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This is prompted by the photo on the current opening page of USCHO. A bench full of smiling UMass Lowell players celebrating a goal in an eventual win over Merrimack in the Mariucci Classic at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis. The place is virtually empty. The lack of fans was even noted throughout the game recap elsewhere on this site. It appears as if 90% of the nearly 10,000 people listed as "attending" this game are disguised as empty seats.
I realize that the photo and the attendance figure represents two things, the number of tickets sold and the fact the the place was of course nearly full for the Minnesota game. But are there no longer people who in addition to being fans of a particular team are also fans of this sport? And it isn't just this game at this tournament at this arena. Notre Dame has hosted two Shillelagh Tournaments at the Compton and in the games not involving the host team you could count the fans present on your fingers and toes. Same thing can be said for nearly any arena hosting more than one game. There are almost never more than a handful of people there for the game NOT involving their team. This holds true for games played at the home of one of the teams or games played where all the teams are on neutral ice. It is the same for regular season games and for NCAA tournament games. It was like this for the 2011 Frozen Four.
It wasn't always like this. I've been to plenty of tournaments in college hockey and college basketball where the atmosphere used to be like a carnival. People were there to enjoy the games, whether or not their team was playing. It almost seemed like a little bit of a bonus or a free game. Sure you paid for a ticket because your team was there, but in addition, there was a whole other game for you to enjoy. It is never like this anymore. In truly neutral sites, the atmosphere now is morgue like instead of carnival like. Obviously family, work or travel situations can keep some people away, but EVERYONE? I'll see another example of this I'm sure in March. Despite the fact my team isn't going to sniff the NCAAs in 2015 I'll be at the Compton when they host an NCAA tournament regional for the first time. My guess is 99% of the Notre Dame fans I usually see there won't be within miles of the place unless they coincidentally live within miles of the place. And I'm equally certain that for each of the 3 games there will be two sets -- and ONLY two sets -- of fans in attendance.
So I ask, do you like college hockey or do you just like your own team and couldn't care less about the sport?
I realize that the photo and the attendance figure represents two things, the number of tickets sold and the fact the the place was of course nearly full for the Minnesota game. But are there no longer people who in addition to being fans of a particular team are also fans of this sport? And it isn't just this game at this tournament at this arena. Notre Dame has hosted two Shillelagh Tournaments at the Compton and in the games not involving the host team you could count the fans present on your fingers and toes. Same thing can be said for nearly any arena hosting more than one game. There are almost never more than a handful of people there for the game NOT involving their team. This holds true for games played at the home of one of the teams or games played where all the teams are on neutral ice. It is the same for regular season games and for NCAA tournament games. It was like this for the 2011 Frozen Four.
It wasn't always like this. I've been to plenty of tournaments in college hockey and college basketball where the atmosphere used to be like a carnival. People were there to enjoy the games, whether or not their team was playing. It almost seemed like a little bit of a bonus or a free game. Sure you paid for a ticket because your team was there, but in addition, there was a whole other game for you to enjoy. It is never like this anymore. In truly neutral sites, the atmosphere now is morgue like instead of carnival like. Obviously family, work or travel situations can keep some people away, but EVERYONE? I'll see another example of this I'm sure in March. Despite the fact my team isn't going to sniff the NCAAs in 2015 I'll be at the Compton when they host an NCAA tournament regional for the first time. My guess is 99% of the Notre Dame fans I usually see there won't be within miles of the place unless they coincidentally live within miles of the place. And I'm equally certain that for each of the 3 games there will be two sets -- and ONLY two sets -- of fans in attendance.
So I ask, do you like college hockey or do you just like your own team and couldn't care less about the sport?
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