Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXVIII: This could be a banner year, but how would we know?

[Wisko McBadgerton]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXVIII: This could be a banner year, but how would we know?

Agree that Besse is picking up. I think the game is slowing down for him and he's looking a lot more comfortable. Probably helps that the pace of play against PSU and most of last night was considerably less than vs. MN, but hopefully these games are giving him a chance to adjust before a very up tempo Michigan comes in. Made good plays with and without the puck last night and maybe will make it harder on Zully to break back in. Good problem.

I thought Zengerle took a little step back from the high level he's played at the last several weeks. Nothing really major, but just little things that seemed off. Also, am I the only one that hates his skating around, then toward the point with the puck on the PP? Unless we're setting up some long term ruse that we will suddenly spring in a key moment late in the season, he is driving me crazy with that! Keep it moving stick to stick and then fire away.

Good to have lots of "teachable moments" and still come out with the win. Lucky call or not, the NBC announcer practically predicted the SHG, pointing out Wisconsin's "casual play" just prior. One goal lead and on the PP, nobody on the ice was looking much like we wanted to stick a dagger in CC. Good thing to learn from.

Thought Rumpel gave up way too many rebounds in front early, but again settled in and made some big stops later. (Still don't think we're playing as well as we can in our own end, but when Rumps is leaving them loose in front it doesn't look good anyway.) I wouldn't have minded him coming out to challenge a bit more on the shorty, but it happened fast and not much he could do with a guy piping it in stick side. Horrible turnover, very good shot.

Stupid cross check penalty on Frankie. He just cannot do that with 3 guys already in the box. Great PK though. Keegan Meuer is a monster penalty killer. Just plays so smart and hard.

Kerdilles is really good at Hockey.

McCabe needs to match his play, as he is too. Overall I'm fairly pleased with our blueline play though. We are pretty tough to rush against.

Plenty to work on, but another good win. Team is staying patient and getting a lot of quality chances. We're looking capable of offensively blowing it up on any night things go our way, and hanging in there when they don't. We're making progress. Absolutely must improve again tonight.

[Buck 'em]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXVIII: This could be a banner year, but how would we know?

This was my first Friday night of the season. Depressing is exactly how I would describe the attendance, but they were really energetic when it counted. Most pathetic moment of the night, from a marketing standpoint, was when they ran the pizza (Palermo's?) contest and there was nobody in the row that won it! Awkward!

I really like this year's team - nice to see them picking up the tempo a bit. Definitely much better than the last couple.

[WiscDC]

This was my first Friday night of the season. Depressing is exactly how I would describe the attendance, but they were really energetic when it counted. Most pathetic moment of the night, from a marketing standpoint, was when they ran the pizza (Palermo's?) contest and there was nobody in the row that won it! Awkward!

I really like this year's team - nice to see them picking up the tempo a bit. Definitely much better than the last couple.

If you took the quantity of our basketball fans and the energy of our hockey fans and combined them...wow.

[Bonin21]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXVIII: This could be a banner year, but how would we know?

WiscDC may be the most positive person I've ever seen.

[WiscDC]

WiscDC may be the most positive person I've ever seen.

You should read the emails I've sent to the athletic department. Though I do want to send them positive feedback on the new pregame presentation stuff, which I like almost all of.

Badger Bob was positive!

[Wisko McBadgerton]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXVIII: This could be a banner year, but how would we know?

Personally, I really appreciate DC posting and sharing the perspective of a current Crease Creature and I like the positive outlook. It's very encouraging to me to see DC carrying on the long and storied traditions of the Badger Faithful. Bodes well for the future.

Badger Bob was positive!

Exactly. The words "It's a Great Day for Hockey" have never only meant "it's a great day for hockey."

Speaking of which,

It's a Great Day for Hockey!

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXVIII: This could be a banner year, but how would we know?

If you took the quantity of our basketball fans and the energy of our hockey fans and combined them...wow.

In other words: It was really awesome going to games 6-10 years ago. We used to have exactly what you describe, but those days feel long gone.

Badger Bob was positive!

'Twas one of his hallmarks, really.

It's very encouraging to me to see DC carrying on the long and storied traditions of the Badger Faithful. Bodes well for the future.

Agreed.

[Wisko McBadgerton]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXVIII: This could be a banner year, but how would we know?

but those days feel long gone.

