Target Center Fail

[Fetch]

One good thing from the weekend was eating at Luce Pizza - all of the food was actually excellent & prices were great - that place could make it anywhere 

[gfhockey]

Any fights in stands this weekend like last year?

[sioux rube]

The one good thing that came out of the weekend for me was I was able to get another regional ticket for this weekend at face value. In a suite.

[gfhockey]

See Ya up there rube

[gfhockey]

I heard that the Und vooster party was pretty lame this year

Band was in and out quick

DcZ spoke for like 2 minutes. No one got beers bought for them by Und?

I wasn't there this weekend as I had prior commitments

[bale31]

I didn't see the story. What is being contemplated? I can envision a jumbo NCHC/WCHA tournament at the X. But what would they do during the off-years when the Big 10 is at the X?

I don't know what exactly, but from what I understand is that it would be a nchc/wchange "exrtavaganza".

My guess is that the big 10 would be out. Nchc and wcha combined is a bigger draw than big 10. Nchc had, did I hear right, in the range of 11k per day and wcha had 6700 and 8200. That's better than what big 10 does/will do. Besides, there are rumors that big 10 may want to do a centrally located tourney in somewhere like chicago. All of that is conjecture, but that seems like the most likely scenario as the X doesn't have loyalty to any conference. They just care about who sells the most tickets.

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

One good thing from the weekend was eating at Luce Pizza - all of the food was actually excellent & prices were great - that place could make it anywhere 

 

Did Pizza Luce rebrand itself?   

[Fetch]

I had wings but tried meatballs & pizza too what does Luce mean ?

[bale31]

Fyi...here's that story.

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2015/03/23/can-attendance-issues-at-college-hockey-tournaments-be-fixed/

[focker]

I do agree people would be happier with their experience if the team hadn't played like Sh!t... Couple things I noticed: Agreed that the seats are awful.. My brother came down and had never been to TC. He was absolutely disgusted by the seats in the building. They are beyond awful. I imagine new seats are part of the $97 million renovation. The upper concourse is the most dreary place for a sporting event I've even been in. It's just depressing being in the upper level concourse in general. It's small, not well lit, no windows or natural light, etc. Only 1 concession stand on the upper level had Surly. Every one has a cooler though. Put the good stuff in every stand. Why make people walk around to the other side of the arena? Nearly every stand had a ton of room in their cooler so it would have been easy to do. Maybe not the Target Centers fault but some sections in the lower bowl were absolutely packed and then the section right next to it had fully empty rows. Why not spread people out a little bit when selling the tickets? They didn't get to crazy about checking tickets that I noticed either night so maybe it's not a big deal as people end up moving around.

[siouxforcefans]

During the third period Al Pearson came down to sit behind the UND bench and rally the fans. He wasn't being obnoxious or causing any problems. Security came down and escorted him out. Classy

 

 

Any fights in stands this weekend like last year?

Well, we did have this photo evidence for both of you:

[farce poobah]

You are totally right on that! I went to some of those 1990's Civic Center tournaments as well. 1997 was the best one and St Paul was slam-packed for the Sioux-Gopher title game. I don't recall a single restaurant within short walking distance - closest food court was somewhere by the Children's Science Museum - and it closed at 5:00 pm. Without a pro hockey team in town, downtown St Paul would be a food-and-drink desert.

By the 5th year, the WCHA Final Four was drawing 11,000 fans per game.   Average attendance didn't get over 13000 until the 15th year, which is when the Xcel opened.

 

One of the first sellouts was that AWESOME! 1997 title game.   Nothing better than seats in the middle of a whole section of Gopher fans.   

[dagies]

I think it was a little better than last year. The Target Center is what it is , an old rundown basketball arena. I kept thinking, this place needs a good scrubbing. They evidently don't have an adequate exhaust system for their deep fryers. The whole place smells like burnt grease. Nauseiating at times. And hey, you get to pee in a trough!

