Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!

[SteveO]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!

I hear the B1G coaches saying what a strong conference it is, and I see the polls, but I haven't seen strong teams on the ice yet.

In regards to SOS, both B1G and NCHC have four teams in the top 10:

Strength of Schedule

SOS - RPI Ranking - Team

1) 7 - Denver
2) 5 - Notre Dame
3) 4 - Ohio State
4) 15 - Western Michigan
5) 6 - Minnesota Duluth
6) 1 - Massachusetts
7) 16 - North Dakota
8) 9 - Arizona State
9)20 - Minnesota
10) 11 - Penn State

 

[Bonin21]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!

Big Ten is definitely the second best conference now which is respectable. No one cares about the teams we play but at least they're better.

 

[burd]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!

Gopher fans must be kicking themselves, realizing now that they could have waited a year and gone after The Hak.

99% chance he would have said "no," but Stefon Diggs might have a thing to say about that.

 

[dxmnkd316]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!

Gopher fans must be kicking themselves, realizing now that they could have waited a year and gone after The Hak.

99% chance he would have said "no," but Stefon Diggs might have a thing to say about that.

Nice try Jan

 

[Slap Shot]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!

Gopher fans must be kicking themselves, realizing now that they could have waited a year and gone after The Hak.

99% chance he would have said "no," but Stefon Diggs might have a thing to say about that.

o/u posts at ss.com arguing Hak should come back and replace Berry?

 

[burd]

o/u posts at ss.com arguing Hak should come back and replace Berry?

Parise, I don’t want to think about it.

Maybe about the same number who said Hak should be fired and replaced by Berry

 

[Slap Shot]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!

Parise, I don’t want to think about it.

Maybe about the same number who said Hak should be fired and replaced by Berry

Haha solid response as always.

 

[The Rube]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!

Parise, I don’t want to think about it.

Maybe about the same number who said Hak should be fired and replaced by Berry

I shall also have to give kudos to this response.

 

[SteveO]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!

Big Ten is definitely the second best conference now which is respectable. No one cares about the teams we play but at least they're better.

Barring any meltdown of B1G ranked teams, we could be looking at another postseason of B1G teams in the NCAAs and the FF. A consistent B1G institutional footprint in the postseason will inevitably elevate the level of fan awareness and the competitive standards of it's conference teams. We are beginning to see the effects of that B1G presence now.

From a recruiting standpoint, I suspect increased fan and brand awareness of B1G college hockey, its elite athletic facilities, widespread BTN media exposure, as well as research and academic programs will eventually draw better recruits in new and targeted markets. Moreover, as a P5 conference the B1G also has the distinct advantage of directly lobbying the NCAA regarding policy development and revisions.

We saw a preview of that leverage a couple years ago when the B1G proposed lowering the the age limit of incoming freshman from 21 to 20. The average age of college hockey players has risen to 21 years, 9 months in recent years, as some of the smaller, less-visible colleges have increasingly recruited older players who have already spent a few years playing junior hockey, currently allowed under NCAA rules. The proposal was withdrawn by the B1G when it drew widespread ire from NCAA hockey coaches on two levels: 1) the B1G introduced the legislation without anyone knowing, and was wielding too big an influence against the wishes of the college hockey community at large; and 2) the detrimental effect the rule would have on programs that rely upon older players to compete against larger schools with larger recruiting budgets and superior amenities for prospective student-athletes. The Big Ten could still reintroduce the legislation at a later date.

As a result, there's reasonable speculation by many today that the B1G will take center stage as the face of D1 college hockey in the near future.

 

[Bonin21]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!

Do you work for the Big Ten lol no one cares for it other than maybe hundreds of people that are also active enough fans to use message boards. Right now about the only redeeming quality is the big media paycheck (of which a lot goes to the increased travel costs) which is getting offset by struggling ticket sales.

 

[SteveO]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!

Do you work for the Big Ten lol no one cares for it other than maybe hundreds of people that are also active enough fans to use message boards. Right now about the only redeeming quality is the big media paycheck (of which a lot goes to the increased travel costs) which is getting offset by struggling ticket sales.

My comments were regarding the future of the B1G conference. "...no one cares for it..."

2018-19 Top 10 Average Attendance:

1 North Dakota 11,348
2 Wisconsin 9,222
3 Minnesota 8,439
4 Minnesota Duluth 6,417
5 Penn State 6,061
6 Michigan 5,580
7 Michigan State 5,467
8 Omaha 5,453
9 Denver 5,209
10 Ohio State 5,153

 

[Bonin21]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!

If you don't think ticket sales are struggling at the U you live under a rock. I know wisconsin is also in rough shape.

The others schools who knows, cuz no one cares enough to talk with their fans whereas you'll always hear from UMD/SCSU/MNSU/UND fans on GPL or here.

 

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!

