Quinnipiac Bobcats 09-10: Clawing our way to Albany

[MSchvatz44]

Re: Quinnipiac Bobcats 09-10: Clawing our way to Albany

well, hearing some of the things you guys told me kind of contradict what i was saying. i was unaware that the freshman class interest in the hockey team is the same every year. yet, i would like to think that my freshman class is rather enthusiastic about the hockey team.

there is no doubt that Quinnipiac is gaining more national recognition, and i feel that it is translating to the students. i am apart of the sports department at the student run radio station at the school. and i can vouch that there is a very good amount of us die-hards, that live and die with not only the ice hockey team, but all Quinnipiac athletics. i am confident that my freshman class will remain interested with the universities athletics throughout our entire college career.

and on to the subject of the fan base, i have to agree with ZYanks on this one. yea, it is nice to have the student section packed, but i would rather have a truly dedicated, fan base. with that, i feel that an even stronger, more passionate student section can truly grow.

 

[MarkEagleUSA]

Re: Quinnipiac Bobcats 09-10: Clawing our way to Albany

We need a student fanbase

yea, it is nice to have the student section packed, but i would rather have a truly dedicated, fan base. with that, i feel that an even stronger, more passionate student section can truly grow.

I agree with both of you. My point was that getting them there is the first step. Do you think every student at Lynah is a fan of the game? It's more about supporting the team IMHO.

Maybe I'm too optimistic, but the student crowd seems to show more hope this year than in the past.

 

[allnightwong]

Re: Quinnipiac Bobcats 09-10: Clawing our way to Albany

Anyone going to Harvard next week? I think, Jimroz and our cadre will be there.

I'll be going unless a blizzard hits.

Wow, this board goes bonkers once a newbie arrives on the scene. MSchvatz welcome aboard. I'll comment on the student situation later, but it's off to work.

Player point values will be posted on the Salary cap thread later today with the games being only a week away. Hope you all post.

 

[starlessixisky]

Re: Quinnipiac Bobcats 09-10: Clawing our way to Albany

We need a student fanbase, not a group of students yelling idiotic things at an opponent while dreaming up their plans for later in the night to get their stomachs pumped.

wait, you mean they don't go back to their rooms after the game and study?

But I agree, we need the students there who know and care about the game.

 

[ZYanksRule]

Re: Quinnipiac Bobcats 09-10: Clawing our way to Albany

I agree with both of you. My point was that getting them there is the first step. Do you think every student at Lynah is a fan of the game? It's more about supporting the team IMHO.

Maybe I'm too optimistic, but the student crowd seems to show more hope this year than in the past.

If we're not past that point by now, something's seriously wrong. This was an issue when I was a sophomore -- 4 years ago. In 4 years, what have we done, if this is still an issue?

 

[MinniQUFan]

Re: Quinnipiac Bobcats 09-10: Clawing our way to Albany

I agree with both of you. My point was that getting them there is the first step. Do you think every student at Lynah is a fan of the game? It's more about supporting the team IMHO.

Students at Cornell may not be fans of the game, but they are PASSIONATE about Cornell hockey. Just the process of getting student season tickets is ridiculous. I won't go into the whole week long ordeal you have to go through just to get em, but if QU students had to do the same as Cornell students to get tickets, there'd be probably a dozen QU students at the games.

I've got more videos of the Cornell student section, but I'm way too lazy to upload them to Youtube. You can search for videos and there's more than a few. Start with this one, which just happens to be a video from a QU at Cornell game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BLCNm_9Ryk

I know this seems to come up every year at least once, but you have not seen a student section, until you've seen Cornell's.

But let's face it, hockey does not breed a large rabid fan base no matter what you do. QU could be ranked number 1 all year and make it to the Frozen Four, yet in two years if they've fallen out of the top 20 and are a .500 team, the band wagon is gonna be pretty empty and they'll be right back to where they started. It sucks, but that's the nature of things. This isn't Minnesota, where (when I lived there) I watched what it means to be rabid about hockey.. especially at the high school level.

