Frozen Four at Ford Field?

[nyc94]

At least the odds of getting tickets improves.

http://www.uscho.com/news/2005/02/02_009814.php

[billhoward]

An ice hockey NCAA championship in a football stadium seating 65,000-75,000 would be a very cool publicity stunt in a year when Cornell wasn't in the final four and none of us had tickets, either. Because the view for everybody other than the goal judges would be lousy. It would be fine to watch on TV.

Downtown Detroit is a city always looking for some stunt to make everyone forget for a bit what a crummy city Detroit has been and may continue to be for the forseeable future. It will get better maybe around the time GM, Ford and Chrysler get their collective acts together and that's going to be, when, never?

The NCAA can sell out an 18,000 seat stadium for the Frozen Four, but I don't think there are another 50,000 people dying to get tickets. It would be embarrassing to have, say, 26,000 people rattling around the stadium.

Can anyone say, "Trial balloon"?

[Scott Kominkiewicz]

I agree that a 65,000-seat stadium will be awfully hard to fill for a Frozen Four, but seeking a maximum crowd is certainly a noble goal.  If research indicates that the right number is between 20,000 and 65,000, an indoor football facility may be configured to accommodate that count a la the Carrier Dome for basketball.  

[ben03]

[Q]Scott Kominkiewicz Wrote:

 I agree that a 65,000-seat stadium will be awfully hard to fill for a Frozen Four, but seeking a maximum crowd is certainly a noble goal.  If research indicates that the right number is between 20,000 and 65,000, an indoor football facility may be configured to accommodate that count a la the Carrier Dome for basketball.  [/q]
seating ~33,000+ in it's basketball (/hockey) set-up and a location easily accessable from all directions (sitauted on both I-90 and I-81) you may be on to something that has more teeth than some might give it credit. i'd love to see a FF in Syracuse.

[Beeeej]

Heck, Cornell could even host it.

Beeeej

[ben03]

... maybe even Cornell/Colgate  ::nut::
not to mention all those seats the Faithful could fill

[atb9]

[Q]ben03 Wrote:

 ... maybe even Cornell/Colgate  
not to mention all those seats the Faithful could fill[/q]

Even more  ::nut:: :

Hosted at Syracuse University by Cornell University and Colgate University.  Oy.

[ben03]

[Q]atb9 Wrote:
 [Q2]ben03 Wrote:
 ... maybe even Cornell/Colgate  
not to mention all those seats the Faithful could fill[/Q]
Even more   :
Hosted at Syracuse University by Cornell University and Colgate University.  Oy.[/q]
i know i know it's like a monkey f'ing a football ... but syracuse is a great sports town and i think they'd support it whole-heartedly.

[jtwcornell91]

[Q]ben03 Wrote:

 [Q2]atb9 Wrote:
 [Q2]ben03 Wrote:
 ... maybe even Cornell/Colgate  
not to mention all those seats the Faithful could fill[/Q]
Even more   :
Hosted at Syracuse University by Cornell University and Colgate University.  Oy.[/Q]
i know i know it's like a monkey f'ing a football ... but syracuse is a great sports town and i think they'd support it whole-heartedly.[/q]

Did you ever go to the Syracuse Invitational Tournament?

[ninian '72]

Detroit may not be a garden spot, but it's probably the most rabid hockey town in the country.  The Wings have tremendous support, and after years of disappointing Lions and Tigers teams, hockey is THE sport in Detroit.  If you're going to try to pull off a stunt like this, Detroit is as likely a spot as any.  That said, one wonders what the practical limit for the size of a hockey venue is.  At what distance does the sport lose its visceral feel?   I've attached a couple of images that might give some perspective - Ford Field set up for b'ball and a shot of Spartan Stadium when MSU and UM played there a few years ago.  The "Cold War" game pulled in 72,000 fans.

[Nate 04]

I gotta imagine it gets easy to lose track of where the puck is up when watching from the nosebleed sections.   Maybe they can make it glow or something, like Fox (ABC?) tried to do years ago in their NHL broadcasts.

[Al DeFlorio]

[Q]ninian '72 Wrote:
That said, one wonders what the practical limit for the size of a hockey venue is.  At what distance does the sport lose its visceral feel?

Edited 1 times. Last edit at 02/03/05 09:22AM by ninian '72.[/q]
Maybe they can design a puck that will leave a flaming trail behind it so folks in the stands will be able to see where it is.  :-O

[nyc94]

[Q]Al DeFlorio Wrote:
Maybe they can design a puck that will leave a flaming trail behind it so folks in the stands will be able to see where it is.[/q]

A tennis ball soaked in alcohol yields a lovely low blue flame - a little driveway game to pass the early evening hours as a high schooler in suburbia.

[RichH]

Well, it's that much closer to reality, now that the NCAA has announced six finalists to host the Frozen Fours from 2009-2011:

http://www.uscho.com/news/2005/04/14_010593.php

Boston - TD Bank North Garden (host: Hockey East/Boston University)
Detroit - Ford Field (CCHA) (2010-2011 only)
Philadelphia, Pa. - Wachovia Center (MAAC/Canisius/Niagara)
St. Paul, Minn. - Xcel Energy Center (University of Minnesota)
Tampa, Fla. - St. Pete Times Forum (Alabama-Huntsville)
Washington, D.C. - MCI Center (Atlantic Hockey/Naval Academy)

I'd vote for D.C., Philly, and St. Paul.  Also note the bids turned down:
[Q]Among those ruled out: Sunrise, Fla.; San Antonio; Minneapolis; Columbus, Ohio; Auburn Hills, Mich.; and Buffalo, N.Y.[/Q]

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

That would be great if they have it at the Wacko (though by the time the tourney rolls around, it will have gone through 3 bank name changes).  I wouldn't even have to pay for a hotel room.

And given the stupidity of the Ford Field idea, that's just one less competitor for Philly.  It does imply that St. Paul is locked in, since they're the only western location on the list besides the stupid idea.