2011 Posters' Game - St Paul

[state of hockey]

Re: 2011 Posters' Game - St Paul

Fogerty has had an electric ice resurfacer for ages. The results there have been good, they have it on the main ice sheet.

 

[brianvf]

Re: 2011 Posters' Game - St Paul

I didn't learn to skate until I was in college (31 yo now), had a five year layoff at one point, and only skated a few times in a couple other years, so I'm definitely no brianvf.

I would guess that my "skills" have diminished. I'm in AZ now, my equipment is still back in WI, and I've only skated once since last March.
Brutal. I miss it...

 

[pgb-ohio]

Re: 2011 Posters' Game - St Paul

What sort of time blocks have they been in the past? Two-hour blocks?

MNS is correct; 1.5 to 2 hours.

IMHO, 2 hours is to be preferred. That way there's plenty of time for pregame warm-ups and the postgame shootout. 1.5 hours is enough for the game itself.

Depending on cost and timeslot constraints, it may be necessary to settle for 1.5 hours for the whole event. That's not an insurmountable problem. But if you go that route, it's best to be a little more organized upfront. Have some tentative teams set before the icetime starts, make sure everyone hits the ice on time, etc.

BTW, the postgame shootout is a tradition that has been consistently maintained, regardless of the score in the main game. Everyone on both teams shoots, even if the numbers aren't equal. Some years everyone has gotten two shots.

 

[alfablue]

Re: 2011 Posters' Game - St Paul

MNS is correct; 1.5 to 2 hours.

IMHO, 2 hours is to be preferred. That way there's plenty of time for pregame warm-ups and the postgame shootout. 1.5 hours is enough for the game itself.

Depending on cost and timeslot constraints, it may be necessary to settle for 1.5 hours for the whole event. That's not an insurmountable problem. But if you go that route, it's best to be a little more organized upfront. Have some tentative teams set before the icetime starts, make sure everyone hits the ice on time, etc.

BTW, the postgame shootout is a tradition that has been consistently maintained, regardless of the score in the main game. Everyone on both teams shoots, even if the numbers aren't equal. Some years everyone has gotten two shots.

We had two hours last year, and easily enough ice time- warm up, 3 periods, a very long shootout, plus a few more periods. The management I had to deal with were awesome!

 

[Greyeagle]

Re: 2011 Posters' Game - St Paul

There is. I was going to reply with that to Greyeagle before but wasn't 100% certain. Now that you mentioned it, too...I am.

Also, as far as the game goes I poked around at ice availability at STA for early April and its calendar isn't updated yet. What time windows on Friday and Saturday are we looking at? I don't have any plans associated with the DI FF so I'm indifferent, but if we can narrow down some time estimates I'm more than happy to call the guy and see what the situation is.

I knew Forgerty had one, my son played at Edision a lot in youth hockey and I could have sworn they once had an electric machine.....I guess memormania has set in.

I toook Friday off so any time works for me.

 

[kdilks]

Re: 2011 Posters' Game - St Paul

MNS is correct; 1.5 to 2 hours.

IMHO, 2 hours is to be preferred. That way there's plenty of time for pregame warm-ups and the postgame shootout. 1.5 hours is enough for the game itself.

Depending on cost and timeslot constraints, it may be necessary to settle for 1.5 hours for the whole event. That's not an insurmountable problem. But if you go that route, it's best to be a little more organized upfront. Have some tentative teams set before the icetime starts, make sure everyone hits the ice on time, etc.

BTW, the postgame shootout is a tradition that has been consistently maintained, regardless of the score in the main game. Everyone on both teams shoots, even if the numbers aren't equal. Some years everyone has gotten two shots.

Also, have a game plan for the group picture. It always takes longer than it should to get everybody on the same page for that kind of thing. I'd actually suggest doing it before the opening faceoff. If you wait until the end, people are fatigued, and some people might undress early due to injury/skates hurting/puke fest/etc.

 

[Slap Shot]

Re: 2011 Posters' Game - St Paul

Has a date/time and/or location been chosen yet? I can at least make plans if I know the former.

Thanks.

 

[pgb-ohio]

Re: 2011 Posters' Game - St Paul

We had two hours last year, and easily enough ice time- warm up, 3 periods, a very long shootout, plus a few more periods. The management I had to deal with were awesome!

Agree with all of the above.

I'd only add that it is important for this kind of game to be lengthy enough that the "speed guys" have to pace themselves early or slow down later. That way, the less experienced, less skilled or more elderly players get a chance to touch the puck.

Along the same lines, I'd gently note that in DC & MI, the scoreboard operators were a little overzealous in sticking to the pre-arranged minutes per period. Use the whole timeslot. Do set aside enough time for the shootout and the pix. But if there are still extra minutes, tack 'em on to the scoreboard. It's always a shame to waste ice time. Anyone who's really gassed can pull themselves off the ice early. And trust me, those in this category aren't shy about doing so.

