Pepsi Arena - barely occupied for ECACs?

billhoward · March 20, 2006, 11:16:13 AM

[quote nshapiro]What about the Hartford Civic Center? It once hosted a winter college hockey tournament, and is closer to alumni populations in NYC and Boston.[/quote]
Anything that's good for Boston-area Cornell alumni is also good for Boston-area ECACHL schools who have been faring all too well in the tournament. Albany is pretty much equidistant from NYC and Boston. If the subject is charm, sophistication, and panache, trading Albany for Hartford doesn't buy you much.

Madison Square Garden, now that would be a place to have it.

Trotsky · March 20, 2006, 01:06:05 PM

[quote abmarks]Putting the ecacs in Lake placid was like what holding the WCHA's in Aspen would be. Ridiculous.[/quote]

Your two cents were sensible. You should have left out your third cent. Lake Placid was a fantastic site for the ECACs. It fell victim to logistics, not logic. Albany has all the romance of a tuna cannery and all the convenience of a quickie mart. When a sufficient amount of money is involved, more people will rally for the latter than the former. That's why it won. Same reason McDonalds, Walmart, and Budweiser won. It's reality, but I wouldn't call it good company.

Al DeFlorio · March 20, 2006, 02:26:53 PM

[quote Trotsky]Your two cents were sensible. You should have left out your third cent. Lake Placid was a fantastic site for the ECACs. It fell victim to logistics, not logic. Albany has all the romance of a tuna cannery and all the convenience of a quickie mart. When a sufficient amount of money is involved, more people will rally for the latter than the former. That's why it won. Same reason McDonalds, Walmart, and Budweiser won. It's reality, but I wouldn't call it good company.[/quote]
And the whine, while delayed some, has predictably arrived.

marty · March 20, 2006, 03:34:15 PM

I guess I stand corrected, but then I don't understand the NCAA requiring that the venue have at least 14,000 capacity for hockey finals. Maybe I have that number wrong, too!

marty · March 20, 2006, 03:43:38 PM

I met someone at the regionals in Providence who enlightened me concerning one facet of Lake Placid. I don't remember whether he was an alum of an ECACHL school or just a fan but I think he was just a guy who enjoys college hockey.

He lived somewhere near Boston and the trip to Albany was fine but never considered Lake Placid. Imagine driving nearly 3 hours to Albany and then heading north to Keene and then over the winding roads to LP. Fine if you plan on staying the night, but not all fans do.

I actually enjoyed some facets of the game Saturday. Four friends from '74 and '73 made the trip from NYC (and towns nearby) to meet for dinner and the game. The camaraderie was a pleasant counterpoint to the pain of watching the game. They were home sometime early Sunday morning.

billhoward · March 20, 2006, 05:03:45 PM

Albany is the perfect spot for the ECAC tournament, geographically. The problem is Albany is Albany.

Even then, compared to Boston, how many bars can you hit in one night? How much do you want to pay for a room? How many different restaurants can you eat in? And most of all, of the 48 hours you spend at a hockey weekend, when you subtract out driving, eating, sleeping, watching the game, or getting ready to do one of those things, how much time is left? You've only got about six hours where Albany has to entertain you.

OK, Boston has thousands more good looking women ... who will all shoot you down anyhow. (Or thousands more men who'll hit on you.) To paraphrase Woody Alle -- never mind, I'm on quotation probation. I'll PM Ari with the quote and you can PM him.

A comparison report on Green Bay;s attractions would be nice, a week from now.

Beeeej · March 20, 2006, 05:05:32 PM

[quote billhoward]A comparison report on Green Bay;s attractions would be nice, a week from now.[/quote]

I understand they have cheese there.

Beeeej

Al DeFlorio · March 20, 2006, 05:07:53 PM

[quote billhoward]
To paraphrase Woody Alle -- never mind, I'm on quotation probation. I'll PM Ari with the quote and you can PM him.
[/quote]
Geez, Bill. You can't just bait the hook like that and then yank it away.::whistle::

CowbellGuy · March 20, 2006, 05:16:43 PM

Yes he can. YES HE CAN!

abmarks · March 20, 2006, 05:25:54 PM

[quote Trotsky][quote abmarks]Putting the ecacs in Lake placid was like what holding the WCHA's in Aspen would be. Ridiculous.[/quote]
Your two cents were sensible. You should have left out your third cent. Lake Placid was a fantastic site for the ECACs. It fell victim to logistics, not logic. Albany has all the romance of a tuna cannery and all the convenience of a quickie mart. When a sufficient amount of money is involved, more people will rally for the latter than the former. That's why it won. Same reason McDonalds, Walmart, and Budweiser won. It's reality, but I wouldn't call it good company.[/quote]

Trotsky- good point. I'd agree that the move to Albany must have been made mostly on the financial package to the league.

However, I was speaking from a FAN perspective when calling Lake Placid ludicrous. It sucked as a location...see Delta's post above, he laid out all the logistical problems (and costs) that made it a horrific location as far as attending goes. It's a nice rink, sure, but time and money (ie my time and money) matter more than the rink.

If I want ambiance, etc, I'll go on vacation in Tuscany or find a palm tree to sit under in the Caribbean.

If I want to go see a hockey game, send me where it's cheapest and most convenient for the majority. And where I can park my car. And where I can get a hotel room, or cancel a hotel room. Or better yet, not need a hotel room at all because it's doable as a day trip. Ambiance is just a bonus.

Don't make me spell out the analogy for you

CowbellGuy · March 20, 2006, 05:33:50 PM

Maybe it doesn't matter to you, but from this poll, it seems like it does to a lot of people:

http://elf.elynah.com/poll/results.php?action=results&poll_id=27

billhoward · March 20, 2006, 05:34:36 PM

For the ECAC committee that chooses the location, Lake Placid couldn't be more exquisite. Your rooms are booked already and paid for, you are the week's big fish in a small pond (even if the damn pond is 15 feet too wide), you can have nice lunches overlooking Mirror Lake, etcetera.

That's what probably got the stupid NCAA to choose Lake Placid for the 1970 NCAAs back when the rink held 2,000. Too bad they didn't skip Lake Placid and use the 1971 site, Syracuse, both years.

BTW, was there any griping on eLynah in 1970 about the rink being too wide for Ned's tastes?

KeithK · March 20, 2006, 05:47:11 PM

[q]Or better yet, not need a hotel room at all because it's doable as a day trip.[/q]You can do Lake Placid as a day trip from Ithaca. It may make for one of my worst hockey experiences ever, but it was a day trip. (And we didn't die sliding off the icy mountain roads while racing to get there on time - bonus!)

Al DeFlorio · March 20, 2006, 05:54:10 PM

[quote Beeeej][quote billhoward]A comparison report on Green Bay;s attractions would be nice, a week from now.[/quote]

I understand they have cheese there.

Beeeej[/quote]
On their heads, too. ::screwy::

abmarks · March 20, 2006, 06:03:16 PM

[quote CowbellGuy]Maybe it doesn't matter to you, but from this poll, it seems like it does to a lot of people:

http://elf.elynah.com/poll/results.php?action=results&poll_id=27[/quote]
Poll results showed 50/50 for Albany vs. the response of "ah nuts."

How long has that poll been running? Wouldn't a better poll be Lake Placid, Albany, Somewere else?

"Ah Nuts" could be taken to mean "Well, I'm not thrilled with Albany but...it still beats Placid" just as easily as it could mean "Placid forever, screw Albany."

Fuzzy data....