Boston University: 2010-11 part I - "so...you're saying i get a calendar??"

[mookie1995]

sadly, no media guide no matter how much $$$$ you throw at 'em. but - you can get a Friends calendar! i wonder which month Scarlet has

[mwade]

Re: Boston University: 2010-11 part I - "so...you're saying i get a calendar??"

Parker, along with Jerry York, Cam Neely & David Andrews, is a recipient of the 2010 Lester Patrick Award - http://hockeyphotography.com/blog/20...award-winners/

[Federal League]

Re: Boston University: 2010-11 part I - "so...you're saying i get a calendar??"

Parker, along with Jerry York, Cam Neely & David Andrews, is a recipient of the 2010 Lester Patrick Award - http://hockeyphotography.com/blog/20...award-winners/

Yeah, I had a short write-up on this. Meant to post it here but forgot.

[Rogie21]

Re: Boston University: 2010-11 part I - "so...you're saying i get a calendar??"

ESPN NHL Draft Profile of Matt Nieto:
full profile requires ESPN Insider

Former U.S. National Team Development Program coach Kurt Kleinendorst tells it how it is.

For the duration of a recent half-hour phone call, he backs up that statement by picking apart some of his former star pupils in Ann Arbor. He paints a collection of crystal clear portraits for the NHL draft prospects, never hiding the warts when they are worth mentioning. But when he starts speaking of lightning-quick winger Matt Nieto, his tone changes slightly.

The cool analysis cracks, just a little, and in creeps an unmistakable inflection of awe.

"Matt is an absolutely beautiful player," he waxes. "He's a thoroughbred. He's strong as an ox. He's got toughness. His skating and puck skills are never going to be an issue."

In short, Nieto is a natural.

[Federal League]

Re: Boston University: 2010-11 part I - "so...you're saying i get a calendar??"

ESPN NHL Draft Profile of Matt Nieto:
full profile requires ESPN Insider

Former U.S. National Team Development Program coach Kurt Kleinendorst tells it how it is.

For the duration of a recent half-hour phone call, he backs up that statement by picking apart some of his former star pupils in Ann Arbor. He paints a collection of crystal clear portraits for the NHL draft prospects, never hiding the warts when they are worth mentioning. But when he starts speaking of lightning-quick winger Matt Nieto, his tone changes slightly.

The cool analysis cracks, just a little, and in creeps an unmistakable inflection of awe.

"Matt is an absolutely beautiful player," he waxes. "He's a thoroughbred. He's strong as an ox. He's got toughness. His skating and puck skills are never going to be an issue."

In short, Nieto is a natural.

To summarize for those who don't have Insider:

The article goes on to discuss his one flaw -- work ethic.

Kleinendorst: "He's an absolutely special player, but he's got to be more determined. ... I don't think we got everything out of him that we could have. And I know they didn't get everything from him at Lake Placid [at WJC evaluation camp]."

One NHL scout: "You want to see a little more production with all the skills he has. He needs to have more consistency."

And then the article ends with both the writer and the scout saying basically that if he can just be consistent, the sky's the limit given his skill set.

[buoldtimer]

Re: Boston University: 2010-11 part I - "so...you're saying i get a calendar??"

To summarize for those who don't have Insider:

The article goes on to discuss his one flaw -- work ethic.

Kleinendorst: "He's an absolutely special player, but he's got to be more determined. ... I don't think we got everything out of him that we could have. And I know they didn't get everything from him at Lake Placid [at WJC evaluation camp]."

This may cause a problem with the grey haired fellow who stands behind the BU bench during games.

[Bomber]

Re: Boston University: 2010-11 part I - "so...you're saying i get a calendar??"

This may cause a problem with the grey haired fellow who stands behind the BU bench during games.

The grey haired fellow behind the BU bench needs to "coach this kid up" to improve his work ethic.

[kiwi]

Re: Boston University: 2010-11 part I - "so...you're saying i get a calendar??"

Speaking about the "grey haired fellow behind the bench...," How is he doing? Haven't caught any word in the local papers or the blogs about his recovery. Did he get out sailing this summer? Is he ready to give the players a kick in their rumps to get them off to a fast start this year? I'd hate to see them fall flat in the Icebreaker out in St. Louis and dig a hole for themselves. I remember thinking after they hosted the Icebreaker at Agganis a few years back how special I thought that team could ( and turned out to) be. Here's to Jackie's health and a fast start.

