Road trips.

Where have all our trippers gone. Almost no fans at the weekend games. Granted we get fans at games around Boston and NYC, but there used to be a traveling fan base.

I was hoping that, at least at Clarkson, we'd have a large group of fans.

I guess traveling fans have gone the way of video, just like in everything else.

Does anybody have any ideas?

Is anybody going to LP? Assuming the top 4 go, if we don't pull a large group at LP, it won't be good for ECAC attendance and Clarkson will dominate.

Bad weather Friday? Games available on TV.

Jim Hyla
Is anybody going to LP?

Anne and I will be at all the game from LP on.

Jim Hyla
I guess traveling fans have gone the way of video, just like in everything else.

While the kids' iPacifiers make it less likely that they'll travel for non-event games, I have every confidence that the party atmosphere and irresponsible drinking and sex will still make the playoffs attractive. Today's kids may be boring, but they're not aliens.

CU2007
Bad weather Friday? Games available on TV.

Actually the weather on Friday was okay. It was worse Sat, for those of us who came back after the game.

Unfortunately I think video is it. I say unfortunately, because we're not giving the team support and retreating from person to person interaction, in favor of solitary video action.

I should have given mention of the band, without them, the games would have been super quiet. They are great. When and if you donate to CU, put a couple of bucks to the Pep Band Fund. It helps them to travel.

As an aside, I was talking to a parent of a prospect at last week's Friday game, the seats next to me are Athletic Dept. seats and often have prospects. He was from CT and was really impressed with the enthusiasm, especially from "townies". He said he expected students to cheer, but was surprised that the "adults" were so in to it. He was also impressed when I told him that the band travels.

Fans do make a difference.

Games being available on video has probably hurt visiting attendance the most. Though I will say the Cornell contingent sounded very loud on-air for the Yale and Havard games.

BearLover
Games being available on video has probably hurt visiting attendance the most. Though I will say the Cornell contingent sounded very loud on-air for the Yale and Havard games.

Agree, the cities help.

It used to be a source of pride to go to opposing rinks and come away as winners. Maybe, if we can continue to have success this year, it will lead to more traveling next year.

I should mention that not being able to buy tickets from CU, for away games, is also a hindrance. Online tickets disperses the fans. It was a bad decision, made for monetary reasons.

Jim Hyla

BearLover
Games being available on video has probably hurt visiting attendance the most. Though I will say the Cornell contingent sounded very loud on-air for the Yale and Havard games.

Agree, the cities help.

It used to be a source of pride to go to opposing rinks and come away as winners. Maybe, if we can continue to have success this year, it will lead to more traveling next year.

I should mention that not being able to buy tickets from CU, for away games, is also a hindrance. Online tickets disperses the fans. It was a bad decision, made for monetary reasons.

Traveling is down because virtually all games can now be watched from the comfort of your couch. But the big games (Lynah East and LP) will still be well attended. I’ll certainly be in LP if we make it.

I plan my annual vacation schedule around going to LP and the NCAAs.

If we're there, I'll be there.

And here I was thinking our crowd sounded pretty good at Clarkson. Weird.

We've got our LP reservations. (Well, Saranac Lake, but close enough.)

Dafatone
And here I was thinking our crowd sounded pretty good at Clarkson. Weird.

Band sounded good, and definitely more fans than for SLU, but nothing like past years. Oh well.

BearLover
Games being available on video has probably hurt visiting attendance the most. Though I will say the Cornell contingent sounded very loud on-air for the Yale and Havard games.

There was a huge Cornell contingent at Harvard. The crowd was approximately 50-50, and that's being conservative. There was also a sizable contingent of Cornell fans at the Yale game. For some reason, there always seem to be a lot more Cornell fans at Yale games than at Quinnipiac, even though the rinks less than 10 miles apart.

Jim Hyla

Dafatone
And here I was thinking our crowd sounded pretty good at Clarkson. Weird.

Band sounded good, and definitely more fans than for SLU, but nothing like past years. Oh well.

In two trips to the north country as an undergrad I don't recall much of a cornell crowd at all. Well below typical crowds we'd see in the other buildings. In the '02 season, when the band didn't make the trip, it felt like you could probably count the cornell fans on one hand at that game. While I agree that the traveling faithful has by and large been supplanted by the local alums faithful around the league for any of a number of reasons, was the north country ever not the least populated trip?

