Big Ten Conference Tournament

[Almington]

Re: Big Ten Conference Tournament

I just don't see them leaving the money they would lose on the table to rotate this thing. The Big Ten basketball tournament isn't rotated, probably for good reason, and I'm guessing there won't be much of a rotation for this either. I can see them possibly rotating between St Paul and Detroit until one clearly emerges as the bigger revenue producer, and then sticking with that venue until the revenue situation forces them to look at making a change.

That's because 1.) basketball is a much more established sport in terms of exposure to the casual fans and you don't have new programs who are trying to establish themselves from the ground up and 2.) it is centrally located. Neither Detroit or St. Paul are centrally located in the conference footprint.

Which location will give better revenue will have more to do with which fanbase(s) are more willing to buy ticket packages in advance rather than waiting to see where their team sites before picking up single game tickets (or tickets on the secondary market).

 

[Hockeybuckeye]

Re: Big Ten Conference Tournament

The community of the programs. ie hotels, bars, resturaunts etc.

I'm fairly certain it would never be in Chicago anyway so the argument is moot.

Moot or not I would agree if Evanston had it's hotels, bars, ect solicited by B1G tournament attendees but they're 13 miles away.

 

[Almington]

Re: Big Ten Conference Tournament

We'll see. I'm pretty confident I'm right. It's all about $$$.

I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up in Chicago should more programs add teams.

 

[mnstate0fhockey]

That's because 1.) basketball is a much more established sport in terms of exposure to the casual fans and you don't have new programs who are trying to establish themselves from the ground up and 2.) it is centrally located. Neither Detroit or St. Paul are centrally located in the conference footprint.

Which location will give better revenue will have more to do with which fanbase(s) are more willing to buy ticket packages in advance rather than waiting to see where their team sites before picking up single game tickets (or tickets on the secondary market).

The fact that hockey isn't as established, and really is a very niche sport in this country, is exactly why I don't think you will ever see this tournament outside established hockey markets like the Twin Cities and Detroit. I think you vastly overestimate how many fans are going to travel for this thing. And most of the ones who will travel will regardless of where it's held.

 

[mnstate0fhockey]

I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up in Chicago should more programs add teams.

I don't think so, but you never know.

 

[Hockeybuckeye]

Re: Big Ten Conference Tournament

So is there any concensus on the size of the arena needed to host the tournament championship? You have venues like yost which hold just over 6600 and then you have NHL venues that hold around 20,000. Now I'm not pushing for my back yard, I don't really care as long as I don't have more than a 6 hour drive but as far as an actual on campus venue then OSU has the largest at 17,500 capacity for hockey.

 

[Husky4Life]

Re: Big Ten Conference Tournament

Would it be possible for the X to host both the Big Ten and NCHC conference tournaments in the same year?

I would attend both.

More hockey in March at the X the better!

 

[mnstate0fhockey]

So is there any concensus on the size of the arena needed to host the tournament championship? You have venues like yost which hold just over 6600 and then you have NHL venues that hold around 20,000. Now I'm not pushing for my back yard, I don't really care as long as I don't have more than a 6 hour drive but as far as an actual on campus venue then OSU has the largest at 17,500 capacity for hockey.

If they can sellout the X on most given years, and charge a pretty penny while doing so, it won't be held at any venue in any market where they don't feel confident they can sell as many tickets for as much.

 

[Hockeybuckeye]

Re: Big Ten Conference Tournament

If they can sellout the X on most given years, and charge a pretty penny while doing so, it won't be held at any venue in any market where they don't feel confident they can sell as many tickets for as much.

That's what I think will have a large influence, ticket sales but the Wolverines also do a pretty good job filling up the Joe when they're playing in the CCHA championship game.

 

[JDUBBS1280]

Re: Big Ten Conference Tournament

So is there any concensus on the size of the arena needed to host the tournament championship? You have venues like yost which hold just over 6600 and then you have NHL venues that hold around 20,000. Now I'm not pushing for my back yard, I don't really care as long as I don't have more than a 6 hour drive but as far as an actual on campus venue then OSU has the largest at 17,500 capacity for hockey.

I'd get use to driving. I'll be very surprised if its held outside St Paul and Detroit for the foreseeable future.

The F5 on a good year drew 90,000, bad years (UW-MN out) 60,000 (The X)

 

[Hockeybuckeye]

Re: Big Ten Conference Tournament

I'd get use to driving. I'll be very surprised if its held outside St Paul and Detroit for the foreseeable future.