I wonder what the demographics are for current season ticketholders. I don't put this forward as a big reason for attendance issues, but it seems to me that folks that have been ticket holders for 20-30 years or more either have, or eventually are, going to cycle out and need to be replaced. I wonder how many non-renewals the last few years fall into that category? I know that there's unrest with some long term folks about traditional things that have changed (with me too, but I'd still have my tix if I lived closer.) but it strikes me that from a business perspective the guy that has been going for 35 years isn't going to be helping me that much for the future. He probably shouldn't be getting my attention in the same way a 30 year old with a family should be. I need to focus on that next generation of long term buyers and get them to come in. With smoky entrances... And stuff on the third tier ring, maybe!

Regardless, winning is going to solve a lot of issues, so let's just do that first:

[WiscDC]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXVIII: This could be a banner year, but how would we know?

In other words: It was really awesome going to games 6-10 years ago. We used to have exactly what you describe, but those days feel long gone.

In the 2011-12 season, the student section spilled into 210 regularly. I still vividly remember Justin Schultz's ice cream goal on senior night, and it would be great to get that again. Heck, this was pretty awesome, and the paid attendance was "only" 11,445. Even in some wide shots in those highlights, it looks way different than last night. Going further back, it looks even better (albiet grainier).

'Twas one of his hallmarks, really.

And what did he do with that attitude? He built Wisconsin hockey from the ground up. I've heard Mike Eaves talk about the stories of Bob Johnson and how he welcomed new fans and encouraged everyone to give it a shot. When they did, they were hooked. It's baffling to me (as I'm sure it is to all of you) how attendance has dropped the way it has, considering the way people who do give it a shot tend to get into it, at least moderately so, if not bat$#!& so. It's kind of like back then, except we already have more fans, and a sweet collection of historic highlights.

I often skim over posts in the other Big Ten threads, and it seems Michigan is having issues of their own. Yost is a much different venue, but a lot of their fans are making points about a shrinking student section. Then, of course, there's MSU with their big sellout streak and now sitting in the 4K range. Of course, the Kohl Center deals with different kinds of numbers, and it varies a lot, comparable to Georgetown basketball at Verizon Center. But this is not Georgetown basketball in Washington, D.C. It's Wisconsin hockey in Madison, Wisconsin, and it's a great day for hockey! Speaking of which, the outdoor rinks are beginning to open, and Vilas Park's rinks are about to open!!! (And if any of you want to play hockey with myself and even some other regular inhabitants of the front of 115, that would be awesome.)

Personally, I really appreciate DC posting and sharing the perspective of a current Crease Creature and I like the positive outlook. It's very encouraging to me to see DC carrying on the long and storied traditions of the Badger Faithful. Bodes well for the future.

There are deliberate efforts from the students, and the topic is talked about more than you might think, even outside of hockey games at the Kohl Center.

Exactly. The words "It's a Great Day for Hockey" have never only meant "it's a great day for hockey."

Okay, I'll admit. I can't figure out what you mean by that.

An insignificant anecdote - a few weeks ago in the weight room, I overheard a personal trainer and her client chatting between sets. The client is an older woman, and she said something about how her neices and nephews got to go to a football game and hockey game. They especially liked the hockey game, largely because of the fun chants! I've also heard people talk about junior hockey and the USA Hockey ADM in there.

[WiscDC]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXVIII: This could be a banner year, but how would we know?

I wonder what the demographics are for current season ticketholders. I don't put this forward as a big reason for attendance issues, but it seems to me that folks that have been ticket holders for 20-30 years or more either have, or eventually are, going to cycle out and need to be replaced. I wonder how many non-renewals the last few years fall into that category? I know that there's unrest with some long term folks about traditional things that have changed (with me too, but I'd still have my tix if I lived closer.) but it strikes me that from a business perspective the guy that has been going for 35 years isn't going to be helping me that much for the future. He probably shouldn't be getting my attention in the same way a 30 year old with a family should be. I need to focus on that next generation of long term buyers and get them to come in. With smoky entrances... And stuff on the third tier ring, maybe!

That's why the shrinking student section makes me most sad (and probably why they started trying to do more interactive stuff with student ticket holders, rather than just saying "cool, you bought tickets"). In one of Andy Baggot's articles on attendance last year, "LOVE the students" was one of the suggestions. There's no magic switch that can be flipped, but I hope to see steady improvement starting now.

Edit: Another thing I wanted to share! A diehard Badger football fan whom I kind of know from being in about the same place for each football game showed up at last Sunday's women's hockey game (pretty good crowd, too). As it turns out, he's the house fellow (RA) for Sarah Nurse's floor. I got to introduce him to UW hockey and just a few of our silly cheers. Also, my friend who goes to Marquette but who has been spending the semester here for some kind of fellowship program is going to his first Badger hockey game tonight. That's pretty neat.

