Harvard 6 Cornell 1 ECAC post-game & site critique

[Trotsky]

It would be nice if they used the final option year of the AC contract to do a one year demo at another site.  If AC had been on a probational period it might have been cancelled after one year.

[Jim Hyla]

It would be nice if they used the final option year of the AC contract to do a one year demo at another site.  If AC had been on a probational period it might have been cancelled after one year.

But we can hope that the ECAC was on a probational period, and that AC may pull the plug.

[Josh '99]

Atlantic City, Lake Placid, Bridgeport, and Providence are also expected to submit bids.

The article says:

Besides the TU Center, which hosted the tournament from 2003-10, and Atlantic City, the ECACH could hear bids from Bridgeport, Conn., Lake Placid and Providence, R.I.

I think even the passive-voiced "are also expected to submit bids" is probably too strong a wording of what Ken Schott actually wrote.

[Aaron M. Griffin]

Someone mentioned it and inquired about it somewhere, but it's official, B1G Hockey will use a rotation between Saint Paul, MN and Detroit, MI for its tournament host site. Right now, it looks like the B1G Hockey Tournament will be hosted in Saint Paul on even years and Detroit on odd years.

[css228]

Someone mentioned it and inquired about it somewhere, but it's official, B1G Hockey will use a rotation between Saint Paul, MN and Detroit, MI for its tournament host site. Right now, it looks like the B1G Hockey Tournament will be hosted in Saint Paul on even years and Detroit on odd years.

Jerks

[jtn27]

Atlantic City, Lake Placid, Bridgeport, and Providence are also expected to submit bids.

The article says:

Besides the TU Center, which hosted the tournament from 2003-10, and Atlantic City, the ECACH could hear bids from Bridgeport, Conn., Lake Placid and Providence, R.I.

I think even the passive-voiced "are also expected to submit bids" is probably too strong a wording of what Ken Schott actually wrote.

Ken Schott seems to expect them to submit bids even if Hagwell might not. Technically speaking, the ECAC could hear a bid from Honolulu too, but Schott didn't include that because he doesn't expect Honolulu to submit a bid.

[Trotsky]

Someone mentioned it and inquired about it somewhere, but it's official, B1G Hockey will use a rotation between Saint Paul, MN and Detroit, MI for its tournament host site. Right now, it looks like the B1G Hockey Tournament will be hosted in Saint Paul on even years and Detroit on odd years.

Jerks

Typicals ::rolleyes::

[Chris '03]

Atlantic City, Lake Placid, Bridgeport, and Providence are also expected to submit bids.

The article says:

Besides the TU Center, which hosted the tournament from 2003-10, and Atlantic City, the ECACH could hear bids from Bridgeport, Conn., Lake Placid and Providence, R.I.

I think even the passive-voiced "are also expected to submit bids" is probably too strong a wording of what Ken Schott actually wrote.

Ken Schott seems to expect them to submit bids even if Hagwell might not. Technically speaking, the ECAC could hear a bid from Honolulu too, but Schott didn't include that because he doesn't expect Honolulu to submit a bid.

While Schott may expect bids from those sites, it's not what the article says. The article reads as pure speculation, which is why saying that these sites are "expected" to bid is too strong.

[jtn27]

Atlantic City, Lake Placid, Bridgeport, and Providence are also expected to submit bids.

The article says:

Besides the TU Center, which hosted the tournament from 2003-10, and Atlantic City, the ECACH could hear bids from Bridgeport, Conn., Lake Placid and Providence, R.I.

I think even the passive-voiced "are also expected to submit bids" is probably too strong a wording of what Ken Schott actually wrote.

Ken Schott seems to expect them to submit bids even if Hagwell might not. Technically speaking, the ECAC could hear a bid from Honolulu too, but Schott didn't include that because he doesn't expect Honolulu to submit a bid.

While Schott may expect bids from those sites, it's not what the article says. The article reads as pure speculation, which is why saying that these sites are "expected" to bid is too strong.

Fine. I give up. I'm not arguing over such minor semantics. I was wrong to use a word as strong as "expected."

[Jim Hyla]

Atlantic City, Lake Placid, Bridgeport, and Providence are also expected to submit bids.

The article says:

Besides the TU Center, which hosted the tournament from 2003-10, and Atlantic City, the ECACH could hear bids from Bridgeport, Conn., Lake Placid and Providence, R.I.

I think even the passive-voiced "are also expected to submit bids" is probably too strong a wording of what Ken Schott actually wrote.

Ken Schott seems to expect them to submit bids even if Hagwell might not. Technically speaking, the ECAC could hear a bid from Honolulu too, but Schott didn't include that because he doesn't expect Honolulu to submit a bid.

