Toscano Family Ice Forum Impressions

[DblCrossbar]

The best: Toscano Family Ice Forum (UConn). A palace. Made specifically for hockey in the modern era, the seating area was built at such an angle that fans don’t just feel like they’re on top of the action, they are on top of the action. It’s intimate, the acoustics are great, and will provide a recruiting edge so profound I predict UConn will be a Hockey East contender starting soon and for years to come.

Sure the TFIF is an excellent facility for the players, but it’s obvious this writer has never been to an actual game there and just reiterated what is seen in promotional materials. The fan experience and atmosphere is poor as has been described ad infinitum in this thread.

What isn’t mentioned is the tight corner radius which means led room to maneuver. That doesn’t sit will with skilled players who need or enjoy a little more space to make plays. If recruiting is geared towards the grinders and kickers and physical players, then the sheet is perfect.

 

[huskymedic]

Sure the TFIF is an excellent facility for the players, but it’s obvious this writer has never been to an actual game there and just reiterated what is seen in promotional materials. The fan experience and atmosphere is poor as has been described ad infinitum in this thread.

One man's trash is another man's treasure…

“In my third year covering Hockey East for USCHO, I set out to see at least one game in each arena. Luckily, living in the Seacoast region of New Hampshire I’m within an hour drive of more than half the league, so I didn’t even have to put too many miles on my car.

With my Hockey East press pass in hand, I hit the road to see all 11 league venues, and what follows is my summary highlighting what I liked (and a little bit of what I didn’t) about the experience at each building. Since I do little “on-deadline” writing for USCHO, I did my best to see each venue from a fan’s perspective, rather than report only the view from the press box.”

 

[DblCrossbar]

The “empty house” is more the result of the team performance last season. I can’t speak for others but I have had no problem getting tickets at Toscano.

It’s interesting to note that it would seem that season ticket renewals have fallen - or have shifted to XL only in my case. Here’s the last paragraph of an email recently received from the ticket office.

“There is no deadline to contact us to upgrade to season tickets or adjust XL Center seating, and you may do so at any time, but for the best selection we encourage you to connect with us before the general public sale begins on Monday, July 8. This offer is available on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last.”

I assume if they are opening up opportunities to become Toscano Season ticket holders to the general public it means that there is an inventory for that hasn’t existed before.

 

[DblCrossbar]

“In my third year covering Hockey East for USCHO, I set out to see at least one game in each arena. Luckily, living in the Seacoast region of New Hampshire I’m within an hour drive of more than half the league, so I didn’t even have to put too many miles on my car.

With my Hockey East press pass in hand, I hit the road to see all 11 league venues, and what follows is my summary highlighting what I liked (and a little bit of what I didn’t) about the experience at each building. Since I do little “on-deadline” writing for USCHO, I did my best to see each venue from a fan’s perspective, rather than report only the view from the press box.”

Thanks for the background. Incredible really. How these observations ended up so counter to the perceptions of people who regularly attend or attended games is more than baffling.

 

[huskymedic]

Thanks for the background. Incredible really. How these observations ended up so counter to the perceptions of people who regularly attend or attended games is more than baffling.

I regularly attend both WHOC and MHOC games @ Toscano… it’s really not as bad as some portend. Can improvements be made - absolutely, but my guess is it will evolve over time. If folks don’t like the game day experience @ Toscano - they will make that personal decision and open up seats for others.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

I think folks are appreciative that much has gone into for the players benefit yet the criticisms from the fan perspective is fueled by the cost of the facility. Just seems more was expected for 70MM yet knowing in the back of the mind it was built when materials were expensive?

 

[DblCrossbar]

I regularly attend both WHOC and MHOC games @ Toscano… it’s really not as bad as some portend. Can improvements be made - absolutely, but my guess is it will evolve over time. If folks don’t like the game day experience @ Toscano - they will make that personal decision and open up seats for others.

Preceisly. And that’s exactly what I have done.

Will the great suggestions made be considered seriously to make the gameday experience better? I can only hope to one day consider a return, but beyond the arena itself is that the parking situation also needs to be addressed. At least they are offering to some Season ticket holders the opportunity who had to hike from South Garage last season.

