UConn:Design,Build & Manage New Rink

[powerplay]

It's the little things, its nice to have a Husky at center ice.

 

[freescooter]

Please let me be wrong, but count me among those who don't believe we'll see a spade in the ground come next April. Public sector construction....................................on time and on budget? Yeah, sure.

If the new arena is again significantly delayed (beyond the already significant delay), don't be surprised if Hockey East's heavyweights (BC, BU, PC, et al) start looking southwestward to replace UConn with QU. Would you blame them? I'm a dyed-in-the-wool UConn alumnus and fan, but if I were a BC, BU PC counterpart, I'd be getting pretty fed up with the broken promises from Storrs.

Absolute poppycock. They are not replacing UConn with anybody, least of all QU who was offered the 12 th slot but they preferred the ECAC. And HEA is perfectly happy with UConn’s performance. As far as facilities, Merrimack is awful, UMass and BC while large are like attending games with COVID restrictions before anyone heard of COVID. Schneider at PC seats 3000 so I doubt they knock anybody for having an arena that is too small. If we finally get over the hump and win a couple of Hockey East titles then you might see the Bostons trying to get rid of us. After all that would really upset them.

 

[Husk1881]

So anyone know about how this can get expanded? Wasn’t that part of the plan to build small but can add on?

 

[Duncan Idaho]

So anyone know about how this can get expanded? Wasn’t that part of the plan to build small but can add on?

Possibly the ice level lounge and the student deck areas.

 

[freescooter]

What is the latest on capacity? It has changes so many times I’m lost

 

[UCONNJACK]

What is the latest on capacity? It has changes so many times I’m lost

2,642

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

I grew up in greater New Haven and attended many Yale hockey games at Ingalls, where student body was always behind the opposition goalie twice.

Ingalls had and has nothing on the Arena and the Blades. From a young age, more than a few fond memories of my old man reminding brothers, friends and I <many game events> were not OK and most were not to be imitated.

 

[Bomber36]

Ingalls had and has nothing on the Arena and the Blades. From a young age, more than a few fond memories of my old man reminding brothers, friends and I <many game events> were not OK and most were not to be imitated.

Just how old are you? Lol.

 

[Viet Vet]

Just how old are you? Lol.

I went to many Blades (and Yale too.....pre-Ingalls) games in the smoke-filled New Haven Arena with my dad during the fifties. Chicken wire (no joke) before plexiglass. Ray Crew, Blake Ball, "Dirty" John Brophy, Gaetan Dessureault, and the Blades' legendary player-coach.......Don Perry. Heroes of my youth. Man, did we ever hate the Johnstown Jets, Clinton Comets, Philadelphia Ramblers, etc. The Eastern League was the inspiration for the movie, "Slapshot".

FYI: I am 72, born in 1948, grew up in Branford.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

I went to many Blades (and Yale too.....pre-Ingalls) games in the smoke-filled New Haven Arena with my dad during the fifties. Chicken wire (no joke) before plexiglass. Ray Crew, Blake Ball, "Dirty" John Brophy, Gaetan Dessureault, and the Blades' legendary player-coach.......Don Perry. Heroes of my youth. Man, did we ever hate the Johnstown Jets, Clinton Comets, Philadelphia Ramblers, etc. The Eastern League was the inspiration for the movie, "Slapshot".

FYI: I am 72, born in 1948, grew up in Branford.

While the smoke was mostly gone and there was plexiglass, going to Nighthawk games at the Coliseum (may it's soul rest in peace, lol) was a treat in the early '80's. $5 tickets got one near the ice and the crowd was a bit rowdy, i.e. hammered. I was little, but still remember going to a game versus the Adirondack Red Wings and there must have been bad blood from a prior game as the gloves were dropped as soon as the puck was dropped. At one point, the refs had to use the team benches for players serving time because the penatlty box for both teams were already jammed pack. It was great! First time I went to a Whales game in the mid 80's, I felt that it was too classy and not much fun, LOL.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Just how old are you? Lol.

Young enough for the Arena's last few years, and still outskate many a cocky millenial.

 

[Bomber36]

Young enough for the Arena's last few years, and still outskate many a cocky millenial.

