How was the Frozen Four form people who went?

[jen]

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

Detroit was a good time, but Ford Field was a terrible hockey venue, and even worse for the supposedly high priority ticket holders. No more non-hockey venues please. I'll sit in the hotel room and watch the game instead. btw, does anyone have a contact at the NCAA (if that's the right place) where we can express our "opinions" about the Ford Field experience?

 

[UML]

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

Just wondering with the frisking at the gate if there was any chance of sneaking in refreshments?

 

[hanasoni]

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

Just wondering with the frisking at the gate if there was any chance of sneaking in refreshments?

Two Bud Lites, and a pint. Actually saw one fella get frisked with a 16 oz cup of beer in his hand! Security could give a rip, as long as Ford Field couldn't sell it for a profit!

 

[WSUWarriors]

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

Just wondering with the frisking at the gate if there was any chance of sneaking in refreshments?

Doubtful. That's just what they do there as they do that for every Lions game. I guess they felt that it was also to be done for the FF.

I agree that there should have been a test run earlier to work out the bugs. I know there was a little talk about having a Wings-Leafs game a year or two ago at Ford Field. But the NHL wanted another outdoor game (Wrigley) and squashed that idea. Although, they probably would have set the rink up at the 50-yard line so they could get 65,000 in there. I agree with Scarlet that a Michigan-MSU game at least should have been done there with the setup that was used.

Originally posted by Choose Death
The micing in the arena was really awkward because on random occasion over the PA you would here a random skate hitting the ice or someone receiving the puck. So that was incredibly inconsistent.

That's actually quite common in some arenas. I've been to a few Wings-Leafs games at the Air Canada Centre & during play they turn on the mics on the glass. So, you hear the skates on the ice or the puck hitting the stick, etc.

All in all, I had a good time, I thought for the most part things went really well. But as stated earlier, some things could have been done better.

 

[Zudnic]

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

Someone ought to print out this thread and send it to the NCAA. Just in the last two pages, with one snippet from any given post:

ord Field was a terrible hockey venue

the venue was fine - for football. Not hockey.

The only thing I really had a clear view of, was both teams benches

Facility: 2

never want to see the frozen four in anything but an ice arena ever again

Whoever came up with the layout probably never saw a hockey game in their life

A lot of effort, time and $$$ were spent trying to make a hockey arena out of a football stadium and in my opinion, they failed.

unless my team is in it, I'm not going the next time its in a stadium.

Awful venue

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

I wasn't impressed with the venue

I thought Ford Field was a terrible venue for the Frozen Four.

 

[Clifton]

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

Given that I grew up in the Detroit area but haven't lived there for over a decade, my perspective is probably a blend of the local and the out of towner. That being said, I'll some it up this way.

If the Red Wings get a new facility, and so long as the community puts up the type of effort they did this past weekend, Detroit should never go more than ten years without a Frozen Four. Until that happens, however, the city shouldn't get another one.

Some more detailed thoughts:

- Given my memories of going to games and events in Detroit in the early to mid nineties, I couldn't believe how lively the area around Ford Field was on Saturday. A local friend was explaining that the biggest problem for the area immediately around the stadium is that there are not enough event nights to create a critical mass. If you add 45 Wings games spread throughout the winter and spring, that area could be fantastic (and if you believe the longest-of-long shots--that the Pistons could move back as well by the end of the next decade...) The combination of the restaurants, bars and casinos compares very favorably to a lot of stadium areas around the country. One more bigtime venue would make it even better.
- Unlike a number of previous Frozen Fours I've attended, the community actually knew about--and cared about--the event. Obviously, having tickets available for purchase by the public helped a ton, but just about everyone I saw over the weekend knew that the Frozen Four was in town, and this included of non-hockey fans. Someone else mentioned the traffic displays over the highways giving directions for hockey traffic. I noticed that too, and it was a small but very nice touch. With so many big events in Detroit over the past five years or so, it is clear that the community knows what it needs to do to help the out of towners.
- I generally agree with the stadium complaints, although I think the view in many areas wasn't quite as bad as some think. As far as the risers are concerned, I think I know the story. The NCAA owns two sets of portable risers--one for the Final Four, and one for a Regional site that will be hosting a Final Four in the next year or two (to give the facility a dry run at the centerfield setup. In that setup, some of the risers actually extend over part of the lower level in order to make for a more seamless transition into the lower level. The grading is notoriously poor on the risers, but it's not as big a deal in basketball because (1) there are no boards and (2) the court is elevated in this arrangement. I think Ford Field got the second of those two sets of risers (hence people seeing the NCAA plastered on the risers). If that's the case, then it explains a lot. Although that is still not an excuse.
- Not that it would have changed my thoughts on the stadium itself, but it would have been interesting to have experienced the atmosphere had the third period of the title game been more exciting. As it went, the vibes were very subdued for anyone not wearing orange, but I got the feeling that a lot of people wanted something to get excited about, and it would have been interesting to have seen what that would have felt like in Ford Field.
- Stadium personnel were good, food was fine, no complaints there.
- As far as a trial run is concerned, it would have been a good idea to do so, but I think I understand why they didn't. If the goal was to get as large of a crowd for the Frozen Four as possible, then the last thing you would have wanted to do would have been to have Michigan/Michigan State or Red Wings/whoever there 6-12 months earlier. Had they done so, I could imagine a lot of people going to that game for the experience, especially if they had a vested in one of the teams, and then simply saying "been there, done that, don't care about these teams anyways" this past weekend.

So going back to my original comment, I think that Detroit should join St. Paul, Milwaukee, Denver and Boston as being regulars on the Frozen Four circuit, so long as they're willing to put in the effort and so long as a new hockey arena gets built. Until the latter happens, however...

 

[pgb-ohio]

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

Lots of good posts on this thread, and Clifton's is one of the best. Far from reflecting a hometown bias, his analysis is right on the money. Detroit did a fine job as a host city, and frankly exceeded the expectations of a large majority. But for better or worse, the key to getting future tournaments is (or at least should be) the construction of a new NHL arena.

Most of the complaints directed toward Ford Field as a hockey venue are well-founded. I'll have much more to say on this on the "Post Your Location" thread.

Also, when I got home, I told everyone that Detroit was a great time, except of course for the D-1 hockey. Let's be honest; it was a set of games that only a BC fan could love. Kudos to the Eagles for their tour de force. But beyond that, the games were pretty forgettable. Still, let's remember there's never a guarantee in this regard. You pays your money, you takes your chances.

 

[The Rube]

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

I've only been to Detroit once, family vacation as a child, and although it is much different than then I'm sure, I heard nothing but good about the efforts/success of them hosting it. The only complaints I've heard are/were about the setup of the arena/games, and the presentation of the games themselves.

So, let's look for the positives that can be had, if the NC$$ were to do this again, which they will, although probably not in the near future, given the recent articles/etc.

1. The F4 can sell more than 20K~ tickets, and despite the obvious "actual attendance/paid attendance argument," that's huger than one might think.

2. With the right setup, as for seating (pitch of risers, more of a containment wall needed, since the stadium is cut in half, etc) that would mean that the F4 could use a non-traditional hockey arena.

3. The right city. Detroit, while a shell of its former self overall, was still not Podunk, Nowhere, and was a central location of the college hockey world.

4. Given these opinions, somewhere that satisfies these points could create a decent F4. Examples may include Denver (although that would be an outdoor game), St Louis, Indianapolis, Mpls, and Chicago. Non-traditional/outskirts could include Arizona, Seattle, or some city we never even considered.