Hockey East: 2019/20 season is Joe Bertagna's last as commish

[ticapnews]

Re: Hockey East: 2019/20 season is Joe Bertagna's last as commish

Stolen from Facebook:

(Our play begins in a dark alley in New York City)

Millennial: What do you want us to kill?
Anonymous Business Executive: Styrofoam cups. We desperately need them gone.
Millennial: We'll need €2,000,000,000 deposited in this Swiss Bank account by close of business tomorrow. Styrofoam cups will be dead by next month.
Anonymous Business Executive: You...You can do it that quickly?
Millennial: You saw what we did to mayonnaise? We can do it sooner but it'll cost you.
Anonymous Business Executive: No, we need to ramp up production of our alternative.
Millennial: After tonight there will be no contact between us. The decision is irrevocable. Are you sure you want to go ahead?
Anonymous Business Executive: Yes. Our business depends on it.

(And scene...)

[The Zlax45]

Re: Hockey East: 2019/20 season is Joe Bertagna's last as commish

18,113 in Minnesota was the 2018 NCAA Volleyball Championship Final in the Timerwolves Arena

2018 NCAA Ice Hockey final also in Minnesota drew 18,303 in the Wild Building

Some crazy close comparisons between the sports...but hockey attendance overall is much higher

[DLG]

Re: Hockey East: 2019/20 season is Joe Bertagna's last as commish

The hockey east tourney at the garden is still a strong event
Attendance has been in 12-13 thousand range for a few years now
Not the glory years but no need to go back to smaller campus sites

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: Hockey East: 2019/20 season is Joe Bertagna's last as commish

Chill out on the attendance talk, guys.

https://twitter.com/exileondaytonst/...554914816?s=21

[The Zlax45]

Re: Hockey East: 2019/20 season is Joe Bertagna's last as commish

So what you're saying is, let's keep JB on board, give up entirely on developing media-related game income, play the HE Tourney at Agganis Arena, and prepare for D-1 Hockey to become D-1 Volleyball?

That's a pretty bleak outlook, Greg. Can we at least hire someone who might try to do a little better?

D-1 Volleyball is probably the best comparison. They have six programs having 100 percent or higher capacity last season and 54 programs that draw over 1k per match.

Hockey on the other hand has two teams in Notre Dame and Penn State above 100 percent and 54 programs above 1k fans per game.

[BU2K]

Boy there's a whole lot of truth on this thread. Greg basically unloaded a truth bomb from the Enola Gay.

The glory days are over for us here in HE and all of college hockey. And while it has little to do with the hockey discussion, I assure you millennials really really really do suck. And I'd like to point out these young, whiny, dumb people that cannot put their phones down are NOT special; we had significant student debt too we just didn't whine about it like crybabies for attention and worked to pay it off because we had a sense of responsibility to pay it off rather than having a completely unfounded sense of entitlement. And while people my age now displace a grumpy generation of baby boomers, we respect the path they paved and carry that torch to some degree.... just with things like Excel and not an abacus.

Get off my lawn!

[Yuppie Scum]

Re: Hockey East: 2019/20 season is Joe Bertagna's last as commish

Boy there's a whole lot of truth on this thread. Greg basically unloaded a truth bomb from the Enola Gay.

The glory days are over for us here in HE and all of college hockey. And while it has little to do with the hockey discussion, I assure you millennials really really really do suck. And I'd like to point out these young, whiny, dumb people that cannot put their phones down are NOT special; we had significant student debt too we just didn't whine about it like crybabies for attention and worked to pay it off because we had a sense of responsibility to pay it off rather than having a completely unfounded sense of entitlement. And while people my age now displace a grumpy generation of baby boomers, we respect the path they paved and carry that torch to some degree.... just with things like Excel and not an abacus.

You're not setting a great example for how not to be whiny.

[Nick Papagiorgio]

Re: Hockey East: 2019/20 season is Joe Bertagna's last as commish

Boy there's a whole lot of truth on this thread. Greg basically unloaded a truth bomb from the Enola Gay.

The glory days are over for us here in HE and all of college hockey. And while it has little to do with the hockey discussion, I assure you millennials really really really do suck. And I'd like to point out these young, whiny, dumb people that cannot put their phones down are NOT special; we had significant student debt too we just didn't whine about it like crybabies for attention and worked to pay it off because we had a sense of responsibility to pay it off rather than having a completely unfounded sense of entitlement. And while people my age now displace a grumpy generation of baby boomers, we respect the path they paved and carry that torch to some degree.... just with things like Excel and not an abacus.