While Schott may expect bids from those sites, it's not what the article says. The article reads as pure speculation, which is why saying that these sites are "expected" to bid is too strong.

Fine. I give up. I'm not arguing over such minor semantics. I was wrong to use a word as strong as "expected."

I don't know why not. Isn't that what the off-season is for?

[Josh '99]

Atlantic City, Lake Placid, Bridgeport, and Providence are also expected to submit bids.

The article says:

Besides the TU Center, which hosted the tournament from 2003-10, and Atlantic City, the ECACH could hear bids from Bridgeport, Conn., Lake Placid and Providence, R.I.

I think even the passive-voiced "are also expected to submit bids" is probably too strong a wording of what Ken Schott actually wrote.

Ken Schott seems to expect them to submit bids even if Hagwell might not. Technically speaking, the ECAC could hear a bid from Honolulu too, but Schott didn't include that because he doesn't expect Honolulu to submit a bid.

While Schott may expect bids from those sites, it's not what the article says. The article reads as pure speculation, which is why saying that these sites are "expected" to bid is too strong.

Fine. I give up. I'm not arguing over such minor semantics. I was wrong to use a word as strong as "expected."

[billhoward]

Ken Schott's Albany Times-Union article appears to say the tournament will be in AC next year for a third and final year, although there's wiggle room and it's unclear if that's actually the ECAC's position or the way the story is written. It's definitely an Albany-centric story even if Lake Placid, Bridgeport, and Providence were reported to be interested. The Albany ECAC-years attendance figures are listed without comment but, for AC attendance, Schott writes, "This season's attendance at Boardwalk Hall was announced at 7,593, including 4,131 for Union's 3-1 win over Harvard in the championship game."

The ECAC's departure from Albany is having the effect the ECAC wanted: To make Albany want the tournanment back and apparently increase the offer to the ECAC because of buy-in from local business: "'I'm cautiously optimistic, because we are stepping up our bid, and would not be able to do so, if it wasn't for CDPHP [a healthcare provider] and other companies that will also be sponsors,'" [TUC GM Bob] Belber said. 'The cash amount is being increased by 50 percent, and some of the contingencies we had in the past have been eliminated.'" Half a loaf (7,500 fans in an arena that holds twice as much) is better than none.

Maybe Albany could offer a buyout to AC to start a year early?

[jtn27]

Maybe Albany could offer a buyout to AC to start a year early?

Don't hold your breath waiting for that. There seems to be a lot of hope here that maybe the ECAC Tournament will not be held in AC next year. While it's always a possibility that the venue will change, I've seen nothing to indicate it might. The ECAC and Boardwalk Hall signed a contract and it would probably be very difficult for one side to back out unless it was mutual. Even if the ECAC wants out, my guess is Boardwalk Hall doesn't. 7,000 people is better than none, and it would probably be difficult for the venue to schedule another event for that weekend that would pull in more people than college hockey. By looking at Boardwalk Hall's calender of events, it seems to be empty most days. In fact, in the month of June, there's only one event scheduled to be held there. No way they want to let an event walk away. I think it's time to accept that Atlantic City will be the site for one more year.

[Trotsky]

The other approach is, if we get there next year, to just find 7500 additional Cornell fans to go.  

[Josh '99]

Maybe Albany could offer a buyout to AC to start a year early?

Don't hold your breath waiting for that. There seems to be a lot of hope here that maybe the ECAC Tournament will not be held in AC next year. While it's always a possibility that the venue will change, I've seen nothing to indicate it might. The ECAC and Boardwalk Hall signed a contract and it would probably be very difficult for one side to back out unless it was mutual. Even if the ECAC wants out, my guess is Boardwalk Hall doesn't. 7,000 people is better than none, and it would probably be difficult for the venue to schedule another event for that weekend that would pull in more people than college hockey. By looking at Boardwalk Hall's calender of events, it seems to be empty most days. In fact, in the month of June, there's only one event scheduled to be held there. No way they want to let an event walk away. I think it's time to accept that Atlantic City will be the site for one more year.

Well...  it's not really as simple as "an event is better than no event".  We know that AC was able to land the tournament because they offered the ECAC the most guaranteed money.  In addition to that expense, they have to pay their ticket-takers and their ushers and their concession vendors, and pay for the lights and the refrigeration and all that other stuff.  Plus they have to advertise.  With those costs, there's got to be some number of tickets below which they're losing money by hosting the event, and if the attendance was below that level then they'd be better off just not having an event that weekend.  

Of course, you're right to point out that we haven't heard anything that suggests that their revenue actually WAS below that point, or that AC might actually BE considering trying to back out of the agreement on that basis (which, we would guess, the ECAC might go for, on account of all the bad press they've gotten); we're ally all just hopefully speculating.