Ranking of College Hockey Arenas

This ranking of 57 of the 59 college hockey arenas might be of interest. You can click on each individual arena. Lynah is #42. Considering the amount of work that seems to have gone into it, the rankings don't make much sense to me, probably because the metric combining the various factors needs improvement.

They rank Cheel as the best arena in the ECAC.

Res ipsa loquitur.

Read the detailed reviews

They give proper acknowledgement to the Faithful and Tradition but

1. The food sucks

2. "OK...time to talk about the game night staff. If you want to get a job being a ticket taker, usher, or security person at Lynah Rink, the minimal qualifications are that you be at least 70 years old and have spent your life with a permanent scowl that projects how much you hate the world. The staff here is miserable. They will make you feel unwelcome. They will demand to see your ticket stubs at every entry point, despite the fact that all seats are priced the same, benchlike and sold as general admission by section. The pictures that accompany this profile were taken with great difficulty. Try to go section to section and you will be jostled, bothered, and harassed at almost every turn. It is unfortunate and a disgrace that a respected program like Cornell chooses to employ such joyless and horrible people to be their face to the public."

Towerroad
Read the detailed reviews

They give proper acknowledgement to the Faithful and Tradition but

1. The food sucks

2. "OK...time to talk about the game night staff. If you want to get a job being a ticket taker, usher, or security person at Lynah Rink, the minimal qualifications are that you be at least 70 years old and have spent your life with a permanent scowl that projects how much you hate the world. The staff here is miserable. They will make you feel unwelcome. They will demand to see your ticket stubs at every entry point, despite the fact that all seats are priced the same, benchlike and sold as general admission by section. The pictures that accompany this profile were taken with great difficulty. Try to go section to section and you will be jostled, bothered, and harassed at almost every turn. It is unfortunate and a disgrace that a respected program like Cornell chooses to employ such joyless and horrible people to be their face to the public."

I used to be one of those ushers. I quit doing that quite a number of years ago. So, I cannot justify current practices. But, I will give you a perspective that you had probably not considered. Yes, when that usher is constantly checking tix, he/she is being a pain. But, did it ever occur to you that that usher is working to exclude unauthorized people from your section. You know, those extra people who will squeeze into your row and make seating difficult or impossible for people who belong there?? The ushers are doing that thankless job FOR you and often get shit from people for doing it. I could tell you (boring) stories!!

BTW, I was one of the younger & cheerful ones. People actually actually liked me (even though I wasa pain abt showing tix. I educated me peeps).

redice

Towerroad
Read the detailed reviews

They give proper acknowledgement to the Faithful and Tradition but

1. The food sucks

2. "OK...time to talk about the game night staff. If you want to get a job being a ticket taker, usher, or security person at Lynah Rink, the minimal qualifications are that you be at least 70 years old and have spent your life with a permanent scowl that projects how much you hate the world. The staff here is miserable. They will make you feel unwelcome. They will demand to see your ticket stubs at every entry point, despite the fact that all seats are priced the same, benchlike and sold as general admission by section. The pictures that accompany this profile were taken with great difficulty. Try to go section to section and you will be jostled, bothered, and harassed at almost every turn. It is unfortunate and a disgrace that a respected program like Cornell chooses to employ such joyless and horrible people to be their face to the public."

I used to be one of those ushers. I quit doing that quite a number of years ago. So, I cannot justify current practices. But, I will give you a perspective that you had probably not considered. Yes, when that usher is constantly checking tix, he/she is being a pain. But, did it ever occur to you that that usher is working to exclude unauthorized people from your section. You know, those extra people who will squeeze into your row and make seating difficult or impossible for people who belong there?? The ushers are doing that thankless job FOR you and often get shit from people for doing it. I could tell you (boring) stories!!

BTW, I was one of the younger & cheerful ones. People actually actually liked me (even though I wasa pain abt showing tix. I educated me peeps).

