ECAC at the Knick?
 
This rumor regarding a possible relocation of the ECAC post-season tournament
to Albany has put me in a delimma:
 
For four years I've driven to Boston in March for the annual Hockeyfest, and
I've come up 0-4 with Cornell (was not there when they beat Clarkson this year,
but showed up at the final game, though).  It's a 6-hour drive to Boston, and I
never really get to see much of the city, except Quincy Market and the Gahden.
If the championship is moved to Albany, that will cut my driving time in half,
making the trip more pleasurable and less tedious.  The trouble is, as a
Cornell hockey traditionalist, I cherish the history of Cornell hockey in
Boston Garden.  I dream about one day celebrating with the team on winning an
ECAC Championship in that old building that's full of championship banners.  I
don't really want to do that somewhere else.  Granted that the Knick looked
very nice on TV, and it's a modern facility.  The somewhat sticky floor and the
aged wooden chairs of Boston Garden have a special appeal to me.
 
Nowadays it seems that $$ is more important than tradition or history, and I
can understand why ECAC may want to move to a larger arena for revenue
enhancement.  I could not figure out why the ECAC championship did not draw
more spectators than the Hockey East this year, other than the fact the Maine
was ranked #1 in the nation and neither SLU nor Cornell had as much national
attention.  I thought not as many Cornell people attended the championship, but
probably most of the Big Red fans were scattered all around the Garden and
therefore, did not seem like a big contigent.
 
The Garden vs. the Knick?  I'll vote for Boston Garden for now, until I hear
some more compelling arguments for otherwise.
 
Tom Tseng