UCONN hockey program won't be complete until on-campus barn/team facility opens

[FartMan69]

Right. Which is exactly why the XL Center needs to continue to dwarf Gampel capacity. You can't cut 3-5K seats out of XL and provide the same financial gains to UConn for playing games there as they have now. XL (or the new arena) needs to maintain 15K capacity minimum.

Renovated XL/New Arena: 15-16K for hoops
Curtained off for hockey: 8-9K
Freitas Arena: 4500

The renovated/new arena should be reconfigured so that the lower bowl seats the 8-9K for hockey. It's absurd to think that the current arena seats 2/3 of the fans in the building so far away from the action. They will need to make it more intimate as well and expand on the lower bowl (and move some luxury suites closer to the ice/court too) to bring it into the 21 century.

What sucks about them "transforming" XL is that this problem is not being solved. If you look at the renderings its clear that the current seating bowl will be the same albeit spruced up.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

IMHO end game for UCONN Hockey..sometime after the 2017-2018 season is finished they will be moving into a upgraded Freitas that will seat 4500 (with option to increase capacity to 5000 down the road) and also include a team facility on par with what UCONN is known for. They will play high profile teams like BC, BU, QU, PC and ND at the XL Center. I can also see a bid being put in for the Frozen Four at the XL Center as well.

If that's the case of what they plan to do to Freitas, that's a different animal - if it'll be turned into a viable HE-quality home rink. Simply being a non-game practice facility would be a waste of money. And the NCAA won't go to a non-NHL arena in a small city for the FF, so that's not going to happen. The days of them putting the FF in the likes of Albany and Cincinnati are gone. Now, being a regular regional site host, that's realistic especially if UConn can work its way to be a fairly regular NCAA Tournament participant since it would mean an automatic placement of UConn in Hartford.

 

[Husky25]

The lower bowl is what it is and appears similar to other arenas. From this rending, it looks like the improvements are being made to the upper level and spectator entrances. Those are luxury boxes where the concourse currently is, which is a huge upgrade.

At the risk of discounting the fact that the MSG Bowl is Yuge with a capital Y. the above rendering is not unlike what MSG was renovated into. Before the most recent gutting/rebuild, the MSG Bowl was split into 3 segments with boxes surrounding the top of the arena.

 

[Husky25]

The current configuration replaces the middle segment with boxes and created a distinct upper level.

 

[FartMan69]

MSG had a better seating bowl than the XL. The steepness and awkward views at the XL needs to be addressed. It's a 10k seat arena that they crammed 16k in after the roof came in.

 

[Dooley]

What sucks about them "transforming" XL is that this problem is not being solved. If you look at the renderings its clear that the current seating bowl will be the same albeit spruced up.

You're right - that won't solve anything other than installing a few suites closer to the action (that needs to be done too though).

I would hope that they figure out a way of making 2 decks wrap around the arena. For example, raise that old 300s sections at the far side of the rink to be parallel with the yellow "Go Huskies Go!" sign (HFD would hate this drawing by the way...YELLOW?!?!?). Fill in the spaces in the corners with seating on a second level. Move the lounge/bar upstairs and fill up the entire second deck behind that goal. In the space left, add additional lower level seating up to the "yellow line". Do the same on the opposite side of the arena but leave the second deck for seating. Get the lower capacity to 7-8K and curtain off anything above the yellow line (except lounge/bar and nosebleed skyboxes) for UConn hockey.

I think renovating the XL is going to be tougher than we all think. It's a puny arena jammed into a small little space in an old shopping mall. Unless they can find a way to expand stuff into the old mall sq footage, space is limited. They might be better off starting from scratch.

 

[FDNY99]

I've been to MSG a bunch of times since they finished the refurb and outside of the Delta Sky Bridge...I don't think much changed. The last time they made a dramatic change to MSG was when they removed the Blue Seats and put in the sky boxes. As for the amenities changes...you don't see them unless you have the $$ to sit down at ice level. Then you basically have what they have at Yankee Stadium with the all you can eat lounge's...except that at MSG they charge you for food if they come to your seat.