These are not my words. They were the reviewers words and the 2 big reasons why Lynah was ranked so low in this poll (location was also an issue). Presumably this person has seen a lot of games in a lot of arena's. This is not the first time that this issues has been raised.

the detailed reviews
Read the detailed reviews

They will demand to see your ticket stubs at every entry point, despite the fact that all seats are priced the same, benchlike and sold as general admission by section.

Must have visited Bizarro Lynah or more likely bought seats at the box office and were seated in the only section that has general admission. Am I correct that this is Section F?

That article has a great shot of Section E 90% empty

From the discussion on Baker Rink's "access".

As far as we could tell, there wasn't much in the way of public transit; you could take the NJ Transit Northeast Corridor Line to the Princeton Station, but I can't say whether that's walking distance, and for what it costs to park at a station you might as well just drive to the campus.

This analysis is so bad it's laughable. The NJTransit access to Princeton (via the shuttle from Princeton Junction), along with its free parking garage, provides some of the best access in college hockey.

The site's correspondent in Hanover puts his fingers over the keys and look what comes out for rink #21: "The only thing Dartmouth hockey fans want is for a consistently winning team, and if the men's program continues its current trajectory, even that may no longer be a problem." Dartmouth at #21 looked sterile and cold the day it opened in the 1970s and continues unabated. IIRC correctly the only nice thing is lots of seats, the way Nazi architecture had big going for it, and a big area at top for standing room if / when that ever happens. When you finish 11th of 12 teams in your league, the only upward trajectory would be if you finished 12th year before, and the Big Green finished fourth.

Quinnipiac's "official review" gives the fans 4 stars of 5. Please.

Cornell's "official review" notes, "The rink is located smack dab in the middle of the campus, and actually in a pretty dense area to boot. Mid rise dorms and academic buildings, as well as their football stadium and other athletic facilities crowd the area." This is nitpicky but an editor should boot his hopeless ass for not factchecking: The reviewer notes the food is not good and one of the concession areas serving the not-good food including pizza that did not look good, is outside "the ticket taking perimeter" as if you couldn't get back in but later the scribe notes how you have to carry you ticket at all times, so he should have known it is zero hassle to go between the two concessions and the rink. What would it cost the guy to buy a slice and determine the quality? If you don't this guy, don't expect a fancy meal.

There is something to be said for shining light on the issue of whether the Cornell ushers could use charm lessons. They have never hassled me but then I'm not student age. Does the tension arise from whether or not Cornell is right to say you can't use the F-bomb in the building?

If they're going to rate rinks, there should be a score for quality of lighting and video platforms. I got to Lynah 3 times and I saw a lot more games via webcast. That's my experience.

The author does qualify by saying "as far as we could tell" which means "without making any calls."

billhoward
The author does qualify by saying "as far as we could tell" which means "new media pulls shit out of its ass; gets clickthroughs; film at 11."

FYP

I looked into the background of the guy who did the reviewing. It looks like visting sports venues and reviewing them is his hobby. I read a few of his reviews and they seemed pretty fair. I was convinced he had a pretty broad base of experience for comparison

The bottom line is that he went out of his way to highlight the crappy attitude of the ushers and security staff. This guy could not be mistaken for a student.

I know there is a tendency to rush to the defense of the program any time that an "outsider" criticizes it. In effect some are saying "Yes, they are goons but they are our goons".

Lynah did not sell out this year. Here we have a guy who goes to his first game and does not want to come back because of poor customer service. If this was your business would you find this acceptable?

How do you build the next generation of the Faithful, many of who may be experiencing hockey for the first time at Cornell, if their initial experience with the instituition is so negative? Students have a choice of what to do on Friday and Saturday night. The first step in changing is to admit there is a problem.

Being an usher is often a thankless job, especially when dealing with rowdy college students. However, the mentality ingrained in the Lynah staff is well outside the norm. RichH has posted here a couple times about the pep talk he had the pleasure of listening to before I'm pretty sure this Harvard game and it's not a model of customer service.

