PCM Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 The band, the music, the PA announcer: None are supposed to be "doing their thing" when the puck is in play*. My impression is that the PA announcer generally tries to abide by that rule. Unfortunately, it sometimes it works out that the puck goes into play before he gets done reading an ad or an announcement. I don't believe that there's a conscious effort to ignore the rule. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCM Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 My point was and still is that a large % of the fans at the REA could care less about the game. Like the NHL arenas the REA has become a place to conduct business. I think this kills the atmosphere more than the adverstising. People continue to say this, but the facts don't back it up. There have been games and series during which student involvement was minimal, yet the atmosphere was terrific. How do you explain that? Don't tell me that it's not possible to have great atmosphere in the arena without standing and swearing. Don't tell me that corporate types and advertising have ruined the atmosphere. I know it's not always true because I've seen it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears. And I've heard coaches and players from opposing teams say after they've lost that when the crowd got behind the Sioux, the game got tougher for them. That's not to say that there aren't things that could be done better or differently to improve the atmosphere because there are. I fully support those efforts. But until we get past all this nit-picking and finger-pointing, it ain't gonna happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dickgraham Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 As I recall the PA advertising crap was going on at the Old Ralph also. It was annoying then and it is more annoying now. DG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jloos Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 People continue to say this, but the facts don't back it up. There have been games and series during which student involvement was minimal, yet the atmosphere was terrific. How do you explain that? Don't tell me that it's not possible to have great atmosphere in the arena without standing and swearing. Don't tell me that corporate types and advertising have ruined the atmosphere. I know it's not always true because I've seen it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears. And I've heard coaches and players from opposing teams say after they've lost that when the crowd got behind the Sioux, the game got tougher for them. That's not to say that there aren't things that could be done better or differently to improve the atmosphere because there are. I fully support thos efforts. But until we get past all this nit-picking and finger-pointing, it ain't gonna happen. I don't remember saying swearing and standing are needed for a good atmosphere. I agree 100% that some of the games have had great atmosphere - BC, Minny, St.Cloud. I also agree students are not 'better' fans. Many of the students are at the games to be seen - I've sat in other sections and the student section is by far the worse for people talking on cell phones, trying to hook up, bragging about how drunk they are etc... Where we disagree is how the corporate nature of sports has taken away from the atmosphere. Ruined the atmosphere? No, taken away from? Maybe. Having large numbers of corporate season ticket holders makes the croud different every night. I have no statistics, nor would I be interested in researching the situation, but it is my opinion that every game has a % of people that are entertaining clients that could care less about the game. This % changes every game. Am I right? I don't know, it just my 2 cents, which is worth... about 2 cents Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCM Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 Having large numbers of corporate season ticket holders makes the croud different every night. I'm sure that you're correct about having more of those types of fans at the new Ralph than at the old Ralph. But c'mon. There aren't enough "corporate types" in all of Grand Forks to make a dent in the atmosphere at the REA -- even if every single one of them owned season tickets. This isn't the Twin Cities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiouxperDave Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 The atmosphere at the old Ralph was 100% better than the new Ralph. The student section was rowdy and the games were a lot more fun to attend. We now have the nicest facility in the NCAA but not the most enjoyable. I've attended games at Mankato and St. Cloud and wish the Ralph could have that kind of atmosphere again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 The atmosphere at the old Ralph was 100% better than the new Ralph. The student section was rowdy and the games were a lot more fun to attend. We now have the nicest facility in the NCAA but not the most enjoyable. I've attended games at Mankato and St. Cloud and wish the Ralph could have that kind of atmosphere again. I think the great atmosphere we all know and love at the old Ralph (at least in it's last 5 years or so) can be attributed to the "re-birth" of the program under Dean Blais. I think this is what most fans choose to remember about the old Ralph. It wasn't always that way, as I remember attending lots of games in Gino's last few years that didn't have much but a bunch of green and white seats staring at me from across the rink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiouxperDave Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 I think the great atmosphere we all know and love at the old Ralph (at least in it's last 5 years or so) can be attributed to the "re-birth" of the program under Dean Blais. I think this is what most fans choose to remember about the old Ralph. It wasn't always that way, as I remember attending lots of games in Gino's last few years that didn't have much but a bunch of green and white seats staring at me from across the rink. I attended UND from 91-96 and lived thru those lean years. I'd still take that atmosphere over the current atmosphere any day. There weren't as many students there but they were louder and rowdier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikejm Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 My point was and still is that a large % of the fans at the REA