Higher Glass in Lynah

So I went to the skills competition tonight and thought I was seeing things. They put in new glass. It's much taller. Row 7-8 has the line between glass and no glass in their view now, instead of row 2 or so before.

I guess I won't get hit by a puck now but I also won't get to take a puck home with me and will get less candy thrown at me. I guess I'll take the good with the bad.

I assume it would be a coincidence, but wasn't there a mention on the final home weekend broadcast about a stoppage due to a fan being removed from the rink due to injury? (For all I know, it was on the opposite end of the ice).

It'll make it harder for the people in the first couple rows to nail the opposing players with newspaper. It will obviously improve safety. However, if the glass is really the equivalent of five rows taller than it was before, I think a lot less newspaper will make it over.

ebilmes
It'll make it harder for the people in the first couple rows to nail the opposing players with newspaper. It will obviously improve safety. However, if the glass is really the equivalent of five rows taller than it was before, I think a lot less newspaper will make it over.

It will also keep the puck in play more.

You know, it seems like it was just recently that I realized how many other rinks had the higher glass walls and took a moment to appreciate the fact that ours was still medium height. If the changes are as reported, I am not happy about it. Just one more barrier between the fans and the players we love. The new glass would probably be to the NHL regulation height of 8 feet above the boards.

A few weeks ago, I remarked to a friend that my seat's position (row 6 behind the visitors' bench) was perfectly situated with the glass to be able to see most of the game without the glass interfering (except in the corners). Well, guess that's done with now. Frak.

Higher glass is a possibly acceptable compromise between seeing and retaining your eyesight. Better this than the netting around the sides of rinks that has become the rage at community rinks (or at Quinnipiacs loaner rink). I think there ought to be a seating chart that shows seats protected, unprotected, and borderline (depending on puck speed and loft) by the glass.

Not that most people care, but higher glass makes it tougher for the casual fan as well as the working photographer to get pictures of the action since you've either got a visible glass line halfway down the picture, or you're shooting all through glass with its reflections and distortions. No matter how high you sit, you're pretty much out of luck for photos along the near boards.

Some old rinks had chain link fence instead of glass. Maybe it's just legend, but at Dartmouth's old rink (pre-1975, which is not so new either) with chain link, Dartmouth fans were taunting Cornell and to get a better grip with which to spew invective, the fans gripped and flexed their fingers through the mesh. At which some Cornell hothead -- er, spirited competitor -- such as a Kevin Pettit if this happened circa 1970, "lost" his balance while skating along the boards and in falling, flailed his stick along the chain link and scraped, bruised, or shattered a bunch of knuckles.

One more nice thing about the Florida Classic Tournament rink at Estero: There are corner cutouts for photographers and you don't appear to need a press pass to stick your camera lens through the glass for a couple minutes to get photos.

ebilmes
It'll make it harder for the people in the first couple rows to nail the opposing players with newspaper. It will obviously improve safety. However, if the glass is really the equivalent of five rows taller than it was before, I think a lot less newspaper will make it over.

Weight the papers with lead shot, perhaps? Or fish?

billhoward
One more nice thing about the Florida Classic Tournament rink at Estero: There are corner cutouts for photographers and you don't appear to need a press pass to stick your camera lens through the glass for a couple minutes to get photos.

Interesting you should bring that up right after talking about having to take pictures through the glass. I know next to nothing about photography, but are the cutouts different than taking pictures through other glass? And if so is it because it's a different material (which would make sense; doesn't need to withstand as much impact since it's smaller), or is it because there's fewer reflections cause the person taking the photo blocks out light from behind? Or something else really cool that I haven't even thought of?

they had a choice of higher glass or surrounding the entire rink with netting. glad they went with the glass..

not sure who told them they had to do something..

It also makes it harder for the individuals with loud voices to taunt opposing players and seives. You have to be above the glass for it to even have a chance of it being effective, and now that means sitting a few rows higher.

I started worrying about that at the skills challenge last night, since I'm one of the two loudest female voices in Lynah.


I agree that it's good for safety though, since one of my friends got hit with a puck last year 30 seconds into the Union game and ended up with stitches. Just wish it didn't have to effect vision and such.

upperdeck
they had a choice of higher glass or surrounding the entire rink with netting. glad they went with the glass..

not sure who told them they had to do something..

