Size of Planned On-Campus Barn

[FDNY99]

I think it's safe to say that the new barn that has to be built on-campus as terms of UCONN's HE membership will bring more students to games. If built right it will be just as loud of not louder than the XL (which should still be utilized for games)....but here is the issue. The proposed size has been mentioned at 4500. IMHO I think they shouldn't even mention construction unless capacity is 5500. Outside of Bridgeport this program has shown it can draw fans. I don't see a problem selling out a 5500 seat on-campus barn what so ever.

 

[TheDoggPound]

It's shown it can sell games in Hartford not Storrs and definitely not Bridgeport. Although I do agree that 4,500 is to small, 1,500 students per/game you should be able to easily (hopefully) sell 4,000 seats every night.

 

[ktuck911]

I think it's safe to say that the new barn that has to be built on-campus as terms of UCONN's HE membership will bring more students to games. If built right it will be just as loud of not louder than the XL (which should still be utilized for games)....but here is the issue. The proposed size has been mentioned at 4500. IMHO I think they shouldn't even mention construction unless capacity is 5500. Outside of Bridgeport this program has shown it can draw fans. I don't see a problem selling out a 5500 seat on-campus barn what so ever.

Wouldn't it be a pretty cool idea to have UCONN basketball and Hockey share an arena? I know makes too much sense...

 

[uconnell]

Wouldn't it be a pretty cool idea to have UCONN basketball and Hockey share an arena? I know makes too much sense...

No.

 

[dbmill]

Wouldn't it be a pretty cool idea to have UCONN basketball and Hockey share an arena? I know makes too much sense...

It doesn't make too much sense, and it's not going to happen. I just can't imagine the basketball coaches agreeing with that idea.

 

[FDNY99]

It's shown it can sell games in Hartford not Storrs and definitely not Bridgeport. Although I do agree that 4,500 is to small, 1,500 students per/game you should be able to easily (hopefully) sell 4,000 seats every night.

We saw Cav take a stand on games in Bridgeport and my hunch is he will take a similar stand on the XL Center once his new barn is built. He will still want to play games at the XL Center but he will want a majority of them on campus. UCONN basketball has always done well with on-campus attendance even when they were not that good and played in the Fieldhouse....getting 4000 people to campus for a game is more than feasible.

 

[TheDoggPound]

We saw Cav take a stand on games in Bridgeport and my hunch is he will take a similar stand on the XL Center once his new barn is built. He will still want to play games at the XL Center but he will want a majority of them on campus.

His stance is that Bridgeport didn't step up to the plate attendance wise. How is your hunch telling you he'll take a similar stance on the XL Center when Hartford draws great? That statement doesn't make much sense, at all. That seems like a lame attempt at a jab towards Hartford. He'll play the majority of games on campus because that will be the team's home, but even when they make the move to Storrs they'll never see the same types of crowds they saw at the XLC.

UCONN basketball has always done well with on-campus attendance even when they were not that good and played in the Fieldhouse....getting 4000 people to campus for a game is more than feasible.

Very likely will be able to but to use basketball attendance as a barometer of hockey attendance is not steeped in logic.

 

[FDNY99]

His stance is that Bridgeport didn't step up to the plate attendance wise. How is your hunch telling you he'll take a similar stance on the XL Center when Hartford draws great? That statement doesn't make much sense, at all. That seems like a lame attempt at a jab towards Hartford. He'll play the majority of games on campus because that will be the team's home, but even when they make the move to Storrs they'll never see the same types of crowds they saw at the XLC.



Very likely will be able to but to use basketball attendance as a barometer of hockey attendance is not steeped in logic.

Not a jab at Hartford...it's reality. The XL is a dump and always has been a temporary home, no matter what anyone thinks or Malloy says. HE would have not accepted us for membership if that was the case. Cav will have a shiny new facility/barn to show recruits that is equal to or better than anything in HE, why would he want to bring his team to the XL for every game when he can show off his own little palace. The opportunity to have students at games will make the new barn a difficult place to play. They will most likely play a few games a year at the XL. I use basketball attendance because it seems as though the state has jumped behind another UCONN program.

 

[TheDoggPound]

Not a jab at Hartford...it's reality. The XL is a dump and always has been a temporary home, no matter what anyone thinks or Malloy says. HE would have not accepted us for membership if that was the case. Cav will have a shiny new facility/barn to show recruits that is equal to or better than anything in HE, why would he want to bring his team to the XL for every game when he can show off his own little palace. The opportunity to have students at games will make the new barn a difficult place to play. They will most likely play a few games a year at the XL. I use basketball attendance because it seems as though the state has jumped behind another UCONN program.