I appreciate you all having a sense of humor...the only hockey game I ever attended at the New Haven Coliseum was my high schools state final game in 1976. South Windsor 7-0 over East Haven. So there...I dated myself as well.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

I appreciate you all having a sense of humor...the only hockey game I ever attended at the New Haven Coliseum was my high schools state final game in 1976. South Windsor 7-0 over East Haven. So there...I dated myself as well.

At some point in the 50s and earlier 60s, Wilbur Cross and Hillhouse had good programs pre-suburbanization in New Haven county. In the 70s, I think SW and the Easties were division 2 teams. However, SW, New Britski and Fermi and maybe Suffield were pretty much the only schools north of Hamden and an occasional New Canaan and Greenwich team which competed with New Haven county schools in most of the 70s. Gradually, ND WH and Fairfield Prep began poaching the best nearby players before the latter began going to older prep schools. No clue what's going on with CT high school hockey now.

New Haven Coliseum: Went to the 1st pre-season and regular season game and many more through the years. 1st season, the the Nighthawks consisted of players from the Islanders, North Stars, and some ex-NHL castoffs. Some favorites: Willie O'Ree (recently watched a related documentary), Glenn Resch, Billy Smith, and Garry Howatt, xxx Nystrom (or some Swedish name). Family befriended coach/GM Parker McDonald. Later years, Dead, Marshall Tucker, CBD, J Giels, and other concerts I cannot recall for various reasons. Good times, for different reasons.

 

[Bomber36]

In the 70s, I think SW and the Easties were division 2 teams.

Yes, that’s was the D-2 state championship.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[Duncan Idaho]

That's better. The drawings had around 2600+ which included the 300 on the student deck and 50 in the ice level lounge.

 

[Waquoit]

Problem is people complain about going to Storrs.

They don't complain, they just don't go.

 

[freescooter]

They don't complain, they just don't go.

It’s a Connecticut thing. And getting through customs between Wethersfield and Glastonbury is pretty tough.

 

[CTBballfan243]

It’s a Connecticut thing. And getting through customs between Wethersfield and Glastonbury is pretty tough.

Connecticut People will go to Storrs, Ct provided that it isn't to cold or to hot, to sunny or to cloudy, to dry or to wet, to early or to late, to snowy, to rainy, and as long as it's not a Sunday, Monday ,Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. Other than that they will fully support UConn.

 

[NoVaHusky]

If anyone wants to bid

The Bid Alert Bulletin

Specifications include, but are not limited to: a new three level, approximately 97,000 sf ice hockey arena to meet NCAA Division 1requirements. This facility includes a 2,500 capacity fixed and bench seating arena, club level seating, icerink, concession areas, bathrooms, team rooms, lockers, and strength and conditioning areas.. The majorstructural system is a braced frame steel assembly with concrete slab on metal deck, and precast risers at thearena seating area. The structural roof system over the arena is long span joists. The exterior envelopeincludes curtainwall, brick veneer, and composite metal panel components.

 

[coachcap]

This badly needed on campus facility is another example of the State's & the University's lack of vision. Shovels will go into the ground as the Men's hockey team is enjoying its greatest success in the Hockey East era. The Lilliputian capacity will ensure that game tickets will be hard to come by. How many will be reserved for students who rightfully should be first in line for on-campus games? Think back to when Gampel was first designed as a dual purpose Colosseum with a capacity of @ 7700 for hockey. UConn would be the envy of the league. The dye has been cast, so its's too late to revisit an architectural design to increase capacity to @ 5000. This will ensure that games against the "traditional" powers will be booked in the XL Center to prop THAT facility up as a venue. Aside the the State's "Scrooge" fiscal mentality, this was probably its game plan all along.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

This badly needed on campus facility is another example of the State's & the University's lack of vision. Shovels will go into the ground as the Men's hockey team is enjoying its greatest success in the Hockey East era. The Lilliputian capacity will ensure that game tickets will be hard to come by. How many will be reserved for students who rightfully should be first in line for on-campus games? Think back to when Gampel was first designed as a dual purpose Colosseum with a capacity of @ 7700 for hockey. UConn would be the envy of the league. The dye has been cast, so its's too late to revisit an architectural design to increase capacity to @ 5000. This will ensure that games against the "traditional" powers will be booked in the XL Center to prop THAT facility up as a venue. Aside the the State's "Scrooge" fiscal mentality, this was probably its game plan all along.

