Atlantic City-ECAC hockey attendance fiasco

[Ronald '09]

Places with AHL/ECHL Rinks in or around perimeter and their capacities:

AHL:
Syracuse - 6,230
Binghamton - 6,800
Wilkes-Barre - 8,350
Worcester - 14,800
Springfield - 7,276
Providence - 11,940
Hartford - 15,635
Bridgeport - 9,000(?)
Glens Falls - 4,806 + ~1,000 SRO

ECHL:
Elmira - 3,784
Trenton - 8,100

[css228]

Nope Penn's rink is way too small so Philly is out. Shame though because it is the perfect city otherwise... Anyone want to put a temporary rink in the Palestra?

[Trotsky]

If that's what the league is thinking, I think that they should give us nice welcome goody bags filled with whatever crack they're smoking when we show up for the games.

If they want to hold the tourny at some locale that just outside of the "boundries", I vote for DC or Philly. But then, DC had the squeakball tourny this weekend. Stupid squeakball. ::cuss::

I don't think the league was thinking anything more than whatever deal was cut with AC.

Whether or not we liked Lake Placid we almost all hated Albany after the first trip, and it wound up growing on people as they got familiar with it and adapted their expectations to the venue (cons: made Iowa look exciting and Philly look pretty; pros: easy to get to for most fans and seemingly built around underage consumption of alcohol).

We'll know after a few years whether AC this year too new, too weird, or too far.  I suspect it's the latter which won't be helped with time, but if attendance continues to be low we'll eventually move back to a more central location.  Worcester and Hartford seem like OK choices among those they have never tried (not great for those of us traveling from afar, but we aren't and shouldn't be a priority).

[css228]

If that's what the league is thinking, I think that they should give us nice welcome goody bags filled with whatever crack they're smoking when we show up for the games.

If they want to hold the tourny at some locale that just outside of the "boundries", I vote for DC or Philly. But then, DC had the squeakball tourny this weekend. Stupid squeakball. ::cuss::

I don't think the league was thinking anything more than whatever deal was cut with AC.

Whether or not we liked Lake Placid we almost all hated Albany after the first trip, and it wound up growing on people as they got familiar with it and adapted their expectations to the venue (cons: made Iowa look exciting and Philly look pretty; pros: easy to get to for most fans and seemingly built around underage consumption of alcohol).

We'll know after a few years whether AC this year too new, too weird, or too far.  I suspect it's the latter which won't be helped with time, but if attendance continues to be low we'll eventually move back to a more central location.  Worcester and Hartford seem like OK choices among those they have never tried (not great for those of us traveling from afar, but we aren't and shouldn't be a priority).

nk like
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Philly is pretty, unless youre only talking about the sports complex.I'm very biased though. What about a place like Rochester?

[jtwcornell91]

Philly is pretty, unless youre only talking about the sports complex.I'm very biased though. What about a place like Rochester?

Much as I'd love for the ECACs to be held a half-mile from my house, Rochester 1) is West of the entire league and 2) has been hosting the Atlantic Hockey finals every year for a while now.

[css228]

Philly is pretty, unless youre only talking about the sports complex.I'm very biased though. What about a place like Rochester?

Much as I'd love for the ECACs to be held a half-mile from my house, Rochester 1) is West of the entire league and 2) has been hosting the Atlantic Hockey finals every year for a while now.

Good point. Didn't think about those. I'd love Philly because I'm home and its the weekend of Spring Break, but the tournament just can't fill the Wells Fargo Center. Especially when we're the only team in the final four with an enrollment over 6,000

[Jordan 04]

On a personal level, I thought the location was great. Strolling the boardwalk before and after the games beats anything that Albany has to offer. Got some great deals at the outlets. Additionally, the $2-4 game at Bally's was incredibly soft.  I really liked the venue as well...Boardwalk Hall has character, and they've done a nice job keeping the facility current.

That said, it's pretty obvious it isn't in the best interest in the league to have the tournament there.  Let's go back to Albany.

[Chris '03]

On a personal level, I thought the location was great. Strolling the boardwalk before and after the games beats anything that Albany has to offer. Got some great deals at the outlets. Additionally, the $2-4 game at Bally's was incredibly soft.  I really liked the venue as well...Boardwalk Hall has character, and they've done a nice job keeping the facility current.

That said, it's pretty obvious it isn't in the best interest in the league to have the tournament there.  Let's go back to Albany.

Seems to me, based on Jordan's assessment, AC wouldn't be such a bad spot for something like the season opening tournament they hold in Albany. Of course that's played among NY teams for the governor's cup so it can't really be held in Jersey...