There was always the sense that they were instructed to think that everyone was guilty of something. I've been antagonized by ushers at Lynah on several occasions, even when I knew some of them by name. I've never been antagonized by the staff of any other rink staff over the course of dozens of Cornell road games.

When I was student the ushers were downright obnoxious to visiting bands even when the Cornell band asked them not to be. Sure other rinks hated when the Cornell band came in but the response was not typically to get aggressive for the sake of being aggressive.

Mercifully, it sounds like they've all moved on from the crusade to make "sucks" a banned word.

Chris '03
Mercifully, it sounds like they've all moved on from the crusade to make "sucks" a banned word.

"Sucks" is losing the link to the meaning that made it objectionable. "Joystick" crossed over long ago.

I was at a game over the winter, not Cornell, where a fan yelled, "Hey, ref, get off your knees. You're blowing the game." That should have been a tossable offense if they'd located the miscreant since it was directed at one person not a group. (Even if it brought a few snorts of laughter.)

Towerroad
I looked into the background of the guy who did the reviewing. It looks like visting sports venues and reviewing them is his hobby.

Has to be a hobby. There is no career rating the hot dogs at college rinks.

When you put Lynah fans' attitudes in the perspective of Johnson School terms like "visitor experience," Cornell has room for growth. There was the Hotelie who run a survey of sorts on hockey at Lynah. Perhaps there's room for a more thorough and polished look at Cornell sports and what Cornell could do to get more students and residents to attend. As well as making the experience better for remote attendees via the webcast work in progress (better, yes; good enough, not yet).

billhoward

Chris '03
Mercifully, it sounds like they've all moved on from the crusade to make "sucks" a banned word.

"Sucks" is losing the link to the meaning that made it objectionable. "Joystick" crossed over long ago.

I was at a game over the winter, not Cornell, where a fan yelled, "Hey, ref, get off your knees. You're blowing the game." That should have been a tossable offense if they'd located the miscreant since it was directed at one person not a group. (Even if it brought a few snorts of laughter.)

Isn't the "Telephone Cheer" targeted at a single person? Assuming that you believe that a sieve is human.

I want to add to my original post a few things. First, I saw the individual write-up of RPI some time ago, and if I also saw Cornell I might have posted it here at that time. The date of the ranking list is from this month, so that must be fairly new. I only saw it now because it was posted on the Bentley thread on USCHO. (Bentley finished dead last.)

Second, UNO has now been written up, as mentioned in a comment on the bottom. That pushes RPI and Cornell down one more notch.

Third, Cornell's football field and basketball arena have also been rated.

ursusminor
Third, Cornell's football field and basketball arena have also been rated.

I'm not sure how Lynah scores lower in "Neighborhood" (3*) than both Schoellkopf and Newman (both 4*) when they're within 500 feet of one another. Similarly, Lynah scores higher for "Access" (4*) than the others (3*). For example, regarding Newman, it says:

The interstate does not run conveniently by Ithaca, and it is perhaps a 25-30 minute drive from I-81 running north/south or 45 minutes from I-86 running east/west.

The Cornell campus is rather hilly, and if you're driving through in the afternoon, be aware of the many student crosswalks and the propensity of students, assured of the right of way, to pop out in front of your vehicle.

But regarding Lynah, we see:

Getting into Cornell means finding your way onto Campus Drive, and the campus is pretty dense and congested. No worries. There is a massive ramp less than a five minute walk to Lynah Rink. A sign at the entrance directs you to "event parking." The gate is up and parking is free, and getting out after the game is a snap.

I don't know that I've ever found it to be "a snap" getting out of the parking garage after a game at Lynah.

Josh '99

ursusminor
Third, Cornell's football field and basketball arena have also been rated.

I'm not sure how Lynah scores lower in "Neighborhood" (3*) than both Schoellkopf and Newman (both 4*) when they're within 500 feet of one another. Similarly, Lynah scores higher for "Access" (4*) than the others (3*). For example, regarding Newman, it says:

The interstate does not run conveniently by Ithaca, and it is perhaps a 25-30 minute drive from I-81 running north/south or 45 minutes from I-86 running east/west.

