Attendance Milestone

[zls44]

The BU game pushed UConn to 25,000 for 5 home games. Last year, they had a total of 20,000 at all home games.

UConn is now 12th in the country in average attendance, 4th in Hockey East.

 

[Dooley]

This is awesome. While I'm an advocate for playing most home games on campus (for the atmosphere that only thousands of students can provide), I am softening my stance of playing no games at the XL. The 3rd period atmosphere was great yesterday and you could really see the energy pick up on the ice, on both sides, as a result. Maybe they play a few games a year at the XL: BU and BC? Or maybe they schedule some in-state games against Quinnipiac or Yale at the XL? A Nutmeg Tournament similar to a Beanpot Tournament with UCONN, QU, Yale, etc would be pretty cool at the XL.

Anyway, I can now see a benefit of playing a handful of games at the XL instead of on-campus. The ability to draw ~10+K for a marquee game is appealing and could separate UCONN from others on the recruiting trails.

 

[IceBus]

That is exactly why home hockey games will never be played on campus unless Hartford gets an NHL team. They would be extremely foolish to leave what they have in Hartford.

 

[4in16]

They have to build an on-campus facility as part of the agreement to join HE. Doesn't mean once it's built they won't play a couple at the XL center though each season.

 

[UCONN2004]

It will be a big huge mistake to play hockey games on campus. For many reasons! The hockey fans in and around greater Hartford are not going to work all day run home get their wife and/or kids and then through Hartford to drive 1 hr or more in rush hour traffic to a game on campus. Then, have to get home late and have to work the next day. These are the fans that will actually pay full price and will justify the expensive sport of hockey. The paying season ticket holders will go way down if moved to an on campus venue. If all you are worried about is non paying or very little paying students attending games because they cheer a lot, then the hockey program will not generate the funds necessary to run a top tier Div hockey program. Plus, just like football if hockey doesn't win students will not go to games, same as yesterdays football game. Maybe, 500 students showed up for the football game. More kids were in the band than in the student section. With state budget cuts starting now, finding funds to build a new ice arena is going to be a tough sell and especially since everyone who has been around hockey knows how expensive just running a ice arena facility can be. It is very likely the new arena will cost more to operate than it brings in revenue. Maybe they can add an extra $100.00 to the student fees to help offset the huge revenue loses that UCONN is going to incur. That way they can justify the students going to games on campus, that is, if they actually show up!

 

[SubbaBub]

Not every opponent is BC or BU on a Friday/Saturday. Yes, XL will draw well for certain games. But, RPI on a Tuesday or PC/Maine whenever should be played on campus. At least until we learn how much the newness factor plays into all of this. But as a rule, big draw games should be played at the XL.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

This thread is hilarious.

 

[FartMan69]

Lets just enjoy what we have. Hartford shouldn't have to rely on UConn hockey to survive they need to put in work and find a solution to the arena problem if it wants to contend for the NHL. I can't believe people think that the NHL will entertain Hartford with the morgue of a building we have now.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

Lets just enjoy what we have. Hartford shouldn't have to rely on UConn hockey to survive they need to put in work and find a solution to the arena problem if it wants to contend for the NHL. I can't believe people think that the NHL will entertain Hartford with the morgue of a building we have now.

Bingo. The environment in XL yesterday in the first two periods was honestly among the worst I've encountered anywhere in the country. The place was a library. You could literally hear the buzz of the HVAC system over the nonexistent crowd noise.

 

[CL82]

This is in microcosm what will happen to football when we join a P5 conference. This state will jump on board a big time team.

 

[FartMan69]

This is in microcosm what will happen to football when we join a P5 conference. This state will jump on board a big time team.

True. Same with an NHL team.

 

[The Viking]

Bingo. The environment in XL yesterday in the first two periods was honestly among the worst I've encountered anywhere in the country. The place was a library. You could literally hear the buzz of the HVAC system over the nonexistent crowd noise.

This post is hilarious.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

This post is hilarious.

I mean, you can think it is, but I was sitting there listening to the buzz all night. I'm the one who's been to all 12 Hockey East arenas plus numerous others, and that atmosphere for the first two was awful. Many of us in the BU section commented on how quiet it was with 7k+ there. If I didn't know ahead of time where the student section was, I'd have had no clue which area were students.

