Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXVI: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Tolerate The BTHC

[Almington]

New students will always become fans. That will never change, but the change in ticketing procedures has slowly killed the student fan culture that used to exist as it prevents the true diehards and leaders from investing their time to get in the prime locations, which thus makes it nearly impossible for them to congregate and perpetuate what was a very unique culture. As some would graduate others would move in and maintain that culture. Things are much different now than they were less than ten years ago. The mutant birth of the football cheers is evidence enough of that. I'm not one to sit and ramble about the "good ol' days" like some sort of dope romantic and I don't attend games anymore anyway as I live 250 miles away, but it's just a fact that things are very different now -- and not for the better in the minds of many.

What the loss of the line destroyed was a sense of cohesion and frendship amongst the different groups of diehard fans. This allowed them to have a large enough group to actually somewhat lead the unorganized pass of student fans.

[WisconsinWildcard]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXVI: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Tolerate The BTHC

The student section as it was is gone. It died with the removal of the week-long waiting line for first pick of tickets. No longer the case, the atmosphere has slowly but surely suffered tremendously and it's likely unrecoverable. You can't create a culture from scratch but you can kill one by being incredibly naive, and that's exactly what Alvarez et al. did. It's over.

Not that another anecdote is always useful but I had tickets in both systems and I could not agree more. The shift was fast and unpleasant to watch.

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXVI: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Tolerate The BTHC

I'll echo what everyone else said. The sea change from '06-'07 or so onward is remarkable.

I'll add that a Crease Creatire Alumni section is LONG overdue. A great idea I wish existed while I was living in Milwaukee and before my daughter was born.

[Chuck Schwartz]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXVI: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Tolerate The BTHC

I'll echo what everyone else said. The sea change from '06-'07 or so onward is remarkable.

I'll add that a Crease Creatire Alumni section is LONG overdue. A great idea I wish existed while I was living in Milwaukee and before my daughter was born.

I believe the idea of the Alumni section came one of the UW posters here, "The Hallucination"...but I could be mistaken.

[icebadger]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXVI: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Tolerate The BTHC

I'll echo what everyone else said. The sea change from '06-'07 or so onward is remarkable.

I'll add that a Crease Creatire Alumni section is LONG overdue. A great idea I wish existed while I was living in Milwaukee and before my daughter was born.

I'll confirm the change as well. I waited in the line outside the KC for several years to get good seats I stopped getting season tix in grad school when they switched to the voucher system. I didn't feel like it was worth it to worry about getting good seats by arriving early for every single game. I'm not quite 5 years out now. If they let me in on the Young Alumni plan, I would probably do it. If not, their loss.

[Badger Booster]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXVI: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Tolerate The BTHC

I'm going to go against the grain a bit on the student section ticket system. My time as a student was back in the late 80's/early 90's. I found waiting in line a big pain in the butt in order to get 2 tickets all the way up in the rafters (though they were center ice). In addition, some of my friends didn't want season tickets but just go to a few games here and there. If they could get tickets, they probably weren't going to be near me. Voucher system would have solved that issue.

I guess I'm having a hard time railing against a system that offers tickets at $7/game and the best seats can be had by just getting to the game a little earlier.

[Almington]

I'm going to go against the grain a bit on the student section ticket system. My time as a student was back in the late 80's/early 90's. I found waiting in line a big pain in the butt in order to get 2 tickets all the way up in the rafters (though they were center ice). In addition, some of my friends didn't want season tickets but just go to a few games here and there. If they could get tickets, they probably weren't going to be near me. Voucher system would have solved that issue.

I guess I'm having a hard time railing against a system that offers tickets at $7/game and the best seats can be had by just getting to the game a little earlier.

Don't get me wrong, for the MAJORITY of students, the GA system is a better ticket option, the loss of the line removed a major bonding opportunity for the top 5% (or so) of fans to build a rapport and help them actually lead the students. It was also an opportunity to indoctrinate new fans to the specific hockey culture.

[The Hallucination]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXVI: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Tolerate The BTHC

I believe the idea of the Alumni section came one of the UW posters here, "The Hallucination"...but I could be mistaken.

