Ranking of College Hockey Arenas

[Towerroad]

Mercifully, it sounds like they've all moved on from the crusade to make "sucks" a banned word.

"Sucks" is losing the link to the meaning that made it objectionable. "Joystick" crossed over long ago.

I was at a game over the winter, not Cornell, where a fan yelled, "Hey, ref, get off your knees. You're blowing the game." That should have been a tossable offense if they'd located the miscreant since it was directed at one person not a group. (Even if it brought a few snorts of laughter.)

Isn't the "Telephone Cheer" targeted at a single person? Assuming that you believe that a sieve is human.

[ursusminor]

I want to add to my original post a few things. First, I saw the individual write-up of RPI some time ago, and if I also saw Cornell I might have posted it here at that time. The date of the ranking list is from this month, so that must be fairly new. I only saw it now because it was posted on the Bentley thread on USCHO. (Bentley finished dead last.)

Second, UNO has now been written up, as mentioned in a comment on the bottom. That pushes RPI and Cornell down one more notch.

Third, Cornell's football field and basketball arena have also been rated.

[Josh '99]

Third, Cornell's football field and basketball arena have also been rated.

I'm not sure how Lynah scores lower in "Neighborhood" (3*) than both Schoellkopf and Newman (both 4*) when they're within 500 feet of one another.  Similarly, Lynah scores higher for "Access" (4*) than the others (3*).  For example, regarding Newman, it says:

The interstate does not run conveniently by Ithaca, and it is perhaps a 25-30 minute drive from I-81 running north/south or 45 minutes from I-86 running east/west.

The Cornell campus is rather hilly, and if you're driving through in the afternoon, be aware of the many student crosswalks and the propensity of students, assured of the right of way, to pop out in front of your vehicle.

But regarding Lynah, we see:

Getting into Cornell means finding your way onto Campus Drive, and the campus is pretty dense and congested. No worries. There is a massive ramp less than a five minute walk to Lynah Rink. A sign at the entrance directs you to "event parking." The gate is up and parking is free, and getting out after the game is a snap.

I don't know that I've ever found it to be "a snap" getting out of the parking garage after a game at Lynah.

[Dafatone]

Third, Cornell's football field and basketball arena have also been rated.

I'm not sure how Lynah scores lower in "Neighborhood" (3*) than both Schoellkopf and Newman (both 4*) when they're within 500 feet of one another.  Similarly, Lynah scores higher for "Access" (4*) than the others (3*).  For example, regarding Newman, it says:

The interstate does not run conveniently by Ithaca, and it is perhaps a 25-30 minute drive from I-81 running north/south or 45 minutes from I-86 running east/west.

The Cornell campus is rather hilly, and if you're driving through in the afternoon, be aware of the many student crosswalks and the propensity of students, assured of the right of way, to pop out in front of your vehicle.

But regarding Lynah, we see:

Getting into Cornell means finding your way onto Campus Drive, and the campus is pretty dense and congested. No worries. There is a massive ramp less than a five minute walk to Lynah Rink. A sign at the entrance directs you to "event parking." The gate is up and parking is free, and getting out after the game is a snap.

I don't know that I've ever found it to be "a snap" getting out of the parking garage after a game at Lynah.

If a rating system factors in a campus's hilliness, it's doing something wrong.

[Towerroad]

Third, Cornell's football field and basketball arena have also been rated.

I'm not sure how Lynah scores lower in "Neighborhood" (3*) than both Schoellkopf and Newman (both 4*) when they're within 500 feet of one another.  Similarly, Lynah scores higher for "Access" (4*) than the others (3*).  For example, regarding Newman, it says:

The interstate does not run conveniently by Ithaca, and it is perhaps a 25-30 minute drive from I-81 running north/south or 45 minutes from I-86 running east/west.

The Cornell campus is rather hilly, and if you're driving through in the afternoon, be aware of the many student crosswalks and the propensity of students, assured of the right of way, to pop out in front of your vehicle.

But regarding Lynah, we see:

Getting into Cornell means finding your way onto Campus Drive, and the campus is pretty dense and congested. No worries. There is a massive ramp less than a five minute walk to Lynah Rink. A sign at the entrance directs you to "event parking." The gate is up and parking is free, and getting out after the game is a snap.

I don't know that I've ever found it to be "a snap" getting out of the parking garage after a game at Lynah.

If a rating system factors in a campus's hilliness, it's doing something wrong.

There appear to be 2 different reviewers and the rankings are all subjective based on their apparently extensive experience at a number of venues. So arguing about why one chose a 3 and the other a 4 is a bit silly

I think you are argueing about the music the band is playing while the Titanic is sinking. The "600 lb Gorilla" in the room is the trashing the Lynah reviewer gave the ushers and security staff. Even if every other aspect of the review had been good (and most were) we would have only made it to the middle of the pack.

