NCAA Change the Tourney

[Alton]

Re: NCAA Change the Tourney

2 Super Regionals is the way to go IMO. I wouldn't mind campus sites either, but 2 sites -- east and west -- and keeping most teams East and most teams West in their respective regions would make for a more appealing set up, would bring more teams together in 2 sites instead of 4, and generally would make for a much more exciting event for fans.

This is about the only change they could make that would be even worse than it is now. The only good thing is that it's logistically impossible, so it will never happen. A sure way to drive away the casual college hockey fan is to make them buy tickets for 3 days of 2 games each when they are only interested in going to 1 or (hopefully) 2 of the 6 games. Making them commit to 2-3 nights in a hotel, plus time off work, for a possibility of only 1 game is asking them to watch the games on TV instead of going to the games.

8 regionals of 2 teams each will fill the arenas, give the players of both teams the playoff atmosphere that they deserve, and keep travel expenses down by having a minimum of 8 teams, and more likely 12 or so teams, playing within driving distance of the games.

[BigRedTerrier]

Re: NCAA Change the Tourney

[QUOTE=HockeyMan2000;5100176] It's one thing to hold a Frozen Four there because a lot of the attendance isn't local fans anyway (it's team fans and annual "priority" buyers) but once the FF is over, do you think anyone in these "non traditional" sites cares about college hockey any more than they did before? Did holding the FF in Cincinnati or Anaheim start a renaissance of college hockey programs?
/QUOTE]

I think holding Frozen Fours in non-hockey cities, at least once in a while, does help to expand interest because these events are sold out and I feel like people in the city have to at least take notice of the throngs of college hockey fans and jerseys in town for the weekend. Whether that will drive the development of new youth hockey leagues or whatever...I don't know...but it certainly doesn't hurt.

On the other hand, the regional setup right now is a disservice to the game

[jmhusker]

Re: NCAA Change the Tourney

This situation is no different than the world junior tournament. If you want fans then you need to hold the games where the fans are. That means regionals need to be held in only a handful of locations including the New England area (Boston, Providence, Worcester, Hartford, Portland and Manchester all work), Upstate NY (Lake Placid, Albany, Buffalo or Perhaps Syracuse), Michigan (Detroit or whatever other suitable cities are there), Minnesota/Wisconsin (several places are obvious candidates) and Denver. Just about any other choice is a waste of time. If the NCAA wants to grow the game then do it via the Frozen Four games but not the regionals.

[amherstblackbear]

Re: NCAA Change the Tourney

2 Super Regionals is the way to go IMO.

Preach on. The Regionals haven't been the same since.

[HockeyMan2000]

Re: NCAA Change the Tourney

8 regionals of 2 teams each will fill the arenas, give the players of both teams the playoff atmosphere that they deserve, and keep travel expenses down by having a minimum of 8 teams, and more likely 12 or so teams, playing within driving distance of the games.

And you think my idea is crazy? LOL. 4 regionals isn't generating interest as it is. You want to go to 8 regionals? Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight....

[The Vicar]

Re: NCAA Change the Tourney

It seems like the NCAA just wants to hurry up and get this hockey tournament over with.

And they run it dirt cheap too!

[jmhusker]

Re: NCAA Change the Tourney

This is about the only change they could make that would be even worse than it is now. The only good thing is that it's logistically impossible, so it will never happen. A sure way to drive away the casual college hockey fan is to make them buy tickets for 3 days of 2 games each when they are only interested in going to 1 or (hopefully) 2 of the 6 games. Making them commit to 2-3 nights in a hotel, plus time off work, for a possibility of only 1 game is asking them to watch the games on TV instead of going to the games.

8 regionals of 2 teams each will fill the arenas, give the players of both teams the playoff atmosphere that they deserve, and keep travel expenses down by having a minimum of 8 teams, and more likely 12 or so teams, playing within driving distance of the games.

I think you could still treat it as two divisions with the semi's of one on one night, the other the next and both finals on the same day (separate tickets though). This would allow you to attend only what you are interested in while allowing for some cross-pollination of fans if you will.

[northeastern]

Re: NCAA Change the Tourney

Do you envision college hockey being played by UCLA and the University of Texas one day? It's never going to happen..

actually the Texas Longhorns do have hockey ..

http://www.texasicehockey.com/ .. it isn't D1 (yet)..

I agree with you all on the sensibility of holding the regionals closer to the schools/ campuses. I was pointing to what i felt the NCAA was trying to achieve.

With Penn State & hopefully theBig Ten adding more schools to the sport.. i think there will be ( there's bound to be) a snowball effect for the sport. My thinking is the NCAA is trying to play into that & showcasing the sport wherever to see what sticks.

I agree with the premise of improving the TV deals first (with the traditional, fuller arenas)... then going out & hosting in non-traditional markets.

Finally through this all, some sites clearly work better than others, no question.

I have a feeling the NCAA might be getting the ice for free at some of these venues.. & the host sites hoping to make something on the concession side of things.. (of course i could be wrong).

[Alton]

Re: NCAA Change the Tourney

The bottom line is the [NCAA] will do whatever makes them the most $. If that's playing in front of empty non-campus arenas, than that's what they are going to do.