 

[Scottie24]

I mean, you can think it is, but I was sitting there listening to the buzz all night. I'm the one who's been to all 12 Hockey East arenas plus numerous others, and that atmosphere for the first two was awful. Many of us in the BU section commented on how quiet it was with 7k+ there. If I didn't know ahead of time where the student section was, I'd have had no clue which area were students.

Thats CT sports fans for you. I finally made it to a game on Sat (plan to go a lot more now that there are in hartford) everyone barely clapped where I was until the 3rd when they scored the 2 goals. Then i went to the Rent for the football game, and like most games got dirty looks from people around me cause my buddy and I were yelling and making noise while the defense was on the field.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

I mean, you can think it is, but I was sitting there listening to the buzz all night.

Why would this be so much of a surprise, especially for anyone who knows much about the Huskies' hockey program? About a decade or so back, UCONN still played games at the former, frigid cold, outdoor rink. That's all it was, plus a warming hut. Great ice at times, but some parents, a few girlfriends or wannabes, and some players' buddies packing brandy or whatever were about the only people at games. Things improved a bit at Frietas, but there's virtually no hockey tradition. With time, more Hockey East games, the absolutely definite construction of an on-campus arena, games played in Storrs, etc., support will evolve.

 

[The Viking]

I mean, you can think it is, but I was sitting there listening to the buzz all night. I'm the one who's been to all 12 Hockey East arenas plus numerous others, and that atmosphere for the first two was awful. Many of us in the BU section commented on how quiet it was with 7k+ there. If I didn't know ahead of time where the student section was, I'd have had no clue which area were students.

Well who am I to argue with "the one" then.
I guess we'll agree to disagree on the way you depicted the crowd experience. It wasn't the most racuous crowd in the world (we didn't score until 50 minutes in) but it wasn't as bad as you make it seem.

 

[IceBus]

The crowd was great!! The Hartford fans will pick up in excitement for this program as time goes on, they are already showing up, wait until they feel they can help the Huskies win their first Hockey East championship. Hartford will go nuts!!

 

[Adios]

The BC game was LOUD. If UConn was beating BU, it would have been the same as the BC game.

 

[Husky25]

It will be a big huge mistake to play hockey games on campus. For many reasons! The hockey fans in and around greater Hartford are not going to work all day run home get their wife and/or kids and then through Hartford to drive 1 hr or more in rush hour traffic to a game on campus. Then, have to get home late and have to work the next day.

Especially if one lives down route 4 in the Farmington River Valley. It takes 20 minutes to get throught the route 10 intersection at 3:00 on a Sunday, let alone rush hour.

All kidding aside, some of the roads in central Connecticut were horribly mis-engineered.

 

[zls44]

The. Team. Needs. To. Play. On. Campus.

Saving Hartford is a Hartford problem. That is not UConn's job. The state isn't that big, stop whining about traffic, ...

 

[SubbaBub]

I mean, you can think it is, but I was sitting there listening to the buzz all night. I'm the one who's been to all 12 Hockey East arenas plus numerous others, and that atmosphere for the first two was awful. Many of us in the BU section commented on how quiet it was with 7k+ there. If I didn't know ahead of time where the student section was, I'd have had no clue which area were students.

RPI game was a morgue.

 

[Dooley]

RPI and Vermont were quiet. First two periods of BU were quiet. The XL does what the XL does: saps the life out of a college athletic event. That said, I am still warming to the idea of playing some games there. BC, Notre Dame, and maybe a Nutmeg Tournament of some sort. Maybe in a few years, the curtains won't be necessary. Every other game, including weekend games, should be on campus.

If UCONN can ever get to a point where they can draw 12+K crowds at the XL, then that's a pretty good recruiting tool.

All this said, if they played all their games on campus, I would not mind that either and still find a way to make it up there more often than not.

 

[Waquoit]

The. Team. Needs. To. Play. On. Campus.

Saving Hartford is a Hartford problem. That is not UConn's job. The state isn't that big, stop whining about traffic, ...

If there was no XL, there would be no Hockey East for UConn this year. Thank goodness there is and they are building a fan base and creating demand.

 

[IceBus]

Crowds will become more engaged and the loudness will increase. If Hartford keeps showing up, UConn hockey would never skate away from that to go back to playing on campus. No way! The players all love playing at the XL Center too.

 

[huskymedic]

The players all love playing at the XL Center too.

They'll learn to love the new on campus rink too when it gives them a significant home ice advantage.