Cornell hockey at MSG in 2010?

My wife just received a card from an assistant athletic director at Northeastern saying they would be playing Cornell at Madison Square Garden on Thanksgiving weekend next year. Anyone else heard this?

Separately, I've heard Cornell and BU have a third (optional?) year on their series, uncertain what year or place. Or is this common knowledge? Maybe BU year 3 morphed into Northeasgtern? Every other year at MSG seems like a nice pace. Every year, it might be tough to rally 10,000-12,000 Cornellians. Cornell-Northeastern is nice, also, but somehow "Screw NU, Harvard, too" has a different ring to it.

billhoward
Separately, I've heard Cornell and BU have a third (optional?) year on their series, uncertain what year or place. Or is this common knowledge? Maybe BU year 3 morphed into Northeasgtern? Every other year at MSG seems like a nice pace. Every year, it might be tough to rally 10,000-12,000 Cornellians. Cornell-Northeastern is nice, also, but somehow "Screw NU, Harvard, too" has a different ring to it.

Schafer was quoted in the Ithaca Journal as saying then plan was Cornell-BU at MSG in 2011. [elf.elynah.com]

David Harding

billhoward
Separately, I've heard Cornell and BU have a third (optional?) year on their series, uncertain what year or place. Or is this common knowledge? Maybe BU year 3 morphed into Northeasgtern? Every other year at MSG seems like a nice pace. Every year, it might be tough to rally 10,000-12,000 Cornellians. Cornell-Northeastern is nice, also, but somehow "Screw NU, Harvard, too" has a different ring to it.

Schafer was quoted in the Ithaca Journal as saying then plan was Cornell-BU at MSG in 2011. [elf.elynah.com]

Can we please play at Agganis at some point? Or Lynah again? Just sayin'.

RichH

David Harding

billhoward
Separately, I've heard Cornell and BU have a third (optional?) year on their series, uncertain what year or place. Or is this common knowledge? Maybe BU year 3 morphed into Northeasgtern? Every other year at MSG seems like a nice pace. Every year, it might be tough to rally 10,000-12,000 Cornellians. Cornell-Northeastern is nice, also, but somehow "Screw NU, Harvard, too" has a different ring to it.

Schafer was quoted in the Ithaca Journal as saying then plan was Cornell-BU at MSG in 2011. [elf.elynah.com]

Can we please play at Agganis at some point? Or Lynah again? Just sayin'.

After the BU game, a friend of mine who has worked for BU Sports Info told me that we're still on for BU-Cornell at Lynah next season.

My worries:

NU in an off year != BU in an off year

and

NU's fan support in an off year != BU's support in an off year

I think MSG is viable as long as we continue to sell it out.

Why don't we lure, say, Michigan to MSG? Even Red might make a trip out East for that kind of publicity, and MGoBlue fans would certainly snap up tickets.

Ya. Given our demonstration of selling out the joint, I wouldn't mind too much if we were the host of an annual or semi-annual MSG game with different big-name opponents. "Who gets to play Cornell at MSG this time?" type of thing. Michigan, Denver, Minnesota, etc. Having a big-name opponent there would counteract the loss of novelty of playing a game there. Could be a nice recruitment tool, fundraiser for alumni groups, and showcase exposure for college hockey in the NY metro area.

RichH
Ya. Given our demonstration of selling out the joint, I wouldn't mind too much if we were the host of an annual or semi-annual MSG game with different big-name opponents. "Who gets to play Cornell at MSG this time?" type of thing. Michigan, Denver, Minnesota, etc. Having a big-name opponent there would counteract the loss of novelty of playing a game there. Could be a nice recruitment tool, fundraiser for alumni groups, and showcase exposure for college hockey in the NY metro area.

That would be great. Some of those teams may have regular Thanksgiving commitments, but I would love Cornell to become "the MSG home team." I bet the NYC alumni would love it too. Lynah East for Bostonians; the Atlantic City ECACs for DCers, Estero for Floridians... cover all the big alumni bases.

Don't forget the added benefit for recruiting. Scrivens is now the only collegiate goalie to have made two starts in MSG. Promising recruits an annual trip to Florida and a chance to play at MSG sounds pretty awesome.

ebilmes
Don't forget the added benefit for recruiting.

Don't forget how it could be a good recruiting tool, too.

Trotsky

RichH
Ya. Given our demonstration of selling out the joint, I wouldn't mind too much if we were the host of an annual or semi-annual MSG game with different big-name opponents. "Who gets to play Cornell at MSG this time?" type of thing. Michigan, Denver, Minnesota, etc. Having a big-name opponent there would counteract the loss of novelty of playing a game there. Could be a nice recruitment tool, fundraiser for alumni groups, and showcase exposure for college hockey in the NY metro area.

That would be great. Some of those teams may have regular Thanksgiving commitments, but I would love Cornell to become "the MSG home team." I bet the NYC alumni would love it too. Lynah East for Bostonians; the Atlantic City ECACs for DCers, Estero for Floridians... cover all the big alumni bases.

It might also help in scheduling some of thes4 high end teams. You know Minnesota and Michigan (for instance) aren't going to come to Lynah. But they might be willing to come to MSG.

And perhaps excite MSG about saying yes to pursuing a hockey Frozen Four.

RichH
Ya. Given our demonstration of selling out the joint, I wouldn't mind too much if we were the host of an annual or semi-annual MSG game with different big-name opponents. "Who gets to play Cornell at MSG this time?" type of thing. Michigan, Denver, Minnesota, etc. Having a big-name opponent there would counteract the loss of novelty of playing a game there. Could be a nice recruitment tool, fundraiser for alumni groups, and showcase exposure for college hockey in the NY metro area.

This is probably the only way to get a Big Ten team to play "at" or even vs. Cornell because the venue (and associated revenues) can justify a one game weekend event in a world dominated by the two game series. These schools typically don't have OOC scheduling flexibility to allocate road games to exotic eastern cities between conference play, the CHS, GLI, and other annual commitments. I haven't paid near close enough attention to see what is planned scheduling wise when the WCHA expands next season but the flexibility isn't likely to get any better. One could probably at least convince the big guys to come to MSG and forgo a home game in a year where they play in Alaska and have bonus games to burn.

Does anyone know the financial arrangement of these games? Do the schools pay MSG upfront and split the ticket revenue amongst themselves or do they have to share a significant portion with MSG?