 

[FDNY99]

You're right - that won't solve anything other than installing a few suites closer to the action (that needs to be done too though).

I would hope that they figure out a way of making 2 decks wrap around the arena. For example, raise that old 300s sections at the far side of the rink to be parallel with the yellow "Go Huskies Go!" sign (HFD would hate this drawing by the way...YELLOW?!?!?). Fill in the spaces in the corners with seating on a second level. Move the lounge/bar upstairs and fill up the entire second deck behind that goal. In the space left, add additional lower level seating up to the "yellow line". Do the same on the opposite side of the arena but leave the second deck for seating. Get the lower capacity to 7-8K and curtain off anything above the yellow line (except lounge/bar and nosebleed skyboxes) for UConn hockey.

I think renovating the XL is going to be tougher than we all think. It's a puny arena jammed into a small little space in an old shopping mall. Unless they can find a way to expand stuff into the old mall sq footage, space is limited. They might be better off starting from scratch.

I thought that was what the parking garage was purchased from the city for and the space they negotiated away from Northland...to expand the seating and concourse areas...

 

[CL82]

Gampel was built too small for a reason...I have said it here before,,my cousins husband was on the team that designed Gampel..they were told to submit 2 designs..1 of which was how it was built..the other expandable too make it double in size. It was built "too small" because of one reason...the XL Center...

...and the New Haven Coliseum.

 

[Waquoit]

I think renovating the XL is going to be tougher than we all think. It's a puny arena jammed into a small little space in an old shopping mall. Unless they can find a way to expand stuff into the old mall sq footage, space is limited. They might be better off starting from scratch.

Yeah, that's the rub. Right now it's 16,000 seats in a hole dug for 10,000.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

Yeah, that's the rub. Right now it's 16,000 seats in a hole dug for 10,000.

Didn't even the renovation plan call for breaking into the space occupied now by the old mall a bit? There's no way they can create 18,000 seats with suites and what not in the footprint they have now.

 

[ct06111]

^^^

http://www.courant.com/real-estate/hc-pdf-hartford-stadium-study-20150219-htmlstory.html

Download the pdf to check out the SCI report.
Since the Feb 2015 report, the CT bonding commission has given an additional $500,000 to finalize the plans, costs, etc.

http://ct.gov/opm/lib/opm/Minutes_May11_2015.pdf
Page 15

 

[FDNY99]

Didn't even the renovation plan call for breaking into the space occupied now by the old mall a bit? There's no way they can create 18,000 seats with suites and what not in the footprint they have now.

yeah that and the parking garage they bought from the city.

 

[ct06111]

sept 29 meeting(not XL, but PAWSARF)

http://www.ct.gov/opm/lib/opm/Minutes_Sep29_2015.pdf
Page 25

 

[FartMan69]

Apparently they're releasing updated renderings in the coming weeks. 3 full shifts working over 3 summers. I do remember reading they're purchasing the mall area for expanded retail and a much needed second concourse, here's to hoping they fix the seating bowl issues. I also would hope if they're keeping the core of the building in tact that they make sure it's in good shape so we don't have to tear this joint down 20 years later.

 

[ct06111]

Great article:

https://cthockeyviolence.wordpress.com/2015/10/29/all-aboard-the-icebus-a-new-hope/

 

[FDNY99]

Great article:

https://cthockeyviolence.wordpress.com/2015/10/29/all-aboard-the-icebus-a-new-hope/