 

[DblCrossbar]

I think folks are appreciative that much has gone into for the players benefit yet the criticisms from the fan perspective is fueled by the cost of the facility. Just seems more was expected for 70MM yet knowing in the back of the mind it was built when materials were expensive?

The price tag didn’t help, but as you indicated the cost of construction everywhere has been increased significantly. I’m looking forward to making direct comparison with the Martire Family arena at SHU during the CT Ice tournament.

 

[RSTuthill]

What isn’t mentioned is the tight corner radius which means led room to maneuver. That doesn’t sit will with skilled players who need or enjoy a little more space to make plays. If recruiting is geared towards the grinders and kickers and physical players, then the sheet is perfect.

It's NHL ice 200 x 85. Corner radii are standardized. Do you have data that says they are not standard? And why on earth would they do that?

 

[Viet Vet]

The price tag didn’t help, but as you indicated the cost of construction everywhere has been increased significantly. I’m looking forward to making direct comparison with the Martire Family arena at SHU during the CT Ice tournament.

Make sure you compare (actually contrast) private vs public construction.

 

[DblCrossbar]

It's NHL ice 200 x 85. Corner radii are standardized. Do you have data that says they are not standard? And why on earth would they do that?

It was something the BU announcers indicated last season, and I had the same question, to which Sea Goat responded…

Post in thread 'UConn v. #2 Boston University Terriers (Friday 2/23/24 @Toscano Family Ice Forum @7p & Saturday 2/24/24 @Agganis Arena @7p). Both games on ESPN+'
UConn v. #2 Boston University Terriers (Friday 2/23/24 @Toscano Family Ice Forum @7p & Saturday 2/24/24 @Agganis Arena @7p). Both games on ESPN+

 

[RSTuthill]

According to Meta AI, "the radius of the corners in an NHL rink is standard at 28 feet". According to Wikipedia, that is the international standard as well. There is no variability. I would be astounded if the TFIF differed from the standard. They would have had to ask a manufacturer to make and supply a non-standard set of corner boards.

Btw, the faceoff dot has nothing to do with it. It is not the the center of curvature for the corner.

 

[DblCrossbar]

According to Meta AI, "the radius of the corners in an NHL rink is standard at 28 feet". According to Wikipedia, that is the international standard as well. There is no variability. I would be astounded if the TFIF differed from the standard. They would have had to ask a manufacturer to make and supply a non-standard set of corner boards.

Btw, the faceoff dot has nothing to do with it. It is not the the center of curvature for the corner.

It would be great if we were allowed to go out there and measure. I agree that the BU thread from February surprised me too. Does Toscano have a short corner or not? It did come up in conversation on the BY though.

The full thread actually starts a little earlier if you’d like to sift through…

Post in thread 'UConn v. #2 Boston University Terriers (Friday 2/23/24 @Toscano Family Ice Forum @7p & Saturday 2/24/24 @Agganis Arena @7p). Both games on ESPN+'
UConn v. #2 Boston University Terriers (Friday 2/23/24 @Toscano Family Ice Forum @7p & Saturday 2/24/24 @Agganis Arena @7p). Both games on ESPN+

 

[RSTuthill]

It would be great if we were allowed to go out there and measure. I agree that the BU thread from February surprised me too. Does Toscano have a short corner or not? It did come up in conversation on the BY though.

The full thread actually starts a little earlier if you’d like to sift through…

Post in thread 'UConn v. #2 Boston University Terriers (Friday 2/23/24 @Toscano Family Ice Forum @7p & Saturday 2/24/24 @Agganis Arena @7p). Both games on ESPN+'
UConn v. #2 Boston University Terriers (Friday 2/23/24 @Toscano Family Ice Forum @7p & Saturday 2/24/24 @Agganis Arena @7p). Both games on ESPN+

It just seems completely illogical that the UConn hockey programs would want a manufacturer to produce a custom product with a non-standard radius which means completely different tooling and perhaps three times the cost. So I am pretty sure that the corner board radii are not what we are talking about. It must be some other dimension.

