mnstate0fhockey
New member
That would be huge if they could get back to form. Rohlik is a good coach, and they were playing some great hockey at the end of the season. Hopefully they roll that into next year.
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Minnesota Gophers Season Thread 2015-16
- Thread starter HarleyMC
- Start date
That would be huge if they could get back to form. Rohlik is a good coach, and they were playing some great hockey at the end of the season. Hopefully they roll that into next year.
mnstate0fhockey
New member
I don't recall many games, if at all, outside of this season (with exception of maybe the Mariucci Classic holiday games) that were 40-60% attendance.
Attendance has been in decline. No doubt about that. But it has gone from continual sellout (gate, not purchase) to I'd say 80-90% capacity. This year we saw a big drop off. This season the 40-60% capacity is accurate, no doubt.
Again, I think ticket prices are every bit as big of a factor as anything. Angst over conference change (which people need to get over because it isn't changing) and product on the ice this season (which wasn't awful, just average) were no doubt factors too.
Again, the $50 average ticket price they are charging makes it tough to draw in more than the life-long fans. And again, that's the average price. For the games people really want to see the prices are higher (upwards of $70 a seat). How many casual fans are going to pay $250 (plus parking and concessions) for a family of 5 to watch an average Gopher team play a team they aren't thrilled to watch?
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Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread 2015-16
And another thing about Notre Dame and who we would like to see instead, as much as it is wrong, MN is only one vote of six schools deciding who to let in. Yes, in an ideal world, MN would tell the other 5 who to invite, but that dynamic still hast to be established. (Maybe they get that right if they win the regular season 4 years straight?)
My opinion, I am happy to see another good team in this embarrassing league. Now if it means we also take the worst team in the league, as anticipated, then not so much.
And another thing about Notre Dame and who we would like to see instead, as much as it is wrong, MN is only one vote of six schools deciding who to let in. Yes, in an ideal world, MN would tell the other 5 who to invite, but that dynamic still hast to be established. (Maybe they get that right if they win the regular season 4 years straight?)
My opinion, I am happy to see another good team in this embarrassing league. Now if it means we also take the worst team in the league, as anticipated, then not so much.
Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread 2015-16
I love this idea. I would rather just play the MN teams in the North Star Cup and then play 1 series with the team not in it.
Or just play jan brady and duluth every year and still play the nsc (or don't).
I also dont care to see the beav (team not real thing) or corkys kids. Would rather play NoDak every year or BC BU etc...
I love this idea. I would rather just play the MN teams in the North Star Cup and then play 1 series with the team not in it.
Or just play jan brady and duluth every year and still play the nsc (or don't).
I also dont care to see the beav (team not real thing) or corkys kids. Would rather play NoDak every year or BC BU etc...
Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread 2015-16
One other point is that student attendance has fallen off compared to what it was in previous years. Hopefully the team will show improvement next season and more will start coming again. When their sections are full it obviously makes for a much better atmosphere.
No doubt! But to the fans who do show, there's the matter of atmosphere, which is always better with a full house.
One other point is that student attendance has fallen off compared to what it was in previous years. Hopefully the team will show improvement next season and more will start coming again. When their sections are full it obviously makes for a much better atmosphere.
SCSU Euro
Well-known member
As an observer, I don't see it that way at all. 5mn vented, you (in what seemed like an extremely pompous and condescending tone) told him how he was wrong, didn't understand, and needed to do research, without helping him understand what point you were trying to make.
5mn may be a Debbie Downer, but I don't see it at all in this disagreement.
Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread 2015-16
A few points I'd like to make -
First, the discussion about attendance. There is an article on GPL with numbers for tickets sold as well as tickets scanned for each Gopher home game. I was at both NU games, the Duluth game, the Mankato game and the Vermont game. The numbers on GPL for tickets scanned seemed in line with what I observed and I have no reason to doubt that "tickets scanned" is a legitimate representation of actual attendance. According to the numbers in the article, no game had actual attendance below 60% capacity. That's not to say there isn't a problem with attendance - there certainly is. But no need to be melodramatic about it or over exaggerate things.
The article also showed that while actual attendance has gone down each of the past two seasons, tickets sold have actually seen a very slight increase. While it has been suggested that the university probably doesn't care too much about actual attendance so long as they sell tickets, I beg to differ. The fact that SRO prices were reduced about 6 weeks into the season, and then slashed to just $10 for the final 3 games, shows me that the university is starting to get it that just because ticket revenue is somewhat stable there is still a serious problem that needs to be addressed. There is a symbiotic relationship between attendance and atmosphere that if ignored is only going to cause both to become worse. Not to mention the effect on recruiting or brand.