[Chuck Murray]

Re: Hockey East: 2019/20 season is Joe Bertagna's last as commish

Demand is governed by cost. Lower tickets to draw in students, who create a culture of following the teams on weekends. Price them out of going, and they're not going to suddenly decide in March to fork over 100 bucs. It's an amazing mismatch between the customers they want to get money from (rich corporations, rich alumni) and the lifeblood of a college team (college students).

Basic marginal pricing tells corps how much a particular event yields. Looking short term tells you 100 ticks at $40 is better than 195 ticks at $20. Of course, having a longer term vision tells you 195 ticks are better, because you double the fan base, mostly the youth market.

But when you have teams like UNH trying to milk every last dollar once the team became popular, you priced the youth out of the market.

Not only does targetting the wrong market show a lack of a long term vision, but also the lack of actual enthusiam in the crowd.

Thankfully, hitting rock bottom causes the marketing plan to die, returning back to the proper model.

Speaking of which … now with UNH Hockey being the "only show in town" with the folding of the Monarchs, has there been any ongoing discussion in Durham about how UNH has now been handed an opportunity to reassert themselves as the State's prime competitive spectator hockey experience?

Or are we all breathlessly awaiting SNHU to start fielding D-1 hockey and hoops programs in the city?

I know - OT and probably best discussed on the UNH thread - but you guys are here so

[Chuck Murray]

Re: Hockey East: 2019/20 season is Joe Bertagna's last as commish

So Chuck, which of the candidates profiles on the home page here is going to magically convince folks to fill the Garden for the HE final? Or persuade NESN to employ production teams for those riveting Friday night games between Merrimack and Northeastern?

Is this a trick question? None of them, actually. I think I said that on here a few days ago.

The list JC put up was just a bunch of his pals looking for a push for their commish candidacy.

The glory days of college hockey are over. The most talented kids leave early or don’t even play college at all. And there are too many alternatives for the demographic that should be the focus of college sports, the students.

I tend to agree, the "glory days" era when HE had big personalities leading their best programs is all but gone. Walshy passed, Parker got run out of town on a rail, and York (not sure he's a "personality" like the other two anyway?) is slowly fading into oblivion as his retirement grows closer and closer. Umile was never on a par with those guys FWIW, but he's gone too.

Some of the other posters have written from the millennials' perspective, and they're too busy working to pay down enormous debt incurred at their schools. The schools kvetching about dwindling sports revenue may amount to robbing Peter to pay Paul to some degree. Throw in the campus activism factor (yeah, I realize I'm getting a little far afield here) on the "other things to do" front, and that's another obstacle. No one said any of this was going to be easy. I just want someone who'll try to do something different. JB has been on cruise control for many years now, and has been paid very well for doing very little IMO.

You may snicker at the idea of playing the HE final at Conte or Agganis, but if the league is losing money hosting the tournament at the Garden and they can turn a profit at another, smaller venue, you can bet there will be a change no matter who is in charge.

I don't disagree … but I'd like to see if HE can turn the ship around and do better, if you don't mind?

This is what Joe’s departure is all about. Money.

No kidding. And JB won't be leaving a job he clearly isn't wanted in anymore for the same reason.

[NCAA watcher]

Re: Hockey East: 2019/20 season is Joe Bertagna's last as commish

So Chuck, which of the candidates profiles on the home page here is going to magically convince folks to fill the Garden for the HE final? Or persuade NESN to employ production teams for those riveting Friday night games between Merrimack and Northeastern? The glory days of college hockey are over. The most talented kids leave early or don’t even play college at all. And there are too many alternatives for the demographic that should be the focus of college sports, the students. You may snicker at the idea of playing the HE final at Conte or Agganis, but if the league is losing money hosting the tournament at the Garden and they can turn a profit at another, smaller venue, you can bet there will be a change no matter who is in charge. This is what Joe’s departure is all about. Money.

Demand is governed by cost. Lower tickets to draw in students, who create a culture of following the teams on weekends. Price them out of going, and they're not going to suddenly decide in March to fork over 100 bucs. It's an amazing mismatch between the customers they want to get money from (rich corporations, rich alumni) and the lifeblood of a college team (college students).