Bad customer service is really bad for the brand. This had been brought up over and over on these pages.

[kicksave]

Here's my two cents having been a season ticket holder for 15 years.  I now sit with my son when he wants to go or alone when he doesn't because my friends that were Lynah faithful have decided over the years that the uncomfortable bench with 14 inches of space is just not worth it anymore.  Many games I can't even give the tickets away.  It's just not the thing to do anymore as it was when I first started going.  Having someone's knees in your back for 2 hours and fifteen minutes and your knees smushed in between the people seated in front of you is no fun.  My high school had more comfortable seats than Lynah.  The upside of having a mediocre team is that most games there is some room to move now but being a larger than average man makes Lynah very unattractive.  It's much easier to sit at home with a cold beer and listen on the radio than suffer the "atmosphere" of Lynah.  In the old days when I was a smoker I used to go out of the doors at the top of section N or M to grab a smoke between periods.  There was a female usher at the top of M who yelled at me every time I used those doors.  She wanted me to shuffle like cattle to go to the main doors near the concessions to exit.  For NO APPARENT REASON other than she wanted to bitch about something and flex her powerful usher muscles.  The lines for the bathrooms are too long unless you want to walk to the far bathrooms on the other side of the building in between periods.  When they redid Lynah was it so cost prohibitive to put in larger cans inside the actual rink?  I dont usually eat there but the lines seem ridiculously long.  I have had friends spend the entire time in between periods on line.  It seems like things could be done to make it a better experience.
On a separate rant, the red/white scrimmage is a fun family evening for seeing the players for the first time and seeing friends at the game for a more relaxed and comfortable time.  There are usually a lot of kids running around and having fun.  I like to see the guys who sit in my section and catch up a bit.  Now here comes the rant which will be very unpopular on this forum but I'm gonna do it anyway.  The band is too damn loud and obnoxious.  Everytime there's a break in the action you can't even talk to your neighbor because the band is going all out.  I realize they need their practice but it is just too much and when the crowd is sparse it just seems to echo and seems louder than normal.  I truly don't go to a hockey game to listen to a band.  I go to watch and talk about hockey.  Sorry I'm just not a fan.

[KeithK]

Now here comes the rant which will be very unpopular on this forum but I'm gonna do it anyway.  The band is too damn loud and obnoxious.  Everytime there's a break in the action you can't even talk to your neighbor because the band is going all out.  I realize they need their practice but it is just too much and when the crowd is sparse it just seems to echo and seems louder than normal.  I truly don't go to a hockey game to listen to a band.  I go to watch and talk about hockey.  Sorry I'm just not a fan.

Some of us think that the band adds to the atmosphere of a college hockey game.  Yes I'm sure echoing is probably annoying but that's an attendance question, not a band problem.  Here's the thing. Having the band play is a lot better than having Jock Jams blasted over the PA. If you want a quieter spot to talk hockey you probably need to find a time machine 'cuz arenas fill every available moment with sound these days.  It's like it's a law or something.

[KeithK]

The thing that this article (and thread) tells me is that different people have very different expectations for sporting events and the experiences that they value.  The new, spacious arenas that top his list with lots of room on the concourses and concession stands just seem cold and boring to me, not a good place to watch a game. I'd rather be in a cramped old arena here you are piled on top of the ice. If I want nice food and comfy seats I'll go to a nice restaurant, not a hockey game. But everyone's mileage will vary.

[Trotsky]

I love the band, and I greatly appreciate all the hard work and travel they put it.  They do play too often, but I can see that after putting out such an investment they want to have their moment to shine, particularly since IINM people rotate through and not everybody gets to play every game.  I don't think they're too loud, since it's sections A and B who get blasted and undergrads will put up with anything if it ends in drinking or sex.

I'd love to get back to benches in C.  C has had individual seating for at least 20 years and it's terrible -- it makes going over rows between periods to talk to people a life-threatening activity, and of course it's impossible to pack extra people into the row which is un-American.  Benches are the only good way to see hockey.

My only complaint about atmosphere is that Kids Today And Their Zombie Phones are anti-social.  Take the ordinary ego-centrism of a teen and add social media and they wind up crammed even farther up their own ass.  This affects the imagination, volume, and energy of the crowd.  But at the end of the day, that's a decision they have to make for themselves.  They can snap out of being The Most Boring Generation whenever it suits them (or more likely their kids will just invert all their values and become interesting just out of spite).