The F5 on a good year drew 90,000, bad years (UW-MN out) 60,000 (The X)

3 hours from Columbus to Detroit, quicker if you want to risk getting caught by the nastiest state troopers in the country! (the Ohio side of the border)

 

[Almington]

Re: Big Ten Conference Tournament

If they can sellout the X on most given years, and charge a pretty penny while doing so, it won't be held at any venue in any market where they don't feel confident they can sell as many tickets for as much.

They are NOT going to sell out the X (or JLA or any non-campus NHL sized sites), even the WCHA currently doesn't sell out the X unless it is a UMN-UND championship game and I don't believe that the CCHA has ever sold out JLA for their tournament.

 

[Hockeybuckeye]

Re: Big Ten Conference Tournament

They are NOT going to sell out the X (or JLA or any non-campus NHL sized sites), even the WCHA currently doesn't sell out the X unless it is a UMN-UND championship game and I don't believe that the CCHA has ever sold out JLA for their tournament.

When I was there at the Joe for OSU's win over Michigan in '04 it looked pretty sold out to me, at least for the championship game.

 

[Slap Shot]

Re: Big Ten Conference Tournament

There is no such thing as the Big Ten Hockey Conference, its the Big Ten Conference. There are only 6 teams in the conference that sponsor hockey. Chicago is part of the Big Ten Footprint, it is part of the big ten conference territory.

So all BT schools will share revenues from the hockey touranment?

 

[Hockeybuckeye]

Re: Big Ten Conference Tournament

So all BT schools will share revenues from the hockey touranment?

Good question.

 

[SCSU Euro]

Well lets see, played HS Hockey for SSP and WSP juniors in the 80's. Season ticket holder with the Gophs since the 70's, NS's and currently Wild. So maybe I do know a thing or two about the NHL.

And please spare me with the excuses, the Hawks went from dead last in attendance (right along with the Pens) and shot right to the top of the charts when they started winning. If poor management was a viable excuse those same Bears fans (all of the ones I knew) shouldn't be spouting off to Vike fans right? Thats 40 yrs of crappy management.

You're either a loyal fanbase or not, and I place the Hawks fans right there with Pens fans. And all you have are excuses to say you're "different" pfffft

What in the Sam Hill does your career have to do with knowing the NHL?

 

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

I'm fairly certain it would never be in Chicago anyway so the argument is moot.

The largest arena in the geographical footprint will always stand a chance to host. All the B1G needs to consider the United Center is a passing belief that they can get the demand through fans that either (a) live in the area or (b) are willing to travel for their schools. Chicago has an abundance of (a) and the Big Ten is well known for the other.

 

[Almington]

Re: Big Ten Conference Tournament

I'd get use to driving. I'll be very surprised if its held outside St Paul and Detroit for the foreseeable future.

The F5 on a good year drew 90,000, bad years (UW-MN out) 60,000 (The X)

Last year was just over 14.1k/game in tickets sold. At the X the average has been 15.7k/game

The F5 record was set in 2007 with 88,900 and that was UMN, UND, UW, SCSU, and MTU (lost in the Thursday night game). The top 4 fan bases in terms of size played a perfect sequence of games: UND-SCSU on Friday afternoon and UW-UMN in the evening with a UND-UMN title game. Best attendances have matched UMN and UND in the title games (not a surprise)

Without MN, the average has been about 14k/game, MN in the semi raises the average to 15.5k/game, and MN in the title game up to about 17k/game. BUT I think that a fair amount of the sales have been driven by UND fans who will not be replaced by fans from the other B1G schools.

 

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Me. I don't think that Milwaukee has a large enough base of hockey fans to support the tournament compared to the likes of Detroit or St. Paul. Either UW is good and it's a success or UW is bad and it is a disaster, I don't see much in the way of middle ground. I'd have more faith if the Showdown had remained in Milwaukee and successful.

That's why Milwaukee isn't likely to host ever/often. But you're responding to me questioning someone else who claimed that UW fans wouldn't want to see the event in Milwaukee. Totally different things, unless you're going to tell me that most UW fans would prefer to have the conference tourney not in their backyards just because it isn't likely to sell out at the Bradley Center.

 

[Almington]

Re: Big Ten Conference Tournament

When I was there at the Joe for OSU's win over Michigan in '04 it looked pretty sold out to me, at least for the championship game.

Quickly looking over the numbers for the CCHA tournament, the Semifinal games usually had between 10k and 12k and the championship games were about 16k-17k, but it appears that they were a single ticket for each day (someone correct me if I'm wrong).

It appears that St. Paul might have a slight advantage because of higher semi-final attendance, but without the local draws both are going to have very similar numbers. Plus without the UND fans to drive up Friday afternoon attendance the numbers might be much more similar.