MSG Hockey v. Michigan

[Josh '99]

One thing about NYC: it has more Albanians than Albania...

[Towerroad]

One thing about NYC: it has more Albanians than Albania...

More Cretans than Crete.

[ansky629]

I actually wrote about this in another thread somewhere about six months ago.  I am a Cornell alum and then attended Michigan law.  On MGoBlog (a huge Michigan sports blog), somebody posted that they saw Red Berenson at a fundraising event and he mentioned this somewhere around June or July.  Looks like they are really interested.  

On a related note - I'd love to see this turn into an annual tournament.  What are the rules with that?  Would we have to give up Estero?  I'd love to see something like Cornell/BU/Michigan and one of the western teams, like Denver or CC.  I think the team who may be most likely to be a fourth is Notre Dame.  They are going to lose Michigan as an annual game when the Big Ten Conference starts.  There would thus be two sets of classic rivals who would be in a tournament together each year.  It would also work because there would be one team from each of the big 4 conferences.

[css228]

It would also work because there would be one team from each of the big 4 conferences.

There would be no NCHC teams... and Notre Dame is joining HE so there would only 3 of the Big 4.

[marty]

It would also work because there would be one team from each of the big 4 conferences.

There would be no NCHC teams... and Notre Dame is joining HE so there would only 3 of the Big 4.

Assuming the ECAC isn't considered the fifth league after the big shift.

[CowbellGuy]

It would also work because there would be one team from each of the big 4 conferences.

There would be no NCHC teams... and Notre Dame is joining HE so there would only 3 of the Big 4.

Assuming the ECAC isn't considered the fifth league after the big shift.

I'm pretty sure that spot is reserved for the Whateversleft Collegiate Hockey Association.

[RichH]

On a related note - I'd love to see this turn into an annual tournament.  What are the rules with that?  Would we have to give up Estero?  I'd love to see something like Cornell/BU/Michigan and one of the western teams, like Denver or CC.  I think the team who may be most likely to be a fourth is Notre Dame.  They are going to lose Michigan as an annual game when the Big Ten Conference starts.  There would thus be two sets of classic rivals who would be in a tournament together each year.  It would also work because there would be one team from each of the big 4 conferences.

Wait. Each year? The same 4 teams? That's boring. Plus Cornell would surely lose "ownership" of the event, as well as attendance drops.

The reason the games with BU have sold out an 18,000 seat arena is because it's appealing to the casual fans and alumni who don't normally follow the team closely. One game is an easy commitment, and the keystone *event* you can plan one day to see old friends around.  Casual fans, especially those coming in from outside the city, aren't going to bite for more than 1 game, especially those that don't include their alma mater.

I think we're better served inviting a team in each year for a one-off game on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  Cornell vs. Michigan in 2012, Cornell vs. Notre Dame in 2013, Cornell vs. Denver in 2014, etc.  Teams would line up for that, and you'd come close to selling out every year.

The one thing I'm nervous about is the fact that all the marketing and organizing for the Red Hot Hockey events seems to have been done by BU.  Our Athletic Department has to step up if this is going to work.  They never put in bids to host a regional (say at Blue Cross Arena), and they've been content to let BU handle everything for the MSG games.

[Chris '03]

Wait. Each year? The same 4 teams? That's boring. Plus Cornell would surely lose "ownership" of the event, as well as attendance drops.

The reason the games with BU have sold out an 18,000 seat arena is because it's appealing to the casual fans and alumni who don't normally follow the team closely. One game is an easy commitment, and the keystone *event* you can plan one day to see old friends around.  Casual fans, especially those coming in from outside the city, aren't going to bite for more than 1 game, especially those that don't include their alma mater.

I think we're better served inviting a team in each year for a one-off game on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  Cornell vs. Michigan in 2012, Cornell vs. Notre Dame in 2013, Cornell vs. Denver in 2014, etc.  Teams would line up for that, and you'd come close to selling out every year.