As to the issue of Notre Dame joining the conference and the complaints that ND doesn't add much of anything in terms of the rivalry aspect - Koho makes a very important point that the conference is more than just the Gophers. For Michigan, Mi St and Ohio St the addition of a former CCHA rival and big-time football school is undoubtedly going to be a good thing and increase fan interest. The name recognition aspect also applies to fans of PSU and Wisconsin. So while there may be a few other teams that would bring more in terms of program quality or more from a Gopher fan's perspective on rivalry, it's hard to argue that for the conference as a whole this isn't a positive.
I'd also say that in terms of adding teams that would drum up interest for Gopher fans, there really don't seem to be any options. None of the other Minnesota schools or UND are going to be offered anything from the Big 10. If people don't get that, I don't have much more to say. Outside of that, who would people like to see? Would Denver really be that great? UNO? Would those schools even be interested in an offer? I just don't see much in terms of realistic possibilities.
For that reason my hope is the Big 10 just stays at 7 teams. I would be ok with Miami, UNO or Denver if they were to actually receive AND accept an invite, but the prospect of ASU or UConn as has been suggested elsewhere is just not appetizing to me. The last thing the conference needs is to add additional dead weight simply for the sake of rounding out the numbers.
A few points I'd like to make -
First, the discussion about attendance. There is an article on GPL with numbers for tickets sold as well as tickets scanned for each Gopher home game. I was at both NU games, the Duluth game, the Mankato game and the Vermont game. The numbers on GPL for tickets scanned seemed in line with what I observed and I have no reason to doubt that "tickets scanned" is a legitimate representation of actual attendance. According to the numbers in the article, no game had actual attendance below 60% capacity. That's not to say there isn't a problem with attendance - there certainly is. But no need to be melodramatic about it or over exaggerate things.
The article also showed that while actual attendance has gone down each of the past two seasons, tickets sold have actually seen a very slight increase. While it has been suggested that the university probably doesn't care too much about actual attendance so long as they sell tickets, I beg to differ. The fact that SRO prices were reduced about 6 weeks into the season, and then slashed to just $10 for the final 3 games, shows me that the university is starting to get it that just because ticket revenue is somewhat stable there is still a serious problem that needs to be addressed. There is a symbiotic relationship between attendance and atmosphere that if ignored is only going to cause both to become worse. Not to mention the effect on recruiting or brand.
As to the issue of Notre Dame joining the conference and the complaints that ND doesn't add much of anything in terms of the rivalry aspect - Koho makes a very important point that the conference is more than just the Gophers. For Michigan, Mi St and Ohio St the addition of a former CCHA rival and big-time football school is undoubtedly going to be a good thing and increase fan interest. The name recognition aspect also applies to fans of PSU and Wisconsin. So while there may be a few other teams that would bring more in terms of program quality or more from a Gopher fan's perspective on rivalry, it's hard to argue that for the conference as a whole this isn't a positive.
I'd also say that in terms of adding teams that would drum up interest for Gopher fans, there really don't seem to be any options. None of the other Minnesota schools or UND are going to be offered anything from the Big 10. If people don't get that, I don't have much more to say. Outside of that, who would people like to see? Would Denver really be that great? UNO? Would those schools even be interested in an offer? I just don't see much in terms of realistic possibilities.
For that reason my hope is the Big 10 just stays at 7 teams. I would be ok with Miami, UNO or Denver if they were to actually receive AND accept an invite, but the prospect of ASU or UConn as has been suggested elsewhere is just not appetizing to me. The last thing the conference needs is to add additional dead weight simply for the sake of rounding out the numbers.
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Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread 2015-16
Stauber1, thanks for your very informative post and sharing the GPL article. I would have thought that UND would lead the nation in terms of revenue, as they have in attendance, but they're not even in the Top 5. The reason for that, obviously, is because their average ticket prices are considerably cheaper than Minnesota's and a half-dozen or so other teams. Despite all the gloom and doom about attendance at Gopher games, actual revenue is still 20% higher than the second best program (Wisconsin) and Badger attendance (and presumably revenue) has declined much more than Minnesota's, so the gap between No. 1 and No. 2 has widened. So while the Gopher program has a problem in terms of sold tickets going unused, every other school in the country would love to be in their position as far as the amount of revenue that hockey has produced for their athletic department.
I also agree with your last point, that the Big 10 should stay at 7 teams, at least for the time being. But I disagree a little bit about opening the door to Miami, UNO or Denver. I just don't see them being a good fit with the other B1G schools, which now includes Notre Dame - which IMO is a great addition. I think with all the upheaval college hockey has experienced in the last few years that it's time to leave well enough alone, that for now some stability would be a good thing, and see what happens before forcing more change by seeking to add new teams that would prove to not be a good B1G fit over the long term.