The Cornell campus is rather hilly, and if you're driving through in the afternoon, be aware of the many student crosswalks and the propensity of students, assured of the right of way, to pop out in front of your vehicle.

But regarding Lynah, we see:

Getting into Cornell means finding your way onto Campus Drive, and the campus is pretty dense and congested. No worries. There is a massive ramp less than a five minute walk to Lynah Rink. A sign at the entrance directs you to "event parking." The gate is up and parking is free, and getting out after the game is a snap.

I don't know that I've ever found it to be "a snap" getting out of the parking garage after a game at Lynah.

If a rating system factors in a campus's hilliness, it's doing something wrong.

Dafatone

Josh '99

ursusminor
Third, Cornell's football field and basketball arena have also been rated.

I'm not sure how Lynah scores lower in "Neighborhood" (3*) than both Schoellkopf and Newman (both 4*) when they're within 500 feet of one another. Similarly, Lynah scores higher for "Access" (4*) than the others (3*). For example, regarding Newman, it says:

The interstate does not run conveniently by Ithaca, and it is perhaps a 25-30 minute drive from I-81 running north/south or 45 minutes from I-86 running east/west.

The Cornell campus is rather hilly, and if you're driving through in the afternoon, be aware of the many student crosswalks and the propensity of students, assured of the right of way, to pop out in front of your vehicle.

But regarding Lynah, we see:

Getting into Cornell means finding your way onto Campus Drive, and the campus is pretty dense and congested. No worries. There is a massive ramp less than a five minute walk to Lynah Rink. A sign at the entrance directs you to "event parking." The gate is up and parking is free, and getting out after the game is a snap.

I don't know that I've ever found it to be "a snap" getting out of the parking garage after a game at Lynah.

If a rating system factors in a campus's hilliness, it's doing something wrong.

There appear to be 2 different reviewers and the rankings are all subjective based on their apparently extensive experience at a number of venues. So arguing about why one chose a 3 and the other a 4 is a bit silly

I think you are argueing about the music the band is playing while the Titanic is sinking. The "600 lb Gorilla" in the room is the trashing the Lynah reviewer gave the ushers and security staff. Even if every other aspect of the review had been good (and most were) we would have only made it to the middle of the pack.

Bad customer service is really bad for the brand. This had been brought up over and over on these pages.

Here's my two cents having been a season ticket holder for 15 years. I now sit with my son when he wants to go or alone when he doesn't because my friends that were Lynah faithful have decided over the years that the uncomfortable bench with 14 inches of space is just not worth it anymore. Many games I can't even give the tickets away. It's just not the thing to do anymore as it was when I first started going. Having someone's knees in your back for 2 hours and fifteen minutes and your knees smushed in between the people seated in front of you is no fun. My high school had more comfortable seats than Lynah. The upside of having a mediocre team is that most games there is some room to move now but being a larger than average man makes Lynah very unattractive. It's much easier to sit at home with a cold beer and listen on the radio than suffer the "atmosphere" of Lynah. In the old days when I was a smoker I used to go out of the doors at the top of section N or M to grab a smoke between periods. There was a female usher at the top of M who yelled at me every time I used those doors. She wanted me to shuffle like cattle to go to the main doors near the concessions to exit. For NO APPARENT REASON other than she wanted to bitch about something and flex her powerful usher muscles. The lines for the bathrooms are too long unless you want to walk to the far bathrooms on the other side of the building in between periods. When they redid Lynah was it so cost prohibitive to put in larger cans inside the actual rink? I dont usually eat there but the lines seem ridiculously long. I have had friends spend the entire time in between periods on line. It seems like things could be done to make it a better experience.
On a separate rant, the red/white scrimmage is a fun family evening for seeing the players for the first time and seeing friends at the game for a more relaxed and comfortable time. There are usually a lot of kids running around and having fun. I like to see the guys who sit in my section and catch up a bit. Now here comes the rant which will be very unpopular on this forum but I'm gonna do it anyway. The band is too damn loud and obnoxious. Everytime there's a break in the action you can't even talk to your neighbor because the band is going all out. I realize they need their practice but it is just too much and when the crowd is sparse it just seems to echo and seems louder than normal. I truly don't go to a hockey game to listen to a band. I go to watch and talk about hockey. Sorry I'm just not a fan.