Yeah...until you come to the "reonvating Freitas to be a suitable practice facility" part. Here is what becomes lost in translation with the XL renovation crowd...something that you understand...but the majority do not. A "Suitable" practice facility means just enough to get it done. Freitas needs to be turned into a place that rivals the Champions Center and Burton/Schenkman. In doing so that means allowing games on campus. If this is not done..recruiting will stagnate and so will this program. When that happens...all these "play in Hartford" former Whaler fans will be gone. The other thing I don't think the author of that article understands is that UCONN Hockey isn't the NHL...he seems to basically be saying..."hey this team I can root for..they won't leave like the Whalers did". What happens if a NHL team ever comes back...the average fan will have to make a decision on where to spend their money..NHL tickets aren't cheap no matter where the franchise is. When I was up in Buffalo last winter to help with that huge lake effect snow storm they got pummeled by...a Buffalo fireman tells me he has season tickets to the Sabers and that the tickets were $75 per game for "ok" seats...that hit me like a ton of bricks. I was used to paying what I thought were inflated NYC prices for the Rangers when I realized that the Sabers were charging basically the same price per seat. The fan like the guy who authored that article will be going to NHL games again...and UCONN hockey will become an after thought...as will the scheduling issues that will come up. There is a divide because people in CT view Hartford city politicians a always having their hands out leveraging the fact that "we are the capitol city we are better than everyone else..the state needs to take care of us". That theory was evident growing up in eastern CT...and is evident now.

 

[zls44]

I mean, Freitas is basically a fine practice facility as is. It's got a rink and a dressing room.

 

[FDNY99]

I mean, Freitas is basically a fine practice facility as is. It's got a rink and a dressing room.

Are you serious? That's like saying that the Fieldhouse was good enough for the football team.

 

[zls44]

Are you serious? That's like saying that the Fieldhouse was good enough for the football team.

Practice facility. BU uses WBA for the same, I believe. Ditto Wisconsin. Using the old crappy rink as a "practice facility" is a common card.

 

[FDNY99]

Practice facility. BU uses WBA for the same, I believe. Ditto Wisconsin. Using the old crappy rink as a "practice facility" is a common card.

I'm going on record on the fact that schools like BU, BC and Wisconsin don't have their players doing pre-practice stretching in the lobby of their practice rink. Either do this the right way or they should have stayed in the AHA. And for the record...of the 4 "top level" HE recruits we signed this year 2 fell into UCONN's lap because of admissions issues (Letunov and Masonius). They don't fix the Freitas issue and upgrade it..UMASS Amherst will look like a top flight HE program compared to UCONN.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

Practice facility. BU uses WBA for the same, I believe. Ditto Wisconsin. Using the old crappy rink as a "practice facility" is a common card.

BU does not use WBA for practices except when there's an event at Agganis, which is very infrequent. 90%+ of practices are on the Agganis rink. WBA is exclusively the women's team's rink.

 

[CTHUSKY74]

I have to agree with those wanting a first class on campus facility. I don't agree with a schedule exclusively at Storrs, especially if the success the team is having in Hartford continues and even improves in terms of attendance. My reasons are as follows:

1. Even if we stay in this conference AAC, our situation in HE for hockey is an unbelievably great situation. Proximity to our opponents, superior competition to any other league, great local and regional talent pool and ability to recruit out of area nationally and internationally due to the prestige of the league. We can't let this gem we've been given not be developed properly and displayed as a crown jewel. I know hockey is not basketball or football in terms of importance, but in terms of a program that can succeed on it's own merits here in New England it is perfect for us. The HE invite is similar to the Big East invite for basketball years ago.
2. I can't see us succeeding in HE if we only build a suitable practice facility in Storrs. It might work for awhile but if Cav has to try to make this work without any guarantees he probably won't stick around as others have indicated. After the dramatic progress he has fostered, I can't think of how horrible it would be for him to be looking to get out. It should be a situation where he consciously wants to stay and wants to build this team into a powerhouse. With the assurances he had before of proper support and facilities, he was sure he could do that job.
3. Whatever else happens, we need to build a proper facility on campus. Then work out the schedule and games split with Hartford if the financial pieces work. If it doesn't, play on campus if attendance is good.

 

[zls44]

BU does not use WBA for practices except when there's an event at Agganis, which is very infrequent. 90%+ of practices are on the Agganis rink. WBA is exclusively the women's team's rink.

My mistake then.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

My mistake then.

Two minutes.