How was the Frozen Four form people who went?

[The Rube]

Re: How was the Frozen Four form people who went?

Personally? I'll take Ford Field over the Xcel Center just for the sake of ticket price/availability. If you pay a lot for good seats, you'll be much better off at the Xcel Center. If you're like me and can't justify spending a whole lot of money for a single event (unless your team makes it), then the cheapest seats are going to have a comparable view but cost about 4 times as much. I was able to find people that weren't diehard college hockey fans interested in going at the Ford Field prices, whereas even I'm not willing to pay the prices for the Xcel Center (again, unless my team makes it).

Sorry to hear your opinion on the X. Being a longtime Final 5 veteran, I'd like to add my two cents (but I cannot comment on the cost, due to not really knowing about that). I usually sit about 10 rows from the ceiling on the end, and love the view. You can still see the players' numbers and such, and you can see the play develop quite easily, obviously. I actually prefer those seats to the other ones I sometimes sit in, which are about even with the faceoff circle in the lower level.

I guess what I'm saying is, there is not a bad view at the X no matter where you are, it's just a matter of personal taste: closeness to the ice, developing play, side/end view perspective, whatever.

 

[kdilks]

Re: How was the Frozen Four form people who went?

Sorry to hear your opinion on the X. Being a longtime Final 5 veteran, I'd like to add my two cents (but I cannot comment on the cost, due to not really knowing about that). I usually sit about 10 rows from the ceiling on the end, and love the view. You can still see the players' numbers and such, and you can see the play develop quite easily, obviously. I actually prefer those seats to the other ones I sometimes sit in, which are about even with the faceoff circle in the lower level.

I guess what I'm saying is, there is not a bad view at the X no matter where you are, it's just a matter of personal taste: closeness to the ice, developing play, side/end view perspective, whatever.

I went to the X for the Icebreaker tournament a few years ago and sat up in the 300s on the sideline, so that's what I'm going off of. I'm not really saying whether it was a good or bad view, just that it was comparable to the view I had at Ford Field. I don't have a problem with the facility, just with the fact that tickets cost so much for Final Five/regionals/Frozen Four that I very well may end up never going to a game there during my 4-5 years in Minneapolis for grad school. I couldn't even get somebody that grew up watching St. Cloud hockey to go watch them get their first tournament win because of the $50 tickets.

 

[The Rube]

Re: How was the Frozen Four form people who went?

I went to the X for the Icebreaker tournament a few years ago and sat up in the 300s on the sideline, so that's what I'm going off of. I'm not really saying whether it was a good or bad view, just that it was comparable to the view I had at Ford Field. I don't have a problem with the facility, just with the fact that tickets cost so much for Final Five/regionals/Frozen Four that I very well may end up never going to a game there during my 4-5 years in Minneapolis for grad school. I couldn't even get somebody that grew up watching St. Cloud hockey to go watch them get their first tournament win because of the $50 tickets.

Well, I know for the F5, if it's not a MN/UND/WI matchup, go for the scalper route. You'll save a ton of money, and chances are you can move to other seats. And honestly, I'd go the scalper route overall anyway, since the chances for that kind of matchup are fairly rare. This year we spent half the time at the club level, despite our $10 tickets.

I have never gone to regionals, mostly due to the cost (would rather have a house party sort of thing) and I missed the F4 when it was here last, but I'm definitely going next year.

 

[kdilks]

Re: How was the Frozen Four form people who went?

Well, I know for the F5, if it's not a MN/UND/WI matchup, go for the scalper route. You'll save a ton of money, and chances are you can move to other seats. And honestly, I'd go the scalper route overall anyway, since the chances for that kind of matchup are fairly rare. This year we spent half the time at the club level, despite our $10 tickets.

I have never gone to regionals, mostly due to the cost (would rather have a house party sort of thing) and I missed the F4 when it was here last, but I'm definitely going next year.

Conference championships seem to always be at the tail end of Minnesota's spring break, and since I plan on spending those back home in Ann Arbor, it's just as easy (and a lot more fun) for me to go to the CCHA finals.

 

[Onion Man]

Re: How was the Frozen Four form people who went?

I went and it was much better than I thought. Detroit did a good job and there were quite a few things to do around the area. The games were somewhat boring, but the final was a 1-0 game until the third. Somewhat remniscent of the 2003 Final in Buffalo when it was close into the third and got blown open.

Props to the RIT fans who went and stayed to cheer for, well, I still dont know who they were cheering for in that last game.

 

[DMA]

Re: How was the Frozen Four form people who went?