 

[DblCrossbar]

It just seems completely illogical that the UConn hockey programs would want a manufacturer to produce a custom product with a non-standard radius which means completely different tooling and perhaps three times the cost. So I am pretty sure that the corner board radii are not what we are talking about. It must be some other dimension.

You may be right, and I agree it does seem odd. It’s one of those notions that’s a head scratcher, but has been brought up in conversation before. I’ll try and find a way to bring brasssbonanza zls4r and Sea Goat into this thread and see if they can also elaborate on what they meant back in February.

 

[CL82]

. I’ll try and find a way to bring brasssbonanza zls4r and Sea Goat into this thread and see if they can also elaborate on what they meant back in February.

One way to do that is to use the @ symbol before their names which will send them a notification that they've been mentioned in the thread:
@BrassBonanza @zls44 @Sea Goat

 

[DblCrossbar]

Thanks for the BY tip @CL82 . The help guide wasn’t nearly as helpful in describing how to do this.

 

[huskymedic]

This is the last few lines of the article whch are cut off: "This added a little architectural interest when the building isn’t full of fans, which is a lot of the time, because the building is intended as a training facility for the D-I men and women as much as it is a game venue. This just adds a kind of spark, a little highlight in the seating bowl.”

 

[RSTuthill]

This is the last few lines of the article whch are cut off: "This added a little architectural interest when the building isn’t full of fans, which is a lot of the time, because the building is intended as a training facility for the D-I men and women as much as it is a game venue. This just adds a kind of spark, a little highlight in the seating bowl.”

It is attractive, no question. Consistent with other UConn venues as well.

 

[DblCrossbar]

I wonder where they got the idea for blue seats with a thin red band of seat circling the rink? Maybe directly from another Hockey East venue - Whittemore Arena at the University of New Hampshire?

If only Toscano had half the atmosphere of this place…

 

[kibblesnbits]

I wonder where they got the idea for blue seats with a thin red band of seat circling the rink? Maybe directly from another Hockey East venue - Whittemore Arena at the University of New Hampshire?

View attachment 102298

If only Toscano had half the atmosphere of this place…

That concrete deck around the rink (from shrinking an Olympic rink down to NHL size) creates an odd separation of the crowd from the game. How does that affect the atmosphere? How does it affect the site lines?

 

[huskymedic]

I wonder where they got the idea for blue seats with a thin red band of seat circling the rink? Maybe directly from another Hockey East venue - Whittemore Arena at the University of New Hampshire?

… or just from down the road @ Gampel Pavilion??

-> Athletics uses red, and they use it in a very sparing way, often outlining Jonathan the Husky and other things,” LaPosta says. “You won’t find a whole lot of red on campus outside of the athletic facilities.” (Gampel Pavilion, home of the two-time defending national champion UConn men’s basketball team, has similar seat coloring.) Hussey Seating Company manufactured not only Toscano’s different-colored chairback seats, but also the color-coordinated bleachers in a student section at one end of the arena that continue the red seating ring. “We just thought it was appropriate to do that on two levels — one to relate to the kind of thin red line you see in a lot of their branding, and two, to kind of pay homage to Gampel Pavilion, a pretty important building at UConn,” LaPosta says. <-

 

[RSTuthill]

That concrete deck around the rink (from shrinking an Olympic rink down to NHL size) creates an odd separation of the crowd from the game. How does that affect the atmosphere? How does it affect the site lines?

I was just there for the Clarkson v Ohio State women's game. They said they had shrunk the ice width but they did not get it down to 85 feet. Maybe half the difference.

 

[kibblesnbits]

I was just there for the Clarkson v Ohio State women's game. They said they had shrunk the ice width but they did not get it down to 85 feet. Maybe half the difference.

The Whittemore Center's Wikipedia page says that they shrunk it down to "NHL size", 200x90. Which just confirms that one should never consider Wikipedia to be a definitive source. I actually think I'd like a 200x90 rink as the 85 foot wide NHL rink often seems too crowded and the 100 foot wide Olympic sheet seems massive. The Olympic game isn't as bad as 3x3 OT (which I detest as it's virtually a figure skating exhibition with puck possession as king even if it means carrying it back from the offensive zone to the defensive end), but it still seems devoid of contact and defensive play. Ninety feet might be a good compromise. Did you notice any discernible impact on the game?

