Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2019-2020: Motzko 2.0

[Pirateasaur]

What were the combined 5 on 3 minutes?

About 4 minutes.

I was definitely not impressed with this edition of the Gophers spare Ranta. He was dangerous, for sure. It may have just been one of those nights for you guys, though. I expect more pep from the Gophers tonight and with the weather we’re having here, probably a pretty empty building.

 

[Bonin21]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2019-2020: Motzko 2.0

This is how you lose even more season ticket holders. I dropped season tickets last summer because I knew so many others would and it made more sense to buy individuals for interesting games. I ended up going back on that a few weeks into the season, thinking this would be the transition year with a lot of good wins before finally contending next year. That is not the case. They won't contend next year because they don't have the superstar class they would need to do that.

The Big Ten opponents are still so boring, the team is honestly brutal, the arena is empty, the home schedule next year is way less interesting...

Gopher hockey is in a bad, bad spot. That's why I stopped posting on GPL for now because the season was basically over before the new year. The program is just not interesting right now. I know Hammy stopped posting there and I think he may have lost interest in the program when you factor in all the things I mentioned.

 

[trixR4kids]

Not too many Lol's coming from the chair I was sitting in! Gophers reverted to their pre-Mariucci Classic ways, like they all had the flu or something.

Not laughing at you it’s just that headline is ridiculous, they didn’t have any “momentum” lol.

This team has played five or so games like this and more or less played like this against Bemidji. The flu also doesn’t account for why the team can’t pass or pick their head up on the PP.

 

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2019-2020: Motzko 2.0

Told ya, trix, we'd get the old 'mo back!

 

[trixR4kids]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2019-2020: Motzko 2.0

Told ya, trix, we'd get the old 'mo back!

:thumbs up:

The team has generally played decent on Saturdays but it just seems like it's asking too much from this team to do it twice in a row on a weekly basis. A better gopher team could put in more ho-hum efforts and still get the wins in some of them but this one needs to be clicking on all cylinders to win a 1-0 game vs a bubble team.

 

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2019-2020: Motzko 2.0

:thumbs up:

The team has generally played decent on Saturdays but it just seems like it's asking too much from this team to do it twice in a row on a weekly basis. A better gopher team could put in more ho-hum efforts and still get the wins in some of them but this one needs to be clicking on all cylinders to win a 1-0 game vs a bubble team.

You are 100% right with this observation, which makes it unrealistic to think that any "mo" we might think we're seeing is destined to be a very temporary one. The longer the season goes, the more difficult it becomes to attribute this inconsistency to the team's youth.

 

[Slap Shot]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2019-2020: Motzko 2.0

Yeah until they prove they can sustain a minimum amount of just effort for a weekend expectations will sadly remain objectively low.

 

[burd]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2019-2020: Motzko 2.0

This is how you lose even more season ticket holders. I dropped season tickets last summer because I knew so many others would and it made more sense to buy individuals for interesting games. I ended up going back on that a few weeks into the season, thinking this would be the transition year with a lot of good wins before finally contending next year. That is not the case. They won't contend next year because they don't have the superstar class they would need to do that.

The Big Ten opponents are still so boring, the team is honestly brutal, the arena is empty, the home schedule next year is way less interesting...

Gopher hockey is in a bad, bad spot. That's why I stopped posting on GPL for now because the season was basically over before the new year. The program is just not interesting right now. I know Hammy stopped posting there and I think he may have lost interest in the program when you factor in all the things I mentioned.

I'm sure the decline is complicated, with a lot of factors at play, but if it can happen with gopher hockey it can happen anywhere. UND might seem different, with hockey being the only game in town, but I'm not so sure.

 

[dxmnkd316]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2019-2020: Motzko 2.0

I am absolutely convinced it has to do with two things:
1. Only game in town versus the most crowded sports (and entertainment) market outside of Chicago, LA, and NYC.
2. Shi—ty play.

1 isn’t a problem without 2 and vice versa.

I’ve posted exhaustively in the attendance thread and have yet to be refuted with data or anything other than “suck it up” or “you just have a ****ty fan base” equivalents.

 

[burd]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2019-2020: Motzko 2.0

I am absolutely convinced it has to do with two things:
1. Only game in town versus the most crowded sports (and entertainment) market outside of Chicago, LA, and NYC.
2. Shi—ty play.

1 isn’t a problem without 2 and vice versa.

I’ve posted exhaustively in the attendance thread and have yet to be refuted with data or anything other than “suck it up” or “you just have a ****ty fan base” equivalents.

I don't know what attendance is like at Yost these days, but to see this simultaneous downturn at UMinn., UW., and UMich is almost beyond comprehension for old WCHA fans.

 

[The Rube]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2019-2020: Motzko 2.0

IMO, the options of TV, streaming, along with ticket prices (yes secondary market is a steal, I'm going with face value), and other options for entertainment, along with a mediocre (at best) team...bye bye attendance. It's not just a MN thing, either, unless it's the only game in town (as was mentioned with UND).

 

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2019-2020: Motzko 2.0

IMO, the options of TV, streaming, along with ticket prices (yes secondary market is a steal, I'm going with face value), and other options for entertainment, along with a mediocre (at best) team...bye bye attendance. It's not just a MN thing, either, unless it's the only game in town (as was mentioned with UND).