Besides, the QU student body is made up of a majority of kids from New York, CT, New Jersey, and Mass. With the exception of Mass, college hockey is not something on the collective mind in those states (at least statewide... of course you have your localized hotspots).

So how does QU build a strong fan base? Look at the options:
1. Students - I've already gone into detail of why I don't think it will ever catch on with the students to the extent that we'd all like.

2. Local Support - To an extent, but let's face it, the locals who really care about college hockey have been bulldog fans for a long time, and that's hard to change. I know Mark, you fall into this category, but I don't really know if we'd ever see a large swell of local support... unless they win consistently and bring new fans into the fold.

3. QU Alumni - I think QU's best shot at a strong fan base, is a big alumni following. But because the program is so young, that's gonna take a longggg time to build. As we've been talking about, by our senior years, there's always a good two dozen die hard QU students left from the hundreds who started attending hockey games as freshman. I'd say, most of these students who have devoted as much time and energy to the bobcats, are apt to continue loyally following the team. These are the students who spent 4 years traveling to playoff games to the middle of no where (I'm pointing at you Hamilton, NY) and to conference championship games. (whether it be MAAC, AH, or ECAC). These alumni are the ones who promise to really become the foundation for the longterm QU fanbase. It's just gonna take a while to build. Luckily QU is in a great geographic location that supporting the team beyond college, does not require a 6 hour trip to see a game (assuming one stays in the New York to Boston metro where I'd say a vast majority of QU alum live--though I don't know this to be a fact).

Ok, that was a lot. But to sum this all up until we rehash this biannual conversation in the spring, I think for the foreseeable future, we're looking at more of the same. QU hockey is a sport of "convenience". It's something to do for underclassman. If they win, the bandwagon's gonna fill up. If they lose, it's gonna empty out. While not the most intelligent fan base, the QU students do show up... there are more than a few teams in the ECAC who'd like such attendance numbers from their students.

And one last thing... showing up at a hockey game slightly inebriated (ok, sometimes plain inebriated) does not necessarily make you a bad hockey fan! ... though will that said, yes a vast majority who do, are not "good" hockey fans.

 

[MinniQUFan]

Re: Quinnipiac Bobcats 09-10: Clawing our way to Albany

If we're not past that point by now, something's seriously wrong. This was an issue when I was a sophomore -- 4 years ago. In 4 years, what have we done, if this is still an issue?

There's nothing wrong, it's just the way it is. Unless QU wants to start "recruiting" students from hockey hotbed states, things will not rapidly change unless QU is an NCAA Frozen Four contender every year... year in and year out... so that 1: you throw enough people onto the bandwagon, enough will stick once you hit a slide. 2: high school kids (non athletes) from midwest states like Minnesota, will hear the name Quinnipiac when they are thinking about what college they want to attend, and will immediately associate QU as a hockey powerhouse. And while not the reason you'd go to QU, but at least an ideal school if you're looking to get out of the midwest while still having the opportunity to follow college hockey. Maybe that points a stretch, but I grantee a freshman student from Minnesota is much more likely than a freshman from Long Island to follow hockey in devoted fashion through all four years of college.

I'm being long winded again (yes, as you can tell, I don't work), but when I lived in Minnesota... almost NO ONE had heard of Quinnipiac unless they were very familiar with college hockey. All it would take is one Frozen Four run, and if you know anything about hockey in Minnesota (about everyone) then all of a sudden you're gonna have a lot of people who have at least heard of the school. And that alone could start raising interest (even if it's minimal) in QU.

Side story. I went to the 07 Ice Breakers tournament in St Paul which had Minnesota, RPI, and two other midwest schools. I wore my QU jersey... and the only people who seemed to know who QU was were the RPI fans there, and believe it or not, I ran into one of Reid Cashman's old coaches from Red Wing. Other than that, I got a lot of who is Quinnipiac... I think our jersey's are too nice for people to think we are a college hockey team.