 

[RSTuthill]

The Whittemore Center's Wikipedia page says that they shrunk it down to "NHL size", 200x90. Which just confirms that one should never consider Wikipedia to be a definitive source. I actually think I'd like a 200x90 rink as the 85 foot wide NHL rink often seems too crowded and the 100 foot wide Olympic sheet seems massive. The Olympic game isn't as bad as 3x3 OT (which I detest as it's virtually a figure skating exhibition with puck possession as king even if it means carrying it back from the offensive zone to the defensive end), but it still seems devoid of contact and defensive play. Ninety feet might be a good compromise. Did you notice any discernible impact on the game?

Actually, it looked exactly that dimensional width, 90'. It was wider than 85' and that made a big difference to Clarkson who had played 3+ twenty minute OT periods five days before. They had no jump as they had not yet recovered.

When the Whittemore was built in the early 90's, the NHL may have had a range of acceptable limits out to 90'. But even that extra 2.5 feet on either side made a big difference. The difference between getting to the half boards for the breakout pass and not getting there in time.

My personal opinion is that 85' is fine for women despite their huge advancement in quality of play over the last decade. I think the men have outgrown that size.

 

[kibblesnbits]

Actually, it looked exactly that dimensional width, 90'. It was wider than 85' and that made a big difference to Clarkson who had played 3+ twenty minute OT periods five days before. They had no jump as they had not yet recovered.

When the Whittemore was built in the early 90's, the NHL may have had a range of acceptable limits out to 90'. But even that extra 2.5 feet on either side made a big difference. The difference between getting to the half boards for the breakout pass and not getting there in time.

My personal opinion is that 85' is fine for women despite their huge advancement in quality of play over the last decade. I think the men have outgrown that size.

Around the time the Whittemore Center was built a number of schools adopted Olympic-sized (or nearly Olympic-sized) rinks. Minnesota and UMass were in that group. It was seen as getting ahead of a trend. However, that trend halted and now having an other than NHL sized rink (beyond a few feet plus or minus) is apparently seen as a negative in recruiting. "Don't go there, scouts want to see you on a pro rink" - or at least that's the excuse I heard UNH gave when deciding to downsize. Then again, they haven't exactly had great coaching over the last 20 years so who knows how significant rink size really is to the downfall of what used to be a very popular, highly successful program.

As for the post-renovation size, I suspect the 90' is accurate. It was the reference to that being NHL size that I found amusing. Many of the old buildings had odd sized rinks. IIRC Boston Garden's was about 10' short and a few feet narrow. With today's massive and fast players it would be like playing in a phone booth. However, I think every NHL rink built in the past 50+ years is 200x85. In an ideal world I would like to see a slightly larger sheet as I agree that the men have probably outgrown it, but the standard is so firmly established that I don't expect to see it during my lifetime.

 

[RSTuthill]

If you were to go into the HOCKEY-L archives you could find a long running argument about the wisdom of holding the ECAC tournament in Lake Placid which at the time had Olympic ice. (I think it still probably does.) I maintained that they should move the tournament to Albany which has NHL ice. The larger ice favors one type of team, the smaller ice favors another. And then in the "NC$$" regionals and Frozen Four, they go back to smaller ice. Albany is also more convenient to get to. They eventually moved it to Abany for a few years. But they moved it back to Placid for the ambiance. Placid is a vacation destination and more people wanted to go there in the ECAC-sphere.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

I regularly attend both WHOC and MHOC games @ Toscano… it’s really not as bad as some portend. Can improvements be made - absolutely, but my guess is it will evolve over time. If folks don’t like the game day experience @ Toscano - they will make that personal decision and open up seats for others.

Medic can you get whoc tickets at the door?

 

[huskymedic]

Medic can you get whoc tickets at the door?

I imagine so but I don’t know that for a fact - I always grabbed mobile tickets ahead of time.

 

[RSTuthill]

I imagine so but I don’t know that for a fact - I always grabbed mobile tickets ahead of time.

Don't you need to show a ticket to get inside where the box office is?