural NCHC playoffs. DU needs to see it as an extra weekend of play, in preparation for the NCAA Regionals.
Scott, the only teams who have a shorter trip to Omaha than to Minneapolis are DU, CC, and UNO.
There are only 2 schools under an 8 hour drive away from Omaha.
There are 4 schools under 6.5 hours from MSP.
Miami is the same distance to both places.
Kalamazoo has a slightly shorter drive time to MSP.
Duluth, St. Cloud, and North Dakota are MUCH closer to MSP.
Omaha is 6 hours from MSP.
DU and CC fans hardly travel regardless of where the games are located. Don't believe me? We couldn't even fill Magness for the WCHA playoff games against Wisconsin this year, a big name opponent in our OWN arena. What makes you think any DU fans would travel? There's no evidence to back your hypothesis.
So no, just because YOU would drive 8 hours to follow your team does not mean anyone else (at least in the DU family) would. History shows nothing to support your claim.
Yeah, Scott is a little misguided...as is Aluuum...as is anyone who thinks this is the wrong choice. It's actually the logical and safe choice. I said earlier that personally I preferred Omaha, but that does not mean that Omaha is the best choice for the CONFERENCE...it's pretty obvious that Minneapolis is the proper location, at least initially
Don't have the link, but DU hockey just did a video in support of a group supporting LGBT atheletes.
Cool to see DU stepping up and supporting a group that is a frequent outcast, especially in sports.
Neutral site my ass.
Seriously the tournament should be relocated every year.
Its been a good warm up for you guys lately. You have won one ncaa game since 2006.
All you people who rip on this decision don't really have a clue.
The WCHA toyed with the idea of alternating venues and tried out Milwaukee for a few years, alternating between St Paul and Milwaukee. Just to see what would happen. The WCHA realized that if it couldn't work in Wisconsin then it wouldn't work in Colorado or anywhere else. I'm sure it would sell out in Grand Forks, but the Ralph is too small in order to reach the desired attendance.
So, you wise ones, I have seen nothing but bland and generic statements about how this decision is wrong but you offer nothing to support your conclusions. Even my freshman year high school English teacher would not accept a paper that contained statements without out at least two supporting facts for every statement. I wanna see just one from you guys...Come on, it's not hard...
As the only postseason hockey I regularly attend is the F4, I really could give a flying fig newton where the NCHC conference tourney is held.
I do know this though:
1)Attendence at most any post-season college hockey event is substantially less than SRO unless played on the homeice/hometown of one of the participants, and
2)Many if not most college hockey venues would struggle to accomodate the additional visiting fans of a tourney.
UNO does not play its home games on campus, but rather in the 16,700 seat CenturyLink Center (nee Qwest Ctr), the 2nd largest NCAA Div I venue in the nation (avg UNO attendance=6600). Thus the Omaha location has homeice excitement/attendance (with a small claim to off-campus 'neutrality') plus spare capacity for visiting fans. Add to this the long Omaha history of supporting the College World Series, the relative paucity of competing sports events (unlike MSP) and it's relatively central location and I stand by my conviction that Omaha would have been the better choice for a NCHC tourney venue.
City of Denver doesn't need the headache of this tourney. Right now, thier focus is on the Olympic Winter Games bid......which is going to be a long, tough fight. If it happens, Magness Arena could very well be the epicenter of mens hockey
Uh..anon 12:23...
You do realize that the ice surface at Magness is exactly 15 feet too narrow to host an Olympic hockey game, right?
Also...when was the last time an Olympic hockey tournament was hosted in a venue that seats less than 6,000 people? Squaw Valley in 1960?
At least the outcome of that tournament was positive....
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