 

[MarkEagleUSA]

Re: Quinnipiac Bobcats 09-10: Clawing our way to Albany

Students at Cornell may not be fans of the game, but they are PASSIONATE about Cornell hockey.

That's what I mean by fans of the team. It's more about school pride than goals, assists and saves. While I've never been to Lynah, I've heard all about it being a hockey shrine. I can only hope that someday the Bank will have a fraction of that history and tradition.

2. Local Support - To an extent, but let's face it, the locals who really care about college hockey have been bulldog fans for a long time, and that's hard to change. I know Mark, you fall into this category, but I don't really know if we'd ever see a large swell of local support... unless they win consistently and bring new fans into the fold.

You're not insinuating that I'm a reformed Bulldog fan, are you?

I've said it before and I'll say it again... I became a Bobcat fan on opening day at the Bank (that's also the day I became a hockey fan). It wasn't the team per se, but the atmosphere. The facility is first rate and it's a great place to spend a few hours watching a game.

I guess my perspective is vastly different from yours and Z's because I'm an old timer and not a student or alum. I just don't understand why students wouldn't want to be a part of what happens in that building.

 

[allnightwong]

Re: Quinnipiac Bobcats 09-10: Clawing our way to Albany

I say, student wise, let's just go with it. Mschvatz and his crew came over and talked with us and seem very passionate about Bobcat hockey. Hopefully there are more like them. Going with what we have now, we're still in the top half of the league atmosphere-wise. The students, while they were in session, this year have been very good. Now we have 3 straight student-less weekends coming up so that's a little disappointing. But I expect the Cornell and Yale weekends to be rowdy and fun. We are still very young at this whole Top 10, national recognition thing. Let's just enjoy our team, and enjoy the passion this group of students has shown so far. I think they've been very impressive this year, when the game calls for it. I won't hold a mediocre turnout against AIC at 4 o'clock on finals weekend against them.

 

[MinniQUFan]

Re: Quinnipiac Bobcats 09-10: Clawing our way to Albany

You're not insinuating that I'm a reformed Bulldog fan, are you?

haha, oh god no. Just pointing to the fact that you are the one main contributor on these boards who is not/was not affiliated with Quinnipiac... though you are a parent of a QU student. So you would fall into this category... but I did not intend to make it sound like all local fans were ocne Bulldog fans.

 

[QU FAN Jim F]

Re: Quinnipiac Bobcats 09-10: Clawing our way to Albany

In response to Minni-good analysis of the fan base. I fall into #2 category, local fan who was an old time hockey fan (New Haven Blades and Nighthawks- in the 60s) who went absent for a few decades, until my daughter went 6 years at QU. I became a season ticket holder several years ago, and got hooked. It is so exciting to watch hockey at this level, for this very inexpensive price, and have our team do so well in the past few years. There are more locals (non Yale fans) that are becoming QU fans due to the very things that you describe.

 

[allnightwong]

Re: Quinnipiac Bobcats 09-10: Clawing our way to Albany

2. Local Support - To an extent, but let's face it, the locals who really care about college hockey have been bulldog fans for a long time, and that's hard to change. I know Mark, you fall into this category, but I don't really know if we'd ever see a large swell of local support... unless they win consistently and bring new fans into the fold.

I WAS in fact an Ingalls frequenter as a kid. Dad's a Yale grad (which leads to an interesting dynamic lately) and brought me along. I began heading over to QU games at the NIP when I was in high school (Hamden) and got hooked then. I haven't missed more than a handful of home games in the last 6 years and couldn't be prouder to be a Bobcat fan. Screw my youth and the old man.

 

[MarkEagleUSA]

Re: Quinnipiac Bobcats 09-10: Clawing our way to Albany

Just pointing to the fact that you are the one main contributor on these boards who is not/was not affiliated with Quinnipiac... though you are a parent of a QU student.

