Vicki Price writes:
 
>On Monday April 5, 1999 [log in to unmask] wrote:
><snip>
>
>>The NCAA should give the fans of college hockey a break and put >the
>tournament in towns where people appreciate the sport and not >force those
>who are the most loyal to travel across the country >to an area where no one
>gives a damn!
>
>In light of the outcome your remark seems understandable;  certainly though
>one conclusion does not an end make. OT seems to own Maine or Maine owns OT.
>Regardless, Hockey East showcased their talent to the Nation from an area
>that still only dreams of a west coast division 1 of their own.
 
My thought on Anaheim were formulated before I even left for the trip.  The
vast majority of college hockey fans do not live within 1,000 miles of the
Pond.  Why they are subjected to travelling across the country to see their
sport is unfathomable.  Much has been made about how it was "sixth most
attended" NCAA Hockey Final Four.  My question is, if these four teams had
played in St. Paul, Milwaukee, Boston, or even Cincinnati would it have the
the "sixth most attended tournament"?  I think not.
 
>Non-appreciation and not giving a damn is so far from the truth. If you've
>lived on the west coast and had to travel hundreds of miles just to go to a
>club game, you'd understand the personal sacrifices made by parents and
>players who love hockey and dream of playing in college. These players have
>less opportunity and little exposure compared to eastern and midwestern
>players.
 
What percentage of the crowd for each game was local? Was it 5%, 10%?  If
the newspaper coverage of the tournament is indicative of local fan
interest, the games made little impact in LA.  In the Friday edition of the
LA Times, there was no article at all. In the Saturday edition of the
Orange County Register, the big article was on face masks in college
hockey.  Face masks have been part of college hockey for 20 years!  If the
locals have to get up to speed about THAT issue, at the expense of the
games themselves, then I think the tournament was looked upon as a novelty
act by greater LA.
>
>I bumped into quite a number of these hockey starved parents in the Pond
>corridors, parents that I carpooled with just so our kids could play. No,
>they don't have tradition, no banners, no school of their own to follow...so
>they followed yours last weekend. It was a privilege to watch and be a part
>of what is still only a dream...college hockey in Southern California.
 
>For them.. just playing is winning.
 
>Maybe the real fans are the parents that never get to see a college game..
>when they do every team is their team.
 
That's fine and dandy. But what about the fans of the four teams involved
who could not afford to pony up the bucks to spend four days in Orange
County.  I think that they deserve more consideration than the "hockey
starved" fans in LA.
 
Greg Ambrose
GO UNH BLUE!!!
 
P.S.  I hope the water polo finals ARE in Vermont next year!
 
HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey;  send information to
[log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.