More NCAA regionals for the REA

[MafiaMan]

I sure as heck couldn't tell that the popularity of hockey was on the decline in Columbus this year. But outside the arena area, there were lots of Columbianites who did not know that there was a HUGE hockey event taking place in their city.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's what happens in larger metropolitan areas, my friends. At the World Cup last September, I ran into several people in downtown St Paul who asked me "who are the Wild playing tonite?" as I walked down the street in my CCCP hockey jersey. In bigger cities, what might seem to be a major event is actually only a major event to a small amount of people. Obviously, pretty much everyone in a town of 44,000 people would know about the World Junior Tournament going on, but if you asked 3,000,000 people about an event that contained about 18,000 fans, most wouldn't have any idea.

[scorengoren]

Getting away from the size of the media/city aspect. Is "the new ralph," hockey atmosphere, really anything to brag about?? When I go to the games, there doesn't seem to be nearly the atmosphere there used to be at UND hockey games.

[Diggler]

Getting away from the size of the media/city aspect.  Is "the new ralph," hockey atmosphere, really anything to brag about??  When I go to the games, there doesn't seem to be nearly the atmosphere there used to be at UND hockey games.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If you go to playoff games, yes it is. UND needs to somehow weed out the moron students who are there for the social event. If all the students were like the die hards or the people who take their seats during the playoffs, the atmosphere would rule.

[Cratter]

Getting away from the size of the media/city aspect.  Is "the new ralph," hockey atmosphere, really anything to brag about??  When I go to the games, there doesn't seem to be nearly the atmosphere there used to be at UND hockey games.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't think they award tournament sites based on hockey atmosphere.

[dagies]

OK then.

UND should host a regional at the Xcel Center.

That might not be a bad idea. The Sioux would have a great chance of playing relatively close to home if they make the NCAA's. Better than going to WI or CO.

On the other hand, if the gophers are placed in that regional to ensure attendance it will become a home gopher crowd. I like the idea in about every scenario but that last one.

[sagard]

That might not be a bad idea. The Sioux would have a great chance of playing relatively close to home if they make the NCAA's. Better than going to WI or CO.

On the other hand, if the gophers are placed in that regional to ensure attendance it will become a home gopher crowd. I like the idea in about every scenario but that last one.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I love the idea. Sioux fans are loud, then can hold their own with us Gophers fans even when outnumbered.

[bigmrg74]

That might not be a bad idea. The Sioux would have a great chance of playing relatively close to home if they make the NCAA's. Better than going to WI or CO.

On the other hand, if the gophers are placed in that regional to ensure attendance it will become a home gopher crowd. I like the idea in about every scenario but that last one.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I thought the Sioux didn't fear going into anybody else's barn, unless that arena happens to be in Michigan.

[MafiaMan]

Why does Omaha get the college world sereis every year when I am sure there are other places that could get bigger attendance? Grand Forks could be to the frozen Four like Omaha is to the World Series.  Nothing beats small town hospitality.  If you have been involved in sports and traveled with teams you know what I mean.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Grand Forks hosting the Frozen Four every year just like Omaha does for NCAA baseball? Omaha's population according to the 2000 census was over 390,000 people, slightly larger than that of Grand Forks, my friend. Add another 300,000 to the population of Fargo and you have Omaha. Hardly "small town" by comparison.

[ESPNInsider]

Why does Omaha get the college world sereis every year when I am sure there are other places that could get bigger attendance? Grand Forks could be to the frozen Four like Omaha is to the World Series.  Nothing beats small town hospitality.  If you have been involved in sports and traveled with teams you know what I mean.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Omaha stuck with the CWS through thick and thin, and has put millions of dollars into Rosenblatt for the single reason of hosting the CWS every year. It is the biggest event in Omaha year after year and the people embrace it and put on a great show. Kids dream of going to Omaha each year. I doubt that any place would get bigger attendance.

When it comes to GF hosting the Frozen Four every year, come on. GF couldn't do half the job that Omaha does. There just isn't enough stuff to do in GF to draw that large of a crowd. Plus with well under 100,000 in GF/EGF there probably wouldn't be enough local support. Sure we think the arena is awesome, but no one else in the country really cares. When it comes to the REA many in GF/UND think that it is much more important then it really is. Sure it's nice, sure it's cool, but people around the country (less big time college hockey fans) could care less.

[The Sicatoka]

Omaha: Week-long event. Eight teams.

Frozen Four: Weekend event. Four teams.

World Junior Championships: Two-week long event. Ten teams.

UND and Grand Forks could never host a Frozen Four much less World Juniors.

[#1Hakfan]

The Frozen four is only 3 games. You only have one day do do anything and thats friday. (that is assuming you travel there on wed and leave sunday)

Oh well at least this is giving us something to discuss during a slow offseason.

Just wait until the NHL gets a new CBA, then we will have a lot to talk about. Maybe someone should start a new thread "Who will trun pro"

[jimdahl]

[ESPNInsider]

Omaha: Week-long event. Eight teams.

Frozen Four: Weekend event. Four teams.

World Junior Championships: Two-week long event. Ten teams.

