I have received several requests concerning availability of
tickets for the 1993 NC$$ Phinal Phour April 1st & 3rd here
in Milwaukee.
The long and short of it is that the event is a sellout, and has
been sold out since sometime last June. If you don't have 'em
yet, your only hope would be to get tickets in the blocks of
seats reserved for the fans/bands of participating teams or
for the press. Either that or try to get 'em from a scalper.
In the interest of letting people know how this situation came
about, here is an excerpt from a notice that came with our ticket
order. It is followed by another excerpt concerning open practices
and when the doors will open prior to game times.
[Begin quoted material...]
... it is important for you to understand that something
quite extraordinary happened last summer.
THIS EVENT SOLD OUT FURTHER IN ADVANCE
THAN EVER BEFORE IN ITS HISTORY.
So, the good news is you have tickets and, therefore, an
opportunity to be part of the first national collegiate
championship held in the State of Wisconsin. This will truly be
one of the highlights of the year for amateur athletics.
Prestige, excitement, high emotions, and all the rest, however, can
be something of a mixed blessing. The net result is a lot more
people than seats...a nice problem to have but a problem all the
same. So, if you're not sitting eight rows from the rink between
the blue lines, please keep the following in mind:
In the twenty-four hours following last year's championship, over a
thousand calls were received requesting ticket information.
A week later, order forms were mailed to all these callers plus
more than four thousand additional households who had previously
requested information on the Championship. In the weeks that
followed, hundreds of additional inquiries were received by the
Center and thousands of additional order forms were distributed.
Sufficient orders were received by July 1 to sell out the 14,000
available seats at the Center not once but almost twice. Hundreds
of unopened orders were being returned by mid-summer.
Add to this the further complication that almost half the seats
located in the lower level of the Center are held for the
participating teams, their bands, and the press.
The end result is a wonderful success for collegiate hockey but,
unfortunately, a significant number of disappointed fans ... fans
who, like all of us, never dreamed that this year's Championship
would garner the unprecedented enthusiasm and interest witnessed by
our Ticket Office staff.
[...]
On Thursday, April 1, the Center will open for the first semi-final
game at 12:30 p.m. and will open for the second semi-final game at
6:00 p.m., in each case an hour before the start of the game. On
Saturday, April 3, the Center will open for the Championship final
game at 5:30 p.m., one-and-one-half hours before game time at 7:00
p.m.
You are also invited to stop by the Bradley Center on Wednesday,
March 31, to watch open practices from 10:45 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. If
you're in town, this will provide you an opportunity to tour the
Center, understand where your seats are, and scout the four
participating teams.
[End quoted material...]
I guess that this letter is intended to take the sting out of
placing your ticket order in May, and getting seats in nosebleed
territory! :-(
In all sincerity, I am excited for the college hockey world to get
the opportunity to experience the Bradley Center as a hockey
venue. It is a damn shame that more people from the list won't
have the chance to attend, but the rapid sellout is a strong
indication of increasing interest in hockey on the college level.
Again, when your team makes it to the big show, let Dave Parter or
myself know so that we can include you in our plans.
Steve Manning
Milwaukee, WI
Wisc. '85
|