It couldn't have been the attorney that stopped Jim from throwing Snickers!

Here are a few shots of the last game courtesy of the lower glass.

Great pics. I can see myself celebrating. And amazing timing to get the puck going into the net.

sen '08
It also makes it harder for the individuals with loud voices to taunt opposing players and seives. You have to be above the glass for it to even have a chance of it being effective, and now that means sitting a few rows higher.

I started worrying about that at the skills challenge last night, since I'm one of the two loudest female voices in Lynah.


I agree that it's good for safety though, since one of my friends got hit with a puck last year 30 seconds into the Union game and ended up with stitches. Just wish it didn't have to effect vision and such.

My concern exactly. Damn near impossible to taunt players sieves and Fioala unless up many rows, not a problem this season but going forward a real concern. There are those balcony seats right above the goalie though. They might have some real potential in this higher glass era. Anyone gone over there to yell at the goalie yet?

WillR

sen '08
It also makes it harder for the individuals with loud voices to taunt opposing players and seives. You have to be above the glass for it to even have a chance of it being effective, and now that means sitting a few rows higher.

I started worrying about that at the skills challenge last night, since I'm one of the two loudest female voices in Lynah.


I agree that it's good for safety though, since one of my friends got hit with a puck last year 30 seconds into the Union game and ended up with stitches. Just wish it didn't have to effect vision and such.

My concern exactly. Damn near impossible to taunt players sieves and Fioala unless up many rows, not a problem this season but going forward a real concern. There are those balcony seats right above the goalie though. They might have some real potential in this higher glass era. Anyone gone over there to yell at the goalie yet?

I don't think the Hoi Polloi are likley to be seated in the catwalk. Does anyone here know how much is charged for the seats in that area?

We heard from an older couple during the Red & White scrimmage that their seats cost 50% more than regular seats. The view was pretty bad for them. The seats are too far back from the glass for the older people (with canes) to sit in and see the ice / action below. I haven't seen them in their original seats so maybe they moved. That leaves the area open for the "vocalists". It could actually be a fine perch for two periods!

miniteam8s
We heard from an older couple during the Red & White scrimmage that their seats cost 50% more than regular seats. The view was pretty bad for them. The seats are too far back from the glass for the older people (with canes) to sit in and see the ice / action below. I haven't seen them in their original seats so maybe they moved. That leaves the area open for the "vocalists". It could actually be a fine perch for two periods!

The trouble with those walkway seats is the fact that you can't see the ice that's right underneath you unless you're standing. It seems like there are a lot of elderly people who sit up there and I don't think they will be standing too much

Any idea if they raised the glass behind the benches where the seats don't start until row 3?

The glass is the same height all around now. So, yes, I think they did.

Yep. I just transferred a bunch of photos from my digicam to the 'ol laptop, and the glass is definitely higher all around.

ftyuv

billhoward
One more nice thing about the Florida Classic Tournament rink at Estero: There are corner cutouts for photographers and you don't appear to need a press pass to stick your camera lens through the glass for a couple minutes to get photos.

Interesting you should bring that up right after talking about having to take pictures through the glass. I know next to nothing about photography, but are the cutouts different than taking pictures through other glass? And if so is it because it's a different material (which would make sense; doesn't need to withstand as much impact since it's smaller), or is it because there's fewer reflections cause the person taking the photo blocks out light from behind? Or something else really cool that I haven't even thought of?

I may have misunderstood your comment but if not: The cutout is a 3- or 4-inch hole cut in the glass, a couple per corner, that you can stick a camera lens through with no distortion or reflections to affect the image. It's possible that a puck striking at just the right angle as it rolls along the the glass would redirect itself, but then so would it happen if it struck the metal frames for the glass or the gaps between the glass. If the puck flew at right angles towards the cutout at a once-in-century trajectory it might pass through the cutout and hit a passing security cop's coffee which would be fly onto the lap on an 83-year-old woman who passed up on the coffee at McDonald's for fear of getting scalded, and there'd be a monstrous lawsuit ("loss of consortium"?), but that hasn't happened yet. The cutout could also be a replaceable plug but I don't know as that has happened either.

When the glass (actually Plexiglas or some other clear plastic) is shiny and new, it's not bad for photography, if you're not near a seam, but it degrades over time.