I also generally try to do whatever will make me the most money, but I don't bother bending over to pick up a penny that I see on the sidewalk, and that's what we are talking about here. "The NCAA" takes no notice of money made and lost in the hockey regionals, because it is a molecule in a drop in a bucket in Lake Superior compared to their overall budget.

The people on the NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Committee do care about hockey, and seem to have its best interests in mind within the overall structure set up for them by the NCAA as a body. They did float the lacrosse-style tournament (first round at campus sites, quarterfinal doubleheaders at 2 neutral sites, frozen four) as a trial balloon last summer. They have not selected regional hosts past 2012, and I am optimistic enough to think that means they are finally going to give up on the regionals and go back to campus sites for the first round. We can hope, at least.

[HockeyMan2000]

Re: NCAA Change the Tourney

Preach on. The Regionals haven't been the same since.

Absolutely agree. Expanding beyond the 2 regionals dilluted the field and made attending a regional less of an event -- less teams there, less games, yet ticket prices were the same. The "product" wasn't as appealing as it was before.

[Alton]

Re: NCAA Change the Tourney

And you think my idea is crazy? LOL. 4 regionals isn't generating interest as it is. You want to go to 8 regionals? Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight....

Yes, 8 regionals, each at the higher seeded team. The problem is not that fans are saying, "I would go, but there just aren't enough teams playing." They are saying, "I can't drive 9 hours and spend 2 nights in a hotel room just to see my team play 1 or 2 games." Reducing the number of regionals increases the amount of travel, and travel is what is keeping fans away right now.

[The Freds]

Re: NCAA Change the Tourney

This is only the second year I'll miss attending the regionals in the last 10 years. Each year the attendance continues to drop. Last year I walked up to the ticket office in at the Times Union Center in Albany and bought front row seats the day of the game. I could count on my hands how many people the were. The best attended regional I remember atteneding was in Manchester a few years back, and of course UNH was choking there. (Sorry couldn't resist) That was the only time I could remember any atmosphere.

No one likes to be at an event where it feels like you are the only one there. To have 1,000 or 2,000 people sitting in an 18,000 seat arena is like being the only one there. I found myself enjoying the round robin of games on TV yesterday rather than going through the hassle of travel and hotel.

I do like the idea of regional sites, but in my opinion the NCAA should simply site them in smaller arenas. There are still some great barns out there that hold about 5,000 - 8,000 people in areas that could generate enough interest, yes even on campus sites. I would, however, advocate dropping the home ice guarantee to a host school, even if it costs ticket sales, because it comprimises the integrity of the tournament.

As for growing the sport, the years of the four regionals have done absolutely nothing to grow the sport. The experiment of siting the Frozen Four in non-college hockey cities has done nothing to grow the sport. Heck in most of those cities, most local people I encountered had no idea the Frozen Four was there.

Put the regionals in smaller venues in smaller cities near where college hockey matters.

[chickod]

Re: NCAA Change the Tourney

So "more schools" will look at a sport that draws flies to its NCAA playoff round? Seriously, you WANT people who don't play college hockey to see how little interest there is in it? lol. The NCAA may be forever trying to "grow the sport" but at some point they need to realize it is what it is, and when they start doing things like holding regionals in St. Louis it's only alienating the base of fans they have (plus, they have a hard time drawing people to regionals generally in the first place; why go to another one of these "non traditional" sites?). The lack of attendance in St. Louis is clearly evidence that they're pushing those boundaries beyond their breaking point.

I agree with this one million percent! Let me ask most of you why you like hockey in the first place. I am willing to bet it is because you grew up in an area where you could PLAY - I mean outdoors, not by paying $100 to go to some "organized" program in a rink. Do you think there are any kids shoveling off ponds to play hockey in St. Louis, or Phoenix, or LA? Not only is it a niche sport, it's a REGIONAL sport that will NEVER catch on in areas where kids can't play it. Basketball and soccer are popular because you don't need money for equipment and facilities. Yeah, you can play hockey in warm climates if you have the MONEY to pay for the facility. But how many people will choose that over a sport where they can just go out on a nice day after school with their friends and play? Certainly not enough to "grow" the sport in those areas. What baffles me is why the NCAA even WANTS to grow the sport. The only reason it is even on at all is because ESPN was forced to show it in order to get the contract for the other post-season events. Clearly, based on the decision-making, the powers that be in the NCAA know NOTHING about the sport anyway. Do you know anyone who is in business to lose money? Why would you bid on an event where you will get NO PEOPLE so NO MONEY from concessions? The NCAA can hire me tomorrow if they want and I'll show them how to make money. Until then, I don't know why anyone is surprised at anything they do...

[HockeyMan2000]

Re: NCAA Change the Tourney

With Penn State & hopefully theBig Ten adding more schools to the sport.. i think there will be ( there's bound to be) a snowball effect for the sport.

But even there, the Big 10 (or B1g 10 or whatever it is lol) is mostly a regional conference. Even if new programs sprout up because of it, it's still going to be in areas where there already is hockey. So we'll have to see how it shakes down in terms of having any actual effect on the sport.

Thanks for the Texas hockey info too

[chickod]

Re: NCAA Change the Tourney

I have a feeling the NCAA might be getting the ice for free at some of these venues..

Yeah, the "ice" in Bridgeport looked like it must have been free...