In a message dated 1/26/99 8:33:08 PM, [log in to unmask] writes:
 
<< Why is a four team
tournament to
choose one entrance to the Final Four going to attract any more venue
interest
than four teams deciding two spaces? >>
 
Well...for one thing there would be one extra game. That's 50% more potential
revenue, with each team's fans potentially being able to see there team twice.
I would double or triple the distance I would drive or fly to see that.
 
<<I find the concept of a West Regional atthe Pepsi Center in Denver quite
amusing.  I happen to really like one of the Denver sports columnists
(Bob
Kravitz of the Rocky Mountain News) a lot, so I takea look at the RMN
sports
page most days.  The college hockey coverage appears to be limited to a
half-column recap of a previousday's game.  That's it.  It's not even
written
by an RMN writer; it appears to be a special addition by one of the
locals, if
it's an away game (the recaps of the DU-UMD series were by John
Gilbert).>>
 
I find the fact that you would even read Kravitz...a third rate columnist for
a 4th rate paper...at all. The RMN is no better than the Pueblo Chieftan or
the Durango Herald. Put that crap down and pick up The Denver Post...college
hockey news every day featuring weekly stories, standing and stats from all
over the nation as well as current up to date news every day on both CC and DU
as well as anything that might be going on at AFA. Periodic full page feature
articles like the one recently about CC's Morrison and Nelson, African
Americans from LA making it in big time NCAA hockey.  Prospect/recruiting
updates, commentary and opinion all the time.
 
In addition to that on weekends when there are 6 home games in Colorado you
can expect 14,000-16,000 fans watching on each night. This is while DU season
ticket holders have to deal with the screwed up seating arrangements of the
lily pad arenas they have to hop to and from while the Magness Center (8K
seats) is being finished. After that expect almost 20,000 college hockey fans
a night. The championship game of the DU cup (a regular season game) a few
years ago drew a sellout of 16,000 easy.
 
 
<<This is a city where a 18,000 seat arena is going to sign up  for a
college
hockey event without knowing who the teams are going to be?>>
 
How do arenas sign? Do they have fingers? I would expect an actual attendance
in very similar #'s to anywhere else that you don't know who the teams will be
a week ahead of time.
 
Let's dig up some #'s...what do regionals in other areas of the country
usually draw? I'm sure they rarely draw near 15K let 18K alone unless a couple
of teams within 200 miles of the site miracously make it there, or the team
with a huge campus is from that hometown like Michigan State has had a couple
times I think. Then all we will hear is the home-ice advantage whiners out in
force...give me a break.
 
 
:-P
 
Randy
 
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