UND and Grand Forks could never host a Frozen Four much less World Juniors. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What I'm saying is GF is not the place to put an event year after year that doesn't always draw huge crowds anyway.

[ESPNInsider]

Just wait until the NHL gets a new CBA, then we will have a lot to talk about. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That'll be a while. Speaking of, how about Roenick's comments on fans. What an idiot! As a player in a sport that was previously hurting for fans and no doubt will be hard pressed to get people in the stands when/if they come back you probably shouldn't be telling fans to kiss your a$$. You should be begging them to watch you play and pay your salary. I laughed pretty hard though when I saw the clip, just thinking of everyone in the front office shaking their heads thinking of a way to cover that one up.

[The Sicatoka]

A new NHL CBA will come.

Roenick will still be a PR nightmare. Talk about a "Sprewell moment".

[brooklyn accent]

Yo Jeremy, I'z gotz usez CBA ri' he'ah, 'n' use ken kiss it too.

[/brooklyn accent]

[CoteauRinkRat]

[Goon]

That might not be a bad idea. The Sioux would have a great chance of playing relatively close to home if they make the NCAA's. Better than going to WI or CO.

On the other hand, if the gophers are placed in that regional to ensure attendance it will become a home gopher crowd. I like the idea in about every scenario but that last one.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think the issue is that an EZAC schools was complaining (remember discussion by cornell fans wanting team to come to Cornell and suggesting they would win if UofM had to play them at their small barn) about Minnesota having an unfair avantage by playing on their home ice. Of course mind you many people over look the fact that Cornell was highly over-rated because of the weak a$$ed league they play in. Forgetting that fact that Cornell didn't beat many teams I would have considered to be elite.

I guess even during the NCAA Frozen Four Cornell coach Schaffer was complaining about how his team had been jobbed and had his frozen four appearance taken from him because they had to unfairly play Minnesota in Minnesota. Even Barry Melrose was trying to say that Cornell had one of the best teams in the country I disagree with these morons... So I believe that is what the east coast elite are talking about. The snobs out east are probably upset that it was an all west final and that the NCAA hockey really isn't about them.

On the flip side of this UND had the ultimate iron man competition and instead of whinning and going one and done they took it to the Boston Schools and dismantled them.

One could make the arguement that Worchester was in Boston schools back yard so I am not buying this argument either. For the geographically challenged Worchester is only like 35 miles from Boston.

Edited June 27, 2005 by Goon

[redwing77]

[Goon]

[bigmrg74]

[sagard]

I think the issue is that an EZAC schools was complaining (remember discussion by cornell fans wanting team to come to Cornell and suggesting they would win if UofM had to play them at their small barn) about Minnesota having an unfair avantage by playing on their home ice. Of course mind you many people over look the fact that Cornell was highly over-rated because of the weak a$$ed league they play in. Forgetting that fact that Cornell didn't beat many teams I would have considered to be elite.

I guess even during the NCAA Frozen Four Cornell coach Schaffer was complaining about how his team had been jobbed and had his frozen four appearance taken from him because they had to unfairly play Minnesota in Minnesota. Even Barry Melrose was trying to say that Cornell had one of the best teams in the country I disagree with these morons... So I believe that is what the east coast elite are talking about. The snobs out east are probably upset that it was an all west final and that the NCAA hockey really isn't about them. 

On the flip side of this UND had the ultimate iron man competition and instead of whinning and going one and done they took it to the Boston Schools and dismantled them.

One could make the arguement that Worchester was in Boston schools back yard so I am not buying this argument either. For the geographically challenged Worchester is only like 35 miles from Boston.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Schafer is a whiner to the core. Sometimes he's right like in '03 when Cornell deserved and easier draw than MSU, sometimes he's wrong like last season when Cornell got the draw they earned. Either way, he's going to whine. He has also had plenty of issues with EZAC officiating.

Getting by the Gophers in Minneapolis, though not easy as was proven certainly had to have been looked upon favorably than the other three brackets.

[Five-HoleFrenzy]

In thinking about it further if you look at how Minnesota wound up playing at the end of the season they were frankly not a very good team. Start with Goaltender and Briggs was not playing as well as he had earlier in the year...Something like couldn't stop a beachball or something like that. Their young defensemen were showing the affects of being counted on heavily all year. Harrington, who was supposed to be "the guy", was anything but. And to top it all off they struggled to score goals.

Now given all this, how good does it look to whine about a supposed unfair advantage Minnesota had?. If Cornell was as good as advertised then they should have beaten Minnesota regardless of where they played. Cornell, if they played in the WCHA, would have maybe been a 6th place team. .

[MafiaMan]

I attended the western regional and can honestly say for all the talk I heard about Cornell, I was TERRIBLY disappointed when I saw them. Ohio State skated circles around the Big Red for the better part of the semi-final game. Cornell was big and slow. It took all of five minutes of watching that game for me to comment to my buddy "the only hope of a Minnesota-less Frozen Four is Ohio State." The shots on goal wouldn't have changed a bit had the game been played in upstate New York, Boston, or Berlin, for that matter.

Cornell should have been licking their chops at having to face Minnesota coming off a tough OT game against Maine. Instead, Cornell looked like a bunch of high school kids playing the Gophers. They got what they deserved.