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Maine 2018, 2019 Footba, I mean hockey thread.

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umhockey91 said:
Absolutely! It could be argued that Maine started the trend. :rolleyes::(

It does beg some questions......what things are making these programs successful? Great coaching? Talented players? Awesome facilities? Excellent atmospheres and attendance? Location? Quality Academics?

Personally I am at a loss as it concerns college hockey recruiting and winning programs these days. Seems like current success can't be justified by a one-size-fits-all answer. But there is no doubt that college hockey popularity has dwindled across the board over the last decade.
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I have a possible explanation, but by no means is it a concrete, just an idea. The biggest draw for college hockey was most likely the atmosphere, which drew in both fans and recruits as it was much more intense and enjoyable than the average NHL game. Now, the atmosphere has tamed significantly, probably due to the rise of cell phones distracting people's attention from the game and thus quieting down the arena and making it less fun. Ticket prices are also a bit high, at least in Hockey East, limiting accessibility to fill the arena. Just a few thoughts, but the dampening of the legendary atmosphere is probably the biggest culprit for the decline in college hockey.
 
amkirby10 said:
I have a possible explanation, but by no means is it a concrete, just an idea. The biggest draw for college hockey was most likely the atmosphere, which drew in both fans and recruits as it was much more intense and enjoyable than the average NHL game. Now, the atmosphere has tamed significantly, probably due to the rise of cell phones distracting people's attention from the game and thus quieting down the arena and making it less fun. Ticket prices are also a bit high, at least in Hockey East, limiting accessibility to fill the arena. Just a few thoughts, but the dampening of the legendary atmosphere is probably the biggest culprit for the decline in college hockey.
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I agree with you. In a lot of ways all of the factors exacerbate each other and creates a vicious cycle. If you go back in time though there were 15 teams or so whose fans really carried the sport. In hockey east the big four represented probably 85 to 90% of fans.
 
Re: Maine 2018, 2019 Footba, I mean hockey thread.

Personally, I wouldn't directly equate attendance with interest.

Back when dinosaurs ruled the earth, you had to show up to see a college hockey game. Now, between TV and streaming, virtually any game is available to watch from wherever you are. The existence of those alternatives has certainly reduced the number of games that I attend.
 
Re: Maine 2018, 2019 Footba, I mean hockey thread.

Fishman'81 said:
Personally, I wouldn't directly equate attendance with interest.

Back when dinosaurs ruled the earth, you had to show up to see a college hockey game. Now, between TV and streaming, virtually any game is available to watch from wherever you are. The existence of those alternatives has certainly reduced the number of games that I attend.
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Also back in the day, there were about three stations that would show sports, any sports, and sometimes it would be stuff you didn't care about, so if you wanted to watch a game you had to go out. And, also back in the day, kids weren't scheduled in solid blocks from 3-9:00 every day after school, and all weekend, and you didn't have to spend all of your time driving them around. Also back in the day it didn't cost a full week's paycheck to go to a game with a family of four.

People's disposable incomes are down from the early 90's. People have more to do than they did in the early 90's. And people also have more choices for what to do with what little time and money they have. Concurrently, Maine hockey got bad and boring. If Maine kept playing well, attendance probably would have dropped a bit. But Maine didn't, and attendance found a crater. It's been about 15 years since Maine was nationally relevant. That's an entire generation of little Bobby and Billy's in this state who have no memory of Maine being good, no memory of the games being events, and no reason to all of a sudden jump in as fans in the future.

This has been entry 1,000 in my ongoing log: MAINE HOCKEY, IT IS NOT COMING BACK.
 
Re: Maine 2018, 2019 Footba, I mean hockey thread.

amkirby10 said:
Despite the common media narratives and what you may think, I believe that Drew is right. Look at why the NBA is still thriving, despite everyone knowing who's going to win the title before the season even begins. People are intrigued by the best, they want to see dominance and watch the major titans and see of they go down. Parity is probably not a formula for success, as strange as it may sound.
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The NBA isn't thriving because of dominance (ratings for the finals plummeted last season), it's thriving because the on-court product is very good (there's only really one or two teams I'd classify as unwatchable) and the league has been taking a 21st century approach to marketing. They've harnessed the energy of social media unlike any other sport and allow for player personalities to shine through.
 
Re: Maine 2018, 2019 Footba, I mean hockey thread.

TovarishchLisa said:
The NBA isn't thriving because of dominance (ratings for the finals plummeted last season), it's thriving because the on-court product is very good (there's only really one or two teams I'd classify as unwatchable) and the league has been taking a 21st century approach to marketing. They've harnessed the energy of social media unlike any other sport and allow for player personalities to shine through.
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You and amkirby both express valid (and tangential) points.

No fan of any particular sport is neutral regarding a dynasty within that sport. The Yankees and the Patriots come to mind immediately. That fan will love or hate the dynasty in question to the extent that he/she will have some semblance of a rooting-interest in nearly any game it plays. (For instance, I watch the YES network for the sole purpose of going to bed happy after a Yankee loss... I would truly root for the Al-Qaeda Fightin' Baseball Jihadis vs. the Yanks, and I mean that.)

As you say, the NBA does a great job of marketing personalities. Everyone loves cute little Steph Curry -I do, too- and everyone has an opinion regarding LeBron one way or the other... But, college hockey will likely never be able to pull that off. So, we are stuck with loving or hating programs, not individuals. And perennial winners are easy to hate, and, ergo, interesting to watch.
 
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Re: Maine 2018, 2019 Footba, I mean hockey thread.

Maine radio feed has cut out 5 times now while streaming. Anyone else?
 
Re: Maine 2018, 2019 Footba, I mean hockey thread.

Solid stream here.

Shots by maine getting through the yale d, thats a good thing. Maine struggles when the d is tight between the dots.
 
Re: Maine 2018, 2019 Footba, I mean hockey thread.

NorthMike said:
Solid stream here.

Shots by maine getting through the yale d, thats a good thing. Maine struggles when the d is tight between the dots.
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I think you mean they struggle going to Yale's netfront?
 
Re: Maine 2018, 2019 Footba, I mean hockey thread.

NorthMike said:
Radio
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I heard Yale goal. Cuts out on both Maine goals. Heard "sports live" commercial each time. With them being such a premium place to watch sports.

I have 117.7 Mbps download speed. Just tried HBO hd.

Strange. Must be a conspiracy, I tell ya. :)
 
Re: Maine 2018, 2019 Footba, I mean hockey thread.

NorthMike said:
Sounds like some loose puck chances if they get there.
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The dogs that need to muscle in are Tralmaks, Shea, and JSS... in my opinion. If they aren't going to fight net front they are not doing their jobs.
 
Re: Maine 2018, 2019 Footba, I mean hockey thread.

walrus said:
no

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
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Thanks, thought not. I was looking forward to watching Maine on the tablet and the FBS on the tube all at once. Was making a pot of coffee just to keep up.
 
Re: Maine 2018, 2019 Footba, I mean hockey thread.

I heard one goal tonight. Sheesh, I suppose I'll watch Celtics now(after about 15 resets). Good luck and good night all.
 
Re: Maine 2018, 2019 Footba, I mean hockey thread.

Fishman'81 said:
Thanks, thought not. I was looking forward to watching Maine on the tablet and the FBS on the tube all at once. Was making a pot of coffee just to keep up.
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This is part of us being dinosaurs. The radio goes way down hill... wonder why there is struggle to hire imaginitive talent. It's because the dinosaurs aren't walking the earth anymore. Err... I mean virtually speaking, of course. :D
 
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