Stauber1, thanks for your very informative post and sharing the GPL article. I would have thought that UND would lead the nation in terms of revenue, as they have in attendance, but they're not even in the Top 5. The reason for that, obviously, is because their average ticket prices are considerably cheaper than Minnesota's and a half-dozen or so other teams. Despite all the gloom and doom about attendance at Gopher games, actual revenue is still 20% higher than the second best program (Wisconsin) and Badger attendance (and presumably revenue) has declined much more than Minnesota's, so the gap between No. 1 and No. 2 has widened. So while the Gopher program has a problem in terms of sold tickets going unused, every other school in the country would love to be in their position as far as the amount of revenue that hockey has produced for their athletic department.
I also agree with your last point, that the Big 10 should stay at 7 teams, at least for the time being. But I disagree a little bit about opening the door to Miami, UNO or Denver. I just don't see them being a good fit with the other B1G schools, which now includes Notre Dame - which IMO is a great addition. I think with all the upheaval college hockey has experienced in the last few years that it's time to leave well enough alone, that for now some stability would be a good thing, and see what happens before forcing more change by seeking to add new teams that would prove to not be a good B1G fit over the long term.
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Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread 2015-16
Well...South Bend has almost double the overall population of St. Cloud (however if you add Sartell, Sauk Rapids, and St. Joseph it's pretty much even). I was surprised that Notre Dame has a smaller enrollment than SCSU as well. Also, the NHC and the Compton Ice Arena hold basically the same number of people. I think SCSU struggles a little with attendance due to a couple factors, such as high ticket prices coupled with all home games being broadcast all over the state. Things I'm sure are also affecting attendance at Mariucci.
Thoughts on Justin Kloos turning down an offer from the Sharks? Did they not offer as much as they did to Brodzinski?
Well...South Bend has almost double the overall population of St. Cloud (however if you add Sartell, Sauk Rapids, and St. Joseph it's pretty much even). I was surprised that Notre Dame has a smaller enrollment than SCSU as well. Also, the NHC and the Compton Ice Arena hold basically the same number of people. I think SCSU struggles a little with attendance due to a couple factors, such as high ticket prices coupled with all home games being broadcast all over the state. Things I'm sure are also affecting attendance at Mariucci.
Thoughts on Justin Kloos turning down an offer from the Sharks? Did they not offer as much as they did to Brodzinski?
Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread 2015-16
http://www.startribune.com/gophers-hockey-loses-another-top-player-as-brodzinski-goes-pro/373385241/
No question that all of those factors - population, school enrollment, arena capacity, ticket prices, TV rights and audience reach - all figure into attendance and revenue. But I'm surprised that St. Cloud State, with the great season that they've had, didn't draw better than they did.
I wasn't aware that Kloos turned down an offer from the Sharks, but would be interested in knowing your source for this? StarTribune makes the Brodzinski departure official:
http://www.startribune.com/gophers-hockey-loses-another-top-player-as-brodzinski-goes-pro/373385241/
Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread 2015-16
Well said.
I would add that Notre Dame joining the B10 makes sense in reestablishing historical rivalries, which includes the Gophers since Notre Dame was a member of the WCHA for 10 years which included Mich. St., Mich. and Wisconsin and began in 1972 during the Herb Brooks era at Minnesota. It's noteworthy that Don Lucia played for ND and Lefty Smith during their last few years in the WCHA before moving to the CCHA.
From a recruiting standpoint, Jeff Jackson has established a fairly good recruiting link to both Chicago and Minnesota with 8 MN players currently on this season's roster. Jackson is on board with recent Big Ten legislation and did endorse the age legislation that angered non-Power 5 schools.
The money trail in media revenue is a B10 factor as ND's contract with NBCSN only broadcasts 12 home games and ratings at around 30K is not a very dynamic revenue stream. BTN will welcome their brand recognition and pay them handsomely, especially when negotiations conclude next year with ESPN/ABC and CBS. The Big Ten should be in line for a windfall. The conference will get significant increases from its 10-year, $1 billion deal with ESPN/ABC for football and basketball and 6-year, $72 million pact with CBS for basketball. That will inevitably increase revenue sharing with Big Ten schools and their affiliates to 40M.
As far as adding teams such as Den., UNO, UND, etc. the Big Ten most likely would not consider any schools as an affiliate that do not have significant R & D research expenditures according to their standardized B10 academic profile. ND is strong in peer reviewed research grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Energy (DOE) per tenured-faculty, but relatively weak in Health and Human Services (HHS) compared to other Big Ten schools due to an underdeveloped medical school at the grad level which they are working hard to improve with a view to membership in the AAU.