A road trip in February to the North Country can be iffy. If you drive, you wind up with a car full of grime, you need to stop at Walgreens every couple hours for another gallon of windshield washer fluid, there's so much sludge on the grill the adaptive cruise control radar is worthless, and if Larry Baum flies in he won't fly out for a couple days. You will see some crappy houses on the outskirts of Potsdam. You will see a high-tech commerce park out by the airport with one building (Silicon Valley, watch your backside). You'll see a lot of plows. You'll also see moments of beauty such as the falls in St. Regis and the St. John in-the-Wilderness church in Paul Smiths. You'll drive through a winter carnival in Saranac Lake although I'm not sure how the dozens of sombreros relate to Saranac. In Lake Placid, you'll see the Olympics live, on a jumbo screen outside the Olympic center.

Yes, the availability of hockey video may cut down on attendance. Students may have even more of a workload than we had. Maybe they go to the gym and get in shape rather than watch athletes who are in shape. I like that you have multiple ways to get tickets; for Clarkson you could call or go online and when the Cornell section was sold out, they worked to find a ticket in the next section over. If they turnout wasn't what it was a generation ago, it's still enough that the host schools are in awe of Cornell's turnout.

billhoward
A road trip in February to the North Country can be iffy. If you drive, you wind up with a car full of grime, you need to stop at Walgreens every couple hours for another gallon of windshield washer fluid, there's so much sludge on the grill the adaptive cruise control radar is worthless, and if Larry Baum flies in he won't fly out for a couple days. You will see some crappy houses on the outskirts of Potsdam. You will see a high-tech commerce park out by the airport with one building (Silicon Valley, watch your backside). You'll see a lot of plows. You'll also see moments of beauty such as the falls in St. Regis and the St. John in-the-Wilderness church in Paul Smiths. You'll drive through a winter carnival in Saranac Lake although I'm not sure how the dozens of sombreros relate to Saranac. In Lake Placid, you'll see the Olympics live, on a jumbo screen outside the Olympic center.

Yes, the availability of hockey video may cut down on attendance. Students may have even more of a workload than we had. Maybe they go to the gym and get in shape rather than watch athletes who are in shape. I like that you have multiple ways to get tickets; for Clarkson you could call or go online and when the Cornell section was sold out, they worked to find a ticket in the next section over. If they turnout wasn't what it was a generation ago, it's still enough that the host schools are in awe of Cornell's turnout.

+1

dbilmes
For some reason, there always seem to be a lot more Cornell fans at Yale games than at Quinnipiac, even though the rinks less than 10 miles apart.

The ECHL atmosphere at Quinnipiac sucks; that is, beyond being just awful, everything going on in the rink mostly sucks the life out of the crowd, home and away.

Last time, their band was having some sort of alumni weekend and they STILL had to be happy with the few opportunities provided for them to play in between "announcements" (advertisements) and piped-in jock jams.

Scersk '97

dbilmes
For some reason, there always seem to be a lot more Cornell fans at Yale games than at Quinnipiac, even though the rinks less than 10 miles apart.

The ECHL atmosphere at Quinnipiac sucks; that is, beyond being just awful, everything going on in the rink mostly sucks the life out of the crowd, home and away.

Last time, their band was having some sort of alumni weekend and they STILL had to be happy with the few opportunities provided for them to play in between "announcements" (advertisements) and piped-in jock jams.

Shut it. I’m thrilled to constantly learn of the options of Mercedes & BMW dealers I have in suburban CT.

billhoward
Students may have even more of a workload than we had. Maybe they go to the gym and get in shape rather than watch athletes who are in shape.

Pfft.

Asian kids don't have to work out to stay in shape...

Trotsky

billhoward
Students may have even more of a workload than we had. Maybe they go to the gym and get in shape rather than watch athletes who are in shape.

Pfft.

Asian kids don't have to work out to stay in shape...

That's wrong on a couple of levels.

Jeff Hopkins '82

Trotsky

billhoward
Students may have even more of a workload than we had. Maybe they go to the gym and get in shape rather than watch athletes who are in shape.

Pfft.

Asian kids don't have to work out to stay in shape...

That's wrong on a couple of levels.

Jim Hyla

CU2007
Bad weather Friday? Games available on TV.

I should have given mention of the band, without them, the games would have been super quiet. They are great. When and if you donate to CU, put a couple of bucks to the Pep Band Fund. It helps them to travel.