[billhoward]

It's fair for a fan to say a band plays louder than music over the PA and that for some fans the band is better to too loud, loud enough to affect their enjoyment of the game. I'd be just as happy with the band playing a couple decibels quieter but over-40 alumni are not a big part of the Lynah fan mix. It's easier to tinker withe volume control on recorded music. That said the live band is a better experience and it's so nice when the band / pep band shows up at an away hockey or lacrosse game and it's the only band in the stadium. It tells players, parents, recruits, students which school is more involved in sports.

Music over the PA is lowest common denominator. I'm surprised I haven't heard Happy played yet at Quinnipiac. Speaking of which, Woman Killed In Crash Seconds After Posting About Pharrell's "Happy" On Facebook

[Josh '99]

Now here comes the rant which will be very unpopular on this forum but I'm gonna do it anyway.  The band is too damn loud and obnoxious.  Everytime there's a break in the action you can't even talk to your neighbor because the band is going all out.  I realize they need their practice but it is just too much and when the crowd is sparse it just seems to echo and seems louder than normal.  I truly don't go to a hockey game to listen to a band.  I go to watch and talk about hockey.  Sorry I'm just not a fan.

Some of us think that the band adds to the atmosphere of a college hockey game.  Yes I'm sure echoing is probably annoying but that's an attendance question, not a band problem.  Here's the thing. Having the band play is a lot better than having Jock Jams blasted over the PA. If you want a quieter spot to talk hockey you probably need to find a time machine 'cuz arenas fill every available moment with sound these days.  It's like it's a law or something.

If I'm reading kicksave's comments correctly, he's speaking in particular about the Red-White Game, which is sort of a special case because there's a White Band and a Red Band competing with each other (although everyone knows that the Red Band is sub-par) and both sound louder than normal because fewer bodies in Lynah means harsher echoes off concrete, and not so much about the virtues of the band in general.  Though I could be wrong.

[KeithK]

Now here comes the rant which will be very unpopular on this forum but I'm gonna do it anyway.  The band is too damn loud and obnoxious.  Everytime there's a break in the action you can't even talk to your neighbor because the band is going all out.  I realize they need their practice but it is just too much and when the crowd is sparse it just seems to echo and seems louder than normal.  I truly don't go to a hockey game to listen to a band.  I go to watch and talk about hockey.  Sorry I'm just not a fan.

Some of us think that the band adds to the atmosphere of a college hockey game.  Yes I'm sure echoing is probably annoying but that's an attendance question, not a band problem.  Here's the thing. Having the band play is a lot better than having Jock Jams blasted over the PA. If you want a quieter spot to talk hockey you probably need to find a time machine 'cuz arenas fill every available moment with sound these days.  It's like it's a law or something.

If I'm reading kicksave's comments correctly, he's speaking in particular about the Red-White Game, which is sort of a special case because there's a White Band and a Red Band competing with each other (although everyone knows that the Red Band is sub-par) and both sound louder than normal because fewer bodies in Lynah means harsher echoes off concrete, and not so much about the virtues of the band in general.  Though I could be wrong.

Oh, you could be right.  If so then I can see his point a lot better, whether or not I agee.  Anyway, to each his own.

[kicksave]

Now here comes the rant which will be very unpopular on this forum but I'm gonna do it anyway.  The band is too damn loud and obnoxious.  Everytime there's a break in the action you can't even talk to your neighbor because the band is going all out.  I realize they need their practice but it is just too much and when the crowd is sparse it just seems to echo and seems louder than normal.  I truly don't go to a hockey game to listen to a band.  I go to watch and talk about hockey.  Sorry I'm just not a fan.

Some of us think that the band adds to the atmosphere of a college hockey game.  Yes I'm sure echoing is probably annoying but that's an attendance question, not a band problem.  Here's the thing. Having the band play is a lot better than having Jock Jams blasted over the PA. If you want a quieter spot to talk hockey you probably need to find a time machine 'cuz arenas fill every available moment with sound these days.  It's like it's a law or something.

If I'm reading kicksave's comments correctly, he's speaking in particular about the Red-White Game, which is sort of a special case because there's a White Band and a Red Band competing with each other (although everyone knows that the Red Band is sub-par) and both sound louder than normal because fewer bodies in Lynah means harsher echoes off concrete, and not so much about the virtues of the band in general.  Though I could be wrong.

Absolutely correct.  The red/white scrimmage is what I was referring to.  During a regular game the band plays when there's stop in the action and that is fine with me but at the red/white it is just over the top (for me) with the bands battling back and forth and seems way too loud.  Now, GET OFF MY LAWN!

[Jim Hyla]

Would this boost Minny's ranking?

[billhoward]

Minnesota is looking for reasons why it's not winning the NCAAs every year. This year it was spelled U-N-I-O-N