CT Beanpot

[MASSconn]

Went to the Beanpot Final tonight, and have to say it was absolutely fantastic (even though BC won in OT over BU) (Some of my family went to BU so I was decked in Red).

From the students crowding the green line, to the chants, fights, and pure entertainment, I do not see how XL does not set this up for CT. Hartford needs this badly. UCONN, QU, SH and Yale would be pure entertainment, and a similar set of diverse schools.

The travel is a little farther, but it would be a great tradition.

 

[FDNY99]

Yale is the reason this isn't happening. There are a few threads on this already

 

[huskymedic]

http://the-boneyard.com/threads/uconn-hockey-classic-undergoes-big-changes.56975/#post-1081342

 

[06029]

It was the 64th (?) Beanpot. That is a lot of years of history. Unfortunately, trying to recreate that history is going to be hard. Add in the distance between the schools and the lack of the parochial nature of Boston versus Hartford/New Haven/Bridgeport, the ability to recreate it gets even harder. Need a TV deal for it to work. Would SNY step up to do it? Would Uconn share the revenue if SNY did it?

 

[FDNY99]

It was the 64th (?) Beanpot. That is a lot of years of history. Unfortunately, trying to recreate that history is going to be hard. Add in the distance between the schools and the lack of the parochial nature of Boston versus Hartford/New Haven/Bridgeport, the ability to recreate it gets even harder. Need a TV deal for it to work. Would SNY step up to do it? Would Uconn share the revenue if SNY did it?

Fornitntoneven be thought of everyone has to be in. Allain/Yale are out as you will find in the thread linked above. This has been talked about, hashed and rehashed out.

 

[MASSconn]

I would love for Cavanaugh and our new AD to push the idea. CT really is the worst with this stuff.

 

[FDNY99]

I would love for Cavanaugh and our new AD to push the idea. CT really is the worst with this stuff.

It's already been done...Yale is the issue..
http://articles.courant.com/2013-12...e-cavanaugh-college-hockey-tournament-beanpot

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

Of course it wouldn't be the same thing, but to have a yearly tournament, perhaps in October or November with UConn, QU, Yale, and Sacred Heart in Hartford would be a good event for the sport in the state, especially with UConn now in HE and QU/Yale both playing great hockey. Or they could do like they do in Michigan with the GLI, where you have those three then invite someone different as team four every year since let's face it Sacred Heart would be a drag on the event.

If that was your first Beanpot game, that's a hell of an introduction. Probably the best and most exciting game in that tournament I've ever seen.

 

[freescooter]

The Ivy League limits teams to 29(?) games a year which really puts a damper on the ability to play in a tournament like this. Harvard does it because of history and probably because they'd play BC BU and Northeastern anyway. But if the Beanpot didn't exist I'm not sure they would agree to it today. Especially as an annual thing. Yale wants to play around the country in tournaments which makes sense for them. Not sure they want o play QU again or SHU at all.

 

[uconnphil2016]

Even without the Yale obstacle, I just don't think that the fanbases are large enough or care enough to support the same kind of tournament. UConn is the only school with a large and passionate in-state fanbase...I can't imagine SHU, Yale or QU being able to fill a large arena. Maybe I'm wrong; I don't know much about college hockey and their respective fanbases. It just seems like BC & BU are two schools with large alumni bases and passionate hockey fans who can support a tournament of that magnitude and I'm not sure Connecticut could do the same.

 

[mac2351]

Yale virtually sells out every home game. They have by far the best sporting event atmosphere in the state at Ingalls rink.

 

[HartfordHank]

If that was your first Beanpot game, that's a hell of an introduction. Probably the best and most exciting game in that tournament I've ever seen.

A lot of people would look at the score and think it had to be a bad game. One of the best hockey games I ever went to was a BC Maine game that ended in a 0-0 tie. Both teams had over 40 shots on goal. The action was up an down the ice all night. You do not need scoring to be entertaining.

I did not read much after the game, how often has the MVP come from the losing team? I know it is not unusual for the goalie award to go to a goalie on a non winning team as it is purely a mathematical calculation.

 

[HartfordHank]

Creating an event like this is very difficult. They have tried to do Beanpot Basketball and it failed horribly. Not the same feel. Going back to the early Beanpot most of the players were from Greater Boston. Most had been playing against each other for years and that added to the rivalry. The recruiting has gotten a lot wider than it used to be now but that certainly added to the lure of the Beanpot. When Snooks Kelly was coaching at BC 95%, if not 100%, of his team came from within 128.

 

[freescooter]

Creating an event like this is very difficult. They have tried to do Beanpot Basketball and it failed horribly. Not the same feel. Going back to the early Beanpot most of the players were from Greater Boston. Most had been playing against each other for years and that added to the rivalry. The recruiting has gotten a lot wider than it used to be now but that certainly added to the lure of the Beanpot. When Snooks Kelly was coaching at BC 95%, if not 100%, of his team came from within 128.

I think at least 3 of the 4 actually shared a rink during the early years too. After BC built its arena BU and Northeastern both played at the Boston Arena which became Mathews at least until the mid 60s as well. And Boston has always been a big hockey town. Much more than Connecticut. High school hockey all the way to the Bruins. Then add a whole different culture that existed in the 1950s when it started. Harvard was Old Yankee, BC represented Catholics, BU was Methodist and Northeastern was the working mans school and you can walk from one to the others. Very hard to replicate that. In fact I doubt you could recreate the Beanpot in Boston today.