Friends and extended family members I run into who know I'm a longtime fan will often ask, "What's wrong with Gopher hockey?" Depending on their level of interest I will sometimes answer by citing various factors, including:

> Much greater parity across the college hockey landscape, with increased numbers of talented players coming from all over
> The switch to the Big Ten, loss of rivalries was upsetting to many long time fans
> Too many "misses" in the recent recruiting job done by the previous coaching staff
> Ticket prices too high ---> too many empty seats/no shows ---> poor atmosphere discourages fans from returning
> Olympic sized rink surface?

And then I'll conclude with some optimism, saying that the new coaching staff will produce more wins, better attendance should follow, while noting that the B1G conference is showing rapid improvement with new rivalries being established....

BUT a return to what fans expect of the program will take some time, at least a couple more years, if not more as the program's reputation as being the very best in the State is rebuilt.

 

[The Rube]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!

My comments were regarding the future of the B1G conference. "...no one cares for it..."

2018-19 Top 10 Average Attendance:

1 North Dakota 11,348
2 Wisconsin 9,222
3 Minnesota 8,439
4 Minnesota Duluth 6,417
5 Penn State 6,061
6 Michigan 5,580
7 Michigan State 5,467
8 Omaha 5,453
9 Denver 5,209
10 Ohio State 5,153

Pure numbers are BS. Look at actual attendance as a percentage of capacity, and then post those.

 

[Koho]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!

Friends and extended family members I run into who know I'm a longtime fan will often ask, "What's wrong with Gopher hockey?" Depending on their level of interest I will sometimes answer by citing various factors, including:


> Olympic sized rink surface?

And then I'll conclude with some optimism, saying that the new coaching staff will produce more wins, better attendance should follow, while noting that the B1G conference is showing rapid improvement with new rivalries being established....

BUT a return to what fans expect of the program will take some time, at least a couple more years, if not more as the program's reputation as being the very best in the State is rebuilt.

How does having the same size rink for decades suddenly turn into a detriment? The rink didn't suddenly grow and interest drop. If the team has players who can't take advantage of the big ice against opponents not used to it, then that is a personnel issue.

And are they asking about the team's performance the last couple years, or asking about declining interest among fans. While interest in the game is tied to performance, I think there are many more additional explanations for declining interest that have been discussed on GPL and here in the past, and isn't just limited to UM or even BIG 10 hockey programs. I have a feeling that there has been a societal shift away from attending events like this live, due to ease of using electronics and other entertainment options, while things like ticket prices, game atmosphere management (less band time for canned music, TV time outs, maybe lighting and concessions, expansion of corporate ticket sales) and the Wild becoming popular have accelerated this at MN. I wonder if all these things were addressed and the team becomes a top 10 team for a few years straight with frozen four appearances if that would even be enough to return interest to what it was when there was a wait list for season tickets. The golden age of college hockey (from a fan perspective) may be over.

 

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!

How does having the same size rink for decades suddenly turn into a detriment? The rink didn't suddenly grow and interest drop. If the team has players who can't take advantage of the big ice against opponents not used to it, then that is a personnel issue.

It didn't turn into a deficit "suddenly" and it's certainly not an issue for all recruits. You may not be old enough to remember, but Olympic sized ice surfaces were all the rage back when the new Mariucci was built, but today they are simply out of style, which is why you don't see any new ones being built. Question: why would the U of M even talk about reducing Mariucci's width if it wasn't perceived as an issue?

And are they asking about the team's performance the last couple years, or asking about declining interest among fans.

Both!

While interest in the game is tied to performance, I think there are many more additional explanations for declining interest that have been discussed on GPL and here in the past, and isn't just limited to UM or even BIG 10 hockey programs. I have a feeling that there has been a societal shift away from attending events like this live, due to ease of using electronics and other entertainment options, while things like ticket prices, game atmosphere management (less band time for canned music, TV time outs, maybe lighting and concessions, expansion of corporate ticket sales) and the Wild becoming popular have accelerated this at MN. I wonder if all these things were addressed and the team becomes a top 10 team for a few years straight with frozen four appearances if that would even be enough to return interest to what it was when there was a wait list for season tickets. The golden age of college hockey (from a fan perspective) may be over.

All good points, and I agree. Most of those who ask me about what's wrong with Gopher hockey aren't looking for tons of detail, rather they're just curious and/or trying to make conversation because they know I'm a big fan of the program. So I purposely limit my response (and my post above) to what I see are some of the major factors of "what's wrong".

 

[SteveO]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!

Pure numbers are BS. Look at actual attendance as a percentage of capacity, and then post those.

tRube says "pure numbers are BS"....hmmmm. Hear, hear! My post was in response to Debbie's comment regarding "struggling ticket sales" in the Big Ten. The data is actual ticket sales, not butts in the seats. I couldn't care less if people buy tickets and then throw away their money and don't show.

So far the top 10 list in ticket sales indicates that the B1G has sold more tickets than any other NCAA conference.

