Before we go spouting attendance figures for NC games, let's remember the
words that I've always heard attributed to Mark Twain:  'there are lies,
damn lies, and statistics'!
 
Wisconsin plays home games at the Dane County Colliseum, cap about 8600.
Their four NC games this year were played in the Bradley Center in Milwaukee
(2 for the Badger Showdown; 2 for the College Hockey Showcase), cap 17400.
I'm sure Minnesota can make the same claim about its off-campus sites, as
(probably) can Michigan and Michigan State about the Joe, or the Boston
teams about the Garden for the Beanpot.
 
There are some teams, those from large hockey-rabid schools with LOTS of
alumni, like Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, and Mich State, who could draw
500-1000 fans no matter where *in the country* they played a game.  HE and
ECAC schools' attendance bean-counters must drool at the thought of any of
those 4 schools (and probably others; I don't mean to slight anyone) coming
in for even one game.  But the flip side of the coin is when two small
schools, with relatively small followings, and small numbers of alumni get
together.  Like Colorado College at Union for example. (again, not to slight
anyone!)
 
If there were to be, lets say, 5 balanced conferences of 10 teams each, and
they had some automatic formula for determining NC opponents (like the NFL
does), you'd just as likely end up with a boxoffice flop as smash,
regardless of how closely matched the teams were.  (I use that scenario
because, left to themselves, some hi-drawing schools could just about decide
whom they'd play and when, and leave the pickings for the rest...not that I
say it WOULD happen, but the possibility, and maybe the perception, would be
there.)
 
So to continue the thread:  I'll agree again with Mike Machnik that the
right answer is probably somewhere between 24 and 32 games.
 
Steve G
 
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