Well said.
I would add that Notre Dame joining the B10 makes sense in reestablishing historical rivalries, which includes the Gophers since Notre Dame was a member of the WCHA for 10 years which included Mich. St., Mich. and Wisconsin and began in 1972 during the Herb Brooks era at Minnesota. It's noteworthy that Don Lucia played for ND and Lefty Smith during their last few years in the WCHA before moving to the CCHA.From a recruiting standpoint, Jeff Jackson has established a fairly good recruiting link to both Chicago and Minnesota with 8 MN players currently on this season's roster. Jackson is on board with recent Big Ten legislation and did endorse the age legislation that angered non-Power 5 schools.
The money trail in media revenue is a B10 factor as ND's contract with NBCSN only broadcasts 12 home games and ratings at around 30K is not a very dynamic revenue stream. BTN will welcome their brand recognition and pay them handsomely, especially when negotiations conclude next year with ESPN/ABC and CBS. The Big Ten should be in line for a windfall. The conference will get significant increases from its 10-year, $1 billion deal with ESPN/ABC for football and basketball and 6-year, $72 million pact with CBS for basketball. That will inevitably increase revenue sharing with Big Ten schools and their affiliates to 40M.
As far as adding teams such as Den., UNO, UND, etc. the Big Ten most likely would not consider any schools as an affiliate that do not have significant R & D research expenditures according to their standardized B10 academic profile. ND is strong in peer reviewed research grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Energy (DOE) per tenured-faculty, but relatively weak in Health and Human Services (HHS) compared to other Big Ten schools due to an underdeveloped medical school at the grad level which they are working hard to improve with a view to membership in the AAU.
mnstate0fhockey
New member
Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread 2015-16
Now you're not going to like this...but my opinion is not based on Compton's attendance nor Notre Dame's ability to recruit in Minnesota.
4+ games taken away from the NC best teams across the country - teams with which we've had historic rivalries - and given to Notre Dame that will rank near the bottom in Mariucci attendance is a bad deal for us Gopher fans. Now I've given my opinion and you are allowed to hate it.
Now you're not going to like this...but my opinion is not based on Compton's attendance nor Notre Dame's ability to recruit in Minnesota.
4+ games taken away from the NC best teams across the country - teams with which we've had historic rivalries - and given to Notre Dame that will rank near the bottom in Mariucci attendance is a bad deal for us Gopher fans. Now I've given my opinion and you are allowed to hate it.
gopher wes
Dammit, Gorilla!!
Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread 2015-16
Do you really think Notre Dame will draw worse than Penn St or Michigan St? Ohio St?
St. Clown
Ideas Posted are Likely Not My Own
Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread 2015-16
If you look at household income in the state, broken down by county, you start to see a drop around SCSU that continues on to the west, north and south. SCSU has increased tickets to be inline with there the Gophers were just a few years prior, with $35 being the top end, and $25 being the norm. I think the school is relying upon its alumni in the Twin Cities to make the trek up to see games, but they're not accounting for lackluster income growth when compared to the CPI and GDP growth.
Slap Shot
I got nothing
Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread 2015-16
As was already stated this is hugely myopic.
1) The B1G was never going to stay at 6 teams so ND or someone else was going to take 4 games from their overall schedule.
2) ND made the tournament this year (and others of late, including the FF) therefore it's ridiculous to suggest they don't add value to the SOS
3) Did you see average attendance this year? ND won't make it any worse
4) The hockey program will outlast all of us here and there's no reason why a 10 y.o. discovering UM hockey for the very first time won't be as enamored with a game vs. ND as I was when I first saw them play half a dozen other teams in the WCHA back then.
5) They still play the in-state schools with regularity so that fix can still be met
6) The NC schedule when in the WCHA was very limited and often not very sexy, but I assume you've said several times you wish they could go back to that
7) UND isn't coming to the B1G ND or not
I think the Debby Downer label works perfectly.
As was already stated this is hugely myopic.
1) The B1G was never going to stay at 6 teams so ND or someone else was going to take 4 games from their overall schedule.
2) ND made the tournament this year (and others of late, including the FF) therefore it's ridiculous to suggest they don't add value to the SOS
3) Did you see average attendance this year? ND won't make it any worse
4) The hockey program will outlast all of us here and there's no reason why a 10 y.o. discovering UM hockey for the very first time won't be as enamored with a game vs. ND as I was when I first saw them play half a dozen other teams in the WCHA back then.
5) They still play the in-state schools with regularity so that fix can still be met
6) The NC schedule when in the WCHA was very limited and often not very sexy, but I assume you've said several times you wish they could go back to that
7) UND isn't coming to the B1G ND or not
I think the Debby Downer label works perfectly.