Leigh M Torbin <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>        In the east only two teams have on campus facilities that seat
>6,000+, UNH and UMass. Thw Whittemore Center is brand new as is Mullins
>so I'm sure neither has received consideration in the past. Heck, UMass
 
   I'm sure most regular HOCKEY-L readers already know this (and I know
Leigh just left it out as an oversight), but Boston College's Conte Forum
is on-campus and has a hockey capacity of 7884. There is substantial room
for standing-room-only when necessary, and I believe the official
attendance was near 8000 when BC hosted the Hockey East playoffs one year,
and 8062 attended the Maine-BC game in February 1990.  So it is larger
than all Eastern campus rinks except Mullins. It would have the advantages
of the Boston location but avoid the general scheduling conflicts of the
Fleet Center.
   The East Regional can consistently draw more fans than any of the
campus rinks can hold, and as we all know, the NC$$ wants the income.
So they will continue to hold the regional in facilities that are both
available and can sell lots of tickets.  Providence, Worcester, and
Albany all fit that description.  Hartford is available but has no
local college hockey connection of significance (sorry, UConn/Yale.)
Mullins might be acceptable from a ticket sale point of view but does not
have the most accessible location, off-campus facilities, etc.  The Fleet
Center is usually trying to fit in Celtics/Bruins games following
the rush of high school and Hockey East playoffs and probably would not
want to have the NCAA hockey regionals.  (The finals are different ...)
NYC is not sufficiently central and is usually basketball-oriented.
There really is no surprise that the East Regionals are held where they
are.  As to whether Boston has more to offer than Albany, Worcester, or
Providence, well, different people have different needs.  I think most
people can live with a rotation between different cities.  Besides, now
that Boston is back in the mix for Phinal Phour assignments, people will
be making trips to Boston regularly enough.  Let's face it, Boston is a
lot more expensive than Albany or Providence or Worcester, in general;
if you have to travel to a regional as well as a final in the same year,
it can get pricey.
 
   This discussion, along with the discussion of the West Regional
attendance and the travel concerns of the CCHA/WCHA teams, continues to
reveal a lack of understanding (I think) from the eastern fans regarding
the geography of the 2 regions.  To most New Englanders and Eastern-
seaboarders, a trip of more than 2 hours is a major undertaking.  They are
so used to close distances that they do not really understand the burden
of travel on a North Dakota or Denver or Lake State (and their fans).  Not
to mention Alaska.  The rest of the country is a lot more spread out than
some fans realize.
   There is a small core of hockey-mad fans who will go anywhere/anytime
for college hockey.  They are known as HOCKEY-L subscribers. :-))  Then
there are fans of particular teams who will only travel to follow their
beloved school.  They are known as major alumni-donation prospects. :-))
Only the most serious will make a major trip in March, let alone 2 or 3
trips. (Suppose Denver makes the WCHA Final Five, the East Regional, and
then a Phinal Phour in Boston in 1998.  How many fans of their team will
make 2 or 3 plane trips across the country in just 3 weekends?  Now
contrast that to BC fans, who have Hockey East in Boston, an East Regional
in Albany (at worst), and the finals back in Boston?)  The point is, most
Regionals fans (and maybe Phinal Phour fans) come from the general
public/local team fans. In the East, you can generate 10000+ this way.  In
the West, it is a lot harder to get them to attend.  While many aspects of
Division I hockey ARE similar across the country, attendance, travel, fan
base, etc. will forever be different between the 2 major regions.  The
HOCKEY-L faithful don't always like to recognize this, but you can be
sure the Athletic Directors and leagues sure do, especially when it comes
to budget time.  (Think about the burdens the proposed hockey program at
Nebraska-Omaha will have to overcome to succeed.)
--------------------               ----------------------
Rick McAdoo                        [log in to unmask]
"Volunteer reporter"               A hopeful BC fan.  GO EAGLES!
 
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