I thought Ford Field was a terrible venue for the Frozen Four. There were very few good seats, if any. I was in the 12th row of Section 139, which means 25 rows from the rink when you add in the risers. The pitch was so poor we could not see one whole side of the rink. We moved for two of the three games. Everything was very far back from the rink and the game felt distant.

The place swallowed up much of the noise -- we could barely hear the horn at the end or a period. Unlike other venues, fans were apparently allowed to go up and down the aisles during play, which was annoying if you were sitting on an aisle. The PA announcers were sometimes disconnected from the game, the scoreboards were to the side and awkward for hockey, the risers had so little lift from row to row that the person in front could have been pretty short and still blocked your view (I sat there for the skills competition). The atmosphere Saturday night was decent, but Thursday did not even seem like the Frozen Four.

Now if you want a really great sports experience, go see the Tigers at Comerica, which is right across the street. What a great ballpark!

 

[Zuck_Em_Bucky]

Re: How was the Frozen Four form people who went?

Detroit was my first Frozen Four. Overall we enjoyed ourselves, but I wasn't impressed with the venue. The risers were flat as a 10 year old girl and the only thing you thought there was, "Wow, I'm really far way from the ice." We went to the Skillz Challenge/Hobey Baker on Friday and thought it was pretty lame overall. It took about 10 min to walk from the entrance of FF to the seats to see more canned commercials & inaudible audio and then after the Hobey was handed out @ 7:30 the Skills wasn't set to start until 8:15. After a bathroom break we decided it wasn't worth hiking all the way back to the bleachers and left.

We were both shocked at how lame the intermissions were. Nothing but canned house music, crummy oft-repeated announcements from past FF'ers remembering their moment of glory (we must have seen Jeff Lerg a half dozen or more times), and awkward interviews with a fried, died & layed ho. I felt more like I was at a pro hockey game after having sat in the student section for 6 years. I may be wrong here but I thought they were trying to market college hockey & its lively atmosphere & traditions instead of sucking the life out it. During the Champ game I told my wife when we get a dog I'll just bring it to the FF instead of paying the vet to spay/neuter it.

As to the ice, I'm still a bit skeptical about the quality. Yes, the players haven't said that much about it, but how much of that is pressure from the coach or NCAA? When they started fixing holes in the ice (towards the 130s end of the ice, just down from the penalty box) during the FIRST GAME I knew it was a piece of c-r-@-p. And then, before the champ game they threw a bucket of water in front of the benches and froze it with a CO2 extinguisher? Please. Did anyone notice just how much snow the shovel crews were removing from ice? And the fact that they came out more and more frequently during the Champ game? I was 12 rows back in 102 (section Wisconsin kind of defended twice) - we knew it was going to be bad when we saw spray fly off someone's stick when handling the puck - not their skate their stick. Also, there is ZERO excuse for the refrigeration lines going through the logos. ZERO. At the outdoor hockey game at Camp Randall they used decals for the logos since it was a temporary sheet and decals were not only quicker but would look better. I guess the NCAA was really trying to squeeze every last cent of profit out of the FF and couldn't spring for said decals.

 

[alfablue]

Re: How was the Frozen Four form people who went?

We had a great time- the end zone seats were just fine. As far as I could tell, the rise in our seats were no different than the end zones at the X- from what I recall back a few years ago when we were there. (we were in section 131, row 17)

And if anyone ventured up to the upper area- those seats were just like any upper bowl seat I've ever seen. The whole rink is visible, and it's not all that far away, relatively speaking.

For you TV viewers, if the pipes distracted you, well, it sucks to be you. Apparently the games were far from interesting, then.

The risers were a bad idea- no idea how they figured that- IF they had put the rink right to the edge of the stands- up against the brick, and then raised up the other risers 5 feet, it would have made a world of difference. May have taken out a few hundred seats, but for the most part, those seats in the end weren't used anyway.

I did see some water on the ice in the championship game- in the first period, but they must have turned up the cooling, as by the end of the game, that was gone. As posted in another thread, if the ice was that bad, then BC would not have been able to move the puck as quickly as they did. I didn't think it was that bad...

And we had a great time in Detroit, but I'm biased. It was great to see most of the businesses know what was going on, and really try to embrace the fans for the hockey. Even a church on Jefferson was welcoming Frozen Four fans...

You all missed a great posters game at Yost. A good RIT contingent showed up, and haied us all with awesome insults!! It was a blast!

 

[theprofromdover]

Re: How was the Frozen Four form people who went?

