I had always defended Lake Placid.  Then, on my way up there with Princeton, I
thought, gee, now I know why people want it in Albany - it's a pain to get to.
THEN -- I GOT THERE.  And now I am more convinced than ever it SHOULD be in
Lake Placid.
 
Yes, the ADs get the royal treatment - and so does everyone else.
 
I have yet to hear ONE person (maybe there is one) NOT from Albany say they
want the tourney in Albany.  The people who want it there are the Albany
people.  Don't get me wrong, the Knick is a great facility, but for a college
hockey tournament, Lake Placid is it - the home of the greatest win in US
College hockey history (no, not Princeton over Clarkson).
 
Everyone defending Lake Placid has been on the mark, but I will add some more.
Ian Kennish said it's great to see everyone in their team's colors walking down
the street.  Yes, that is very cool.  Luiz Valente commented on supportive fans
in other areas -- again, very true.  As he said, Cornell (and St. Lawrence,
too) always packed the Garden.
 
There are also many misconceptions going around -- For instance, Clarkson is
not 45 minutes from Lake Placid, it's about 2 hours.  RPI, Clarkson, SLU and
Vermont are all about the same distance.  Cornell and Colgate are no farther
from there than Albany, though you need back roads.
 
Jayson Moy had a preview about LP before going there.  Reading it afterwards,
he was dead on.  The food was a lot better for the media, and the bars being
open until 3 a.m. was very nice.
 
Maybe this would change if we went every year (I WISH), but there seemed to be
A LOT more to do in that tiny town than everything I could do in Albany.  It's
the same argument I have with Ithaca.  It might be in the middle of nowhere,
but once you're there, you've got all you need.
 
Finally, what makes the Albany people think the Knick would get better
attendance?  They say, what would happen if RPI wasn't at Lake Placid?  Well,
what would happen in RPI wasn't at the Knick?  Are those thousands of generic
Albany hockey fans going to go flooding to the Knick to see Princeton, Brown,
Harvard and Yale?  Maybe, but I haven't seen evidence they would.
 
Again, I don't think this is ANTI-ALBANY -- It is PRO-LAKE PLACID.
 
AW