There is a bigger picture here that some may or may not like. I am one
who LOVES college hockey and don't mind the idea of sharing it with
others. And I would like college hockey to expand and to become BIGGER:
TV contracts, national exposure, etc. To get this requires numbers,
popularity and BIG CITY exposure. Where are you going to be the first of
April 1999? I will be in Anahiem. Exposing Los Angeses to college hockey
(at a level beyond the Great Western Freeze Out) is a great idea and so
too would this ECAC Tournament in New York City. It's a competitive
world (the Hurricanes compete with NASCAR as does UA Huntsville) and
what college hockey must do (to get bigger) is say "here is our product,
do you like it?" If people answer yes, than college hockey expands into
these big cities with big city exposure (and problems). Right now, lets
do it and see what happens. The small school/town atmosphere of Colby,
Cornell, St. Cloud, Houghton, Potsdam, Lake Placid, etc. may disappear
-- or may become the exclusive property of us initial lovers of the
game. Which raises the question, do we really want "success"?
 
Nathan Eric Hampton
 
 Joseph M LaCour wrote:
>
> On Tue, 6 Jan 1998 12:14:01 -0500 (EST) Jim Love <[log in to unmask]>
> writes:
> >> (1)    An Eastern GLI over the Christmas break?  Face it, there are no
> >>        "outstanding" Eastern Holiday Tournys.  RPI's has really come
> >>        down since the 70's&80's.
> >
> >  I have it on good authority that that's it - a Holiday Tournament in
> >New York City with two teams each from ECAC and HEA.  What a potential
> >disaster IMHO - hotel rooms now average $212 per night in NYC, and
> there's no
> >history/tradition of college hockey anywhere near the city.  What can
> Joe
> >Bertagna be thinking ??  This tournament won't draw flies ....
> ===
> Actually Jim, there is a tradition of college hockey in NYC.  From 1962
> or so through the late 1970's there was an ECAC holiday festival at
> Madison Squarte Garden.  It was there in 1972 that I saw my first
> Clarkson hockey game (we beat SLU in the cosolation.  St. Louis beat
> Notre Dame in the final).  There were 10,000 plus fans there.
>
> If you get the right 4 teams, you will pack the joint.  Alumni will come
> in droves.
> My picks for the 1st tourny are:
> Clarkson & Cornell from the ECAC   <- both schools have great alumni
> support.
> BC & Providence from HEA   <- BC is the "national" draw and Leapin Louie
> is just across the river in New Jersey.
>
> Games will be broadcast on SportChannel-NY (wishful thinking).
>
> Joe
>
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