You just set up a straw man. I never once said the XLC was a great venue or that it was anything other then a temp. home. I simply was calling out your first sentence of post #6 because it makes very little sense and still does.

 

[FDNY99]

You just set up a straw man. I never once said the XLC was a great venue or that it was anything other then a temp. home. I simply was calling out your first sentence of post #6 because it makes very little sense and still does.

Then why ask if I am taking a shot at Hartford? And why would you want to play games at the XL when you can play them in your new palace on campus and show it off to recruits?
Here are some quotes that give me that hunch:
(http://www.theuconnblog.com/2014/10/10/6956871/uconn-mens-hockey-interview-with-mike-cavanaugh)
You touched on the buildings of the different Hockey East teams, you guys will be playing in the XL Center this season. People have been discussing the possibility of something being built on campus. Is that something that's important to you and people within the program?

I think it's a necessity and it was part of the agreement when we decided to upgrade to Hockey East that we would build and on-campus facility. I think it is essential for our players. Whether that be a top-notch training facility like the Men's and Women's Basketball team have and we all play out of a multi-sport facility that's one avenue we're looking at, another avenue is to build a standalone facility that's just hockey only. I know the school is having meetings on this and discussing it and is supposed to be presented this December, either way it is something that I believe is essential to our program.



I've been to a few Hockey East barns, one of the great things about college hockey is that you get that quaint, small atmosphere that holds in the noise, it'd be nice to replicate something like that at UConn wouldn't it?

Oh it'd be fantastic. I mean, Gampel Pavilion is a 10,000 seat arena which is probably small for a Division 1 basketball program and that place is electric on game night. Our soccer team averages 5,000 fans per game, so this is a rabid, rabid fan-base here in the State of Connecticut and we certainly are looking to tap into that and have them support us as well.

If you would like to discuss the crowd at the Merrimack game, my season tickets are directly behind the UCONN bench. Feel free to stop by and I'll buy you a beer.

 

[IMind]

I think we're going to see a very basketball like setup. A 5k-6k rink for games against Army and Holy Cross and games at the XL for BC and other top ranked programs... especially if we continue to draw very well for big name opponents in Hartford... if a sport like hockey has a way to bring in extra revenue then they're going to do it.

 

[CL82]

I think the crowds they are drawing in Hartford have to be pretty cool for the players. As long the fans keep coming we should keep scheduling the bigger games there.

I started watching the ND game last night. That kid Naas is the real deal, isn't he?

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

You'd be amazed at how much cooler it is for the players to play in a packed 6-7k arena than it is to play in front of 8k with curtains covering the other 7k seats.

 

[CL82]

Agreed, but it probably cooler to play in front of 8k than 5k...I guess.

FWIW, I've seen many UConn/Seton Hall basketball games at the Pru. You get the sense of packed house with the curtains in place.

Right now, the reception at the XL seems pretty special. I'd be cautious about abandoning it.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

Agreed, but it probably cooler to play in front of 8k than 5k...I guess.

FWIW, I've seen many UConn/Seton Hall basketball games at the Pru. You get the sense of packed house with the curtains in place.

Right now, the reception at the XL seems pretty special. I'd be cautious about abandoning it.

Don't get lost in the numbers, the vast majority of players will tell you - and some have told me direct to my face - a 5K packed arena is better than 8K half-full arena. I can only speak to the atmosphere at the BU game there, but it was anything but special. Frankly, it sounded like a library in there for two periods, and was subpar to most other HE venues. Didn't hold a candle to what you regularly get at Maine, UVM, UNH, and even BC or BU.

Based on the reception in Hartford, I think a 6-7K arena on campus would be what UConn should aim for. It allows for the larger crowds for bigger games, while keeping an environment that a 4-5K crowd would still present a great home ice advantage.

 

[CL82]

Don't get lost in the numbers, the vast majority of players will tell you - and some have told me direct to my face - a 5K packed arena is better than 8K half-full arena. I can only speak to the atmosphere at the BU game there, but it was anything but special. Frankly, it sounded like a library in there for two periods, and was subpar to most other HE venues. Didn't hold a candle to what you regularly get at Maine, UVM, UNH, and even BC or BU.

Based on the reception in Hartford, I think a 6-7K arena on campus would be what UConn should aim for. It allows for the larger crowds for bigger games, while keeping an environment that a 4-5K crowd would still present a great home ice advantage.

