moneymaker02 wrote:i just know i was damn jealous to watch the sabres/pens games on tv last year knowing half the people i went to high school with were there. and if they weren't in the stadium they were in the parking lot tailgaiting. i dont mind them going to tampa, tampa rallied around the lightning when they won the cup and showed good fan support. that atleast shows they could sustain it for the weekend of the frozen four.
The outdoor games are a special case (although it sounds like the nhl is trying to suck the life out of it). It's a unique experience to sit outside inthe weather and watch a hockey game. Ford Field won't have that.
As far as Tampa rallying around the Frozen Four I don't see the correlation. They wanted to save their local team so they would have one. Why should they necessarily care about four teams from distant colleges that will never be back to Tampa?
It's a good idea, and I think that hockey in general will see a boost from it. The novelty of the outdoor game may wear off, but I still think it holds a unique place within the players and certainly the die hard fans. I can remember playing on the ponds and there's nothing like it. Even an indoor setting like Ford Field will be a great experience for the collegiate athletes. I hope it works both for the Detroit area and for hockey as a whole, the game has a chance to grow again with the NFL's daily problems and baseball continuing to shoot themselves in the foot.
moneymaker02 wrote:the experience of hosting a national championship of course. as well with all the money it brings to the city.
It didn't work out that way when it was in Anaheim.
I don't know if fans will go to Tampa or not. I'm sure that the 5K or so of us that go every year regardless of location or teams participating will go, but I don't know how many locals they'll draw or if the teams going will end up bringing fans. (Unless those teams are North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, or Maine. Second tier of this list is Boston University, Michigan or Cornell.).
Actually it did work in Anaheim as they made money sold out nearly all of last year as well as already having good attendance this year. The Lightning are the second most supported pro sports team in Florida according to Stephen Brunt of Prime Time Sports and editor at the Toronto Sun, after the Bucs above the Dolphins. Attendance for the Lightning percentage of empty seats are less than that of the Miami Dolphins. Last year saw a dip in Lightning ticket sales, but that happens in most markets when your team is the worst in the league. However, a championship in Ford Field would be a bad idea. Do you realize how many bad seats there would be? It would be worse than seeing a game in the Igloo in Pittsburgh, where you may be sitting behind a concrete support. I say keep rotating the championship between, The Pepsi Centre (Denver), Bradley Centre (Milwaukee), Banknorth Garden (Boston),Nassau Coliseum (New York) and Joe Louis Arena (Detroit). This way each region is recognized and each arena is a city with hockey ties.
Dave Ellett is a hero. A Bowling Green Falcon and a Former Jet and Maple Leaf. What more can a Winnipegger ask for.
PegCityFalcon wrote:Actually it did work in Anaheim as they made money sold out nearly all of last year as well as already having good attendance this year. The Lightning are the second most supported pro sports team in Florida according to Stephen Brunt of Prime Time Sports and editor at the Toronto Sun, after the Bucs above the Dolphins. Attendance for the Lightning percentage of empty seats are less than that of the Miami Dolphins. Last year saw a dip in Lightning ticket sales, but that happens in most markets when your team is the worst in the league. However, a championship in Ford Field would be a bad idea. Do you realize how many bad seats there would be? It would be worse than seeing a game in the Igloo in Pittsburgh, where you may be sitting behind a concrete support. I say keep rotating the championship between, The Pepsi Centre (Denver), Bradley Centre (Milwaukee), Banknorth Garden (Boston),Nassau Coliseum (New York) and Joe Louis Arena (Detroit). This way each region is recognized and each arena is a city with hockey ties.
I believe she was referring to when the NCAA Championship game was in Anaheim.
