Hockey East move is official.

[UconNate]

BU and college hockey in general in Boston is a bit of a special case. While BU is huge, 30K plus, the student population is so diverse and a very large percentage of them are not interested in sports in any way shape or form, far more than you'd find at your average State U, I'd venture over 75% couldn't tell you the name of BU's starting goalie. Additionally, while BU draws roughly 5-6K a game, it can't be overlooked that there are three other programs within a two mile radius of BU's arena, BC, who draws 6-7K, NU who gets 2-3, and Harvard who gets the same. Not to mention the multitude of programs within a 25 mile drive of Boston. While that's certainly not an argument that UConn should be able to outdraw BU or BC, it speaks to the nature of college hockey being a niche sport that is wildly successful in some spots, but not others.

And before anyone asks, no, UConn or anyone else is not getting into the Beanpot, ever.

Yeah, cause they're scared of us...

 

[mattp]

there's a lot of hockey fans in CT and there's a void of product. after the Whalers left i always had a tough time caring about the Wolfpack or any of the other short lived AHL teams in the area and i still barely turn on the NHL, but people like to root for UConn. the Boston schools aren't just competing against each other, but also the Bruins for tickets. in reality they're also competing against the Celtics for fans. UConn hockey doesn't have tradition or a large following, but i think the ceiling is higher than just about any program out there. just because we can't draw 50k for football doesn't mean we can't draw more than BU for hockey. i don't think there's anything wrong with a 5-6k on campus stadium, because we'll always have the HCC available for big games, but if you think our average attendance will peak at 75% of BUs i think you're underestimating the hockey market in CT. the great thing about this debate is that it will actually be settled in a few years and i can rub your nose into how wrong you are when we're selling out the HCC.

we're a sleeping giant in hockey. there, i used one of my most disliked sports cliches, but it's more true for this than it ever was for Rutgers football

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

I'm sorry to tell you that you're woefully wrong if you think UConn is going to regularly sell out HCC. BU technically "sells out" the Garden when they play in the Beanpot too, so it happens. They sold 38,000 tickets for the Fenway game against BC too. But if you think UConn's going to be averaging over 10K for hockey, you're incredibly wrong.

 

[mattp]

i never said regularly, but i said earlier we'd average 7-8k in ten years and i stand by that.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

I'd gladly take the under on that bet. The demand for the sport overall unfortunately is just not there, especially at the XL Center where they'll be lucky to get a few hundred students showing up.

 

[mattp]

i know i said 7k-8k in ten years, but that's a long time off and i think 5k in five years would put us on track for 7k in ten. how about this, if UConn averages over 5k in attendance for the 2017 season you owe me two rink-side tickets and a beer to a UConn hockey game, if not, i owe you the same. preferably to our national championship game against BC that season in reality i should probably get some kind of odds since our current on campus rink only holds a few thousand, but i'm confident that UConn hockey will be big so i won't need them. we might only have a few hundred students in attendance, but we'll have 5k plus old white haired guys like me in whalers jerseys

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

Hah, sure. I'll wear my BU jersey.

 

[Dann]

what are the sizes of the b10 puck arenas? w/e they are we need to build a on campus facility in reach of those.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

Don't forget the face paint fanboy.

And with that first time poster. As I told slurpees on USCHO I was going to come here and welcome you to Hockey East, the best conference in the college hockey.

Yeah yeah BCU sucks blah blah blah

As someone who grew up in CT, looking forward to going to the civic center for some BC-UConn games.

Oh boy, USCHO insults coming to the boneyard, fantastic!

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

I'd pay to see a discussion between Carl and SteveF.

 

[kingdobbs]

I'd pay to see a discussion between Carl and SteveF.

Is there someone taking up a collection? I'd chip in a finsky for it.

what are the sizes of the b10 puck arenas? w/e they are we need to build a on campus facility in reach of those.

Yost, Munn and Pegula are all between 6 and 7 K. The rest we might as well not bother trying to reach.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

Yost, Munn and Pegula are all between 6 and 7 K. The rest we might as well not bother trying to reach.

These:
Minny: 10K - usually at or near capacity.
Wisconsin: ~15K - usually about 80% capacity.
Ohio State: ~18K - they average 4K if they're lucky.
Michigan: 6,800 - usually at or nearcapacity.
Michigan State: 6,500 - usually about 80% capacity.
Penn State: 6K - ???