 

[XYZ]

Re: 2011 Posters' Game - St Paul

For what it's worth, and for those of you not in the area, I realized I had a pic of STA sitting in one of my galleries:

 

[MarkEagleUSA]

Re: 2011 Posters' Game - St Paul

I realize that with current airline baggage fees it'll be tough for people flying in to bring their gear.

I've heard of a lot of cases where people are using parcel services (UPS/FedEx/USPS) to get excess baggage to/from their destinations as it's sometimes cheaper than the airline fees. Visiting your local UPS Store might be an option for those flying and wishing to play. Gear can be sent to your hotel, or maybe a local can spare some storage space in a basement of garage.

 

[nmupiccdiva]

Re: 2011 Posters' Game - St Paul

I am proud to say that I was present at the event last time, and I was not one of the pukers.

Same here. I even drank a respectable amount of beer given my size and tolerance.

 

[RaceBoarder]

Re: 2011 Posters' Game - St Paul

I've heard of a lot of cases where people are using parcel services (UPS/FedEx/USPS) to get excess baggage to/from their destinations as it's sometimes cheaper than the airline fees. Visiting your local UPS Store might be an option for those flying and wishing to play. Gear can be sent to your hotel, or maybe a local can spare some storage space in a basement of garage.

This is a good point... I've been doing this with ski/board gear for awhile now... With ski/snowboard gear, you are looking at $25-30 for USPS/FedEx/UPS vs $50-75 on the airline (one way)... I'd imagine that hockey gear would probably run about the same...

 

[thebrain]

Re: 2011 Posters' Game - St Paul

What about Parade Ice Garden? Practice rink for the Wild should have pretty good ice.

 

[goldy_331]

Re: 2011 Posters' Game - St Paul

What about Parade Ice Garden? Practice rink for the Wild should have pretty good ice.

I think we can do better for folks in St. Paul for the FF. Rink 2 at parade sucks, 1 is OK.

 

[goldy_331]

Re: 2011 Posters' Game - St Paul

OK, new info on Mariucci. I have to still check on ice for the right weekend, but here are probable costs: $180 for the insurance policy + $440 for 2 hours ice = $620. If we have 30 skaters that is ~$21 each. Does this seem doable to folks? Not sure what the turnout has been in the past. If we get 40 skaters we're talking $15.50 each.

 

[MaizeRage]

Re: 2011 Posters' Game - St Paul

I'm not sure how many people there have been in the past, but 40 skaters is way too many for one game.

 

[alfablue]

Re: 2011 Posters' Game - St Paul

OK, new info on Mariucci. I have to still check on ice for the right weekend, but here are probable costs: $180 for the insurance policy + $440 for 2 hours ice = $620. If we have 30 skaters that is ~$21 each. Does this seem doable to folks? Not sure what the turnout has been in the past. If we get 40 skaters we're talking $15.50 each.

$21 for Mariucci is a no brainer. I'm in whether I play or not.

(oh, and 40 for 2 hours with mostly hack players? Yea, not so bad... )

 

[St. Clown]

Re: 2011 Posters' Game - St Paul

I'm not sure how many people there have been in the past, but 40 skaters is way too many for one game.

Two hours, my group of hack players usually caps it at 26 skaters. Even then, it has felt like too many skaters sometimes.

 

[pgb-ohio]

Re: 2011 Posters' Game - St Paul

Maize & St. Clown are correct. 40 skaters is way too many for one game.

In my experience, 30 is the absolute max. I think one year we signed up a few extras, because we were assuming 2-3 no-shows. IIRC, it worked out as planned. But I'd urge you to cap it at that level.

Truth be told, 20 skaters is ideal. That way everyone plays half the game. That really is the number that makes players the happiest. At the same time, more skaters helps pay the icetime bill. It's also tough to turn anyone away for a once a year event. So the goal is probably 25-30 skaters, plus goalies.

I honestly think the issue will be getting enough sign-ups, not too many. Then again, we are talking about Minnesota here. We'll see.

If you really are able to get to 40+ registrants, you might want to consider splitting into 2 sessions, and getting an additional hour of icetime. If numbers start getting to that level, we can consider that option in more detail.

Price: In the recent past we've been in the $20 - $25 per player range. For Mariucci, I think that people would be pleased to pay at that rate. Sponsors are also an option, which would obviously bring down the per player price.

 

[The Rube]

Re: 2011 Posters' Game - St Paul

OK, new info on Mariucci. I have to still check on ice for the right weekend, but here are probable costs: $180 for the insurance policy + $440 for 2 hours ice = $620. If we have 30 skaters that is ~$21 each. Does this seem doable to folks? Not sure what the turnout has been in the past. If we get 40 skaters we're talking $15.50 each.

Um, I'd pay and I'm not even playing (I'll just be taking pics).