(First a disclaimer: I apologize if my InterNet virus warning was a hoax. I
received the info from someone at a major defense contractor whose system
administrator had posted it to all. I still won't go near anything named
"Good Times" unless Jimmy Walker is in it)
 
In discussing NYC area college hockey, John Zack wrote...
 
"Judging from announced attendence figures
the interest in college hockey in New Haven and Princeton
is tepid.  For example, Princeton drew a very small crowd
to its home ECAC playoff game this year."
 
As someone who spent six years in New Jersey, I can attest that hockey is
pretty big there. Obviously not as huge as it is in a hotbed like Boston,
but several youth leagues flourish and receive considerable ink in many
daily papers, particularly the Trenton ones. And Flyers and Devils
paraphenelia is far more common than 76ers and Nets.
 
College hockey, though? A different story entirely. Although coverage in
the papers is still strong, both Princeton and Yale suffer from the same
problem. Critics of Major League Baseball talk of how the game is losing
the younger generation for a variety of reasons (night games, expensive
tickets).
 
At Princeton snd Yale, it's hard for families to go to games because both
arenas have small capacities (under 3,000--among the smallest in the ECAC).
In addition, most games end up sell-outs in advance--not because tons of
locals are buying seats--but because many NYC-based alums purchase season
tickets. Unfortunately,these seats often go unused (length of travel,
business, etc.), and crowd totals are reduced. Certainly the Athletic
Departments can't be faulted for selling these seats in advance, when
there's no guarantee that they could sell them day-of-game otherwise. But
it just further enhances the development of a N.J. yongster as a pro hockey
fan (at least they can watch those games on TV), not a college hockey fan.
 
As many have written already, successfully marketing college hockey isn't
an overnight endeavor. It will take time and long-term investments in
attracting young kids--hooking them in as fans and then maintaining them
through their lifetimes.
 
Mike J. (Princeton '92)