For other reference:
Notre Dame: 5K - usually at or near capacity.

 

[huskyjawz]

BU and college hockey in general in Boston is a bit of a special case. While BU is huge, 30K plus, the student population is so diverse and a very large percentage of them are not interested in sports in any way shape or form, far more than you'd find at your average State U, I'd venture over 75% couldn't tell you the name of BU's starting goalie. Additionally, while BU draws roughly 5-6K a game, it can't be overlooked that there are three other programs within a two mile radius of BU's arena, BC, who draws 6-7K, NU who gets 2-3, and Harvard who gets the same. Not to mention the multitude of programs within a 25 mile drive of Boston. While that's certainly not an argument that UConn should be able to outdraw BU or BC, it speaks to the nature of college hockey being a niche sport that is wildly successful in some spots, but not others.

And before anyone asks, no, UConn or anyone else is not getting into the Beanpot, ever.

Can you please explain to me the purpose of the Beanpot? I understand the fierce rivalries of the local teams, but three out of the four are in the same conference and already play home and home every year, on top of meeting in the Hockey East Tournament some years, right? It's not like a large football conference where you sometimes don't play a team for years.

The Big Five in Philly makes a lot more sense to me; most of those teams only face each other, there.

If we played Syracuse or St John's twice in basketball in the regular season, again in the Big Apple Classic, and then again in the Big East Tournament, I think that the Classic might be redundant and/or detract from the excitement of the B.E.T.

 

[kingdobbs]

Can you please explain to me the purpose of the Beanpot? I understand the fierce rivalries of the local teams, but three out of the four are in the same conference and already play home and home every year, on top of meeting in the Hockey East Tournament some years, right? It's not like a large football conference where you sometimes don't play a team for years.

Not a fan of the Boston teams specifically, but I can field it as it's mostly a history thing.

The Beanpot started in the 1950s, before there was an official "organized" Eastern conference*, and the teams didn't have formalized schedules** like at current. In that context, having a Boston-wide tournament for those teams and matchups makes sense.

*i.e. the ECAC, from which Hockey East devolved in the 1980s; UConn was actually one of the league's initial participants, before it split into a pair of leagues: "university"(D-I) and "college" (D-III); UConn joined the latter.
**The first few decades or so of the ECAC didn't even have an organized schedule; the teams regularly just played whoever they wanted, and standings were kept haphazardly, as access to the tournament came from the decree of the committee rather than with automatic bids. It wasn't until just before the Hockey East teams broke off that there was an attempt at a regularized schedule.

 

[HuskyDogArt]

i never said regularly, but i said earlier we'd average 7-8k in ten years and i stand by that.

I hope that we'll average 7.5K in 9 years and 8.1K in the 10th year. I hope by that time the NHL will realized that Miami, Carolina, Phoenix are a mistake and return 1 of those teams to Hartford. (Maybe a move of Miami being bought by Karmoron and Howard buying the Carolina Hurricanes - Karmoron moving the Panthers to Carolina and Howard bring the Whalers back.)

I can DREAM, can't I??

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

Can you please explain to me the purpose of the Beanpot? I understand the fierce rivalries of the local teams, but three out of the four are in the same conference and already play home and home every year, on top of meeting in the Hockey East Tournament some years, right? It's not like a large football conference where you sometimes don't play a team for years.

The Big Five in Philly makes a lot more sense to me; most of those teams only face each other, there.

If we played Syracuse or St John's twice in basketball in the regular season, again in the Big Apple Classic, and then again in the Big East Tournament, I think that the Classic might be redundant and/or detract from the excitement of the B.E.T.

If I had a nickel for every time....

The Beanpot really makes no sense. All it is is bragging rights tournament that holds no postseason significance whatsoever. For the rest of the year, no one really cares about it for the most part. But I'll tell you, on those two nights, it's more important than the Super Bowl. There's something about being a fan of one of those teams when you walk into the Garden for a Beanpot game. It's like a haze comes over you and you're transported to this world where the Beanpot is the single most important thing in the world. Then after it's over the winner gloats, the losers are bitter for a while, and then it fades back into irrelevance.

I've been going now for eight years, and I still can't figure out why it's such a big deal when it happens, but for those who follow the three teams, (Harvard has no fans) it's an indescribably huge deal. The playoff OT rules sure help. Also the fact that every Beanpot team that ever won a national title also won the Beanpot, so if you don't win in February, there's no use in playing the rest of the season.