Yeah, I'm glad those *****holes in the athletic department finally did it, as I did email the suggestion in when I was graduating... but a *little* bitter that it's been more than a few years and we wouldn't be able to sit with the alumni section as it's structured now. Maybe others gave them similar suggestions, since they finally did it.

[WiscDC]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXVI: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Tolerate The BTHC

I can't speak for how it was before the current system, as it was well before my time. That said, I want to bring up a few things.

I'm going to go against the grain a bit on the student section ticket system. My time as a student was back in the late 80's/early 90's. I found waiting in line a big pain in the butt in order to get 2 tickets all the way up in the rafters (though they were center ice). In addition, some of my friends didn't want season tickets but just go to a few games here and there. If they could get tickets, they probably weren't going to be near me. Voucher system would have solved that issue.

I guess I'm having a hard time railing against a system that offers tickets at $7/game and the best seats can be had by just getting to the game a little earlier.

This is a biggie. Coming into my freshman year, I knew nobody. Even if the hockey line was a few weeks into the school year, it's still a pretty short time. With the voucher system, you can go with various combinations of people. Also, it makes introducing people to Badger hockey way easier. If someone who isn't a season ticket holder is considering going to a game, they'd be much more likely to come with me than go to a seat next to people they probably don't know. I really love introducing people to UW hockey and spreading the enthusiasm for it. Want to add one more to your group? They get their hands on any student voucher, and they can join! Get to know some other fans mid-season and go to the game together? Why not be in the same place?

Don't get me wrong, for the MAJORITY of students, the GA system is a better ticket option, the loss of the line removed a major bonding opportunity for the top 5% (or so) of fans to build a rapport and help them actually lead the students. It was also an opportunity to indoctrinate new fans to the specific hockey culture.

I met a bunch of fans in that "top 5% or so" this past season. Show up early, request section 115, and I'm in a similar spot each game. There are faces I recognize only from those games, and what I remember seems similar to what you guys have been talking about with regards to the old system.

[GBBadger14]

Show up early, request section 115, and I'm in a similar spot each game. There are faces I recognize only from those games, and what I remember seems similar to what you guys have been talking about with regards to the old system.

Sorry to go slightly off topic, but is getting 115 that simple? I had never thought of just requesting it. Do they give it to you every time you ask?

[WiscDC]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXVI: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Tolerate The BTHC

Sorry to go slightly off topic, but is getting 115 that simple? I had never thought of just requesting it. Do they give it to you every time you ask?

Yup. Just one time, the ticket-giver (I don't know their official title) didn't want to do it (she seemed to just be getting used to the system), but other than that, it's been fine. The more organized ticket-givers will have their tickets in several piles on the little table, so it's not any trouble for them to just pick up that stack and give your group your tickets. It may take an extra 5-10 seconds if they're holding the tickets all in one stack and they weren't already on your requested section, but they'll be happy to oblige. "Hi, can we get [# in group] in 155, please?" does the trick.

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXVI: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Tolerate The BTHC

I suppose they must hear it a fair amount.

[GBBadger14]

Yup. Just one time, the ticket-giver (I don't know their official title) didn't want to do it (she seemed to just be getting used to the system), but other than that, it's been fine. The more organized ticket-givers will have their tickets in several piles on the little table, so it's not any trouble for them to just pick up that stack and give your group your tickets. It may take an extra 5-10 seconds if they're holding the tickets all in one stack and they weren't already on your requested section, but they'll be happy to oblige. "Hi, can we get [# in group] in 155, please?" does the trick.

Thanks, I'll definitely have to start doing that.

[markwojo]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXVI: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Tolerate The BTHC

When do captains skates happen? I always like hearing some of the observations from folks that might happen to be around a rink and catch a portion (although maybe with LaBahn arena.... having common folk run across a semi organized team skate will be less likely).

[GBBadger14]

Interesting quote from Delaney about B1G hockey in the last two paragraphs of this article...

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/9551849/big-ten-jim-delany-praises-penn-state-nittany-lions-progress

(Sorry, don't know how to activate the link.)