[Federal League]

Re: Boston University: 2010-11 part I - "so...you're saying i get a calendar??"

Speaking about the "grey haired fellow behind the bench...," How is he doing? Haven't caught any word in the local papers or the blogs about his recovery. Did he get out sailing this summer? Is he ready to give the players a kick in their rumps to get them off to a fast start this year? I'd hate to see them fall flat in the Icebreaker out in St. Louis and dig a hole for themselves. I remember thinking after they hosted the Icebreaker at Agganis a few years back how special I thought that team could ( and turned out to) be. Here's to Jackie's health and a fast start.

Not sure how far along in his recovery he is or if he got to go sailing, but I know he's been in the office a few times in the past week or so, which I interpret to be a pretty good sign.

[Jacques Joubert]

Re: Boston University: 2010-11 part I - "so...you're saying i get a calendar??"

Can someone tell me what's going on with ticket prices???

I was looking at a ticket stub from the 2006 BU-BC game at Agganis my wife and I were at. The face value was $12.00.

It seems that the tickets are up to $22-26 per game now. Roughly a 100% price increase in just 4 years! Is my math wrong?

I've also noticed that the arena seems a bit empty compared to years past. Perhaps the novelty of is Agganis wearing off, OR...perhaps it's the ticket prices.

A small observation is a lot of my friends from work who are hockey fans and used to go to games with me all the time are a bit hesistant to attend and say things like, "For that price we could spend a little more and see a Bruins game."

It also stinks when I talk them into going and the place in 70% full.

Thoughts? Wouldn't BU rather have a packed house and make the money on parking and concessions?

AND...what's the deal with the 1/2 season ticket packages costing $195?

Aren't two half season packages cheaper than one full season ticket? I know season ticket holders get the HE quarterfinals but those are NOT a tough ticket since the games are over spring break.

Who here goes to all three QF games? (I do, but many season ticket holders I know don't).

Just a bit of a rant/observation.

If they make the FF though I'd gladly endure another price bump

[mookie1995]

Re: Boston University: 2010-11 part I - "so...you're saying i get a calendar??"

Half season isn't a 1/2 season. It's only 8 games. They don't have to buy the Canadian exhibition

[Sean Pickett]

Ticket Pricing

Can someone tell me what's going on with ticket prices???

For a discussion on ticket prices read the Ticket Price Elasticity: How high would you go? thread.

I was looking at a ticket stub from the 2006 BU-BC game at Agganis my wife and I were at. The face value was $12.00. It seems that the tickets are up to $22-26 per game now. Roughly a 100% price increase in just 4 years! Is my math wrong?

BU season ticket prices for 2005-06 were $18/game and for 2006-07 $20/game. See my post on BU season ticket prices since 1990 on the above thread. Based on the current group price, it may have been $12 in 2005-06.

I've also noticed that the arena seems a bit empty compared to years past. Perhaps the novelty of is Agganis wearing off, OR...perhaps it's the ticket prices.

Average attendance (not including exhibitions) since Agganis opened:

Season   Gs   All  Cap  Gs   RS   Cap
2004-05  11  5313  85%   8  6048  97%
2005-06  18  5569  89%  16  5863  94%
2006-07  19  5498  88%  16  5772  93%
2007-08  18  5170  83%  15  5429  87%
2008-09  22  5055  81%  19  5245  84%
 w/o IB  20  5163  83%  17  5394  87%
2009-10  19  5167  83%  16  5457  88%

There are several factors in play. First the Hockey East quarterfinals are bringing down the season average, especially the first season. Overall attendance went up for the second season due to increased playoff attendance, then declined for the next three, and regular season attendance declined for four straight, before rebounding last season. Ticket prices were the same the first two seasons, so the decline in regular season attendance is likely due to the new arena factor lessening. The third season the ticket prices increased, but attendance dropped less than 100/game. There was no price increase for the fourth season, but attendance dropped over 300/game, which makes me believe that this was due to the new arena factor wearing off completely. If you factor out the higher priced Ice Breaker games, which were not part of the season ticket package in 2008-09, attendance has been stable overall for the past three seasons and has increased for regular season games the past two seasons.

