>Why do the fans deserve a reward?
Fans deserve a reward, because, whether you like it or not,
the NC$$ sees hockey as a business, and, as business people
have a tendency to want, they want to make a profit. Perhaps
there's not a lot of money to be made from admissions, but with
advertisers and TV contracts, there is a lot of money to be made.
But that is all in the future. For now, treat the fans well
and they will come.  Perhaps the schools are more idealistic
about the spirit of competition but if enough money is waved
in their faces, the schools will come around.
If fans weren't important, why are schools bothering building
arenas that hold 5, 10 or 15,000 seats?
 
>Isn't it the players who deserve the
>fairest possible tournament?  Shipping the 9-12 teams off to home ice
>venues is tantamount to dooming their chances of going further, certainly
>more so than playing an extra game in the current Regional format.
 
No, the players don't deserve the fairest possible tournament. They
deserve the fairest possible chance to win a national championship
which includes not only the tournament but the results of the entire
season. Working hard for 30-40 games deserves something better than
the possibility of travelling thousands of miles to a neutral site
to play a single game against a lower rated team who might have an
exceptional single game and end your entire season. That's why I think
a best of 3 series is better than a single game elimination and why home
ice in the first round should be instituted again. That's the teams reward
for a successful regular season.
 
Mark Lewin
RPI '69
 
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