Red Hot Hockey: The Fan Experience

[RichH]

The postgame thread carries a lot of talk about the game play.  Putting the on-ice performance and the end result aside, I had such a blast on Saturday that I needed to start a separate thread to discuss how the event was run.

Awesome.  Really.  I'm full of awe.  I can't describe accurately how much fun I had.  The entire event was really, really well run, IMO.  The fan turnout was great, the way the arena handled the game made me feel welcome, and since this seems to have come about from the work on BU's side, major kudos for getting this done.  Jack Parker, other BU athletics people...Thank you.

Obviously, in a space that large, and people are spread out so much that the only cheers that had any power were: Anthem "RED", "Let's Go Red", and the goal cheer sequence.  I did hear "Black Hole" 2 sections away, multiple cowbell/percussion groups, and it was possible for a single person to start a LGR that would quickly spread around the arena.  

The band was massive, and sounded great.  Too bad they weren't miked.  Depending on your seat, it was possible for both bands to be playing simultaneously and not have a problem hearing only one.

We made "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" trumpeter Mark Pender crack a note with our "RED!" during his anthem performance.

The arena ushers did a fine "hands-off" job.  You were pretty much able to go between sections to see friends as long as there was room anywhere in the lower bowl, and there were handfuls of sections that were just set-up to be all-standing with little problems that I could see.  This was my first hockey game I've ever seen there (and 2nd time I've been inside the arena...both times this year) and I'm really impressed by it's setup.  Even the "bad" seats are good, and the open concourses are well designed.  It was really cool to walk around and keep running into people you knew.  I've heard some reports of the ushers not stopping people from aisle-blocking during play, but otherwise a good job.

Beer.

The programs were pricey, but excellent.  It wasn't a thrown-together MSG generic stats-n-roster production.  A lot of thought was clearly put into it, and the 2 feature articles that described the 66-73 rivalry from each school's POV were a great read.  I bet BU and not MSG put it together, and it's a keeper.

From what I heard, CSTV just took the Arena feed and did everything else from their offices at Chelsea Piers.

Great sportsmanship.  I went to several bars & restaurants before and after the game, saw fans from both sides and didn't see a lick of bad sportsmanship.  Maybe some have different experiences.  I saw and shook the hand of the BU guy with the painted head and hard-hat.  Got a couple fist-bumps from others.  Even my "Screw BU" t-shirt I wore pre-game was met with both laughs and good-humored "well, that's crass."  Seeing even the Cornell crowd give the BU/USA alumni a standing ovation made me happy.  And I loved seeing Ned and Jack Kelley as well as our alumni on the ice.  I think that everyone in town for the game was just thrilled that we were doing this.  There are simply lots of respect between the two programs and you could see that on the benches and in the stands.

Estimates vary from 60%-90% Cornell percentage, but it was really warming to see that many.  I have a feeling the BU fans didn't know there were that many Cornell hockey fans.  There were always scattered empty seats to be seen, so I doubt the turnstile count was 18,200, but every section was mostly full.  The aggressive, professional scalpers were indeed outside the place, and I heard and was approached several times asking if I had any extras.

Good God, was that fun.  This should happen once every four years.

[Beeeej]

Plenty of good photos of the game are available, by the way, on CHN:

http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2007/11/25_butops.php

[Greenberg '97]

This is the thread I've been looking for (read: should have started).  We can go on for days about the game and its implications for the season, but it's nothing more than a bad non-conference, neutral-site loss.  The Red will hopefully recover and move on.

I can't say much more about the experience than Rich has already said (except possibly adding "Rum Bar" to his "Beer" comment).  We dominated the crowd and would have absolutely rocked the place if we ever took a lead.  Most of the fans seemed pretty good in terms of sportsmanship... although by the third period, when I had moved to a more BU-controlled section, I got quite a few stares for being the only one telling their team to "DIE!"

I wish I could have spent more time around the arena both before and after the game, and I wish I had gotten off my ass and actually organized a group of people like I had planned, but even coming solo it was a spectacular time.  I hope this doesn't turn out to be a once-a-decade thing.