Actually, I've got 2 there now! But, I was a fan before my daughter decided to go there. Ok, so my wife is an employee, but those discount season tickets didn't influence my decision either!

Seriously, I got hooked by the facility more than anything else. My wife tried for a couple of years to drag me to a game at the NIP (only 2 miles from my house) and I would never go (a decision I regret based on what you guys have told me about the place). The Bank just amazed me (and still does).

So you would fall into this category... but I did not intend to make it sound like all local fans were ocne Bulldog fans.

Yeah, I knew what you meant... I'm just a local yokel! I do think, however, that the local support has grown over the few seasons the Bank has been open. You have to remember that Hamden is a pretty big hockey town as far as Connecticut is concerned.

Locals just don't give the Bank the proper atmosphere however (and a mean no offense by that). It's the student section that brings the place to life. To be honest, if it's only freshmen that show up, I don't care as long as they're there. If only a handful of diehards return as soph's and beyond, so be it, as long as the freshmen keep coming.

Someday we'll be a program with a decent reputation and history and the student turnout will correspond to that. Until then we just have to hope the shuttles keep getting filled with the frosh!

 

[MinniQUFan]

Re: Quinnipiac Bobcats 09-10: Clawing our way to Albany

The NIP was a great experience. Wish they could do a game there once every few years for old time sake!

Speaking of rabid student following... if you wanna read about ridiculous student devotion, Google the RPI hockey line. Basically in the 70s and 80s, students would wait weeks in line to buy tickets to the RPI games. This culminated in 1985, when the line began the day after the previous season ended (RPI's won the national championship).

 

[MSchvatz44]

Re: Quinnipiac Bobcats 09-10: Clawing our way to Albany

well i am glad that me posting here has sparked more conversation during this break that the team has.

as a freshman at QU from long island, i can completely vouch for what Minni is saying. by choice, i have always surrounded myself with intelligent sports fans, because frankly it is a pet peeve of mine to talk sports to someone who is uneducated on the topic. except for the true die hard islander fans (and trust me, there are more than you might think), hockey is a complete afterthought on LI, especially college hockey for that matter. that, combined with LI not getting NESN, it is extremely difficult to follow QU here.

with that said, and i know i dont have a lot of experience in saying this, but i feel that our freshman class is committed to this team. unfotunately, the history and tradition of this team in not well known, nor is respected within the majority of the students. even just one run to the frozen four would do wonders for the interest in the program. the publicity of the run itself would attract even the most borderline of bandwagon fans. once those are attracted, hopefully they will be sucked into the excitement and potential that this program is showing.

 

[allnightwong]

Re: Quinnipiac Bobcats 09-10: Clawing our way to Albany

MSchvatz, feel free to join our Bobcat salary cap/fantasy league. Even though youre a little late to the party due to USCHO being lame, there are some people quite low in the standings and you could probably jump up in the ranks quickly.

The salary cap thingie is on another thread, check it out.

Thanks for sparking convo bud. I was starting to wonder if we had a pulse after all the Xmas/holiday shopping.

 

[MinniQUFan]

Re: Quinnipiac Bobcats 09-10: Clawing our way to Albany

Don't think this has been posted yet, but this is from NHL.com and names QU as the number 1 surprise of the 2009/10 season so far.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=511030

 

[MarkEagleUSA]

Re: Quinnipiac Bobcats 09-10: Clawing our way to Albany

Don't think this has been posted yet

That's possibly the best write-up I've seen on the Bobcats!

 

[MarkEagleUSA]

Re: Quinnipiac Bobcats 09-10: Clawing our way to Albany

Happy Holidays to everyone connected with Quinnipiac Bobcats hockey. Enjoy the day and stay safe!

 

[QUBobcats70]

Re: Quinnipiac Bobcats 09-10: Clawing our way to Albany

To MinniQUFan:

Thanks for the nhl.com article on QU hockey. Maybe a year or so from now Zach Hansen could be the first QU player in the NHL.