Ford Field Rink Installation

[MinnesotaNorthStar]

Re: Ford Field Rink Installation

They actually tried to work this out but given the time necessary to prepare the field it wouldnt work with the Detroit Lions schedule.

With all the unknowns about this the only real complaint is that people paying top dollar got the worst views in the stadium. Just imagine how much worse it could have been...now think about what it would take to make the changes required:

1. People paying $$$$ get the best seats, not the ones closest to the ice.
2. Risers and added seating are designed more appropriately for fan needs.
3. Do a better job painting the ice or making sure lines don't show up from pipes.
4. MSU actually wins down the stretch and makes the frozen four.

Take the first 2 and you would have yourself a **** good Frozen Four. Fix those in the future and you have a quality product.

What part of the Lions schedule in February would have prevented a hockey game?

They had plenty of time and examples for this event and failed miserably.

 

[bigmrg74]

Re: Ford Field Rink Installation

Yeah, the risers sucked it looked like. I never bothered to go take in the view form there, but I heard that about anybody right behind the benches couldn't see anything. Personally, if I had my way with things here. I would have shifted the ice over a little closer to the end zone wall, and had like maybe 3 or 4 rows of seating there. Then on the other side of the rink I would have put in risers that went up a lot more steeper, and probably would have given some thought into having some of those angle into the permanent seating as well. help close the building off a little more. Saw some of the lines when I saw some of the games on TV, or on the video screen. a simple additional coat of paint probably could have fixed that problem. Other than that, the one thing that kinda bugged me was trying to follow the shots on goal and time left on penalties there on the dasher boards. If I had a say in it, I probably would have rigged up a temporary jumbo tron to hang over the center ice. Nothing really fancy, as they already had the big video boards, but I'm sure Daktronics or somebody could have put together something that would have been pretty light that would have been easy to hang up there, and would have worked for the NCAA purposes, IE, no need for big advertisements on it.

Other than that, the experiance was great other than both of the games were laughers. RIT fans did the best they could to breath some life into the place, but that's hard to do in any building when you're down by a touchdown. Hands down the best fans in the building tonight.

 

[Steve_MN]

Re: Ford Field Rink Installation

I am at Ford Field so I don't have the luxury of replays, but the lines in the ice look very minimal from here. The ice looks fine at this point...I'm curious what it will look like after the first game, or even later in this game. I'm still on the fence. I want to see how things play out for a bit before making any judgment on the product.

So why not host a Michigan vs Michigan State game at Ford Field in February? or last year? Why wait until the 3 most important games of the year to figure it out?

Being solidly on the record earlier in this thread against the whole idea, I have to admit that the sightlines from the fixed seats aren't as bad as I'd feared. Still a little off from what I expect for a hockey game, but not terrible. The angle from where I was supposed to be sitting is rather odd, though, if you're sitting back in your seat and looking straight ahead, you get a lovely view of the risers. (I managed to leave my tickets at home so I grabbed a new set <sigh>... need to stop letting my buddy pick me up on his way to work and drop me off at the airport, I keep forgetting something important). I did wander down to take a look from that area though, but rather liked my club level seats that I ended up with.

I'd really like to hear from the players more on the quality of the ice. I posted several comments in the score update threads, but from where I was sitting, it really looked like the ice was getting pretty nasty as the night went on. And the efforts that the crew were going through to get the water cleaned up was downright disturbing.

 

[MaizeRage]

Re: Ford Field Rink Installation

I'd really like to hear from the players more on the quality of the ice.

They all said it was much better this evening than it was yesterday and earlier in the morning.

 

[Loki]

Re: Ford Field Rink Installation

Is it normal for the bands to be so far from the student sections? I was in the RIT band and we could only hear the reflection of the sound from the corner crew off the glass.

ooh and the view from down there SUCKED!!! you couldn't see anything below the face off circles, and nothing really at the opposing end. I mean come on, you could have at least given us short risers or something... come on!

but once I got up in the stands it was actually pretty decent spot to watch from. I knew it wasn't going to be loud in there cuz its so big. but it was just dead.... not a fan of that, but otherwise it wasn't bad.

 

[thecomicbookguy]

Re: Ford Field Rink Installation

What part of the Lions schedule in February would have prevented a hockey game?

Their annual Super Bowl Watching party?

 

[Madtown]

Re: Ford Field Rink Installation

Heading over from madison this afternoon. Picking up tickets before the game. From those that were there what would be some of the best tickets to get. I will be staying away from the risers after reading this. I am thinking 30 to 40 rows up in the lower bowl should be good, but would like some input. Thanks and ****em Bucky

 

[bigblue_dl]

Re: Ford Field Rink Installation

I've seen several comments about how next time they will do it right. Is there really any reason to have a next time? Keep hockey in hockey arenas!

 

[Marla Singer]

Re: Ford Field Rink Installation

In case anyone noticed, in the riser sections R1-5, the seat backs had "NCAA" stamped on them. Guess who owns those, for basketball.

 

[Onion Man]

Re: Ford Field Rink Installation

Ford Field running out of pucks to sell before Game 1 even started was quite lame.