kicksave
Now here comes the rant which will be very unpopular on this forum but I'm gonna do it anyway. The band is too damn loud and obnoxious. Everytime there's a break in the action you can't even talk to your neighbor because the band is going all out. I realize they need their practice but it is just too much and when the crowd is sparse it just seems to echo and seems louder than normal. I truly don't go to a hockey game to listen to a band. I go to watch and talk about hockey. Sorry I'm just not a fan.

Some of us think that the band adds to the atmosphere of a college hockey game. Yes I'm sure echoing is probably annoying but that's an attendance question, not a band problem. Here's the thing. Having the band play is a lot better than having Jock Jams blasted over the PA. If you want a quieter spot to talk hockey you probably need to find a time machine 'cuz arenas fill every available moment with sound these days. It's like it's a law or something.

The thing that this article (and thread) tells me is that different people have very different expectations for sporting events and the experiences that they value. The new, spacious arenas that top his list with lots of room on the concourses and concession stands just seem cold and boring to me, not a good place to watch a game. I'd rather be in a cramped old arena here you are piled on top of the ice. If I want nice food and comfy seats I'll go to a nice restaurant, not a hockey game. But everyone's mileage will vary.

I love the band, and I greatly appreciate all the hard work and travel they put it. They do play too often, but I can see that after putting out such an investment they want to have their moment to shine, particularly since IINM people rotate through and not everybody gets to play every game. I don't think they're too loud, since it's sections A and B who get blasted and undergrads will put up with anything if it ends in drinking or sex.

I'd love to get back to benches in C. C has had individual seating for at least 20 years and it's terrible -- it makes going over rows between periods to talk to people a life-threatening activity, and of course it's impossible to pack extra people into the row which is un-American. Benches are the only good way to see hockey.

My only complaint about atmosphere is that Kids Today And Their Zombie Phones are anti-social. Take the ordinary ego-centrism of a teen and add social media and they wind up crammed even farther up their own ass. This affects the imagination, volume, and energy of the crowd. But at the end of the day, that's a decision they have to make for themselves. They can snap out of being The Most Boring Generation whenever it suits them (or more likely their kids will just invert all their values and become interesting just out of spite).

It's fair for a fan to say a band plays louder than music over the PA and that for some fans the band is better to too loud, loud enough to affect their enjoyment of the game. I'd be just as happy with the band playing a couple decibels quieter but over-40 alumni are not a big part of the Lynah fan mix. It's easier to tinker withe volume control on recorded music. That said the live band is a better experience and it's so nice when the band / pep band shows up at an away hockey or lacrosse game and it's the only band in the stadium. It tells players, parents, recruits, students which school is more involved in sports.

Music over the PA is lowest common denominator. I'm surprised I haven't heard Happy played yet at Quinnipiac. Speaking of which, Woman Killed In Crash Seconds After Posting About Pharrell’s “Happy” On Facebook

KeithK

kicksave
Now here comes the rant which will be very unpopular on this forum but I'm gonna do it anyway. The band is too damn loud and obnoxious. Everytime there's a break in the action you can't even talk to your neighbor because the band is going all out. I realize they need their practice but it is just too much and when the crowd is sparse it just seems to echo and seems louder than normal. I truly don't go to a hockey game to listen to a band. I go to watch and talk about hockey. Sorry I'm just not a fan.