A small observation is a lot of my friends from work who are hockey fans and used to go to games with me all the time are a bit hesitant to attend and say things like, "For that price we could spend a little more and see a Bruins game."

And do they go to Bruins games, or just stay home?

It also stinks when I talk them into going and the place in 70% full.

See above. Most teams don’t play to full arenas for every game.

Thoughts? Wouldn't BU rather have a packed house and make the money on parking and concessions?

I think BU would like more parking revenue, as they would like more ticket sales. I believe that the concessions are run by outside vendors, so it depends whether BU gets a percentage of sales or a straight flat payment.

AND...what's the deal with the 1/2 season ticket packages costing $195? Aren't two half season packages cheaper than one full season ticket? I know season ticket holders get the HE quarterfinals but those are NOT a tough ticket since the games are over spring break.

Correction; the price is $198. The half-plans exclude the exhibition game along with the quarterfinals, which many would consider a plus. The average price per game for the half-plans is $24.75, higher than the full season average of $22.45 with QFs (or $22.71 without QFs). If you purchased the 2 half-plans and 3 QFs it would cost $459, ten dollars more than a full season package (or $483 including the exhibition game, thirty-four dollars more).

Who here goes to all three QF games? (I do, but many season ticket holders I know don't).

I attend all home games, including all exhibitions and quarterfinals.

Sean

[Agganis]

Re: Boston University: 2010-11 part I - "so...you're saying i get a calendar??"

It also stinks when I talk them into going and the place in 70% full.

And I'm getting the feeling student season tickets are down this year, so unless the team performs the casual students won't show up and attendance could be down further.

Who here goes to all three QF games? (I do, but many season ticket holders I know don't).

I think you're kind of preaching to the choir here, the people who need to satisfy their hockey fix by joining an online message board likely aren't going to willingly miss any games, especially playoffs. In general though yes, for some reason people skip playoff games in exhibition game numbers

[Jacques Joubert]

Re: Ticket Pricing

Outstanding analysis. Thanks Sean.

For a discussion on ticket prices read the Ticket Price Elasticity: How high would you go? thread.

BU season ticket prices for 2005-06 were $18/game and for 2006-07 $20/game. See my post on BU season ticket prices since 1990 on the above thread. Based on the current group price, it may have been $12 in 2005-06.

Average attendance (not including exhibitions) since Agganis opened:

Season   Gs   All  Cap  Gs   RS   Cap
2004-05  11  5313  85%   8  6048  97%
2005-06  18  5569  89%  16  5863  94%
2006-07  19  5498  88%  16  5772  93%
2007-08  18  5170  83%  15  5429  87%
2008-09  22  5055  81%  19  5245  84%
 w/o IB  20  5163  83%  17  5394  87%
2009-10  19  5167  83%  16  5457  88%

There are several factors in play. First the Hockey East quarterfinals are bringing down the season average, especially the first season. Overall attendance went up for the second season due to increased playoff attendance, then declined for the next three, and regular season attendance declined for four straight, before rebounding last season. Ticket prices were the same the first two seasons, so the decline in regular season attendance is likely due to the new arena factor lessening. The third season the ticket prices increased, but attendance dropped less than 100/game. There was no price increase for the fourth season, but attendance dropped over 300/game, which makes me believe that this was due to the new arena factor wearing off completely. If you factor out the higher priced Ice Breaker games, which were not part of the season ticket package in 2008-09, attendance has been stable overall for the past three seasons and has increased for regular season games the past two seasons.

And do they go to Bruins games, or just stay home?

See above. Most teams don’t play to full arenas for every game.

I think BU would like more parking revenue, as they would like more ticket sales. I believe that the concessions are run by outside vendors, so it depends whether BU gets a percentage of sales or a straight flat payment.

Correction; the price is $198. The half-plans exclude the exhibition game along with the quarterfinals, which many would consider a plus. The average price per game for the half-plans is $24.75, higher than the full season average of $22.45 with QFs (or $22.71 without QFs). If you purchased the 2 half-plans and 3 QFs it would cost $459, ten dollars more than a full season package (or $483 including the exhibition game, thirty-four dollars more).

I attend all home games, including all exhibitions and quarterfinals.

Sean

[Jacques Joubert]

Re: Boston University: 2010-11 part I - "so...you're saying i get a calendar??"

Great Analysis, Thanks Sean!