-Greenberg '97

[evilnaturedrobot]

hmm.  It was certainly awe inspiring to see MSG filled for college hockey, and there are certainly parts of the experience that I will cherish (the "RED" certainly being one of them), but was I the only person put off by the fact that MSG on Saturday night was facetimer central?  Now I know that this was expected going in, and that we never could have filled that stadium with the faithul alone, but I'd estimate that at least half of the Cornel 'fans' there had no idea what was going on (nor did they really care.)  Outside of myself and a few people standing with me, there didn't seem to many Cornell fans concerned with the fact that we where being embarrassed on national TV.   The game seemed secondary to socializing.  A few guys behind me actually tried to start a 'de-fense' cheer, I was embarrassed.  In many ways it was the anti-lynah experience.  

I understand that this was a celebration of college hockey as much as it was a game, but the nonchalance of most Cornell fans really took away from the experience for me.  Where I an independent observer, I would have asked myself:  So these are the vaunted Lynah Faithful?  I would not have been impressed.

[sah67]

[quote RichH]  I went to several bars & restaurants before and after the game, saw fans from both sides and didn't see a lick of bad sportsmanship.  Maybe some have different experiences.  [/quote]

I saw mostly good sportsmanship as well, but when a couple drunk BU frat-heads started screaming "Cornell sucks" in people's faces outside MSG, I calmly responded with "Good game, man" to one of them as he passed.  He quickly lowered his voice and patted me on the back, saying "yeah, sorry, good game, man."  

Call me sappy, but that was pretty cool.  Of course, this being one week after my own mature self verbally bitch-slapped a smarmy, obnoxious little 14-year-old at Dartmouth

[sah67]

[quote evilnaturedrobot] Where I an independent observer, I would have asked myself:  So these are the vaunted Lynah Faithful?  I would not have been impressed.[/quote]

That exact question was asked by some BU fans over on the USCHO fans, who (just a few ) were not impressed.

I for one shot a couple glares at the Cornell mom behind me who kept whining "This game is so violent.  Why did I come!?" and "Why do the Cornell people keep cheering...we're losing...we look so arrogant!"

Not to mention the two Cornell meatheads next to me who remarked at the beginning of the 2nd: "Dude, we got a new goalie...sweet!"  "How do you know?" "Last period, our goalie wore red, this one is wearing white...oh wait, it says Boston on him.  But why is he over here?"

[billhoward]

Another reason why the Cornell experience is like no other. And we do this sports thing for, what, maybe $100 million a year less than Ohio State?

Others criticized the facetimers. You can't have all 12,000 Cornellians be experts on hockey arcana such as the teams changing sides each period. (I was at Sunday's NY Rangers game and a companion wasn't clear why Jagr, in the penalty box, didn't release when Dallas scored. Answer: Dallas was in the box, too.)

I hope Cornell does this again. Every year in MSG may be too often (although I'm all for trying). Every 3-5 years is about right and if we can keep it going in between as a home-and-away series in between, as it appears we're doing, that's fine. My experience helping run a Cornell Daily Sun reunion, bringing together great Sun writers past and present, is that a gathering can maintain itself at a cocktail party level when held each year, and sold out the Marriott ballroom as a once-every-5-years event.

I just wish our most stalwart opponents didn't wear red.

[CowbellGuy]

[quote RichH]This was my first hockey game I've ever seen there (and 2nd time I've been inside the arena...both times this year) and I'm really impressed by it's setup.  Even the "bad" seats are good, and the open concourses are well designed.[/quote]

Don't let Bill hear you. Everyone knows MSG is an utter abomination and the worst thing to happen in the history of man.

[Beeeej]

[quote CowbellGuy][quote RichH]This was my first hockey game I've ever seen there (and 2nd time I've been inside the arena...both times this year) and I'm really impressed by it's setup.  Even the "bad" seats are good, and the open concourses are well designed.[/quote]

Don't let Bill hear you. Everyone knows MSG is an utter abomination and the worst thing to happen in the history of man.[/quote]

Maybe Bill means the one they tore down in 1925.

[evilnaturedrobot]

[quote billhoward]
Others criticized the facetimers. You can't have all 12,000 Cornellians be experts on hockey arcana such as the teams changing sides each period. (I was at Sunday's NY Rangers game and a companion wasn't clear why Jagr, in the penalty box, didn't release when Dallas scored. Answer: Dallas was in the box, too.)
[/quote]

Oh I understand, the reason this game drew 18,200 as opposed to 9,000 is because it was the Facetiming event of the semester.  Without that we're looking at a half empty arena.  Even so, much of what I love about the usual  Cornell hockey experience was missing here. At no point on Saturday night did I feel that anyone else around me was living and dying with the team.  There's a fundamental camaraderie to the Lynah experience, and that's lost when those standing around you don't seem to care.