Some of us think that the band adds to the atmosphere of a college hockey game. Yes I'm sure echoing is probably annoying but that's an attendance question, not a band problem. Here's the thing. Having the band play is a lot better than having Jock Jams blasted over the PA. If you want a quieter spot to talk hockey you probably need to find a time machine 'cuz arenas fill every available moment with sound these days. It's like it's a law or something.

If I'm reading kicksave's comments correctly, he's speaking in particular about the Red-White Game, which is sort of a special case because there's a White Band and a Red Band competing with each other (although everyone knows that the Red Band is sub-par) and both sound louder than normal because fewer bodies in Lynah means harsher echoes off concrete, and not so much about the virtues of the band in general. Though I could be wrong.

Josh '99

KeithK

kicksave
Now here comes the rant which will be very unpopular on this forum but I'm gonna do it anyway. The band is too damn loud and obnoxious. Everytime there's a break in the action you can't even talk to your neighbor because the band is going all out. I realize they need their practice but it is just too much and when the crowd is sparse it just seems to echo and seems louder than normal. I truly don't go to a hockey game to listen to a band. I go to watch and talk about hockey. Sorry I'm just not a fan.

Some of us think that the band adds to the atmosphere of a college hockey game. Yes I'm sure echoing is probably annoying but that's an attendance question, not a band problem. Here's the thing. Having the band play is a lot better than having Jock Jams blasted over the PA. If you want a quieter spot to talk hockey you probably need to find a time machine 'cuz arenas fill every available moment with sound these days. It's like it's a law or something.

If I'm reading kicksave's comments correctly, he's speaking in particular about the Red-White Game, which is sort of a special case because there's a White Band and a Red Band competing with each other (although everyone knows that the Red Band is sub-par) and both sound louder than normal because fewer bodies in Lynah means harsher echoes off concrete, and not so much about the virtues of the band in general. Though I could be wrong.

Oh, you could be right. If so then I can see his point a lot better, whether or not I agee. Anyway, to each his own.

Josh '99

KeithK

kicksave
Now here comes the rant which will be very unpopular on this forum but I'm gonna do it anyway. The band is too damn loud and obnoxious. Everytime there's a break in the action you can't even talk to your neighbor because the band is going all out. I realize they need their practice but it is just too much and when the crowd is sparse it just seems to echo and seems louder than normal. I truly don't go to a hockey game to listen to a band. I go to watch and talk about hockey. Sorry I'm just not a fan.

Some of us think that the band adds to the atmosphere of a college hockey game. Yes I'm sure echoing is probably annoying but that's an attendance question, not a band problem. Here's the thing. Having the band play is a lot better than having Jock Jams blasted over the PA. If you want a quieter spot to talk hockey you probably need to find a time machine 'cuz arenas fill every available moment with sound these days. It's like it's a law or something.

If I'm reading kicksave's comments correctly, he's speaking in particular about the Red-White Game, which is sort of a special case because there's a White Band and a Red Band competing with each other (although everyone knows that the Red Band is sub-par) and both sound louder than normal because fewer bodies in Lynah means harsher echoes off concrete, and not so much about the virtues of the band in general. Though I could be wrong.

Absolutely correct. The red/white scrimmage is what I was referring to. During a regular game the band plays when there's stop in the action and that is fine with me but at the red/white it is just over the top (for me) with the bands battling back and forth and seems way too loud. Now, GET OFF MY LAWN!

Would this boost Minny's ranking?

Minnesota is looking for reasons why it's not winning the NCAAs every year. This year it was spelled U-N-I-O-N

Lynah has fallen from #42 of 57 to #48 of 59 in the last two years. [www.stadiumjourney.com]

The review has apparently not been updated in the interim based upon comparing comments here with the article. They state that the try to return every three years.

In other news, clickbait is stupid.

Trotsky
In other news, clickbait is stupid.

U.S. News world university rankings are clickbait

imafrshmn

Trotsky
In other news, clickbait is stupid.

U.S. News world university rankings are clickbait

"The 32 Worst Examples of Clickbait! (#25 Made Us Throw Up in Our Mouths a Little!)"