Edit: Forgot to mention the atmosphere, with the balcony being taken up mostly by students and the bands. It's incredibly unique. This is from my senior year, the 09 Beanpot when NU had a good team for the first time in god knows how long, and everyone who ever thought about NU hockey in their lifetime was there. This picture was taken from the edge of the BU student section which literally abutted the NU sections, which wrapped another three sections passed the edge of this picture. Notice the security guards lining the steps between the two.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

I'll begrudgingly post this too...

 

[huskymedic]

I'll begrudgingly post this too...

Now If we can keep the majority of the future Pat Mullanes, jonathon Quicks, Brian Leetchs, Craig Janneys and Chris Drurys @ home and skating as Huskies - it will get interesting!

 

[huskypantz]

These:
Minny: 10K - usually at or near capacity.
Wisconsin: ~15K - usually about 80% capacity.
Ohio State: ~18K - they average 4K if they're lucky.
Michigan: 6,800 - usually at or nearcapacity.
Michigan State: 6,500 - usually about 80% capacity.
Penn State: 6K - ???

For other reference:
Notre Dame: 5K - usually at or near capacity.

I was in Minneapolis this past week and visited Minnesota's campus. Not only do they have a 10k seat men's arena, they have a 3400 seat women's hockey arena. This is a little painful to say, but we'd be in good shape if we had an on-campus arena that was as nice as their women's facility.

 

[HartfordHank]

Can you please explain to me the purpose of the Beanpot? I understand the fierce rivalries of the local teams, but three out of the four are in the same conference and already play home and home every year, on top of meeting in the Hockey East Tournament some years, right? It's not like a large football conference where you sometimes don't play a team for years.

The Big Five in Philly makes a lot more sense to me; most of those teams only face each other, there.

If we played Syracuse or St John's twice in basketball in the regular season, again in the Big Apple Classic, and then again in the Big East Tournament, I think that the Classic might be redundant and/or detract from the excitement of the B.E.T.

Cannot be explained, needs to be experienced. Truly a special event. They have tried a basketball version but it never worked. Baseball version has not worked well either, even playing at Fenway on occasion.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Cannot be explained, needs to be experienced. Truly a special event. They have tried a basketball version but it never worked. Baseball version has not worked well either, even playing at Fenway on occasion.

I remember years ago, they had UConn, BC, UMass and Holy Cross in for hoops . PC at that time was at another level and played a more national schedule. Just before the BE was formed.

 

[whaler11]

Cannot be explained, needs to be experienced. Truly a special event. They have tried a basketball version but it never worked. Baseball version has not worked well either, even playing at Fenway on occasion.

Maybe it's because relative to the hockey teams the basketball and baseball teams suck?

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

Maybe it's because relative to the hockey teams the basketball and baseball teams suck?

That's certainly a big part, of course BU and BC are two of the most successful programs of all time. Northeastern and Harvard, not nearly as much, but they have some limited success in their past.

I really don't know what it is. Before I typed out that answer I kind of sat back and thought, why the hell does this thing matter? I hadn't thought about it for months since the season ended, so I went back and watched the video I posted and was sick for the next 15 minutes with memories of Bill Arnold, so that answered that question. It really defies all logic. The tournament is completely meaningless 363 days of the year, but those two nights, it's the most important thing that will ever happen to your team.

Yes, 09 was a special one, especially with the #1-#2 match up, so I'll make myself feel a little better and post that video too.


But seriously, anyone who's a fan of the sport or wants to experience a little of what Hockey East play is like, make a trip this February, it's basically a Final Four-esque atmosphere, especially for the second Monday.

 

[HartfordHank]

I remember years ago, they had UConn, BC, UMass and Holy Cross in for hoops . PC at that time was at another level and played a more national schedule. Just before the BE was formed.

Wasn't it call the Colonial Classic?

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Wasn't it call the Colonial Classic?

Yep, remember seeing Ronnie Perry play against us one year. Think ran through the last half of that decade.

 

[upstater]

I think BrassBonanza's last point is the big one. The arena is divided into quadrants by 4 schools, and the atmosphere is intense. BC and BU students ride to the game on the Green Line in the same cars. And they have to hear it from the winning fans afterward.