There's a fundraiser today, 7-11 PM, through D.P. Dough when you mention the band. For every calzone or 10 dollar purchase made, D.P. Dough will donate a dollar to the band. If 100 people order, they'll double the amount!!

billhoward
A road trip in February to the North Country can be iffy. If you drive, you wind up with a car full of grime, you need to stop at Walgreens every couple hours for another gallon of windshield washer fluid, there's so much sludge on the grill the adaptive cruise control radar is worthless, and if Larry Baum flies in he won't fly out for a couple days. You will see some crappy houses on the outskirts of Potsdam. You will see a high-tech commerce park out by the airport with one building (Silicon Valley, watch your backside). You'll see a lot of plows. You'll also see moments of beauty such as the falls in St. Regis and the St. John in-the-Wilderness church in Paul Smiths. You'll drive through a winter carnival in Saranac Lake although I'm not sure how the dozens of sombreros relate to Saranac. In Lake Placid, you'll see the Olympics live, on a jumbo screen outside the Olympic center.

Yes, the availability of hockey video may cut down on attendance. Students may have even more of a workload than we had. Maybe they go to the gym and get in shape rather than watch athletes who are in shape. I like that you have multiple ways to get tickets; for Clarkson you could call or go online and when the Cornell section was sold out, they worked to find a ticket in the next section over. If they turnout wasn't what it was a generation ago, it's still enough that the host schools are in awe of Cornell's turnout.

A road trip in February to the North Country means you get to see some good hard college hockey, that's it!

If your car being full of road grime and not having adaptive cruise is important to you, then I'd say your values are screwed up. Besides windshield washer fluid and adaptive cruise are meant to be a way to get your goals, not goals themselves. And I don't know what you mean by, iffy. It's winter, to go skiing or to hockey games means you have to drive in the winter, sometimes it snows, or like on Sat., sometimes you have freezing rain. You plan accordingly. If your goal is important enough, you'll accommodate, if not, you watch at home by yourself, on the internet.

The problem with tickets not being sold by the visiting team is that rinks are not all keeping visiting sections. Most don't have them listed online. For those of us who have been to the rinks many times, we have a good idea, newbies don't.

I don't want to take this too far off topic but technology will keep your, and my, sorry ass safe on road trips. I believe I am a good enough driver (last speeding ticket, Jimmy Carter was in the White House; last accident, undergrad years hit by a cop on Route 13, beat the ticket) to know I'm not as good late in the day as in the morning. Adaptive cruise, lane departure warning, and blind spot detection are all helpers. I drove 900 miles Friday-Sunday, solo. I used to do that in a single day. If you're 40+, you can probably use help. That's my take.

Winning attracts more buzz and more attendance, home and away. Higher scoring increases enthusiasm. We've gotten both this year. Hopefully that will continue.

The thing we need now is to nail down achievements. We're on a 7-year skein without an ECAC Tourney title. That's the third longest in modern program history:

9 1958-1966
9 1987-1995
7 2011-2017
6 1974-1979
5 1981-1985
5 1998-2002
4 2006-2009

Break that streak.

billhoward
I don't want to take this too far off topic but technology will keep your, and my, sorry ass safe on road trips. I believe I am a good enough driver (last speeding ticket, Jimmy Carter was in the White House; last accident, undergrad years hit by a cop on Route 13, beat the ticket) to know I'm not as good late in the day as in the morning. Adaptive cruise, lane departure warning, and blind spot detection are all helpers. I drove 900 miles Friday-Sunday, solo. I used to do that in a single day. If you're 40+, you can probably use help. That's my take.

To continue going off topic (sort of), I totally agree with you on all of that. All my vehicles have them. However adaptive cruise, when driving to the North Country in snow, is not what I'd rely upon.

My point was, these things are a means to an end, not the end. We've all driven without them, and when I'm in snow, on roads with infrequent traffic, I'm more happy with myself and ABS. Lane departure is NG in snow, and I'd never rely upon adaptive cruise in bad conditions.

And yes, I've also been known to drive 100s, in fact Syracuse to Allston and back, with only a 3 hour respite in between.

Trotsky

Jeff Hopkins '82

Trotsky

billhoward
Students may have even more of a workload than we had. Maybe they go to the gym and get in shape rather than watch athletes who are in shape.

Pfft.

Asian kids don't have to work out to stay in shape...

That's wrong on a couple of levels.

2017-05-10-thats-the-joke.png

Yeah, yeah. I got the joke. Didn't mean I liked it.

Jim Hyla

billhoward
Adaptive cruise, lane departure warning, and blind spot detection are all helpers. I drove 900 miles Friday-Sunday, solo. I used to do that in a single day. If you're 40+, you can probably use help.

To continue going off topic (sort of), I totally agree with you on all of that. All my vehicles have them. However adaptive cruise, when driving to the North Country in snow, is not what I'd rely upon.

