For those wanting the nation's hockey's collegiate championship to get
maximum exposure, why are we not seeing suggestions of Madison Square
Garden, or the Meadowlands ?
 
It will be curious to see the coverage in Albany next year as it will be
the closest venue to the sports media hub of NYC.
 
This thread has a consensus of list members preferences that the host site,
in no particular order, have all of the following:
 
1.  lots of dining/drinking places in close proximity for between-game
activities
 
2.  lots of seats in the arena
 
3.  lots of men's rooms on the arena concourses (still surprised that women
     haven't demanded more toilets, it must be the male hockey demographic)
 
4.  lots of parking
 
5.  knowledgeable local hockey fans with a nearby college hockey hotbed
 
6.  good ice surface under possible warm weather conditions
 
bonus item for personal reasons:
 
7.  Maine wins it all (we got two, how about you ?)  I only did this
     becuase Coach Walsh took a needless shot in this recent thread...
 
But, really, no venue will have all this, and the NC$$ is not to blame,
either.
 
The choices designated in future years each have their weaknesses against
our list.  We really don't know too much yet about the new Twin Cities
rink.
 
I think we're much better off having both the well-known sites and a few
new ones mixed in than staying only with the "comfortable" venues.
 
Also, there's a real problem I think in assuming a role that the
championship round "promote the sport".  By the measure of ticket demand,
we already succeeded.  I say, just stick to putting the best four teams on
the ice and let em have at it...
 
"promoting the sport" is best done over the many months leading up to the
finals, on each and every campus putting forth a team, because that's where
we need sustained and growing public support for college hockey.  We also
have to be concerned with hockey program viability against other more
well-heeled sports, especially in the very large schools which have hockey
teams together with farm-club big-time hoops and pigskin squads.
 
It makes me think of my visit to Columbus this past season.   National
champion team plays local squad on Friday night of Homecoming weekend.
Beautiful new arena with capacity larger than Providence is "filled" with
only about 3,000 persons.   Next day 100,000 plus cram the town for
football.  Believe me, that weekend Ohio State hockey officials could have
cared less where the national championship hockey game was/is going to be
played.  Empty red seats stared at them like red figures in a financial
spreadsheet.
 
BTW, don't suggest the Schottenstein Center for a Last Four - there's even
fewer places in close proximity than in Anaheim....downtown's a different
story.
 
 
 
 
 
Dan Doucette
 
Maine Hockey - we win it all in odd-numbered years
 
Bill Gates should be sentenced to using a Macintosh
for the rest of his natural life.
 
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