WISCONSIN Hockey Vol. XXIV - Craziest Season Of All Time

[purpleinnebraska]

Re: WISCONSIN Hockey Vol. XXIV - Craziest Season Of All Time

I've had 4 season tickets for Saturday since 2006. I believe part of the attendance woes is as lack of marquee/traditional foe match-ups at home. No North Dakota, no Denver, no UMD, no Minnesota, (won't be making the 4hr trip from the Fox Cities for a "home' game in Chicago. Thanks, Barry) Can we really get pumped for UAH, Mankato, Bemidji, or a Monday night Penn State game? Then to lose many of those home games...
I started watching Badger hockey around 1980, PBS tape delay and all. This year's on-ice product simply cannot compare. My only solace from this year's season will be the games at the Dane County Colusseum vs. St. Cloud, if only as a reminder of a once-dominant past.

I have to disagree. I'm with Whisko on this - it's your winning that's going to determine your attendance. There are only 3 "marquee" names in college hockey, as far as putting butts in the seats - Minny, NoDak, and BC. The other programs with strong hockey traditions don't carry any real weight with the casual fans you'll need to fill the seats. For our series against Denver this year (and they were #2 in the nation on Nov 9-10 when we played them), we drew less fans than we did for our Bemidji series 3 weeks later. Our top 10 attendance games are all NoDak and Minny, except for one Wisconsin game years ago when you guys came over and packed the stands.
If you want to fill the seats, the winner you give the fans better be your own team.

[Gurtholfin]

Re: WISCONSIN Hockey Vol. XXIV - Craziest Season Of All Time

Years ago, when I was watching UW hockey on a 13" black and white tv in my bedroom, PBS seemed to show almost every home series on tape delay, but over the years they have cut back, which is a bummer, but it's not a recent development.

Hopefully we won't offend Gurt's longtime neighbors, if they show up. Or maybe they'll thun we're too quiet! Not likely, but I hope so.

Let's go RED!

I grew up in the Chicago area to Wisconsin-native parents. My dad went to UW and my mom went to nursing school here in Madison.

My first exposure to UW hockey was watching the replay on PBS when visiting my grandparents in Reedsburg or Milwaukee. I'd be up after the rest of the family went to bed watching these great games and great teams in the late 70s and through the mid 80s.

Heck, as recently as 89 when I moved to Wisconsin (LaCrosse) and 93 when I moved to Madison, games weren't hardly ever shown live. The ONLY way to watch at home was on PBS.

I think that taking the games off has had an impact on the reinforcing of fandom. Same with football. I miss being able to re-watch the game.


As far as my "neighbors," don't worry about them. They probably hardly remember me as I've been selling those seats to a buddy for about the past 5 years or so. I use them maybe once or twice a year, if at all. Have fun.

[Gurtholfin]

Re: WISCONSIN Hockey Vol. XXIV - Craziest Season Of All Time

Let's ask Gurt. If WI is 22-6 and ranked 3rd with #1 MN coming in, anybody think he doesn't rent a helicopter if necessary to get to that game?

qft

[Lalu38]

Re: WISCONSIN Hockey Vol. XXIV - Craziest Season Of All Time

I have to disagree. I'm with Whisko on this - it's your winning that's going to determine your attendance. There are only 3 "marquee" names in college hockey, as far as putting butts in the seats - Minny, NoDak, and BC. The other programs with strong hockey traditions don't carry any real weight with the casual fans you'll need to fill the seats. For our series against Denver this year (and they were #2 in the nation on Nov 9-10 when we played them), we drew less fans than we did for our Bemidji series 3 weeks later. Our top 10 attendance games are all NoDak and Minny, except for one Wisconsin game years ago when you guys came over and packed the stands.
If you want to fill the seats, the winner you give the fans better be your own team.

I agree that the lack of winning is the major factor in the woeful attendance, my argument was that part of the problem was the teams scheduled at the KC. Giving away the Saturday Minnesota game was inexcusable to this fan. I do not like "gimmick" games. I almost hope its down-pouring rain in Chicago next weekend.

Perhaps Barry Alvarez can pull a Pat Richter, and hire somebody who can do for hockey what Richter did for football in hiring Alvarez. Sadly, I don't think he'll notice until the KC is 2/3 empty. The way things are going, maybe the men can play at LaBahn.