could care less about the game. Like the NHL arenas the REA has become a place to conduct business. I think this kills the atmosphere more than the adverstising. ... I understand the REA is trying to make a profit, but the atmosphere they are creating is a turn off to many 'real' hockey fans. I simply don't buy this nonsense... "could care less about the game"? As I've said before, there are several times during the season when I share my season tickets with a business associate or client. But there has never been a time when my seats were occupied by someone who doesn't care about the game. Those seats cost me way too much money (about $35 per seat per game) to waste on someone who won't enjoy the action. An arena of any type is hardly the place to "conduct business". I sell things for a living. Have you ever tried to make a sales pitch in an environment with a band playing, cheerleaders beside you, a VERY loud public address system blaring away, etc.? I don't care how "dead" the crowd is, a hockey arena is not conducive to closing a sale. Now, if you said the suite holders are doing business I'd give you some credit; but considering the relatively small number of people inside the suites compared to the Ralph's capacity, I think that argument holds little water as well. There ARE things that can be changed to make the atmosphere louder and more "intimidating" to visiting teams. Hoping that 11,000 voices are going to join in obscene chants isn't going to happen, so if that is your goal, please move on to Plan B. One thing that always bothers me is that almost without fail, when the scoreboard and/or facia urges people to stand up and cheer and get loud (the loud meter?) it is during a TV timeout. Talk about a buzz-kill! How can anyone expect a crowd to sustain any sort of excitement or cheer for over a minute with nothing to cheer about except the cheer itself? The folks who run the scoreboard need to know when a TV timeout is imminent and not try to stir the crowd into a frenzy until almost the end of the "red light". I'm going to resort to something I wrote on a related topic a week or so ago: if atmosphere is defined by 11,000 voices raised in a cheer, make it clean and easy. How 'bout something as simple as: (picture in your mind's ear the crowd at Lake Placid, 1980, USA vs. Russia:) "UND ... UND ... UND ... UND" As to your comment about the advertising turning off "real" hockey fans: if they were such true and diehard students of the game, the advertising wouldn't distract them at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schmidtdoggydog Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 And it's my opinion that people are starting to whine about every little thing because the Sioux aren't playing well! Ever notice how none of this stuff seems to matter when the Sioux are winning? I was just thinking the same thing this morning and couldn't agree with you more. If UND wasn't in a mini-funk, and was playing like they played earlier this season, we wouldn't be having the Brandt/Parise debate because we would be winning and we would be talking more about Parise, Murray, Money, Genoway, Lundbohm, Jones, etc, than Kupchella and RT and we would be talking about the best places to eat and drink in Boston and less about advertising, PA announcers, etc., etc., etc. Hopefully, the boys turn it around this weekend, so we can get back to hockey talk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jloos Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 I simply don't buy this nonsense... "could care less about the game"? As I've said before, there are several times during the season when I share my season tickets with a business associate or client. But there has never been a time when my seats were occupied by someone who doesn't care about the game. Those seats cost me way too much money (about $35 per seat per game) to waste on someone who won't enjoy the action. To clarify - I'm not in favor of bad sportsmanship (swearing, gesturing etc...) - I did not mean to imply all season ticket holders use their tickets strictly for business, I think the vast majority of them are die hard Sioux fans - There is still a good % (even though the minority) of season ticket holders that use the tickets for business. The majority of these are suite holders, but remember the suite holders have the option of buying tickets below their suite (I'm not sure how many) - From what I've seen a good number of suite owners and season ticket holders are from Fargo where there are more 'corporate types' - banks, law firms, accounting firms, investment firms from Fargo all have season tickets. - My experience with law firms is, the firm has x number of tickets and gives x number to clients to attract their business. I did not mean to imply 'conducting business' was actually negotiating deals during the game. - Like I said before the last time I saw the Sioux lose at the REA was last Nov. I think they are playing great and don't understand why people are freaking out - you can't win them all. - Every one seems to agree the atmosphere at the REA needs some work. I think everything discussed on this thread contributes in some way to this problem. I don't think anyone is 'right' or 'wrong'. - The atmosphere is at the REA is still better than Mariucci. The M-I-N... chear is close to the lamest thing I've heard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCM Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 I'm going to resort to something I wrote on a related topic a week or so ago: if atmosphere is defined by 11,000 voices raised in a cheer, make it clean and easy. How 'bout something as simple as: (picture in your mind's ear the crowd at Lake Placid, 1980, USA vs. Russia:) "UND ... UND ... UND ... UND" I like this idea. Initially, the KISS (keep it simple, stupid) principle should apply. Cheers that are too complex or clever won't be picked up by most people. The main thing is to get as many people as possible to participate. As they say in the Russian Army, quantity has a quality all its own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagies Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 Here's my take. I was at the last regular season game against Denver in the old Ralph. Hadn't been to a game there since graduation in 1987 and was really looking forward to it. I sat across the arena from the students. I was disappointed in the lack of "atmosphere" at that game. No one around me got up to cheer, and there was