And call this silly, but I've always felt that we, as a fan base, have a reputation to live up too.  It bothers me when we fall short.  I was a hockey fan before I came to Cornell, I don't need the kind of fan involvement seen at Lynah (and on the road) to maintain interest in the game, but there are so many things that make the Lynah experience unique and wonderful.  I felt that most of those where missing on Saturday night.  That is all.

[amerks127]

this being one week after my own mature self verbally bitch-slapped a smarmy, obnoxious little 14-year-old at Dartmouth

You got off easy then.  A 12-year-old openly challenged me to fight at the end of that game...might've been for my "Hanover's in Dartmouth" cheer.

[Beeeej]

[quote evilnaturedrobot][quote billhoward]
Others criticized the facetimers. You can't have all 12,000 Cornellians be experts on hockey arcana such as the teams changing sides each period. (I was at Sunday's NY Rangers game and a companion wasn't clear why Jagr, in the penalty box, didn't release when Dallas scored. Answer: Dallas was in the box, too.)
[/quote]

Oh I understand, the reason this game drew 18,200 as opposed to 9,000 is because it was the Facetiming event of the semester.  Without that we're looking at a half empty arena.  Even so, much of what I love about the usual  Cornell hockey experience was missing here. At no point on Saturday night did I feel that anyone else around me was living and dying with the team.  There's a fundamental camaraderie to the Lynah experience, and that's lost when those standing around you don't seem to care.

And call this silly, but I've always felt that we, as a fan base, have a reputation to live up too.  It bothers me when we fall short.  I was a hockey fan before I came to Cornell, I don't need the kind of fan involvement seen at Lynah (and on the road) to maintain interest in the game, but there are so many things that make the Lynah experience unique and wonderful.  I felt that most of those where missing on Saturday night.  That is all.[/quote]

I think you're going to need to get over it, dude.  The game was targeted at local alumni, and while the Faithful were going to fill a certain number of the seats, nobody with any sense was expecting Section A times a hundred.  If the people immediately around you weren't living and dying with the team, you picked the wrong people to go with you.

[BCrespi]

[quote sah67]
I saw mostly good sportsmanship as well, but when a couple drunk BU frat-heads started screaming "Cornell sucks" in people's faces outside MSG, I calmly responded with "Good game, man" to one of them as he passed.  He quickly lowered his voice and patted me on the back, saying "yeah, sorry, good game, man."  [/quote]

I had the same exact experience and replied exactly the same way, except I held my hand in front of his face, looking for a high-five.  He didn't know what to do for a good 5 seconds, and then high-fived me and meekly said, "Yeah, thanks, you too, sorry."  
I guess neither one of our experiences caused him to stop though.

[Beeeej]

[quote amerks127]

this being one week after my own mature self verbally bitch-slapped a smarmy, obnoxious little 14-year-old at Dartmouth

You got off easy then.  A 12-year-old openly challenged me to fight at the end of that game...might've been for my "Hanover's in Dartmouth" cheer.[/quote]

I've found what seems like a perfect solution to the loud, classless children at Meehan every time we play Brown.  When they run up to me, yelling "Brown hockey! Brown hockey!" and dance in front of me, holding out the middle sections of their shirts in case I wouldn't have spotted the word "Brown" on them otherwise, I simply reply, "How many times has Brown won the ECAC tournament or the national title?"

Should work equally well at Dartmouth.

[Rosey]

[quote CowbellGuy]Don't let Bill hear you. Everyone knows MSG is an utter abomination and the worst thing to happen in the history of man.[/quote]
When I first got there, I said, "Wow, this place isn't nearly as bad as everyone makes it out to be."

And it isn't.  But there were a few things that really stood out as in need of serious updating: no seamless glass, tiny bathrooms with *huge* lines between periods, uncomfortable seats (if you're going to make me sit, at least give me a comfortable seat), and congested towers.

OTOH, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and breadth of the beer selection.  No Arrogant Bastard, for sure, but still a few potable brews.

Kyle