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

[WiscDC]

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

I guarantee the student section (even this year's allotted area) won't be packed for Michigan. It's smack-dab in the middle of winter break. I've seen plenty of tickets for that series change hands, so fewer will go to waste than UA-H and UAA, but it'll be a holiday student crowd.

[WiscDC]

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

Getting games on tape delay will help, but only because it cannot hurt. It's negligible compared to live TV.

[WiscTJK]

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

I get that, but it's 2013. I'm asking why tape delayed games are relevant now?

Because there are people that would watch the games even late. It can't hurt.

This past Saturday, the game wasn't on regular TV or tape delay. That is unacceptable. I had my company Christmas party, so I had to give up my tickets. No regular TV, so I go to WPT for tape delay, and nothing. I would have watched the game on DVR if it was available.

[Chuck Schwartz]

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

Because there are people that would watch the games even late. It can't hurt.

This past Saturday, the game wasn't on regular TV or tape delay. That is unacceptable. I had my company Christmas party, so I had to give up my tickets. No regular TV, so I go to WPT for tape delay, and nothing. I would have watched the game on DVR if it was available.

16 of Wisconsin's final 20 regular season games are on TV, including every home game the rest of the season. If people want to watch later, that's what DVR was created for. I guess if people don't have cable that's a problem, but if you want to watch the games, you can certainly pay for cable or order the webcast. Saturday's game was also available on webcast.

I'm certainly not advocating for the WPT broadcasts to go away, but there's always a way to watch the game. If I can watch every game living in another state, I'm sure locals can figure it out.

[TUSCHWI]

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

I would guess there are a fair portion of residents of the state who still rely on antenna and do not have cable or dish due to availability or cost respectively. I think it allows the rural residents around the state to follow the team easier and to feel like UW's team is their team. There sure as hell is not any local coverage in the newspaper.

It may be 1, it may be 1000 but I think the exposure would entice a few fans from the rural area to make the trip to Madison for a few games. My parents, for example, used to make at least 1 game every year and all the games when my sister and I were students. Now that we are retired crease creatures, they do not feel connected to the team and I think that is why they no longer make the effort to go to games. They still do not have cable and I would guarantee my dad would still stay up to watch the re-broadcast of the games.

I know the plural of anecdote is not data, just some thoughts.

Thank you Wildcard. This was basically what I was alluding to. Any additional exposure is a good thing, especially when interest and as you noted "a connection to the team" has fallen off in certain segments of the population-perfect description. Even though it's 2013 I know there are people who do not have cable, or maybe just very basic cable, nor DVR's. Wildcard is right, they may live in the very rural areas but they do exist and any exposure is good exposure.

I'm not trying to argue with you Chuck..I'm not even sure we're arguing about the same thing. I love the hockey team and will always go to games and/or pay whatever I have to watch/DVR them on TV. But not everybody can do that. And I am pleased as punch (I can't believe I just used that term...sheesh) that many if not most of the remaining games are going to be televised. My initial comment was tossed out there about the macro problem (hockey having been allowed to slide into mediocrity); not this year in particular.

[TUSCHWI]

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

I guarantee the student section (even this year's allotted area) won't be packed for Michigan. It's smack-dab in the middle of winter break. I've seen plenty of tickets for that series change hands, so fewer will go to waste than UA-H and UAA, but it'll be a holiday student crowd.

That's what I thought. That sucks...too bad those tickets can't be recycled and used for a promotion or something for youth hockey or high school kids. But I know that's not feasible since they are part of the student ticket package.

[Wisko McBadgerton]

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

You might have to stare at this for a bit to get anything out of it. (If there's anything to get.) But since we're at 14 games played and it's conveniently 1/3 of the 42 games we played last year, I decided to project offensive stats out to a full 42 games and then compare that to everyone's total contribution from last year. The idea being to get a sense of where we're at. (Note that some players did not play 42 games last year. For example Kerdiles played 32, Wittchow 29. And, yes, I know Kerdiles won't play all games this year with the world juniors happening.)

The format for each column is Current Stat / Projected over 42 Games stat / 2013 total stat. For example in Total: Goals column --> We have 49 goals / That Projects to 147 goals in 42 games / In 2013 we had 112 goals.



Couple of things I noticed are related to shots. Kerdiles (again, 32gp in '13) is on a lower shot pace, but significantly higher goal pace. Barnes is on a significantly lower shot pace, but a higher goal pace. Badgers are on pace to produce 108 more points on only 143 more shots. Zengerle is taking about the same number of shots, given 6 less games last year. (but is on pace to have 13 more helpers.) It's hardly possible Soleway will continue to be shut out taking over 100 shots this year.

I thought McCabe hasn't been offensive enough lately, but he's pacing nearly double last year's shots on goal. (Still think he needs to have more than about 2 per game.) Anyone else care to make any completely speculative observations?

[WiscDC]

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

That's what I thought. That sucks...too bad those tickets can't be recycled and used for a promotion or something for youth hockey or high school kids. But I know that's not feasible since they are part of the student ticket package.

