Great letter, Dan.  I agree whole-heartedly.   AD Nero has lots of good
ideas, but I think this one is half-baked.

NYC would be poor Frozen Four site, IMHO.  There is no local college
draw.  Lookup recent attempts to play showcase games at MSG and you'll
see they were attendance flops.  Sure there's lots to do there, but I
question if the typical hockey fan has NYC on her short-list of trip
destinations.

DC has a problem being affordable, but should otherwise be a destination
most everyone will enjoy.

cheers (to John MacKinnon for the DC bid), wayne

P.S. This year's Frozen Four took place at the Value City Arena in the
Schottenstein Center, home of the Ohio State University hockey and
basketball teams.  At $116 million and 17,500 seats, the Alfond Arena or
CCCC hardly compares.  And at that, it is the 2nd best arena in town
(the Nationwide Arena in downtown Columbus is, by all accounts, better!).

D. B. Doucette wrote, in part,  on 4/11/2005 11:00 AM:

>In a previous posting concerning a possible Regional location in a proposed
>new Portland arena, Maine's AD was quoted in a BDN article as follows:
>
>Nero also said he would like to see New York City's Madison Square Garden
>place a bid to host the Frozen Four.  "That would be a great place," said Nero.
>
>While in Columbus, I met a member of the committee who have submitted a bid
>to the NCAA to host an upcoming Frozen Four in our nation's Capital.  I came
>away from this conversation very impressed with their organization,
>extensive planning, and already know personally the overall attractiveness
>of Washington DC as a host city.
>
>It is not known if there is indeed a bid in from New York/MSG, let alone
>whether it has put the elements in place to the extent the DC group already
>has.  The host school for the DC bid, incidentally, is the Naval Academy,
>who will elevate to Div. 1 in hockey in a couple of years time, before the
>FF games.  Who has Madison Square Garden partnered with as host ?  Does Mr.
>Nero know ?
>
>I think the NCAA in these days of increased governmental scrutiny of sport
>at all levels needs positive visibility in Washington more than in the
>"media capital of the world", trying to pander to outlets who offer barely a
>mention of college hockey other than during the Frozen Four.
>
>If the NHL were not on strike, do you really think we would have gotten the
>duo of Thorne and Clement to call the game on ESPN Saturday night ?
>
>Even in some parts of Columbus, Ohio, this weekend the Frozen Four fans were
>secondary to a volleyball tournament, horse show, and weddings in some local
>hotels.  Would NYC offer a better welcome with "only" 17,000 fans added to
>town ?
>
>I would encourage Mr. Nero if he reads this to support the DC host site bid
>instead of New York City.  If our readers have a chance to speak with Mr.
>Nero, please also tell him to support the DC bid for the Frozen Four.
>
>Thank you.
>
>