[Badger Booster]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXVIII: This could be a banner year, but how would we know?

Going to my first men's hockey game of the season tonight. It's been about 2 years since my last game so I'm curious about the crowd size, banners, atmosphere, etc. Instead of getting tickets from the athletic department, I was able to get better seats at a better price on Stubhub. According to the seat selector on the UW website, a high majority of first and second level seats are sold, so I'm very curious what the no-show rate will be. Personally, I can't understand eating a $24 ticket game after game. Not to shill for Stuhub (and I don't know the fees involved for a seller), but why not get them up on that site at a reasonable asking price? As of about 30 minutes ago, there are only about 50 tickets left there. So if there a bunch of no-shows, those ticket holders don't seem to be trying hard to getting them to people who might want to go.

At the start of the year, I was planning on getting a 5-game pack, but with no per game discount (which is inexplicable) I really had no motive to spend that kind of money ahead of time. With soft demand and the available secondary markets, I can make purchasing decisions on very short notice. I'm going to need much more incentive to consider any kind of season ticket package.

On TV last night, the crowd actually sounded pretty lively in the second and third periods. Anson Carter did give credit to the student section for making it a fun atmosphere.

Looking forward tonight to see what kind of adventures Kerdiles can get into. Quite the game with scoring goals, drawing penalties, giving up shorties and almost breaking his neck getting his helmet tangled up with a CC player.

[WiscDC]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXVIII: This could be a banner year, but how would we know?

Going to my first men's hockey game of the season tonight. It's been about 2 years since my last game so I'm curious about the crowd size, banners, atmosphere, etc. Instead of getting tickets from the athletic department, I was able to get better seats at a better price on Stubhub. According to the seat selector on the UW website, a high majority of first and second level seats are sold, so I'm very curious what the no-show rate will be. Personally, I can't understand eating a $24 ticket game after game. Not to shill for Stuhub (and I don't know the fees involved for a seller), but why not get them up on that site at a reasonable asking price? As of about 30 minutes ago, there are only about 50 tickets left there. So if there a bunch of no-shows, those ticket holders don't seem to be trying hard to getting them to people who might want to go.

At the start of the year, I was planning on getting a 5-game pack, but with no per game discount (which is inexplicable) I really had no motive to spend that kind of money ahead of time. With soft demand and the available secondary markets, I can make purchasing decisions on very short notice. I'm going to need much more incentive to consider any kind of season ticket package.

On TV last night, the crowd actually sounded pretty lively in the second and third periods. Anson Carter did give credit to the student section for making it a fun atmosphere.

Looking forward tonight to see what kind of adventures Kerdiles can get into. Quite the game with scoring goals, drawing penalties, giving up shorties and almost breaking his neck getting his helmet tangled up with a CC player.

Go Anson Carter! If it's been about 2 years, you may be disappointed, though not to the degree of last night or a few other recent dates.

At the beginning of the season, I predicted that tonight's game would be the best-attended of the first half. We'll see if I was right.

[NMH]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXVIII: This could be a banner year, but how would we know?

One of the ways I've always tried to describe to people WHY I choose hockey and love it so much is by pointing out that EVERYONE goes to a football game because it's what you DO as a college student, but the folks at a hockey game are really fans and WANT to be there. They're knowledgeable. They're not just there because it's place to be.
I mean, students used to stand in line in fricking Wisconsin temperatures to get season tickets.

[Chuck Schwartz]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXVIII: This could be a banner year, but how would we know?

Zully is back in tonight on the fourth line, Paape is out. Rumpel makes fifth straight start.

Labate-Zengerle-Barnes
Besse-Kerdiles-Mersch
Navin-Dahl-Soleway
Zulinick-Meuer-Little

[solovsfett]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXVIII: This could be a banner year, but how would we know?

bought the cbs online package to watch tonight's game

good comeback for UW in periods 2 and 3 but that final goal to tie it by CC while they had the extra attacker you could feel it coming for the 2-4mins prior as for who knows what reason UW went in to prevent w/7-8 mins to go and they lost all their momentum because of it

the best defense has always been a good offense, I think UW should never let off the gas like that when they're up by a goal

but...barnes saves the day with a sort of fluke OT goal...they didn't show a replay but it looked like he sort of banked it off the goalie? anyone else see it?

good to get the sweep before the break!