[icebadger]

Re: WISCONSIN Hockey Vol. XXIV - Craziest Season Of All Time

I think I've figured out the problem with the Badger PP. They are 4-9 when I am in attendance and and 5-73 in all other games.

Then again, we're only 1-1-1 when I'm there.

Although, we should score a PPG Friday vs Minny.

[solovsfett]

Re: WISCONSIN Hockey Vol. XXIV - Craziest Season Of All Time

The big question is would a coaching change invigorate the fans and make them come back? Sauer was a legend himself, and he was replaced with a legend in Eaves. How do you one-up a legendary guy like Eaves with a name that will suck the fans back into the KC? It just can't be a name, the guy has to be able to coach and recruit too. Maybe just the change itself would draw them back. The concern is once someone allocates that time slot in their lives to something else, it's hard to get them to ditch that new interest and switch back. Solovsfett and I know this first hand in being Indycar fans. Back in the mid 90's they were huge, then they had all sorts on internal political problems that fractured the series, and now that they are back to being a decently run organization, 90% of the lost fans didn't come back. I fear this same consequence for UW hockey. I guess by me typing this it means I'm ready to move on. It's been fun Mike, well, kinda.

Let's go RED!

TimothyA this is exactly my fear with regard to UW's hockey fanbase. Once they're gone (and have replaced that 2 1/2 hours on a friday or saturday or both with some other form of entertainment) they're gone forever. Indycar found out the hard way how that works. You're right to focus on a Coaching change and viewing options in terms of reinvigorating what's left of the fanbase and potentially drawing new fans in

with a Coaching change - to address Eaves first: none of us really had a clue the leading scorer in UW history would bring such a terribly boring brand of hockey to Madison (I mean where was the evidence of that?). Win with it like in 06 and the stands will be packed HOWEVER there will be rumblings about how ****ty the style of play is (see Bennett, Dick for a good example of that). Lose with it and you've got nothing that could convince even the most rabid fans to stick around.
I believe a change in coaches would reinvigorate most of us on this board, especially if it's a Granato or other UW alum who's young and seems to run a more wide open style of play. But that's just getting us fanatics back on board.

to get the casual sports fans (who fill the 2nd and 3rd decks (generally) and help the team sell-out) back on board takes winning AND also promoting the sport. I can't fathom why PBS would drop the games as they have. UW must approach them and pay to get those games back up if they have to. I mean teenagers and younger kids don't have a lot to do on weekends (err...let me re-phrase they're more apt to be bored at 10pm on a friday, especially if they've got curfews), if they're up late surfing tv some of them are going to find out about UW hockey like most of us did. ALSO, there's 0 reason that UWbadgers.com shouldn't be streaming each home game FREE

but they're the UW is far too ignorant to understand that showing those free will not just raise awareness but raise interest in procuring tickets

but all of that is moot. the first thing to be done is to fire Eaves. Until then, I really don't see what can inspire fans to come back

[Rodhotter]

Re: WISCONSIN Hockey Vol. XXIV - Craziest Season Of All Time

TimothyA this is exactly my fear with regard to UW's hockey fanbase. Once they're gone (and have replaced that 2 1/2 hours on a friday or saturday or both with some other form of entertainment) they're gone forever. Indycar found out the hard way how that works. You're right to focus on a Coaching change and viewing options in terms of reinvigorating what's left of the fanbase and potentially drawing new fans in

with a Coaching change - to address Eaves first: none of us really had a clue the leading scorer in UW history would bring such a terribly boring brand of hockey to Madison (I mean where was the evidence of that?). Win with it like in 06 and the stands will be packed HOWEVER there will be rumblings about how ****ty the style of play is (see Bennett, Dick for a good example of that). Lose with it and you've got nothing that could convince even the most rabid fans to stick around.
I believe a change in coaches would reinvigorate most of us on this board, especially if it's a Granato or other UW alum who's young and seems to run a more wide open style of play. But that's just getting us fanatics back on board.

to get the casual sports fans (who fill the 2nd and 3rd decks (generally) and help the team sell-out) back on board takes winning AND also promoting the sport. I can't fathom why PBS would drop the games as they have. UW must approach them and pay to get those games back up if they have to. I mean teenagers and younger kids don't have a lot to do on weekends (err...let me re-phrase they're more apt to be bored at 10pm on a friday, especially if they've got curfews), if they're up late surfing tv some of them are going to find out about UW hockey like most of us did. ALSO, there's 0 reason that UWbadgers.com shouldn't be streaming each home game FREE

but they're the UW is far too ignorant to understand that showing those free will not just raise awareness but raise interest in procuring tickets

but all of that is moot. the first thing to be done is to fire Eaves. Until then, I really don't see what can inspire fans to come back

This is spot on. First and foremost fire Eaves.