To me this is actually a big upgrade.   Try to use the bathroom at the X and you're stuffed in a smelly, jam packed bathroom rubbing bodies with gopher fans (oh, the humanity!) and listening to drunks talk smart.   With the troughs (and smaller crowds, I get it) you're in and out in no time.  BIG improvement, IMO.

 

Unfortunately, there continues to be a disconnect between the NCHC and the Target Center for a lot of the issues.  TC staff are used to basketball games with a different clientele for their games.  Many of the policies implemented are for basketball purposes and changes haven't been made in that aspect.

 

The $97 million renovation that begins this summer will have a big impact on the atmosphere of the arena.  Yes, it's still going to be a basketball arena with hockey but it will be customized a bit more for the tournament in the next three years of the contract.

 

I encourage everyone who had a bad experience (and a good one) to email the NCHC about the issues.  The Target Center isn't going to change things unless the direction comes from the conference.

That, and for those that bought tickets fill out the survey they send you.  Like Siouxman, I gave them plenty of feedback.

[NorthDakotaHockey]

While it has probably already been noted somewhere else  in these pages, the Target Center is going to prove to just be a flyover for the NCHC.  Once the X's contract with the WCHA expires, likely soon, the NCHC will have the financial firepower to outbid the WCHA for the Xcel Center.   NCHC goes to Saint Paul, the WCHA plays at the Target Center, and the PIG10, in its Minnesota years,  will play in  whatever local television studio is willing to provide a sheet of ice and room for thirty or forty seats, a few cameras, and a table and background  for the  PIG10 Network talking heads, who are largely clueless on the game of hockey, to do their blathering  between commercials promoting the PIG10's other sports and products. 

[Siouxperfan7]

NCHC Frozen Faceoff should be in the Xcel.  Period.  While the WCHA was successful there, I think playing the Final 5 in Grand Rapids, MI would be better for the league due to all the great lakes area schools in the conference.  B1G is not going to draw the crowds they want to due to the fact that the majority of the schools are more focused on the NCAA basketball tournament.  Not sure what theya re going to do, but playing in 18000 seat arenas when less than 3000 people show up to games looks very bad. 

 

If the NCHC really wants to be THE premier college hockey conference, they need to showcase their product at their conference tournament at a premier facility.  The Target Center deffinitely is not a premier hockey facility by any means.  The X is.

[fightingsioux4life]

NCHC Frozen Faceoff should be in the Xcel.  Period.  While the WCHA was successful there, I think playing the Final 5 in Grand Rapids, MI would be better for the league due to all the great lakes area schools in the conference.  B1G is not going to draw the crowds they want to due to the fact that the majority of the schools are more focused on the NCAA basketball tournament.  Not sure what theya re going to do, but playing in 18000 seat arenas when less than 3000 people show up to games looks very bad. 

 

If the NCHC really wants to be THE premier college hockey conference, they need to showcase their product at their conference tournament at a premier facility.  The Target Center deffinitely is not a premier hockey facility by any means.  The X is.

Heck, the Target Center isn't even a "premier" facility in the NBA!

[mksioux]

While it has probably already been noted somewhere else  in these pages, the Target Center is going to prove to just be a flyover for the NCHC.  Once the X's contract with the WCHA expires, likely soon, the NCHC will have the financial firepower to outbid the WCHA for the Xcel Center.   NCHC goes to Saint Paul, the WCHA plays at the Target Center, and the PIG10, in its Minnesota years,  will play in  whatever local television studio is willing to provide a sheet of ice and room for thirty or forty seats, a few cameras, and a table and background  for the  PIG10 Network talking heads, who are largely clueless on the game of hockey, to do their blathering  between commercials promoting the PIG10's other sports and products. 

The NCHC may have the financial ability to outbid the WCHA, but it definitely won't have the ability to outbid the Big Ten.  Despite attendance, the Big Ten has way more resources than anyone else.  If the Big Ten wants to have the X host their tournament every other year, then that is exactly what will happen.  The NCHC wants to have their tournament at the same place every year, which is why the X isn't an option.  The only thing that can change this dynamic is if the Big Ten doesn't want to be a the X anymore and voluntarily goes in a different direction.