Basic marginal pricing tells corps how much a particular event yields. Looking short term tells you 100 ticks at $40 is better than 195 ticks at $20. Of course, having a longer term vision tells you 195 ticks are better, because you double the fan base, mostly the youth market.

But when you have teams like UNH trying to milk every last dollar once the team became popular, you priced the youth out of the market.

Not only does targetting the wrong market show a lack of a long term vision, but also the lack of actual enthusiam in the crowd.

Thankfully, hitting rock bottom causes the marketing plan to die, returning back to the proper model.

[Greg Ambrose]

So what you're saying is, let's keep JB on board, give up entirely on developing media-related game income, play the HE Tourney at Agganis Arena, and prepare for D-1 Hockey to become D-1 Volleyball?

That's a pretty bleak outlook, Greg. Can we at least hire someone who might try to do a little better?

So Chuck, which of the candidates profiles on the home page here is going to magically convince folks to fill the Garden for the HE final? Or persuade NESN to employ production teams for those riveting Friday night games between Merrimack and Northeastern? The glory days of college hockey are over. The most talented kids leave early or don’t even play college at all. And there are too many alternatives for the demographic that should be the focus of college sports, the students. You may snicker at the idea of playing the HE final at Conte or Agganis, but if the league is losing money hosting the tournament at the Garden and they can turn a profit at another, smaller venue, you can bet there will be a change no matter who is in charge. This is what Joe’s departure is all about. Money.

[Greg Ambrose]

Yeah I think this is an oversimplification that media outlets love to spout! "Millenials are ruining [insert industry here]!" "Why aren't milennials buying the Clapper?!"

I think young people love sports as much as any other generation, but they're focused on other things, like paying rent and student debt.

I just finished reading Dan Shaughnessy’s column in the Globe and the comments that were triggered because of it. Wouldn’t you know it but, according to some, baseball will die because of those ****ed millenials. They don’t like baseball, football, basketball or hockey. I find this generalizing and age bashing ridiculous and a product of lazy thinking, in that, if we can’t come up with a cogent argument about why the sport is failing we’ll just blame it on millenials.

[Chuck Murray]

Re: Hockey East: 2019/20 season is Joe Bertagna's last as commish

I’ve tried to absorb all these things surrounding Joe over the past couple of days. His dismissal, and that’s what it is, seems to be based solely on the profitability of the league now and going forward. I see nothing in this discussion about the financials of the league and how that plays into what happened to Joe. Let’s talk about the NESN deal, or lack of same. There is no contract now, NESN no longer pays a rights fee to broadcast the games and, if the league wants games on the network, the schools pay the all the production costs. That, my friends, is not going to change. So, no doubt, the schools are unhappy with the double whammy of no income and a lot of outgo. Second, the Hockey East tournament is a burden in two ways. First, the league deems all games prior to the Garden as playoff games where they take all the revenue. Second, attendance at Hockey East semis and finals has dropped precipitously over the past ten years. The league just can’t sustain a model where their premiere event is losing money every year. None of this is Joe’s fault IMO. Interest in college hockey has taken a nose dive over the past several years. Attendance is down everywhere except for places like Penn State and UMass where it is the brand new thing. Traditional powers like BU and Minny are drawing fractions of what they did even five years ago. And we all know that the FF is no longer a hot ticket. What Hockey East in particular, and college hockey in general, need to do is retool and get comfortable with the idea that their sport is a niche one and is never going to reach the heights that it did 10-20 years ago.

So what you're saying is, let's keep JB on board, give up entirely on developing media-related game income, play the HE Tourney at Agganis Arena, and prepare for D-1 Hockey to become D-1 Volleyball?

That's a pretty bleak outlook, Greg. Can we at least hire someone who might try to do a little better?

[TovarishchLisa]

Re: Hockey East: 2019/20 season is Joe Bertagna's last as commish

Yeah I think this is an oversimplification that media outlets love to spout! "Millenials are ruining [insert industry here]!" "Why aren't milennials buying the Clapper?!"

I think young people love sports as much as any other generation, but they're focused on other things, like paying rent and student debt.

And there's also the issue of not having the disposable time to do things like go to hockey games. I know way too many people who have had to or do work multiple jobs in addition to being full-time students, leaving them with practically no free time.