only sporadic "energy" from the students during that game. I think what we have in the Ralph is a larger building that swallows up the student cheering, and has allowed a higher percentage of the fan base to be those that are less than rowdy. I think that is to be expected. In addition, some of the recent events have had an effect on the students but that should be only temporary until the students quit sulking and the admin actually does something to help get the crowd involved. Time to move on. I DO love the atmosphere at some of the smaller rinks but guess what? I'm damn glad I can actually GET a ticket to get into the Ralph. That wasn't the case in the late 1990's. It's time the Ralph, the UND powers, and the students got together to do what they can to help the situation. Notice I didn't mention the regular joe fan because I believe the whole idea will be for everyone else to sweep them up in the moment. They're not looking to change the atmosphere. We're looking to get them involved. Stream of consciousness stoppered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinnesotaNorthStar Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 Here is a European Hockey jersey. The US may not be far behind. Zach, I hope not.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fighting Sioux Hockey Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 I missed last Sat's game so the last time I saw the Sioux lose at home was November 14 (yes I had to look that up). I enjoy the games regardless of score, I love college hockey. My point was and still is that a large % of the fans at the REA could care less about the game. Like the NHL arenas the REA has become a place to conduct business. I think this kills the atmosphere more than the adverstising. The advertising has slowly gotten worse over the last 15 years, it is not something new, but in my opinion it is starting to get out of hand. I wonder if 10 years from now the players jersey's will look like NASCAR uniforms. I understand the REA is trying to make a profit, but the atmosphere they are creating is a turn off to many 'real' hockey fans. That said the REA is still the nicest rink in the world, and I am very thankful to Ralph. I think the REA admin needs to work on creating a better atmosphere. This is a European Hockey jersey I found. Could the US be far back? Sorry new to this stuff haven't figured out how to quote correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCM Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 This is a European Hockey jersey I found. Could the US be far back? What? You don't like the NASCAR look on hockey players? I'd be surprised if the NCAA ever allowed that level of advertising on its players. They don't even allow ads on the boards at the Frozen Four. I noticed at the World Junior Championships in Helsinki that they had advertisements in each of the circles. I found that quite annoying. I found myself wondering if players had any trouble tracking the puck when it moved off the white ice and into the colored circles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsowe Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 The atmosphere at the arena is less than desirable because of one reason and that is that the management cares more about making money than it does about the atmosphere. I am positve that there is a way to make money and create a great atmosphere. Why do they have the band all the way up in no mans land and so far away from the student sections. I know that the sections next to the band is a student section but that is where the extra tickets are sold. Second, the band job is to create atmosphere they can't do that when the ralph cuts the playing time down to nothing. Half of the hockey team and the arena doesn't know that we have a band. Another example on the how the ralph operates is you would think that after the sioux score a goal the band would play the fight song. Just like MIN, WIS, UMD,etc... but no for every third goal they play their pipe music. There are many more examples. The Management at the ralph has to realize that THIS IS A COLLEGE TEAM NOT THE WILD OR A PRO-TEAM. Untill they realize that things will be the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoggy Posted February 20, 2004 Share Posted February 20, 2004 What? You don't like the NASCAR look on hockey players? I'd be surprised if the NCAA ever allowed that level of advertising on its players. They don't even allow ads on the boards at the Frozen Four. I noticed at the World Junior Championships in Helsinki that they had advertisements in each of the circles. I found that quite annoying. I found myself wondering if players had any trouble tracking the puck when it moved off the white ice and into the colored circles. If I remember correctly, I believe that CC has some ads inside the blue line. It is annoying to look at. I'm not sure if it is even allowed in the NCAA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinnesotaNorthStar Posted February 20, 2004 Share Posted February 20, 2004 I noticed at the World Junior Championships in Helsinki that they had advertisements in each of the circles. I found that quite annoying. I found myself wondering if players had any trouble tracking the puck when it moved off the white ice and into the colored circles. I think it's the same way in Major Junior. The Conference Affiliation and tributes (the HB or 23) should be the only thing allowed on the ice IMHO. The boards I don't mind so much, because thy've been that way as long as I can remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sioux fan in phoenix Posted February 20, 2004 Share Posted February 20, 2004 I'd be surprised if the NCAA ever allowed that level of advertising on its players. They don't even allow ads on the boards at the Frozen Four. But I thought the NCAA was all about maximizing profits (i.e., regional playoff seedings)? I've read a lot of gripes on this board about the NCAA focusing on money too much & I wonder what stops them from placing ads on boards at the Frozen Four & turning players into skating billboards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCM Posted February 20, 2004 Share Posted February 20, 2004 But I thought the NCAA was all about maximizing profits (i.e., regional playoff seedings)? It is, but the NCAA also likes to promote the image of college sports as being purely amateur. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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