If they held an October tournament there, where the weather was likely to be warm and the teams and fans knew they'd be there months in advance and could plan accordingly, it probably wouldn't be such a bad thing. Of course, if it's October, Cornell wouldn't be playing there. :-)  On short notice, in March, it's a different animal. Especially if you are a fan that is projecting out the potential cost of NCAA action in the weeks ahead.

Now if the Ivies ever went to basketball tournament (which I think, unfortunately, is a when not if proposition), I could see AC being attractive to the league given the proximity to the P's. Of course, that would conflict with the A-10 tournament in all likelihood.

[billhoward]

Seems to me, based on Jordan's assessment, AC wouldn't be such a bad spot for something like the season opening tournament they hold in Albany. Of course that's played among NY teams for the governor's cup so it can't really be held in Jersey...

Actually, why not?
New York Giants
New York Jets
Meadowlands, NJ

[Al DeFlorio]

But, if I'm going to a hockey game with 3499 other people, I'd rather be an a 4000 seat arena that seems nearly full (than a 10000 seat arena that seems like death valley).

You might feel differently if you were the 4001st person who wanted to see the game.

True that...But the 4001st fan seemed to be missing this year...Or was he/she disguised as an empty seat?

Pointless snippy retort.  Sigh.

[Chris '03]

But, if I'm going to a hockey game with 3499 other people, I'd rather be an a 4000 seat arena that seems nearly full (than a 10000 seat arena that seems like death valley).

You might feel differently if you were the 4001st person who wanted to see the game.

True that...But the 4001st fan seemed to be missing this year...Or was he/she disguised as an empty seat?

Pointless snippy retort.  Sigh.

Are you describing redice's reply or your own?
::bolt::

[Al DeFlorio]

But, if I'm going to a hockey game with 3499 other people, I'd rather be an a 4000 seat arena that seems nearly full (than a 10000 seat arena that seems like death valley).

You might feel differently if you were the 4001st person who wanted to see the game.

True that...But the 4001st fan seemed to be missing this year...Or was he/she disguised as an empty seat?

Pointless snippy retort.  Sigh.

Are you describing redice's reply or your own?
::bolt::

And another pointless, snippy one.  If you don't understand the point about a rink with only 4000 seats being a potential problem, I really have to wonder.

[marty]

On a personal level, I thought the location was great. Strolling the boardwalk before and after the games beats anything that Albany has to offer. Got some great deals at the outlets. Additionally, the $2-4 game at Bally's was incredibly soft.  I really liked the venue as well...Boardwalk Hall has character, and they've done a nice job keeping the facility current.

That said, it's pretty obvious it isn't in the best interest in the league to have the tournament there.  Let's go back to Albany.

Seems to me, based on Jordan's assessment, AC wouldn't be such a bad spot for something like the season opening tournament they hold in Albany. Of course that's played among NY teams for the governor's cup so it can't really be held in Jersey...

The Governor's cup is was abolished or suspended.  The Governor was usually too busy doing other things -like taking excursions to other venues for more important events The Important Trip.

One of the NY teams wasn't eligible to participate which led to very mediocre attendance. :-(  Seems unfair that belonging to two leagues means you play fewer games than if you belong to only one.

This tournament was included in the RIP season tickets and as such we paid for it whether we wanted to go or not.  (I did - my wife, not.) I don't even remember if they held it for two years or three.

[provgame79]

I'm new to this forum but an alum and longtime fan.  The AC attendance left me puzzled and was really depressing after a week of watching full-house hoops games.  The players deserved better.  I'm from Philly and so it was easy for me to get there, as it was for my Philly and NY classmates who met us there -- but looking at this thread, people make it seem like AC is near Atlanta.  I remember road tripping to Boston for hockey playoffs and to lots of other places for other reasons -- is AC just too far for students nowadays?  It may be grimy but is Albany really more fun?

[ebilmes]

Keep in mind that Albany was roughly on the way home for a lot of Cornell students. If you lived in New England, capital district, downstate, Jersey, then it wasn't unreasonable to stop in Albany on your way to or from spring break. It was also easier to find places to stay, since hotels weren't as expensive and there were plenty of colleges in the area where you might have friends. At 2.5 hours each way, it was possible to make the round trip in one day.

Overall, I know that Cornell's fan base has dropped off since the first part of last decade. I remember filling sections in both the lower and upper levels at the then-Pepsi Arena. I'm not sure what the dream scenario is for filling Boardwalk Hall. Unless Cornell heads into AC like 25-5-2 next year and gains more of a following, I think we may have seen the maximum number of Cornell fans. Schools like Clarkson that could send a large contingent are simply too far away for that to seem likely.