Agree with all of this. Some say that "winning would solve everything" but with so many factors at work I'm not so sure.

 

[Diversity Fighter]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2019-2020: Motzko 2.0

I am absolutely convinced it has to do with two things:
1. Only game in town versus the most crowded sports (and entertainment) market outside of Chicago, LA, and NYC.
2. Shi—ty play.

1 isn’t a problem without 2 and vice versa.

I’ve posted exhaustively in the attendance thread and have yet to be refuted with data or anything other than “suck it up” or “you just have a ****ty fan base” equivalents.

Usage of instant relay killed my desire to attend sporting events live. The joy of a goal turns to apprehension while 10000 people wait for some arbitrary ruling on a single aspect, but ignoring 1000 other things. waiting 10 minutes, while your side hopes for something. Looking at opposition fans clearly praying for the opposite. Knowing less than people watching from home, despite paying serious bucks to attend. My last college game was two teams I don't even like, Wisc vs MinnST. I don't remember who won, I do remember having to go through instant replay pain 4 times, and see it toy with a couple of rabid Wisconsin fans. It just KILLS emotion and momentum. Bad calls, missed calls are part of sports.

 

[SJHovey]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2019-2020: Motzko 2.0

I am absolutely convinced it has to do with two things:
1. Only game in town versus the most crowded sports (and entertainment) market outside of Chicago, LA, and NYC.
2. Shi—ty play.

1 isn’t a problem without 2 and vice versa.

I’ve posted exhaustively in the attendance thread and have yet to be refuted with data or anything other than “suck it up” or “you just have a ****ty fan base” equivalents.

The "only game in town" crutch is such a crock.

There are 57,000 people in Grand Forks, 100,000 if you count Grand Forks, EGF, and the counties they sit in.

There are what, 3.6 million in the metro area? To fill a 10,000 seat arena like Mariucci, you need only about .00277778 of them. That's be like going to the Grand Forks "metro" and saying there is no way we could get 278 people to an event.

There didn't seem to be "too many other things to do" back in 2003 when the team was winning?

 

[4four4]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2019-2020: Motzko 2.0

The "only game in town" crutch is such a crock.

There are 57,000 people in Grand Forks, 100,000 if you count Grand Forks, EGF, and the counties they sit in.

There are what, 3.6 million in the metro area? To fill a 10,000 seat arena like Mariucci, you need only about .00277778 of them. That's be like going to the Grand Forks "metro" and saying there is no way we could get 278 people to an event.

There didn't seem to be "too many other things to do" back in 2003 when the team was winning?

Like every team in this town if you don't win consitently people will find something else to do. It's real simple.

 

[4four4]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2019-2020: Motzko 2.0

Agree with all of this. Some say that "winning would solve everything" but with so many factors at work I'm not so sure.

Winning will solve some attendance problems like when 500 people showed up for their tourney.

 

[dxmnkd316]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2019-2020: Motzko 2.0

Like every team in this town if you don't win consitently people will find something else to do. It's real simple.

Exactly. That's why I said, without competition, you don't need to be competitive. If you aren't competitive, you can't have competition.

 

[dxmnkd316]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2019-2020: Motzko 2.0

The "only game in town" crutch is such a crock.

There are 57,000 people in Grand Forks, 100,000 if you count Grand Forks, EGF, and the counties they sit in.

There are what, 3.6 million in the metro area? To fill a 10,000 seat arena like Mariucci, you need only about .00277778 of them. That's be like going to the Grand Forks "metro" and saying there is no way we could get 278 people to an event.

There didn't seem to be "too many other things to do" back in 2003 when the team was winning?

Yeah, because those 3.6 million are really the demographic core of college hockey, like say, Grand Forks. Not even close. But nice try.

Also, that 3.6 million uses counties like Stearns, St. Croix (WI), Isanti, and Mille Lacs. These people aren't driving to games en masse. Misleading.

 

[St. Clown]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2019-2020: Motzko 2.0

IMO, the options of TV, streaming, along with ticket prices (yes secondary market is a steal, I'm going with face value), and other options for entertainment, along with a mediocre (at best) team...bye bye attendance. It's not just a MN thing, either, unless it's the only game in town (as was mentioned with UND).

And you still have to pay for parking around the U, or take the bus/train. So a $50 ticket becomes $52-60/ticket, depending upon the number of people in your car and paying face value.

I'd attend more SCSU games, but the expense of time to drive there, the cost of fuel, and likely a meal at a restaurant (sadly, not Val's these days). Take that vs. me paying $90 and having all home games stream to my TV or iPad. And the Gophers are set against an even cheaper option if you already have satellite or cable TV due to other programming options.

 

[SJHovey]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2019-2020: Motzko 2.0

Yeah, because those 3.6 million are really the demographic core of college hockey, like say, Grand Forks. Not even close. But nice try.

Also, that 3.6 million uses counties like Stearns, St. Croix (WI), Isanti, and Mille Lacs. These people aren't driving to games en masse. Misleading.

There are 3.1 million in the seven counties covered by the Metropolitan Council. The State of Hockey can't find 10,000 people out of 3.1 million to go to a hockey game?