Well, you knew it was only a matter of time before I weighed in on the
Great Ticket Sellout.  Greetings from Rhode Island Hockey Central.
 
First, my condolences to Joe, Sara, Clay, Nathan et al.  I guess their
'sold out' letters can be charged to the Law of Inevitability.  As you
probably recall, I tried to run up an early warning flag during the
first week in April when it was abundantly clear that the Providence
Civic Center capacity for ice hockey (11,000) would fall far short of
accomodating the probable number of ticket requests.  Many of the Rhode
Island college hockey fans who made their way to Anaheim had their
ticket applications for next year's tourney mailed by third parties
while away in California in order to take advantage of an April 1st
postmark.
 
Linda mentioned that the Providence Mariott has been selected as the
NC$$ Headquarters hotel --
if you recall my April postings, I was not aware of the headquarters
designation at the time but I did point out that the Marriott was NOT a
walkable distance from the Civic Center.  The Westin and Biltmore are
both within two blocks and the Holiday Inn is next door.
 
Joe asked whether Providence College season ticket holders got
"squatters rights" on the NC$$ tickets.  I'm pretty sure I understood
from a PC fan that Friar season ticket holders would receive
preferential ticket selection/processing.  No big news here.
 
Joe asked the same question about Brown hockey fans.  O.K. Joe, does
Clarkson give St. Lawrence fans a break at the Cheel ticket office?
Better put, your question might have been, "Do Rhode Island politicos
get any special ticket treatment for Civic Center events?"  Need I say
more?
 
Finally, Nathan describes Providence as "the boringest place" ever to
host an NC$$ Frozen Four.  Well Nathan, we may be boring, but when they
rope off a four-block area around the Civic Center (which includes
Players Corner Pub, The Trinity Brewhouse, more great and renowned
restaurants than you'll have time to sample, three major hotels, a brand
new upscale pedestrian mall (multi-screen cineplex and IMAX included
with Nordstrom's and Lord & Taylor as anchors) scheduled to open this
August (largest in New England), and toss in an open-air ice skating
rink three times the size of the Rockefeller Center right in the middle
of it all, you won't recognize the Providence you saw in 1995.  And
don't get me started on Newport only 40 minutes away.  So come on back,
latch onto a couple scalps and enjoy what promises to be one of the most
memorable tourneys ever.
 
Since it's generally agreed that this will be the last hurrah for the
Frozen Four at the Civic Center (only for lack of seating capacity),
Providence is making ready to greet you for the lucky seventh time as
never before.
 
See you all there.
 
 
P.S.  I recently received an acknowledgement of my application for
tickets to the 2000 East Regional/2001 NC$$ Frozen Four from the Pepsi
Arena in Albany.  Looks like this group, which includes RPI and the
ECAC, is right on top of things.
 
 
 
Bill Corrigan
 
LET'S GO BRUNO!
 
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