I've been to only 2 Beanpots since they opened the "Fleet Center" and think the atmosphere is not what is used to be. Harvard used to have plenty of fans. Also, the old Garden was stocked from the glass all the way up to the rafters with students, not just the balconies.

The old Garden was just a special place, by far the best sporting arena I have ever been in. I used to be a bigger baseball fan than hockey or basketball, but I would easily rather watch a game in the Garden than in Fenway. 1st row of the balcony was the best seat in the house. If you want to know what the Garden was like, go to Northeastern's Matthews Arena, sit in the first row of the balcony, imagine there's more light to scare away the rats, and 15,000 screaming lunatics around you.

 

[HartfordHank]

Yep, remember seeing Ronnie Perry play against us one year. Think ran through the last half of that decade.

Ronnie Perry was definitely the best High School player I ever saw in person. Maybe the best College player I ever saw play as well. Second leading scorer all time in New England behind Reggie Lewis. So many of the jumpers he took counted for two points but would have been three pointers in today's game. Might have ended up over 3,000 points for his career with the three pointer.

He was also a superb baseball player. Played in the White Sox organization after he was cut by the Celtics. His father, who was AD at Holy Cross, played on an NCAA Championship Baseball team and an NIT Champion Basketball team. Pretty impressive legacy.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

You could also show the video of Kreider undressing Nicastro

A lot of different ways this statement could go...

I never had the opportunity to see a game at the old Garden, but would have loved to. And yes, those T rides are either incredibly amazing or incredibly brutal. It's also fun to waive to the Northeastern kids having to take the E line home. It's part of the luster of the whole experience, it's basically a yearly neighborhood brawl in the stands and on the ice. Recently, a lot of the players on the teams are more friendly than they were in years past due to playing on national and/or junior teams prior to playing in college, and normal regular season games aren't usually as fierce, but for those games, friends on other teams become total enemies, and the hits are amped up all night on everyone.

Sorry this thread turned into a Beanpot thread, though while not a Hockey East event, it's at least a small snapshot of how much fun it is to be a part of the league, namely how close geographically and personally the schools are to one another. The fact that I can walk (theoretically) to 30% of the rinks in the league from my apartment is unreal. It's not like the Big East where your rival is hundreds of miles away, they're right up the highway, or in some cases, down the street. It really is the most fun conference to be a part of in all of college sports, with some of the best collegiate sports environments you'll find anywhere. You can drive to see every conference game on your team's schedule with little difficulty, except now for ND. With not a whole lot of effort, and not owning a car, I've not been to three or four Hockey East games, home or away, over the past three seasons.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Ronnie Perry was definitely the best High School player I ever saw in person. Maybe the best College player I ever saw play as well. Second leading scorer all time in New England behind Reggie Lewis. So many of the jumpers he took counted for two points but would have been three pointers in today's game. Might have ended up over 3,000 points for his career with the three pointer.

He was also a superb baseball player. Played in the White Sox organization after he was cut by the Celtics. His father, who was AD at Holy Cross, played on an NCAA Championship Baseball team and an NIT Champion Basketball team. Pretty impressive legacy.

He was a good athlete, had Chris Potter with him. UMass had Mike Pyatt and Lenny Kohlhaas. BC had Ernie Cobb, Meggers and I think Rob Carrington in the first year. Carrington continues to be one of my all time favorite players. Nice event.

 

[businesslawyer]

Not a fan of the Boston teams specifically, but I can field it as it's mostly a history thing.

The Beanpot started in the 1950s, before there was an official "organized" Eastern conference*, and the teams didn't have formalized schedules** like at current. In that context, having a Boston-wide tournament for those teams and matchups makes sense.

*i.e. the ECAC, from which Hockey East devolved in the 1980s; UConn was actually one of the league's initial participants, before it split into a pair of leagues: "university"(D-I) and "college" (D-III); UConn joined the latter.
**The first few decades or so of the ECAC didn't even have an organized schedule; the teams regularly just played whoever they wanted, and standings were kept haphazardly, as access to the tournament came from the decree of the committee rather than with automatic bids. It wasn't until just before the Hockey East teams broke off that there was an attempt at a regularized schedule.

The ECAC, because it existed for basketball as well, was originally not a "league" in the sense that you had a conference, a schedule and a champion. It was an administrative organization that trained officials so that they would be available for northeastern independents.