 

[WSUWarriors]

Re: Ford Field Rink Installation

Heading over from madison this afternoon. Picking up tickets before the game. From those that were there what would be some of the best tickets to get. I will be staying away from the risers after reading this. I am thinking 30 to 40 rows up in the lower bowl should be good, but would like some input. Thanks and ****em Bucky

I am in section 100 row 27 & I enjoyed my seats. I am above & a little to the right of the tunnel where the players come out. Due to the tunnel, the section is angled toward the center of the football field, so they were great in relation to the ice. So yes I think that 30 to 40 rows up would be good.

I'm glad I didn't end up with risers, especially the ones behind the benches. With the players standing through both games & the way the risers were positioned, you couldn't see a thing.

I also do not know why they didn't put up a temporary scoreboard above the ice. I know that they do that for the BB Final Four.

 

[ActionJoe]

Re: Ford Field Rink Installation

There were three huge embarrassments last night. Wisco blowing out RIT, BC blowing out Miami, and Ford Field looking like crap. It was empty seat after empty seat after empty seat. Maybe that will improve for the title game but it just looked horrendous. They should just give away seats now.

 

[aparch]

Re: Ford Field Rink Installation

... I know for a fact that many bought tix only to keep their priority, ...

Didn't the NCAA make a statement that those who chose to skip this year would not be penalized in the priority system?

 

[aparch]

Re: Ford Field Rink Installation

They had previous examples from other college games (I believe the game at Lambeau had the end zone configuration)...they just don't care.

Pretty close.

 

[JB]

Re: Ford Field Rink Installation

There were three huge embarrassments last night. Wisco blowing out RIT, BC blowing out Miami, and Ford Field looking like crap. It was empty seat after empty seat after empty seat. Maybe that will improve for the title game but it just looked horrendous. They should just give away seats now.

Announced attendance on ESPN was 34K+.

Most of those people must have thought it would be fun to come dressed as blue seats...

 

[bigblue_dl]

Re: Ford Field Rink Installation

Didn't the NCAA make a statement that those who chose to skip this year would not be penalized in the priority system?

They weren't penalized, but if you bought tickets you still got an extra priority point, whereas if you didn't buy tickets you maintained your previous priority.

Announced attendance on ESPN was 34K+.

Most of those people must have thought it would be fun to come dressed as blue seats...

Paid attendance was 34K. They will never tell us how many people were actually there.

 

[mookie1995]

Re: Ford Field Rink Installation

Ford Field running out of pucks to sell before Game 1 even started was quite lame.

oh, but they were selling binoculars!!!! (first thing i saw going in.... scared the hell outta me)

and like monster said, the west risers shouldn't have been there. abut the rink up to the already higher football seats and nobody is that blocked out by the team. then lift the pitch on the east riser to at least meet the curtain (so as to not worry about blocking the jumbletron view) and you solve dam near everything.

 

[CLS]

Re: Ford Field Rink Installation

Didn't the NCAA make a statement that those who chose to skip this year would not be penalized in the priority system?

The change was that if you attended this year for the first time you don't get any priority points. But if you already had priority points, then you get an additional point for buying tickets to FFFF. So people who didn't buy tickets through the lottery get "punished" in that they stand still, while the folks who entered the lottery move ahead one step. So if you already had priority points it was an advantage to buy a ticket.

 

[mookie1995]

Re: Ford Field Rink Installation

The change was that if you attended this year for the first time you don't get any priority points. But if you already had priority points, then you get an additional point for buying tickets to FFFF. So people who didn't buy tickets through the lottery get "punished" in that they stand still, while the folks who entered the lottery move ahead one step. So if you already had priority points it was an advantage to buy a ticket.

i would guess many people bought a single cheap seat and didn't plan on attending to get their point.

the three seats to my left were empty, as were the two seats to the right of my son.

 

[HuskyNation]

Re: Ford Field Rink Installation

Being a fan in one of the riser sections, I had a lovely view of the losers bench. The risers need to be only 2 rows deep on the bench side and start much higher so you can see over the benches. Hockey arenas have this concept in mind. Obviously this concept was lost on the Ford Field crew.

From what I heard though, the NCAA had 10 different people that all had their own input about the proceedings and there was likely non-hockey people setting the ground rules for the crew setting it up. This was obvious by the way things were constructed and the sight lines that were provided. This being said, a long letter to the NC$$ will be coming forth about their shortcomings and the pitfalls of having too many cooks in the kitchen.

I was hoping the attendance last night would be less than 25k, but about that many showed up for the first game and then the rest came in for the second game. Have to say though, while the RIT fans were the most entertaining, the Miami fans near me were a bit out there and NOT hockey fans. I know better that the whole of the base was not like that considering the majority of the section was right behind us by 20 rows and were fairly entertaining as well. I have to say, the DILDO chant was hilarious.

I believe the outcomes of these games showed the outdoor game factor, i.e. Wisconsin and BC have both played outdoor games recently and understand the setting as opposed to RIT and Miami that have not. I see a close championship game coming forth on Saturday.