UConn Hockey & Dunkin Donuts Park...

[coachcap]

Was at the Wednesday meeting of the Rotary Club of Southington. The guest speaker was an account executive for the Hartford Yard Goats. In his presentation, he stated that Dunkin Donuts Park will be a year round facility. Various areas can be rented for various functions: conferences, meeting, weddings, etc. He then stated that Yard Goat management intends to install an outdoor hockey rink each winter & is negotiating with area collegiate teams, including UConn to play games there.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

Would be awful, baseball parks are the WORST places to hold outdoor hockey games. Sightlines are brutal.

 

[mac2351]

I was at the Yardgoats game tonight. The park is absolutely beautiful. Cannot get much better for a double a park.

 

[TheDoggPound]

I think it would be an ok setup. There's virtually no foul territory at DDP. It's also a AA park so the seats are already on top of the field anyways.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

I was at the Yardgoats game tonight. The park is absolutely beautiful. Cannot get much better for a double a park.

Oh it does look like a beautiful facility, it's just that nearly all baseball parks are awful for hockey because of the nature of the low seat pitch and how it's laid out in a triangular form. It's very tough to be high enough in the stands to see over the boards of the rink and see the puck moving around. Generally, the rink is placed from third base to first base and the boards block the view of at least ~1/3 of the ice. You end up with views like this: http://kenmoresquareboston.com/images/bu-bc-fenway-park.jpg

A football stadium such as Rentschler would be a much, much, much better host for an outdoor hockey game.

 

[mac2351]

I was just making a general comment about the facility.

If they did host one there, at least the park would not have such a cavernous feel when they have it in MLB or football stadiums. The 6000 seats would give it a more intimate setting.