Because of hassles taking photos from the corners, or from behind the glass, the place to be is to be as high up as possible if you want a lot of good pictures and a reasonable chance of getting most of the goals and key plays, with a long lens, but that's not for everyone. You want a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens so you can also have a high shutter speed and those start at $1,000. On the other hand, you can get some pretty dramatic photos from the corners and the attackers are facing the camera, not away from it.

Oh, the cutouts are just open space? I assumed they were those cutouts that are in the boards (not the glass), and I guessed that those always have some glass. Ok, I get it now. Thanks

Aw. Now I can't yell at the opposing team and tell them how much I hate them.

haha, I can actually see myself biting my nails in the first three pictures.

marty
I don't think the Hoi Polloi are likley to be seated in the catwalk. Does anyone here know how much is charged for the seats in that area?

I was chatting with an usher at the Robert Morris game and he mentioned that season tickets on the catwalk cost $540 each. With 20 games in the package, that works out to $27/game. As others have mentioned, the view from there is awful - I've watched a few women's games (or parts thereof) from up there and I definitely prefer the regular seating. The catwalk is so high that the angle gives you a weird perspective on the action below, and if you're sitting in the seats behind the scoreboard your view below the slot is obstructed. In other words, if you want to see anything you not only have to stand but practically lean over the railing. That same usher mentioned that, as of the RMU game, about 10 catwalk seats (the ones behind the scoreboard) remained unsold.

AJF
Brown '01
ILR '08

marty
Here are a few shots of the last game courtesy of the lower glass.

PC020225a.jpg

Does anyone else think the crest on those Union jerseys is excessively large?

GoBruno
I was chatting with an usher at the Robert Morris game and he mentioned that season tickets on the catwalk cost $540 each. With 20 games in the package, that works out to $27/game. As others have mentioned, the view from there is awful - I've watched a few women's games (or parts thereof) from up there and I definitely prefer the regular seating. The catwalk is so high that the angle gives you a weird perspective on the action below, and if you're sitting in the seats behind the scoreboard your view below the slot is obstructed. In other words, if you want to see anything you not only have to stand but practically lean over the railing. That same usher mentioned that, as of the RMU game, about 10 catwalk seats (the ones behind the scoreboard) remained unsold.

I guess that's kinda like what Wodon used to say about the broadcast position at Princeton, though without the scoreboard in the way.

sen '08
It also makes it harder for the individuals with loud voices to taunt opposing players and seives. You have to be above the glass for it to even have a chance of it being effective, and now that means sitting a few rows higher.

Ah crap, you're right. Stupid "safety".

Josh '99

GoBruno
I was chatting with an usher at the Robert Morris game and he mentioned that season tickets on the catwalk cost $540 each. With 20 games in the package, that works out to $27/game. As others have mentioned, the view from there is awful - I've watched a few women's games (or parts thereof) from up there and I definitely prefer the regular seating. The catwalk is so high that the angle gives you a weird perspective on the action below, and if you're sitting in the seats behind the scoreboard your view below the slot is obstructed. In other words, if you want to see anything you not only have to stand but practically lean over the railing. That same usher mentioned that, as of the RMU game, about 10 catwalk seats (the ones behind the scoreboard) remained unsold.

I guess that's kinda like what Wodon used to say about the broadcast position at Princeton, though without the scoreboard in the way.

Previous BU rink, I believe, also had end-zone press box at least for a time. Some pro indoor stadiums are moving press seating to the end zone (hockey and basketball both) because those sideline seats are premium spaces worth $100 to $1500 a game. Writers bitch, but they're not buying tickets, and they're seeing half the action a whole lot better. For pro sports, with instant replay, they're seeing the action a whole lot better than seeing it once only from the sidelines. Madison Square Garden when built apparently forgot press seating entirely, if that's possible to believe, which is why it kind of got stuck partway up the side where they ripped out a couple rows of seats and installed a table and some phones. Cornell could have made the press box area into sort-of luxury seating and made half the catwalk into a press area. Don't give them ideas.

billhoward
Madison Square Garden when built apparently forgot press seating entirely, if that's possible to believe, which is why it kind of got stuck partway up the side where they ripped out a couple rows of seats and installed a table and some phones.

...behind which, naturally, are my firm's Rangers season tickets.

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