It is better than just relying on the XL, but overall I agree, its a microcosm of UConn and its relationship with, the State, Hartford, and Mansfield. Earlier in this current building cycle, I believe the University had plans to build a 5K hockey arena and events center where the university owned Mansfield Apartments are today while the current rink woudl be used for practices and community use. But, between the University's and State's budget issues, Hartford fear of losing UConn hockey, and Mansfield's general opposition to anything UConn, the proposal died a quick death.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

It is better than just relying on the XL, but overall I agree, its a microcosm of UConn and its relationship with, the State, Hartford, and Mansfield. Earlier in this current building cycle, I believe the University had plans to build a 5K hockey arena and events center where the university owned Mansfield Apartments are today while the current rink woudl be used for practices and community use. But, between the University's and State's budget issues, Hartford fear of losing UConn hockey, and Mansfield's general opposition to anything UConn, the proposal died a quick death.

PS - I caught in the news there is a new high-speed rail 'vision' being pushed by a public private partnership for the New England and downstate New York. The Phase II of the project includes a new high speed rail link between New York City and Boston that would train cut travel time to 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours. The line would run from Penn Station to Ronkonkoma (Long Island) and then north through a new tunnel under Long Island Sound to New Haven. From there, it runs to Hartford and then cuts due East again to Providence before heading North to Boston. The proposal includes one potential stop between Hartford and Providence - Tolland. I assume the right-of-way would be along I-84 between Hartford and Tolland. This route is being propsoed to cut down the travel time overall and to avoid the twists and turns of the existing rail line between New Haven and Westerly RI through several historic towns where local oppostion to expanded high-speed rail is already strong.

The US, especially outside of Boston to DC metro and greater Chicago area has shown no appetite for the modern train service like Europe, Japan, and China have. So, it's a dream. But, if it were to happen, a 45-minute train connection (plus a 15 minute bus ride) to New York and Boston could be a game changer for UConn.

Program Phasing — North Atlantic Rail

northatlanticrail.org

 

[coachcap]

It is better than just relying on the XL, but overall I agree, its a microcosm of UConn and its relationship with, the State, Hartford, and Mansfield. Earlier in this current building cycle, I believe the University had plans to build a 5K hockey arena and events center where the university owned Mansfield Apartments are today while the current rink woudl be used for practices and community use. But, between the University's and State's budget issues, Hartford fear of losing UConn hockey, and Mansfield's general opposition to anything UConn, the proposal died a quick death.

If the Athletic Department could have found a Schenkman type donor, I suspect that a larger capacity facility would have been blueprinted & ultimately constructed. I wonder if the A.D. even tried to find such a donor.

 

[CTBballfan243]

PS - I caught in the news there is a new high-speed rail 'vision' being pushed by a public private partnership for the New England and downstate New York. The Phase II of the project includes a new high speed rail link between New York City and Boston that would train cut travel time to 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours. The line would run from Penn Station to Ronkonkoma (Long Island) and then north through a new tunnel under Long Island Sound to New Haven. From there, it runs to Hartford and then cuts due East again to Providence before heading North to Boston. The proposal includes one potential stop between Hartford and Providence - Tolland. I assume the right-of-way would be along I-84 between Hartford and Tolland. This route is being propsoed to cut down the travel time overall and to avoid the twists and turns of the existing rail line between New Haven and Westerly RI through several historic towns where local oppostion to expanded high-speed rail is already strong.

The US, especially outside of Boston to DC metro and greater Chicago area has shown no appetite for the modern train service like Europe, Japan, and China have. So, it's a dream. But, if it were to happen, a 45-minute train connection (plus a 15 minute bus ride) to New York and Boston could be a game changer for UConn.

Program Phasing — North Atlantic Rail

northatlanticrail.org

Good luck trying to get this through wetlands and all the other organizations that will fight this forever. There will be all sorts of endangered species that will miraculously show up along the proposed route. So basically this high speed rail is a pipe dream that will never happen.