I have always supported the idea of the ECAC's at the Knick.  I lovwe tradition
as much as anyone, but practicality must win out at times, and I believe that
this is one of those times.
 
I don't think that there is any question that ECAC's would draw better in
Albany.  It is much easier to justify taking the afternoon off of work or
school to make a 5:00 game (or even the 8:00 game since leaving from Ithaca to
make Boston for
an 8:00 means losing part of your morning too) than it is to justify losing the
whole day.  People will be more likely to just "stroll in" for the ECAC's if
they can chop 3 or more hours off the drive. If there are too many more of
these all-NY Garden parties, the need to move to a more central location
becomes clearer.
 
Add this to the fact that RPI and Union fans will probably be much more
appreciative of the proximity of the tournament than are Harvard and Brown
fans.  I believe that RPI and Union fans will be much more likely to attend the
tournament in the absence of their teams in Albany than are the fans from
Cambridge or Providence when their teams don't make Boston.  (I can't believe
Lynne's stories about seeing the Harvard band doing their homework on the "T"
while heading to the Garden.  Most fans would be too pumped up to think about
homework.  No enthusiasm or appreciation for what they have in their own back
yard, they just seem to take it for granted.)
 
Also, I believe that the fat guy from UNH has a more representative attitude of
Hockey East people than most would like to admit.  As the time of the Hockey
East-ECAC split becomes more and more distant, Boston becomes more and more of
a Hockey East town.  The ECAC is seen as the "undercard" of the Hockeyfest
activities both in terms of interest and talent.  The ECAC needs its own cable
contract with some regional service like Empire SportsChannel (or whatever it's
called) and it needs to find a place to have its tournament where it will be
the "main event" rather than the other games that NESN is required to
broadcast.
 
I always loved going to the Garden and I have a lot of memories there, but it
always came at the worst time in the semester, the week preceding the week of
spring break (this year was different in that ECAC's were at the beginning of
the break itself).  The last thing I needed was the added stress of losing the
travel time to Boston and back.  I may have done it every year, but my life was
usually hell becuase of it.  It is even more difficult for the North Country
fans to get there, and it seems at least one of them makes the Garden every
year.  Moving to Albany is best for the fans and the atheletes in terms of work
and study time missed.
 
With both Union and RPI right there in town, and the overall central location
of Albany for the rest of the schools, I believe that it is only a matter of
time before the move is made
 
 
--
Dave [log in to unmask]
Cornell '91 OSU Med '95
Let's Go Red!