Every conference attendance capacity% based upon ticket sales is down across the NCAA. From 2008-10 there were 11 teams in the Top 10 that were operating at 100%+ capacity. Fast forward to 2016-18 and there are only 3. This season the only team in the Top 10 operating at 100%+ capacity is Penn St., the team that became the tipping point for the emergence of the Big Ten.

Would it surprise you to know that the Gophers are operating at a higher capacity in ticket sales this season than #1 SCSU? Would it surprise you if I told you that the largest capacity season for the Gophers in the last 10 years was their first year in the B1G (2013-14)? The last time BC was in the FF (2015-16, 28-8-5) they ended the season at 63% capacity. So far this season they're at 49.6% capacity

There are many factors to consider in the drop in attendance capacity percentages across NCAA conferences. Koho has some good comments on this in his post above.

 

[Koho]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!

It didn't turn into a deficit "suddenly" and it's certainly not an issue for all recruits. You may not be old enough to remember, but Olympic sized ice surfaces were all the rage back when the new Mariucci was built, but today they are simply out of style, which is why you don't see any new ones being built. Question: why would the U of M even talk about reducing Mariucci's width if it wasn't perceived as an issue?


Both!


All good points, and I agree. Most of those who ask me about what's wrong with Gopher hockey aren't looking for tons of detail, rather they're just curious and/or trying to make conversation because they know I'm a big fan of the program. So I purposely limit my response (and my post above) to what I see are some of the major factors of "what's wrong".

I remember watching three National Championships and was well aware of the other two (was more of a high school hockey fan at the time and just casually followed Gophs), so amount of time I followed the Gophers is not the issue. I started watching live in the old arena sitting both in the balcony and in the 'NE' section during the heyday of Goldie (and on the boring side). I remeber going to watch them scrimmage the 1980 Olympic team and watching the Brotens/Erickson line the following year. I've been following them all along. The large rink was always a point of pride for the Gophers and getting skaters who could skate well enough to take advantage of the space was historically the norm. I like games on big ice and would love to see the NHL adopt it (I know it never will) as with the skill of skating and stickhandling at that level, giving more space to the players would result in more creativity. The open skating style of international hockey through the 80's was some of the most fun hockey I've ever watched. (Now, with games on NHL rinks, it just seems like more NHL hockey.) New rinks aren't being built to this size not because it is a detriment to play or the team, but from a fear that recruiters from other teams can use it as an argument that playing at a school with a bigger rink isn't as good for preparing one for the NHL. (And at one time the U seemed to think they needed more seats.) Once again, you get players who can outskate and outhustle the opponents and the larger rink is an advantage for home games. The current roster is not doing either of these things. Their effort is the problem. It isn't the rink. They wouldn't have a .750 winning percentage and have more fans in attendance if they played on NHL ice this year. And as I have also stated several times, a bigger reason for MN not being as dominant (like many of the other blue blood programs that used to dominate annually) is due to the shift in recruiting for such programs to younger and younger kids that results in more misses than when kids were committing at 18. There are way more schools that pick up the late-bloomers that are older, when the Blue Blood programs have already committed all their scholarships, than there used to be, so there is more parity.

 

[Bonin21]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!

Steve

Hard to quote part of a long post on mobile but ticket sales are struggling for the U, too. Not just butts in the seats.

I'm a STH and I know the STH base has been dropping alarmingly and will likely drop significantly again next summer barring a huge price drop.

Don't compare to others with smaller arenas. Trend is very important financially.

 

[dxmnkd316]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!

tRube says "pure numbers are BS"....hmmmm. Hear, hear! My post was in response to Debbie's comment regarding "struggling ticket sales" in the Big Ten. The data is actual ticket sales, not butts in the seats. I couldn't care less if people buy tickets and then throw away their money and don't show.

So far the top 10 list in ticket sales indicates that the B1G has sold more tickets than any other NCAA conference.

Every conference attendance capacity% based upon ticket sales is down across the NCAA. From 2008-10 there were 11 teams in the Top 10 that were operating at 100%+ capacity. Fast forward to 2016-18 and there are only 3. This season the only team in the Top 10 operating at 100%+ capacity is Penn St., the team that became the tipping point for the emergence of the Big Ten.

Would it surprise you to know that the Gophers are operating at a higher capacity in ticket sales this season than #1 SCSU? Would it surprise you if I told you that the largest capacity season for the Gophers in the last 10 years was their first year in the B1G (2013-14)? The last time BC was in the FF (2015-16, 28-8-5) they ended the season at 63% capacity. So far this season they're at 49.6% capacity

There are many factors to consider in the drop in attendance capacity percentages across NCAA conferences. Koho has some good comments on this in his post above.

I’m sorry but none of this reflects reality. I’ve been a season ticket holder for 15 years now and I’ve never seen it worse. Ever.

You should care about butts in seats. That’s what drives fan experience. The only people who care about tickets sold are those in the athletic department. Way to carry their water for them.