As our Fairfield County friends often remind us you won't get the full XL crowd in Storrs, but I'm in agreement. No use in building it too small at the start and then wanting to expand a few years down the road. UConn got a great start out of the box and we should keep the momentum going.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I see nothing wrong with an opening capacity of ~4,500 if expansion by another 1,500-2,000 seats is built in to the construction plans. We cannot expect to be at our future capacity needs this early in the program's development.

 

[CL82]

I see nothing wrong with an opening capacity of ~4,500 if expansion by another 1,500-2,000 seats is built in to the construction plans. We cannot expect to be at our future capacity needs this early in the program's development.

Wasn't a minimum of 5K required by HE?

 

[huskymedic]

Wasn't a minimum of 5K required by HE?

Don't know if there was a side agreement but HE Bylaws state:

Facilities;
Minimum seating capacity 4000 with 20% of capacity being chair-back seats. Current HEA members
must have a minimum capacity of 2000 with 20% of capacity being chair-back seats

 

[Mr. Conehead]

We saw Cav take a stand on games in Bridgeport and my hunch is he will take a similar stand on the XL Center once his new barn is built. He will still want to play games at the XL Center but he will want a majority of them on campus. UCONN basketball has always done well with on-campus attendance even when they were not that good and played in the Fieldhouse....getting 4000 people to campus for a game is more than feasible.

How was attendance at the Bridgeport games besides the ND game? When I bought my tickets, the entire lower arena looked sold except for a few random seats here and there. Unfortunately, like many others, I did not make it to the game because it was not worth risking my family's life and limb to drive that morning on a sheet of ice spanning from North Jersey all the way up to Bridgeport. Thus, I would not want to see any decisions made just because of poor attendance at that one game.

 

[FDNY99]

How was attendance at the Bridgeport games besides the ND game? When I bought my tickets, the entire lower arena looked sold except for a few random seats here and there. Unfortunately, like many others, I did not make it to the game because it was not worth risking my family's life and limb to drive that morning on a sheet of ice spanning from North Jersey all the way up to Bridgeport. Thus, I would not want to see any decisions made just because of poor attendance at that one game.

I thought that the mid-ice sections were ok...the ends behind the goal were empty. The weather definitely didn't help that's for sure. Even if you throw out the ND game because of the weather, overall attendance in Bridgeport was poor.

 

[Mr. Conehead]

It doesn't make too much sense, and it's not going to happen. I just can't imagine the basketball coaches agreeing with that idea.

My primary argument for a new on-campus 6K hockey/12K basketball arena is because UConn does need a new hockey rink and because Gampel needs to be expanded and renovated. With limited funds, I think on facility serving both goals would be smart. Patrice time would not be an issue as both teams have a venue now to practice at. My only concern is how hockey games would feel/sound at such a facility when Ferris St or some other school that no one in CT has ever hard of only draws 4K to a game with the upper bowl closed off. A positive would be when BC comes to town and the upper bowl is opened and UConn has 12K fans screaming at the Eagles.

 

[Mr. Conehead]

I thought that the mid-ice sections were ok...the ends behind the goal were empty. The weather definitely didn't help that's for sure. Even if you throw out the ND game because of the weather, overall attendance in Bridgeport was poor.

Thanks, if poor attendance has been an issue for 'normal' hockey games in Bridgeport, then not playing there makes sense to me.

One idea as I know BU does it, would UConn 'hosting' a game against Penn St/Michigan/Michigan St (hopefully in-conference) at MSG be of interest? It would not sell out; but, getting 10-12K for a game at MSG could be a very useful marketing tool.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

Thanks, if poor attendance has been an issue for 'normal' hockey games in Bridgeport, then not playing there makes sense to me.

One idea as I know BU does it, would UConn 'hosting' a game against Penn St/Michigan/Michigan St (hopefully in-conference) at MSG be of interest? It would not sell out; but, getting 10-12K for a game at MSG could be a very useful marketing tool.

Cornell does that, it stemmed from the BU-Cornell Red Hot Hockey series. Cornell has an absolutely enormous alumni base in NYC, bigger than SU I believe, and their games there are like their annual Super Bowl, especially against BU since we're their historic main rival. That'd be a good idea for UConn to try once hockey became more mainstream among UConn fans, and you could get a powerhouse western team to come play. Harvard and Yale played at MSG earlier this month and drew "12K" for it. But really, it was only about half full.

 

[Waquoit]

Don't get lost in the numbers, the vast majority of players will tell you - and some have told me direct to my face - a 5K packed arena is better than 8K half-full arena. .

Great. First year of bigtime hockey and the team is already bitching about the biggest crowds in the league.