I was pleasantly surprised by Detroit. Never felt anything but safe walking around or taking the peoplemover. There were plenty of eating and drinking options. Try walking up to Fenway on a gameday and getting a $12 ticket in the sun!

A friend, who is a Baptist pastor in d\Detroit, took me out for a tour and lunch. We ended up at a place called Southern Fries (IIRC) a soul food restaurant that seats 300-350. Absolutely incredible. He also took me on a tour of the best and worst neighborhoods.

I'd go back to Detropit ina heartbeat for another FF. Just not to Ford Field.

 

[Brewmaster]

Re: How was the Frozen Four form people who went?

Please, NCAA: never, ever do this again.

As a "top priority" F4 ticketholder, our seats were LOUSY. We were in RS5, Row 3. Waaaaayyyy at the end of the ice (past the goal line, in fact), three rows up. The top of the boards were at eye level. So when the puck was in our zone, we couldn't see it. Of course, we also had to try to look around the various camera people who were scurrying around trying to film the action. When the puck was in the far zone, we couldn't see *anything* due to severe distortion from the glass.

We moved at the first TV time-out of the first game, and commandeered a few seats in the upper bowl at the end of the ice.

I later talked to several other priority folks who also moved, as their seats were equally horrific.

The NCAA should have given such lousy seats to the folks who paid $40.

And, I kept wondering, if you were waaayyyy up on those risers, and you needed to "use the facilities" that's a looonnnggg trek.

Fortunately, a couple hours before the final, I got a text message from a friend of mine saying that fans could go to the guest services window and exchange their seats for better locations. We did---but then almost any seat location at FF would have been better than where we were originally imprisoned.

Having the school bands parked out on the tarmac away from their fans didn't help boost the atmosphere, either. But I would bet that most of that traditional F4 excitement was felt by those seated with--or near--the school sections. Most of the people around me were either chatting, texting, or left early.

That said, there were a few positives: there was no waiting in long lines for souvenirs. The people at Ford Field (vendors, concessionaires, etc.) were uniformly courteous and helpful. And the RIT fans were a hoot....especially during the final.

But please: keep the F4 in a hockey arena where it belongs.

 

[Slasher7]

Re: How was the Frozen Four form people who went?

I loved Detroit and will definitely go back some day. Opening Day was up there with Fenway and Wrigley's overall game day experience and the rink at Ford Field wasn't as bad as I thought.

Some great bars in D-town as well. The highlight (besides the BC win) was going to the Joe on Wednesday for the Wings game. It was 'old time hockey' and was an NHL experience I haven't felt on Causeway Street in a long time.

Kudos to Detroit!

 

[Zudnic]

Re: How was the Frozen Four form people who went?

You apparently didn't talk to any of the 17,000+ people that couldn't have gotten into the building if it was at the Joe.

As someone who questions growth-at-any-cost, I would ask if that is necessarily a good thing. Smaller building pushes up ticket prices on the secondary market and rewards loyalty through the lottery, which means that the people in the building really want to be there (for the most part, corporate seats don't seem to be much of a factor.) This in turn creates better atmosphere which keeps people coming back. This is the formula that has worked for college hockey for a long time. I don't see the value in letting in an extra 17,000 people if what they are going to experience isn't that good.

I felt more like I was at a pro hockey game after having sat in the student section for 6 years.

Unfortunately college atmosphere is dying since the masses want the JumboTron screaming "GET LOUD" and cheer girls. What makes college hockey unique is the atmosphere and that is rapidly dying. Most recently here in the East you had Walter Brown which was awesome, replaced by Agganis which is largely dead.

 

[Puck Swami]

Re: How was the Frozen Four form people who went?

Most of us are hockey purists, we want to see the game in the best atmosphere, and that's in a hockey arena. I am sure basketball purists like their game better in a bandbox gym with 10,000 fans like the Palestra (Penn) or Cameron (Duke) than with 70,000+ in a domed football stadium.

That said, by putting the games in a football stadium, the NCAA were able to get almost double the specator access and probably made more money. Of course, that was offset somehat by a decresase in noise levels, sightlines complaints and less reliable ice conditions.

While it may be a few years before we see this format again, I think we will see it again someday. I think this event would draw 50,000+ in the Metrodome...

 

[Cheesy McCheeser]

Re: How was the Frozen Four form people who went?

Awful venue for reasons described very well above + water pooled on the ice surface before the games began. The ncaa gave a big middle finger to it's loyal frozen four attendees in my opinion. I wish that we'd known about the ticket exchange option and didn't have to keep getting kicked out of the "cheap seats" that had a better view than our 12th row seats. I won't go to another ff in a non-hockey arena(this was my 7th).

