New Arena for Cornell

[Rob NH]

I agree with the renovation route instead of a new arena, it's seemed to work for Maine pretty well, where as schools like UNH who have opted to build have taken a big hit in the atomsphere department.

[whopper5]

yeah but what else is there to renovate at lynah

[Josh '99]

[Q]Rob NH Wrote:
 I agree with the renovation route instead of a new arena, it's seemed to work for Maine pretty well, where as schools like UNH who have opted to build have taken a big hit in the atomsphere department. [/Q]
See:  Clarkson

[LB]

I'm thinking....jumbotron.

And perhaps a cotton candy vendor.

[whopper5]

yeah, a jumbotron with video, and replays

[bill]

On the St. Lawrence postgame thread calgARI '07 said he thought the ice was "noticeably bad".  Can someone knowledgeable comment on how the ice can be improved?  I remember that in the early 1990s the corner of the rink near section A would still be wet from the zamboni well into the next period.  I thought that the cooling equipment had been overhauled/upgraded in the Schafer era but I also always felt the Lynah was pretty warm compared to other rinks I've been to - perhaps the relatively low ceiling plus a packed house?  I know the ice takes a beating from all of the practices, intramurals, etc.  Do they ever melt the ice and start over during the regular season?

[Chris 02]

[Q]bill Wrote:

 On the St. Lawrence postgame thread calgARI '07 said he thought the ice was "noticeably bad".  Can someone knowledgeable comment on how the ice can be improved?  I remember that in the early 1990s the corner of the rink near section A would still be wet from the zamboni well into the next period.  I thought that the cooling equipment had been overhauled/upgraded in the Schafer era but I also always felt the Lynah was pretty warm compared to other rinks I've been to - perhaps the relatively low ceiling plus a packed house?  I know the ice takes a beating from all of the practices, intramurals, etc.  Do they ever melt the ice and start over during the regular season? [/Q]

Back in the summer of 2000, they did completely overhaul the ice.  I have some pictures I took when occasionally wandering by.  They took everything out all the way down to the ice.  I believe that was also when they redid the boards/glass.  

Once hockey season is officially over, the ice seems to be melting ASAP.  During the spring, floor hockey gets played on the underlying concrete.  And the ice stays out all summer, pretty much till sometime in September I believe.

[ninian \'72]

I agree this one has been beaten to death in the past.  A lot of the discussion has been divided along lines of old/small/good atmosphere v. new/big/dead atmosphere.  I think what's more important is whether Lynah is meeting the needs of the team and its fans.  Every year the season ticket distribution system seems to be a mess, no matter what the Athletic Department tries.  There were also some threads in the fall about serious fans being shut out and complaints about face-timers winding up with tickets.  Can we put the pieces together here?  Do something to create adequate seating capacity, and the lottery issues go poof.  A bigger arena doesn't have to be quieter.  Anyone having doubts about this, please take a weekend trip to Ann Arbor for a game at Yost, which packs in 6000+ fans every game.  You may wind up referring to Yost as Lynah West.  I'm not suggesting that a rink at Cornell should be that big, but there is demand that would justify expansion.  It's not "Build it and they will come" but "They're coming already, so build it already."

[ninian \'72]

Reminds me of an old story about Ned Harkness when he was coaching at RPI.  Apparently, he would adjust ice temparature to compensate for opponents' capabilities.  When they faced a team with a lot of speed, the ice temperature would go up, making for a slower surface, and vice versa.  It may not be true, but it's fun to believe it is. :-D

[The Rancor]

Lynah was renovated in the late 80s/early 90s to have year round ice, and continues to have summer ice to this day. ask anyone who has been to cornell hockey camp. i'm sure that they scratch the ice at least twice a year, but i doubt its much more than that.

[KeithK]

Where the heck would you put a jumbotron in Lynah?  You certainly can't hang it from the rafters or the roof would collapse.  Don't know why you'd really want one anyway.

Anyone who's been to the hospital in Potsdam should know better than to ask for a new rink...  I don't think you could possibly improve on the recruiting appeal of Lynah, at least from the game perspective.  Sur edo your best to make sure that the behind the scenes facilities are top notch, but there's no reason to change the better part of the rink itself.  Any kid who thinks, I don't want to come to Cornell because they don't have a jumbotron, is someone I can live without.

Besides, a new rink wouldn't have any where near the same level of "quality" in the visiting locker rooms...

[KeithK]

As Jack parker says in the article on USCHO about BU's new arena, you want to make sure that you get a full house and have demand for tickets.  That's why he pushed for a 6000 seat arena at BU, when others involved were talking 9000.  Sure, we could probably sell 5000 seats easily for many games right now.  But that might not always be the case.  Besides, there are enough empty seats at the start of games as it is.  I don't want to think of the wholes in the crowd with another 1000 seats.

When you compare with Yosy, don't forget that Michigan is a much bigger school.  Without looking I'd bet that Ann Arbor is bigger than Ithaca too.

[ursusminor]

[Q]ninian '72 Wrote:

 Reminds me of an old story about Ned Harkness when he was coaching at RPI.  Apparently, he would adjust ice temparature to compensate for opponents' capabilities.  When they faced a team with a lot of speed, the ice temperature would go up, making for a slower surface, and vice versa.  It may not be true, but it's fun to believe it is.  [/Q] It's certainly a story that has been running around RPI for years.

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

I may just be a bit bizzarre, but I think we need to come up with a name for Agganis rink.  I suggest the "Hairy Organs Center" but I've welcome any other suggestions.

JH

[Killer]

[Q]ninian '72 Wrote:

 Reminds me of an old story about Ned Harkness when he was coaching at RPI.  Apparently, he would adjust ice temparature to compensate for opponents' capabilities.  When they faced a team with a lot of speed, the ice temperature would go up, making for a slower surface, and vice versa.  It may not be true, but it's fun to believe it is.  [/Q]

The story I remember (urban legend?) was about Clarkson.  One of my buddies, who was in the Pep Band, said that the week before playing at Clarrkson, Cornell would turn the temp up a bit to soften the ice and move the goals in a few feet at each end because Clarkson's rink was shorter.  Ring a bell with anyone?