My point was, these things are a means to an end, not the end. We've all driven without them, and when I'm in snow, on roads with infrequent traffic, I'm more happy with myself and ABS. Lane departure is NG in snow, and I'd never rely upon adaptive cruise in bad conditions.

Along with all the rapturous paeans penned toward the coming techno-nirvana of a world full of driverless cars (in which, thankfully, we will all be able to devote even more of our time to the unhealthy attractions of our many distracting electronic devices), it is my firm belief that all the "driver aids" mentioned above are leading to a serious decline in driving skills, like PAYING ATTENTION and driving in a manner APPROPRIATE FOR CONDITIONS. Considering the idiocy I've seen at intersections on my many trips north these last few years, I think ABS was the beginning of the decline, actually. People don't consider these technologies as something to help them if they make a minor misjudgment; rather, they DEPEND on them and make them part of their bad driving habits. (Slow down to approach a stop sign? Oh, ABS can handle this glare ice.)

And, regarding driverless cars: Once you show me a driverless car that can make its way at speed through a snowed-in Finnish rally course seeded with cyclists to avoid, little children that randomly wander into the street, and a number of motorists who don't have the all the "aids" available and drive like slightly irrational human beings always have, I might start believing we're 50–100 years away from having viable driverless cars. We are, as a society, spending an unsightly amount of money on this effort. Perhaps the money could be better spent fixing the infrastructure that is crumbling all around us and figuring out better ways to move people around, like—I don't know—the actual high-speed rail and better mass transit that most of the rest of the developed world enjoys.

On the contrary, my guess is we're about 20 years from driverless cars starting to seriously rival driving and 50 years from driving being illegal.

I will very happily be dead.

But it's all been shit since we traded in horses, anyway, so meh, whatever.

Trotsky
But it's all been shit since we traded in horses, anyway, so meh, whatever.

I'd say since we ripped up all the streetcar lines, but I catch your drift.

Trotsky
On the contrary, my guess is we're about 20 years from driverless cars starting to seriously rival driving and 50 years from driving being illegal.

I will very happily be dead.

But it's all been shit since we traded in horses, anyway, so meh, whatever.

I think closer to 10 years than 20

scoop85

Trotsky
On the contrary, my guess is we're about 20 years from driverless cars starting to seriously rival driving and 50 years from driving being illegal.

I will very happily be dead.

But it's all been shit since we traded in horses, anyway, so meh, whatever.

I think closer to 10 years than 20

I remember hearing a report that Ford is selling more cars than ever before, but their stock is dropping because they're not heavily enough involved in developing self-driving vehicles.

If the tech is driving auto manufacturer stock prices, it's probably on its way.

Well, road tripping took a back seat big time when we left New England a few years ago. So, video is pretty much all I've got these days. But, the wife and son and I are leaving Kansas in the morning and driving to Ithaca for both games this weekend. We'll be in Section C. Then after spending the week in Boston, we'll be coming back west via the games at RPI and Union. I know we're in the section behind the Cornell bench for the RPI game and some random section for the Union game. If the women's QF series goes to a game 3 at Lynah on the 25th, we'll stop for that game.

I plan to be at all games from LP onward as well.

Tom Pasniewski 98
Well, road tripping took a back seat big time when we left New England a few years ago. So, video is pretty much all I've got these days. But, the wife and son and I are leaving Kansas in the morning and driving to Ithaca for both games this weekend. We'll be in Section C. Then after spending the week in Boston, we'll be coming back west via the games at RPI and Union. I know we're in the section behind the Cornell bench for the RPI game and some random section for the Union game. If the women's QF series goes to a game 3 at Lynah on the 25th, we'll stop for that game.

I plan to be at all games from LP onward as well.

Good to have you back, Tom.

JH

Kansas to Ithaca is 1300, 1500 miles? That's loyalty to Cornell hockey. I thought 6 hours to Potsdam was heroic.

Interesting, we were at the Clarkson game. When I called to buy tix over a week in advance, I was told that the Cornell section was sold out (perhaps they didn't actually have a Cornell section...) and couldn't get four seats together anywhere in the rink. We ended up with some other Cornell supporters in the middle of a Clarkson section on the end. The Clarkson fans sitting behind us were talking about how crazy Cornell fans are, yelling all the time and standing through the games. They see us as aliens. We tried to keep mostly quiet but some very young Cornell fans behind us started yelling "Let's Go Red!" in the third period and all eyes were on us, disapprovingly. I told my family I'd been in louder churches. In my opinion, the only cheering for Clarkson came from their band/student section. Our band was superb, and I assumed, though I could not see the section well from where I was sitting, that our fans were sitting near the band. I know they made as much noise as most of the Clarkson arena (well except for the guy in the Clarkson band who couldn't keep his hands off his electric bass guitar...)