The one thing I'm nervous about is the fact that all the marketing and organizing for the Red Hot Hockey events seems to have been done by BU.  Our Athletic Department has to step up if this is going to work.  They never put in bids to host a regional (say at Blue Cross Arena), and they've been content to let BU handle everything for the MSG games.

100% agree. I don't think a two day tournament or showcase with set matchups would do nearly as well as a one game event, particularly when it comes to drawing casual fans. One of the worst aspects of four team tournaments is the fact that so many fans don't watch the games not involving their team.  As a result, there are thousands of guaranteed empty seats and reduced atmosphere at both games, which is a shame.

As for the marketing efforts, to be fair, Cornell Alumni Affairs did a tremendous job planning events around the game and drumming up interest via email and social media this time around (it felt like to me anyway).
 
I think a rotation of top schools one at a time is the best approach, with BU in regular rotation. Perhaps CU/BU could do every an eight year plan: MSG,off,Lynah, off, MSG, off, Agganis, off.

[css228]

It would also work because there would be one team from each of the big 4 conferences.

There would be no NCHC teams... and Notre Dame is joining HE so there would only 3 of the Big 4.

Assuming the ECAC isn't considered the fifth league after the big shift.

I'd think the new WCHA would be considered the fifth league after losing most of its power programs, but itd be close and could go either way. Point still stands that Notre Dame's joining HE so it might make more sense to get an NCHC team.

[heykb]

I'd be content to alternate the MSG game. BU in the odd numbered years and Michigan/Wisconsin/Minnesota in the even years.

I'd love to see a tradition develop where we play Wisconsin.

Besides they wear red/white. It can still be Red Hot Hockey...

[Swampy]

I'd be content to alternate the MSG game. BU in the odd numbered years and Michigan/Wisconsin/Minnesota in the even years.

I'd love to see a tradition develop where we play Wisconsin.

Besides they wear red/white. It can still be Red Hot Hockey...

Cornell hold most of the cards in this. Playing in MSG has to be a big draw, but we've shown that our fan base is able to fill the Garden much more than, say, BU. One would have to think that going to schools further away, we still make the event much more of sure thing financially.

So if a school wants to perform in the World's Most Famous Arena, it almost certainly has to consider Cornell among the potential partners.

On top of this, we're already sort of the home team (as New York's land grant institution) and even more so if we win Bloomberg's sweepstakes.

(OT: But what ever happened to "Any Person, Any Study"? Would the new New York City campus use, "Any Person, Any Study as long as it's STEM"?)

[Beeeej]

(OT: But what ever happened to "Any Person, Any Study"? Would the new New York City campus use, "Any Person, Any Study as long as it's STEM"?)

Why would that be any different from the medical school, which is also in New York City?  It's still Cornell - if you want to study something else, go to Ithaca.

[Al DeFlorio]

I'd be content to alternate the MSG game. BU in the odd numbered years and Michigan/Wisconsin/Minnesota in the even years.

I think that anything more than this might be too ambitious.

[Robb]

I'd be content to alternate the MSG game. BU in the odd numbered years and Michigan/Wisconsin/Minnesota in the even years.

I think that anything more than this might be too ambitious.

And superfluous.  I can't see anything wrong with this idea at all.

[Swampy]

(OT: But what ever happened to "Any Person, Any Study"? Would the new New York City campus use, "Any Person, Any Study as long as it's STEM"?)

Why would that be any different from the medical school, which is also in New York City?  It's still Cornell - if you want to study something else, go to Ithaca.

Well, I consider graduate school to be different from undergraduate, and the proposed tech campus would have undergrads, as I understand it. Also, a good academic case can be made for locating Med Schools in big cities (primarily because they need lots of poor people to practice on). STEM fields have much less need to be in a city, although I'm sure Bloomberg wets his pants hoping his idea pans out with the next Silicon Valley.