[solovsfett]

Re: WISCONSIN Hockey Vol. XXIV - Craziest Season Of All Time

...not to belabor the point but Bo Ryan just gets it done. a bunch of nobody players and he just continues to beat superior teams (in terms of talent) and make the playoffs. Does Bo know hockey?

[Almington]

...not to belabor the point but Bo Ryan just gets it done. a bunch of nobody players and he just continues to beat superior teams (in terms of talent) and make the playoffs. Does Bo know hockey?

Both coaches run very focused systems, the difference is that Ryan gets the most out of his players and recruits the right players for what he wants to do. Eaves, on the other hand, seems to have to "fix" nearly every player that he recruits to make them work in his system.

[HoosierBBall_GopherHockey]

...not to belabor the point but Bo Ryan just gets it done. a bunch of nobody players and he just continues to beat superior teams (in terms of talent) and make the playoffs. Does Bo know hockey?

Considering the Badger basketball team plays about as boring a brand of basketball as the hockey team, I think Bo would do a fine job filling in for Eaves. That said, thank you Wisconsin for keeping Indiana's Big Ten Title hopes alive today.

[solovsfett]

Re: WISCONSIN Hockey Vol. XXIV - Craziest Season Of All Time

Both coaches run very focused systems, the difference is that Ryan gets the most out of his players and recruits the right players for what he wants to do. Eaves, on the other hand, seems to have to "fix" nearly every player that he recruits to make them work in his system.

truth.

[wjefwhite]

Re: WISCONSIN Hockey Vol. XXIV - Craziest Season Of All Time

Completely bush-league that a conference home series isn't even on tape delay. Cost-cutting or apathy from the athletic department?

The Program is declining. Easy to see. No NCAA, dwindling crowds, boring Hockey on the ice. No sense of offense and systems that strangles any type of flow on the ice.

[Almington]

Re: WISCONSIN Hockey Vol. XXIV - Craziest Season Of All Time

I can't fathom why PBS would drop the games as they have. UW must approach them and pay to get those games back up if they have to. I mean teenagers and younger kids don't have a lot to do on weekends (err...let me re-phrase they're more apt to be bored at 10pm on a friday, especially if they've got curfews), if they're up late surfing tv some of them are going to find out about UW hockey like most of us did. ALSO, there's 0 reason that UWbadgers.com shouldn't be streaming each home game FREE

but they're the UW is far too ignorant to understand that showing those free will not just raise awareness but raise interest in procuring tickets

You are assuming that PBS doesn't want to be showing the games on tape delay, when the truth of it that UW in conjunction with the BTN are likely not allowing PBS do that any longer. Same reason that they are never going to do a free internet stream, to much money (value?) exists, or at least the potential of money, for UW to give any broadcasts away for free to anyone.

[solovsfett]

Re: WISCONSIN Hockey Vol. XXIV - Craziest Season Of All Time

You are assuming that PBS doesn't want to be showing the games on tape delay, when the truth of it that UW in conjunction with the BTN are likely not allowing PBS do that any longer. Same reason that they are never going to do a free internet stream, to much money (value?) exists, or at least the potential of money, for UW to give any broadcasts away for free to anyone.

you're right, I wasn't even considering the BTN in this equation (I should have known better). I don't know about UW's role or stance though. It seems to me that showing the games free is better for luring in fans than not doing it. I mean the Blackhawks had the same ignorant mentality until a few years ago and I think they're allowing the games on local tv again has really helped them re-connect with the city

[TJbadgerfan]

Re: WISCONSIN Hockey Vol. XXIV - Craziest Season Of All Time

Eaves, on the other hand, seems to have to "fix" nearly every player that he recruits to make them work in his system.

This is what Howie would do with all of his goaltenders and was extremely successful. Howie came across as a teacher wanting to help YOU succeed. It feels to me that Eaves comes across as a boss who is more concerned with how HE looks and maybe why he doesn't have the same success.