We are planning to go to ECAC tourney also, presuming Cornell makes it (no jinxing)

billhoward
Kansas to Ithaca is 1300, 1500 miles? That's loyalty to Cornell hockey. I thought 6 hours to Potsdam was heroic.

It's about 1150, but with having to be in Boston all of next week, it just makes sense. Okay, it probably doesn't make sense to those who aren't fans, but it makes sense to my non-Cornell, but sports-loving wife, and that's all that matters in this equation.

yougoon
Interesting, we were at the Clarkson game. When I called to buy tix over a week in advance, I was told that the Cornell section was sold out (perhaps they didn't actually have a Cornell section...) and couldn't get four seats together anywhere in the rink. We ended up with some other Cornell supporters in the middle of a Clarkson section on the end. The Clarkson fans sitting behind us were talking about how crazy Cornell fans are, yelling all the time and standing through the games. They see us as aliens. We tried to keep mostly quiet but some very young Cornell fans behind us started yelling "Let's Go Red!" in the third period and all eyes were on us, disapprovingly. I told my family I'd been in louder churches. In my opinion, the only cheering for Clarkson came from their band/student section. Our band was superb, and I assumed, though I could not see the section well from where I was sitting, that our fans were sitting near the band. I know they made as much noise as most of the Clarkson arena (well except for the guy in the Clarkson band who couldn't keep his hands off his electric bass guitar...)

We are planning to go to ECAC tourney also, presuming Cornell makes it (no jinxing)

Cheel has always been a tomb, whereas Walker rocked out.

A cautionary tale for the next time the LOOK A SHINY OBJECT! types tell us how much we "need" a shitty, antiseptic new building with a white collar criminal organization name smashed across it.

Who shit in your corn flakes this morning, Trotsky?

Jeff Hopkins '82
Who shit in your corn flakes this morning, Trotsky?

Geez, and I thought he was in a good mood today!

scoop85

Jeff Hopkins '82
Who shit in your corn flakes this morning, Trotsky?

Geez, and I thought he was in a good mood today!

I'm quite happy, thanks.

Jeff Hopkins '82

Tom Pasniewski 98
Well, road tripping took a back seat big time when we left New England a few years ago. So, video is pretty much all I've got these days. But, the wife and son and I are leaving Kansas in the morning and driving to Ithaca for both games this weekend. We'll be in Section C. Then after spending the week in Boston, we'll be coming back west via the games at RPI and Union. I know we're in the section behind the Cornell bench for the RPI game and some random section for the Union game. If the women's QF series goes to a game 3 at Lynah on the 25th, we'll stop for that game.

I plan to be at all games from LP onward as well.

Good to have you back, Tom.

JH

Thanks Jeff. I never really left. I watch and I read what you old folks have to say (he says, knowing that I'm older now then you were when we first met). Our paths will cross. If we make it to LP, staying and working the week in Boston and adding on Worcester, Bridgeport or Allentown will be easy. If we miss LP, I may be the only one pulling for Sioux Falls, a straight shot up I-29 for me. But I see no path that takes us to Sioux Falls in this down year for the eastern conferences.

Tom Pasniewski 98

Jeff Hopkins '82

Tom Pasniewski 98
Well, road tripping took a back seat big time when we left New England a few years ago. So, video is pretty much all I've got these days. But, the wife and son and I are leaving Kansas in the morning and driving to Ithaca for both games this weekend. We'll be in Section C. Then after spending the week in Boston, we'll be coming back west via the games at RPI and Union. I know we're in the section behind the Cornell bench for the RPI game and some random section for the Union game. If the women's QF series goes to a game 3 at Lynah on the 25th, we'll stop for that game.

I plan to be at all games from LP onward as well.

Good to have you back, Tom.

JH

Thanks Jeff. I never really left. I watch and I read what you old folks have to say (he says, knowing that I'm older now then you were when we first met). Our paths will cross. If we make it to LP, staying and working the week in Boston and adding on Worcester, Bridgeport or Allentown will be easy. If we miss LP, I may be the only one pulling for Sioux Falls, a straight shot up I-29 for me. But I see no path that takes us to Sioux Falls in this down year for the eastern conferences.

Oh there's a path...North Dakota drops to 13th or 14th. They can't play St.Cloud or Denver since they're in the same conference as N. Dakota. So either Notre Dame or the other top 4 team (i.e. us) travel to East BuFu (Sioux Falls). The only way we avoid the long trip is if we're #1.