Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

I said it last year and I'll say it again. I miss the Joyce Center. The place was a dump but the focus in that building was on one thing and one thing only, hockey.

What he said!

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

I said it last year and I'll say it again. I miss the Joyce Center. The place was a dump but the focus in that building was on one thing and one thing only, hockey. I sat there last night thinking ND is great at manipulating psychological conditions to control the crowd. What's funny is most of us don't even realize it. As soon as there is a controversial call or play the arena management goes instantly to dance cam, kiss cam or fan of the game. It immediately gets the crowd' s attention off hockey and on stupid stuff.

Also the seats on the north side of the arena are unusually small. That means once you are wedged in you can't get up (point granted that I could stand to lose a few lbs). There is a guy behind me that used to be one of the "back row loudmouths" at the Joyce. I think the only time he stands up anymore are for National Anthem and salute the vet. Speaking of that, sure it makes ND feel all warm and fuzzy ( words not usually associated with hockey) and patriotic but it takes the focus AWAY from the ice again.

Lastly and I'll get the rant out of my system, I used to enjoy talking hockey with the folks around me. Now we are constantly bombarded with artificial, fake (can we use that word in an ND thread) piped in noise in the form of music that I can't talk with the guy next to me. He is a great hockey guy to talk with and a yeller but he is so wedged in his seat I feel bad going to the restroom during the intermission.

So there is your fan experience at Compton. You're no longer going just to watch and cheer for a hockey team. It has become a fake entertainment experience. Maybe next rant we can talk about how the building affects the on ice action.

I heartily agree with this entire post and also sing in the choir. There are times during the seemingly endless din when I believe I could yell the F-word at the top of my lungs and not a soul around me would hear it. I would suggest you come on over to the ND tunnel and commiserate with JJfP and me, but we wouldn't be able to hear each other anyway. But please, PLEASE take the suggestion of e-mailing Ottaviani about your thoughts. There are others, both around us and in other sections, that also feel this way, at least about the endless noise. It would be nice at least if the hockey was the only unpleasant thing about the Compton.

[Irish83]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

Jackson has utilized at one point or another most of the forwards on the team on the PK, including Fogarty and Larson. Lucia, Schneider and Nugent don't tend to see a lot of PK time as part of a normal unit.

Thanks. Hopefully they won't have to be put in that situation again!!!!

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

And now our vastly over rated student section chimes in. Unfortunate for these poor students to have to be relocated for the ONE GAME they bothered to show up for.

When the CFIA opened it was nice to see all those students taking advantage of the much bigger student section than the one in the Joyce. But little by little, the students have disappeared. It has been a rare occurrence when the student section has been full of actual students. Other than a couple of marquee games (think BC or UM) the students have stayed away in droves in comparison to the first few games. Is it any wonder the university decided to begin selling the tickets to the general public?

The notion that these students "will continue to support Notre Dame athletics due to our love for this University and the teams" is laughable. How many of them support Muffet McGraw's squad? How often have the student sections been full for a men's basketball game? Do any of them show up at soccer games? We've had NCAA caliber teams on both sides of the gender line many times in the last decade, yet soccer is mostly ignored by students.

The truth is, Notre Dame students are mediocre at best when it comes to supporting their athletic teams. Do they need to be reminded that even at their beloved football game (the one team on campus they DO support) against Syracuse a few years ago they threw snowballs at their own team (and fellow students)? I have displayed a vocal disapproval a time or two with my team -- most recently this weekend -- but I have never treated them to something as shoddy as that and never would. I also show up for games regardless of the opponent.

I'm happy that these students wanted to attend a hockey game and sit with their classmates. But to think they are somehow being victimized here is laughable at best. Start showing up ALL the time (or even most of the time) and then complain that they've given away "your" seat. I wonder if these four are any relation to the overprivileged student who complained that former Governor Joe Kernan did not have the proper level of prestige to speak at commencement a few years ago. Yeah, the guy was only a former mayor of South Bend, a Notre Dame grad, a former Naval officer and -- oh yeah -- a prisoner of war. Maybe if we could get a few of the Notre Dame students to rattle more of their jewelry or take the silver spoons out of their mouths and actually make a little noise I might have some sympathy then.

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

So the Harlem Globetrotters are playing across the parking lot at the exact same time as Friday's hockey game. Nice.

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

If you liked Alaska's clutch-and-grab style of hockey, you oughtta love this weekend's matchup with Ferris State. They play clog-and-stifle. In fact, watch the neutral zone when they do line changes. You'll likely see 8 or 9 guys in maroon sweaters clogging up the center of the ice. I hate soccer.

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

FSU's winning % is below .500 on the road, which helps ND. While their winning % on the road (.667) is better than at home, at least it's still above .500 (.583 to be exact).

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

I also noticed that ND has 3 Dmen in their top 8 in scoring. I hate that, too. To me that means lots of forwards aren't doing their jobs. Fortunately, 2 of FSU's top 7 are Dmen also. Watch for Kyle Bonis on special teams. He leads the Bulldogs in PPG's with 6. Robbie Russo has 4.

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

And, no, I'm not trying to add to my post count. Apparently either my computers, my new ISP or I am possessed by annoying gremlins and I can't post anything longer than about 50 words without it kicking me out. Mr. JJfP thinks it's me.

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

Note to Alanis Morissette, in light of some recent posts here about the CFIA "experience," this actually IS ironic.

Of note, I agree with a number of things that earned Notre Dame this high ranking. The CFIA itself is a beautiful building, inside and out. Our tickets are as priced as well as anyone's, the arena is convenient to get to and park at, and the concessions are plentiful (if expensive, but that's MY standard, compared to other fare in any sports venue, they are reasonable) and easy to get to.

But as ND1 stated perfectly, there are simply too many times the arena management has decided to pull your attention away from the ice and the hockey. Turn down the volume a little, and remember that the only reason anyone is showing up is to see the game. No one will be there because the building is pretty and they show hyper little attention starved kids on the bigscreen if they didn't actually play hockey there. I'm not holding my breath though.

[Craig P.]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

And now our vastly over rated student section chimes in. Unfortunate for these poor students to have to be relocated for the ONE GAME they bothered to show up for.

There was an outstanding response from one of the NDNation denizens that I believe was published by the Observer.

[IrishHockeyFan]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

Well, the players are saying the right things, even if some of them seem to be getting a little of the history wrong. But then, how many admitted to any panic last season while it was crashing and burning? "Must win" was thrown around last weekend, especially for Saturday's game. What are the games called that are played AFTER you lose the must win ones?

I do think the season rides on what happens right here and right now. I'm not ready to pronounce it cured if they manage a home sweep against a team with no NHL draft picks. But if the poor play, losses and excuses continue this weekend, this team won't likely win anything of note in the 2012-13 season. Of course a team with no NHL draft picks played in the final game of the season a year ago. Amazing what happens when you get the most out of your talent.

[LSSULaker889294]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

I know how to fix this team! They all need to get laid. I got nothin' else.

[alnike]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

I know how to fix this team! They all need to get laid. I got nothin' else.

I'm sure T'eo could hook up his fellow ND lettermen on campus.