Also, anyone living in the residence halls who doesn't get some kind of exemption would have to pay something like 200 bucks to come back early. Maybe it was 100 something for January, 200 something for the last week of December. Either way, students who can't just commute to the game and back (most of them) and who live in res halls (a large portion) would have that in their way. At least we don't have a series the weekend before classes start - the Friday game is off-limits to the same people when that happens.

Of course, if tickets were in higher demand consistently, they could split the winter break and other student tickets and do what they do for basketball.

[WiscTJK]

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

16 of Wisconsin's final 20 regular season games are on TV, including every home game the rest of the season. If people want to watch later, that's what DVR was created for. I guess if people don't have cable that's a problem, but if you want to watch the games, you can certainly pay for cable or order the webcast. Saturday's game was also available on webcast.

I'm certainly not advocating for the WPT broadcasts to go away, but there's always a way to watch the game. If I can watch every game living in another state, I'm sure locals can figure it out.

So you can DVR the web cast? I don't have that ability. Maybe my kids can figure that out.

I have a DVR. The game was not available at any time on cable, satellite or over the air TV. In my view that is unacceptable, when the capability is there to replay something that is already being taped (except for adding the announcers).

Overall it has been good, and I go to almost all home games, but there is no reason a home game shouldn't be on regular TV, which the rest of the year is - so that is good.

[Chuck Schwartz]

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

So you can DVR the web cast? I don't have that ability. Maybe my kids can figure that out.

I have a DVR. The game was not available at any time on cable, satellite or over the air TV. In my view that is unacceptable, when the capability is there to replay something that is already being taped (except for adding the announcers).

Overall it has been good, and I go to almost all home games, but there is no reason a home game shouldn't be on regular TV, which the rest of the year is - so that is good.

The games on webscast are available at any time. If I wanted I could go watch the Lake State game or Saturday's CC game right now.

[Jimjamesak]

I guarantee the student section (even this year's allotted area) won't be packed for Michigan. It's smack-dab in the middle of winter break. I've seen plenty of tickets for that series change hands, so fewer will go to waste than UA-H and UAA, but it'll be a holiday student crowd.

Out of curiosity, how do you guys feel about those series'?

[WisconsinWildcard]

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

Thank you Wildcard. This was basically what I was alluding to. Any additional exposure is a good thing, especially when interest and as you noted "a connection to the team" has fallen off in certain segments of the population-perfect description. Even though it's 2013 I know there are people who do not have cable, or maybe just very basic cable, nor DVR's. Wildcard is right, they may live in the very rural areas but they do exist and any exposure is good exposure.

I'm not trying to argue with you Chuck..I'm not even sure we're arguing about the same thing. I love the hockey team and will always go to games and/or pay whatever I have to watch/DVR them on TV. But not everybody can do that. And I am pleased as punch (I can't believe I just used that term...sheesh) that many if not most of the remaining games are going to be televised. My initial comment was tossed out there about the macro problem (hockey having been allowed to slide into mediocrity); not this year in particular.

I also think all of us agree that the TV coverage is pretty good this year. Just a point to add (hopefully not belabor) is that my parents do not really live in a "rural" area. They live just outside of Fond du Lac city limits but cable is not an option, at all, for internet or for TV. Additionally, DSL lines are not in the neighborhood (at least according to EVERY company I had contacted). So unless they bought satellite internet (which is ridiculously priced), they are stuck with dial-up.

I ended up getting them set up with a verizon hotspot deal for internet but since the coverage is pretty crappy, there is no way you could stream video on it.

The real kicker about this is we live about 1/2 mile from Charter's state phone service building. When I lived in Madison and had charter, I would often find myself talking to high school classmates when I was *****ing about my bill.

[Wisko McBadgerton]

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

The real kicker about this is we live about 1/2 mile from Charter's state phone service building.

Your parents should consider a vacation home. You know, someplace to get away to on the weekends.

Perhaps they could build it right next to Charter's place?

[Wisko McBadgerton]

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

Out of curiosity, how do you guys feel about those series'?

How I feel is somewhat dependent on this thread remaining a pony free zone.

Aside from that, I wish UA-H would have a few more wins coming in. Eventually they're going to get some and nobody wants to be the one they beat. It's a little uncomfortable.

UAA coming in will be a really good series for us to be playing. I'm going to guess we will still be undefeated at home by then, and with conference play resuming the following week (MI comes in) it will be a good test of our focus. Important we don't look past UAA and get bushwhacked in our own house, which is entirely possible. UAA has good wins against Q, Denver, Tech, and Lake St. I think we are considerably better than Lake St., but against them we showed we are certainly capable of not playing well out of the gate. As has been stated elsewhere, attendance will be poor so the crowd is not going to be much of a factor.

[WiscTJK]

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

The games on webscast are available at any time. If I wanted I could go watch the Lake State game or Saturday's CC game right now.

fair enough. I did now find that on UW badgers. they want money for that of course.