Detroit was great-lot's to do, friendly folks, great time at Comerica and the Ford Museum.

 

[Zuck_Em_Bucky]

Re: How was the Frozen Four form people who went?

Unfortunately college atmosphere is dying since the masses want the JumboTron screaming "GET LOUD" and cheer girls. What makes college hockey unique is the atmosphere and that is rapidly dying. Most recently here in the East you had Walter Brown which was awesome, replaced by Agganis which is largely dead.

I was hoping Nicole would interview me so I could tell her how lame that atmosphere was. Could you imagine someone on the jumbotron saying, "I would have a much better time without these lame & awkward interviews, canned music, and Jeff Lerg vignettes shown a dozen times. Let the bands play!"

 

[Terrierbyassociation]

Re: How was the Frozen Four form people who went?

Most of us are hockey purists, we want to see the game in the best atmosphere, and that's in a hockey arena. I am sure basketball purists like their game better in a bandbox gym with 10,000 fans like the Palestra (Penn) or Cameron (Duke) than with 70,000+ in a domed football stadium.

That said, by putting the games in a football stadium, the NCAA were able to get almost double the spectator access and probably made more money. Of course, that was offset somewhat by a decrease in noise levels, sight-lines complaints and less reliable ice conditions.

While it may be a few years before we see this format again, I think we will see it again someday. I think this event would draw 50,000+ in the Metrodome...

When you consider what 18K x 189 would be if they put it in the Joe versus:

(This is a rough estimate of how I think the NCAA sold tickets for this)

35K (5K x 189.00) + (17K x 119.00) + (13K x 40.00) + paying to lay down ice for 5 days in a football stadium, setting up the risers, extra security, extra set-up etc... I wouldn't be surprised if the NCAA made significantly less money on Ford Field than in years past. They might have even lost money on the event.

Plus they made a whole lot less in terms of interest money by having two price points in the beginning.

FWIW the city was great. I'd definitely go back there again for the FF. But not at Ford Field and unless my team is in it, I'm not going the next time its in a stadium.

 

[Puck Swami]

Re: How was the Frozen Four form people who went?

When you consider what 18K x 189 would be if they put it in the Joe versus:

(This is a rough estimate of how I think the NCAA sold tickets for this)

35K (5K x 189.00) + (17K x 119.00) + (13K x 40.00) + paying to lay down ice for 5 days in a football stadium, setting up the risers, extra security, extra set-up etc... I wouldn't be surprised if the NCAA made significantly less money on Ford Field than in years past. They might have even lost money on the event.

Plus they made a whole lot less in terms of interest money by having two price points in the beginning.

FWIW the city was great. I'd definitely go back there again for the FF. But not at Ford Field and unless my team is in it, I'm not going the next time its in a stadium.

Portable ice costs about $250,000 - $300,000 for the event. Riser costs were probably minimal since they were likely already there. Does that change your calculations?

 

[Terrierbyassociation]

Re: How was the Frozen Four form people who went?

Portable ice costs about $250,000 - $300,000 for the event. Riser costs were probably minimal since they were likely already there. Does that change your calculations?

Actually, that makes it even more ****ing, I thought it would have been around 100K to put down that ice.

Plus the risers were NCAA property, with NCAA logos embossed all over them, they definitely came from somewhere at least the chairs did.

 

[Puck Swami]

Re: How was the Frozen Four form people who went?

Actually, that makes it even more ****ing, I thought it would have been around 100K to put down that ice.

Plus the risers were NCAA property, with NCAA logos embossed all over them, they definitely came from somewhere at least the chairs did.

Using your figures, the gate revenue was probably about $3 million on the weekend, with the host building probably keeping most of the ancillaries (concessions, etc.). When you figure in the event staging and promotion costs, you are probably looking at about 1 to 1.5 million in overhead they spent. My guess is they probably cleared about $1.5 million in profit, about $500,000 more than they'd make in a hockey arena.

 

[Zudnic]

Re: How was the Frozen Four form people who went?

Using your figures, the gate revenue was probably about $3 million on the weekend, with the host building probably keeping most of the ancillaries (concessions, etc.). When you figure in the event staging and promotion costs, you are probably looking at about 1 to 1.5 million in overhead they spent. My guess is they probably cleared about $1.5 million in profit, about $500,000 more than they'd make in a hockey arena.

I hope that's not true, because if it is it means more of this kind of BS in the future.