[fightingsioux4life]

The NCHC may have the financial ability to outbid the WCHA, but it definitely won't have the ability to outbid the Big Ten.  Despite attendance, the Big Ten has way more resources than anyone else.  If the Big Ten wants to have the X host their tournament every other year, then that is exactly what will happen.  The NCHC wants to have their tournament at the same place every year, which is why the X isn't an option.  The only thing that can change this dynamic is if the Big Ten doesn't want to be a the X anymore and voluntarily goes in a different direction.

Let me guess, it's all about BTN and everything else doesn't matter?  Then I hope the X is ready for half-full at best buildings for these tournaments.

[mksioux]

Let me guess, it's all about BTN and everything else doesn't matter?  Then I hope the X is ready for half-full at best buildings for these tournaments.

As a fan, that's not my personal opinion.  But what matters is money.  And the Big Ten has a hell of a lot more of it than the NCHC.  

 

I guess it's not impossible, but I don't see a scenario where the Big Ten leaves the X unless they want to leave the X.

[MNBen]

Survey site is up and available from the NCHC Hockey page, it's on the front page right above the standings: http://www.nchchockey.com/

 

Of course you can always use this link as well to email staff directly: http://www.nchchockey.com/page/show/878706-staff-directory

[Mariucci]

While it has probably already been noted somewhere else  in these pages, the Target Center is going to prove to just be a flyover for the NCHC.  Once the X's contract with the WCHA expires, likely soon, the NCHC will have the financial firepower to outbid the WCHA for the Xcel Center.   NCHC goes to Saint Paul, the WCHA plays at the Target Center, and the PIG10, in its Minnesota years,  will play in  whatever local television studio is willing to provide a sheet of ice and room for thirty or forty seats, a few cameras, and a table and background  for the  PIG10 Network talking heads, who are largely clueless on the game of hockey, to do their blathering  between commercials promoting the PIG10's other sports and products. 

Bitter much? 

[fightingsioux4life]

Bitter much? 

Bitter?  We are now in a conference that just finished sending 6 out of 8 teams to the NCAA tournament.  The almighty B1G?  Just one.  Jealous much?

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

Bitter?  We are now in a conference that just finished sending 6 out of 8 teams to the NCAA tournament.  The almighty B1G?  Just one.  Jealous much?

 

That's 75% of the conference for you Gopher fans counting at home 

[bale31]

While it has probably already been noted somewhere else in these pages, the Target Center is going to prove to just be a flyover for the NCHC. Once the X's contract with the WCHA expires, likely soon, the NCHC will have the financial firepower to outbid the WCHA for the Xcel Center. NCHC goes to Saint Paul, the WCHA plays at the Target Center, and the PIG10, in its Minnesota years, will play in whatever local television studio is willing to provide a sheet of ice and room for thirty or forty seats, a few cameras, and a table and background for the PIG10 Network talking heads, who are largely clueless on the game of hockey, to do their blathering between commercials promoting the PIG10's other sports and products.

I think you're overestimating the earning potential of conference tournaments in this scenario. I don't think you can assume that having a building approximately 60%-65% full is going to be conducive to getting into a bidding war. Yes, the nchc would be better off in the x, but for them to do that they would haveto outbid the big 10 and the wcha. There is zero chance that the big 10 allows that to happen without the X making the choice to go with abother group.

The far more realistic option is to have a couple of leagues pair up and create an event again. Filling the building to near 100% is the best option. Work the.logistics around that, but this idea that fighting amongst the leagues makes sense is irrational and unproductive. For all the talk about doing what's good for the game, everyone seems to proud to do something that makes sense.

[UNDBIZ]

I'd be happy to pair up with the WCHA for the conference tourney as long as terms are fair and proportionate to what each conference brings to the table.  The B1G can go pound sand.