Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Why does playoff turnout everwhere seem so low?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Why does playoff turnout everwhere seem so low?

    I watched the Hockey East semis on MSNBC yesterday, and it seemed as though the Garden was nowhere near full. The crowd size in the clips they were showing from the ECAC tournament in Lake Placid looked appalling -- as if were a team's intra-squad practice session.

    From what I was able to see on TV, turnout in the other conference tourneys also looked to be pretty meager. Am I wrong on that?

    Has broader interest in college hockey fallen so that large arenas are no longer because of poor turnout by the general public? Is it because more of these can be seen on TV these days, or is this now the norm?

    Thoughts?

    I'll cut Hockey a bit of slack because for the first time ever none of the three Boston teams made it to its Final Four.
    Last edited by snively; 03-22-2014, 10:02 AM.

  • #2
    Re: Why does playoff turnout everwhere seem so low?

    I was noticing the same thing going back and forth between the HE semis and the Big Ten tournament. One would have thought that since Minnesota was playing in their home state, the rink would have been sold out. No such luck. And attendance at TD Garden, while better for the second game, wasn't even close to a sellout. Not having BC or BU involved definitely hurt but that can't be the only reason because Providence, UML and UNH are not far away and usually bring good crowds. Maybe it's the economy? Spring break? Don't think it has to do with TV although I could be wrong there.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Why does playoff turnout everwhere seem so low?

      Snive, you said it best, case in point, Hockey east was on NBC and nesn. Fans can stay in the confines of their homes and watch numerous college games.

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by snively View Post
        I watched the Hockey East semis on MSNBC yesterday, and it seemed as though the Garden was nowhere near full. The crowd size in the clips they were showing from the ECAC tournament in Lake Placid looked appalling -- as if were a team's intra-squad practice session.

        From what I was able to see on TV, turnout in the other conference tourneys also looked to be pretty meager. Am I wrong on that?

        Has broader interest in college hockey declined so that large arenas are no longer because of poor turnout by the general public? Is it because more of these can be seen on TV these days?

        Thoughts? I'll cut Hockey East a bit of slack because for the first time ever none of the three Boston teams made it to its Final Four.
        JFYP, adding words declined and East. :-)

        Good thread topic.

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Skate79 View Post
          I was noticing the same thing going back and forth between the HE semis and the Big Ten tournament. One would have thought that since Minnesota was playing in their home state, the rink would have been sold out. No such luck. And attendance at TD Garden, while better for the second game, wasn't even close to a sellout. Not having BC or BU involved definitely hurt but that can't be the only reason because Providence, UML and UNH are not far away and usually bring good crowds. Maybe it's the economy? Spring break? Don't think it has to do with TV although I could be wrong there.
          USCHO listed total attendance at the Garden as 11,112, so guessing maybe 8000 for each game? Many PC fans were away along with their band or in bars watching their squeakball team. Not as many local ND fans there, without their über rival BC?

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Why does playoff turnout everwhere seem so low?

            Part of it is that conference tournaments just aren't that important, except for teams going for autobids, and they're all long shots to win it all anyway. If your team is getting in anyway, and it's on TV, a lot of people will wait a week for the tournament, when they will have to travel farther, generally. Plus the fact that nobody knew who was going to be in these tournaments until a week before wreaks havoc with scheduling. Why book a trip to Lake Placid when there's a reasonable chance, a week before, that you'll suddenly discover your team won't be there? Another issue is that fans show up to see just their team and then leave, leaving empty, but sold, seats. I don't think the conference basketball tournaments do that well either, by and large.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Why does playoff turnout everwhere seem so low?

              Originally posted by unh1982 View Post
              Snive, you said it best, case in point, Hockey east was on NBC and nesn. Fans can stay in the confines of their homes and watch numerous college games.
              i disagree, we've been able to do that for quite awhile. No boston schools, no maine, it makes a difference.
              BS UML '04, PhD UConn '09

              Jerseys I would like to have:
              Skating Friar Jersey
              AIC Yellowjacket Jersey w/ Yellowjacket logo on front
              UAF Jersey w/ Polar Bear on Front
              Army Black Knight logo jersey


              NCAA Men's Division 1 Simulation Primer

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Why does playoff turnout everwhere seem so low?

                I think it's a combination of being free on TV vs shelling out a minimum of $70-80 for 2 upper bowl seats ($140-200 for two lower bowl seats, plus add parking, refreshments, travel) if you actually go. If I go I try to find free parking and try to find tickets for a fraction of the price. Big Ten and NCHC prices.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Why does playoff turnout everwhere seem so low?

                  Originally posted by Snively65 View Post
                  USCHO listed total attendance at the Garden as 11,112
                  Was that the sum for that two games combined?

                  I've never put much stock in self-reported turnout numbers. Remember when the Red Sox front office finally admitted that its consecutive games sellout number was bogus?

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Why does playoff turnout everwhere seem so low?

                    1. HD TV on a 50+inch screen is nearly as good as being there in person.
                    2. With a decent cable/satellite service you can keep up with action at several games at once.
                    3. Conference realignment disrupted traditional rivalries.
                    4. Conference realignment (at least in the west) forces fans to travel too far for tournament.
                    5. Ticket prices are outrageous.

                    Other than that, I can't think of ANY reason why attendance is so bad.
                    Du hockey comme dans le temps!

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Why does playoff turnout everwhere seem so low?

                      if the regional ticket prices weren't so outlandish, i think you'd see more people at these conference tourney games (just one factor).

                      with hockey east, back in the day there was the big four. seemed bc, bu, unh and maine were always at the garden. those were pretty good crowds.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Why does playoff turnout everwhere seem so low?

                        Originally posted by goblue78 View Post
                        Part of it is that conference tournaments just aren't that important, except for teams going for autobids
                        Excellent point (actually all good/valid points in your post).

                        I think that way, way back when -- showing my age here -- the national championship was just a four team tourney. Granted there were far few Division One teams then, but even so...

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Why does playoff turnout everwhere seem so low?

                          and from my personal perspective, things changed for me ever since i started getting all conference championships on tv like 10 years ago. i enjoy this weekend, watching all the available games.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Why does playoff turnout everwhere seem so low?

                            Originally posted by Freddie View Post
                            1. HD TV on a 50+inch screen is nearly as good as being there in person.
                            2. With a decent cable/satellite service you can keep up with action at several games at once.
                            3. Conference realignment disrupted traditional rivalries.
                            4. Conference realignment (at least in the west) forces fans to travel too far for tournament.
                            5. Ticket prices are outrageous.

                            Other than that, I can't think of ANY reason why attendance is so bad.
                            Really good stuff. I think you hit it on the head.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by hockeykrazy View Post
                              ..... plus add parking, refreshments, travel) if you actually go. If I go I try to find free parking.......
                              For the Garden yesterday, I bought two excellent lower bowl seats through UNH ticket office for $37 each, plus $4 fee, so total of $78. We spent $25 for parking at the Government Center Garage, a five-minute walk away. So, not bad for 5+ hours of entertainment. Brought our own sandwiches and carrots; the $9 for a 14 oz Harpoon IPA was the most outrageous cost, in my book. But, at least beer is an option at Hockey East, which is not the case with NCAA regionals. Last March, a friend and I watched the UNH-UML regional at Manchvegas in a nearby bar, spending our ticket savings on good beer.

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X