Time to drop a deuce: the second MN Gopher Offseason Thread

[HarleyMC]

Re: Time to drop a deuce: the second MN Gopher Offseason Thread

Where's Baker? Will he at least be there to help the guys who get their teeth knocked out?

Bill Baker was an awesome defenseman with a cannon of a shot.

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[Slap Shot]

Talk of guys being dedicated, working out and adding weight sounds like a broken record from last year around this point of the summer.

Like I said, I don't recall this popping up at any time in recent memory.

 

[HarleyMC]

Re: Time to drop a deuce: the second MN Gopher Offseason Thread

Like I said, I don't recall this popping up at any time in recent memory.

Among some WCHA fan bases, a top-half finish, a first-round playoff sweep of your nearest geographical rival and a trip to the WCHA Final Five would be satisfying. For Minnesota fans, players and coaches, it clearly wasn't enough.

So after seeing their streak of eight consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament snapped in March, most Golden Gophers players stayed near the Minneapolis campus much of the summer, lifting weights at 7:30 every morning and skating a few times a week in an extra effort to get back to national prominence in 2009-10. With only one early departure (Ryan Stoa) in the offseason and just four freshmen added to a veteran team, they're positive that the extra work will pay off.

"We wanted everybody to be together as a team and work together on the ice and in the weight room," said Gophers senior forward Jay Barriball. "Last year was pretty bitter for us and none of us want it to happen again, so we were pretty serious. If you wear the M, you've got to be the best, and for the last few years, we haven't done that."

Retrieved from http://insidecollegehockey.com/inch/2009/10/06/wcha-preview/

At times we are a little vulnerable in front of our own net and got overpowered, but we have had a good year in the weight room and some of that has been remedied.

Don Lucia - Media Day Oct 1, 2009. Retrieved from http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8400&ATCLID=204805651

"There's a lot of tradition here, a lot of expectations and there's a lot of pressure. Not making NCAAs last year, only being a freshman, I was very disappointed. I know our team was disappointed. Like Ryan (Flynn) said we went into the summer with a positive attitude and we worked hard all summer. 7:30 in the morning everyday and we're a better team because of it. I think we've got a lot more team chemistry coming into this year and we'll be just fine."

Jordan Schroeder - Media Day Oct 1, 2009. Retrieved from http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8400&ATCLID=204805651

 

[Bakunin]

Re: Time to drop a deuce: the second MN Gopher Offseason Thread

They really look dumb with those optimistic comments prior to last season.

Maybe they should've started at 6:30.

 

[Slap Shot]

Ah well then, season's over.

 

[Koho]

Re: Time to drop a deuce: the second MN Gopher Offseason Thread

Retrieved from http://insidecollegehockey.com/inch/2009/10/06/wcha-preview/



Don Lucia - Media Day Oct 1, 2009. Retrieved from http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8400&ATCLID=204805651



Jordan Schroeder - Media Day Oct 1, 2009. Retrieved from http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8400&ATCLID=204805651

You have a LOT of free time. Obviously not married with kids.

And no mention of Baker being there. Doesn't matter though. Aaron Miskovich's brother is playing and he is a dentist (along with Dad).

 

[SoCalSiouxFan]

Re: Time to drop a deuce: the second MN Gopher Offseason Thread

I thought this was a bit interesting.

...most Golden Gophers players stayed near the Minneapolis campus much of the summer, lifting weights at 7:30 every morning and skating a few times a week in an extra effort to get back to national prominence in 2009-10... they're positive that the extra work will pay off.

For most WCHA hockey players lifting weights and skating a few times a week is a normal summer activity but for the gophers its extra work?????

 

[HarleyMC]

Re: Time to drop a deuce: the second MN Gopher Offseason Thread

Ah well then, season's over.

Slap you can't jump ship now! Without your positive vibes how can we possibly survive Scooby's manic depressive attack posts?

You have a LOT of free time. Obviously not married with kids.

Free time? What's that? The PC phrase is time management. Your comment reminds me of the Rodney Dangerfield joke, "My wife and I were happy for twenty years. Then we met".

Saw this in Charley's column recently:

One Gophers men's hockey fan who was No. 982 on a waiting list for season tickets early this summer moved up enough to buy four tickets last week.

Are season ticket holders dropping like flies or what?

 

[Bakunin]

Re: Time to drop a deuce: the second MN Gopher Offseason Thread

Are season ticket holders dropping like flies or what?

Bad economy + 3 bad seasons = severely depressed demand/fanbase.

If you figure the typical season ticketholder buys two tickets and spends $10 per game to park, that's a total cost of ~$1500 per season and doesn't include the cost to drive to/from the games. When the vast majority of games are on FSN, why spend this money to see the games in person in an arena with no atmosphere? Why spend it to watch a team that will probably be mediocre? For most people, this is a no-brainer - you don't waste money on tickets and you stay home and watch it on a 42" tv in the comfort of your home and don't deal with the expenses or hassles of going to the games.

I think the tipoff to the severity of the depressed demand can be found in the frozen four ticket thread. It looks like everybody who applied - at least so far - has gotten tickets. This speaks volumes, as many thought this would be a "high demand" frozen four when the site was announced years ago. However, with MN struggling in recent seasons, it appears many locals did not bother applying for tickets.

 

[SJHovey]

Re: Time to drop a deuce: the second MN Gopher Offseason Thread

Bad economy + 3 bad seasons = severely depressed demand/fanbase.

If you figure the typical season ticketholder buys two tickets and spends $10 per game to park, that's a total cost of ~$1500 per season and doesn't include the cost to drive to/from the games. When the vast majority of games are on FSN, why spend this money to see the games in person in an arena with no atmosphere? Why spend it to watch a team that will probably be mediocre? For most people, this is a no-brainer - you don't waste money on tickets and you stay home and watch it on a 42" tv in the comfort of your home and don't deal with the expenses or hassles of going to the games.

I think the tipoff to the severity of the depressed demand can be found in the frozen four ticket thread. It looks like everybody who applied - at least so far - has gotten tickets. This speaks volumes, as many thought this would be a "high demand" frozen four when the site was announced years ago. However, with MN struggling in recent seasons, it appears many locals did not bother applying for tickets.

I wouldn't be surprised if the addition of a shiny, new baseball park, a new stadium for the MN football team, and some ramped up (more than normal) enthusiasm for the Vikings the past 14 months or so also has thinned the entertainment dollars available for MN hockey.

 

[Happy]

Re: Time to drop a deuce: the second MN Gopher Offseason Thread

I thought this was a bit interesting.



For most WCHA hockey players lifting weights and skating a few times a week is a normal summer activity but for the gophers its extra work?????

Well, it's not like they are stuck in some god-forsaken hell hole like North Dakota, were the only other possible activity during the summer months is to go watch the sugar beets grow.

 

[Bakunin]

Re: Time to drop a deuce: the second MN Gopher Offseason Thread

I wouldn't be surprised if the addition of a shiny, new baseball park, a new stadium for the MN football team, and some ramped up (more than normal) enthusiasm for the Vikings the past 14 months or so also has thinned the entertainment dollars available for MN hockey.

If this was the Gopher team of '02-'07, I don't think demand would have taken such a hit even with the fancy new stadiums and Brett Favre's "will he or won't he?" saga. People might be distracted by new facilities, but winning teams are ultimately what draw and retain them.

 

[dggoddard]

Re: Time to drop a deuce: the second MN Gopher Offseason Thread

One Gophers men's hockey fan who was No. 982 on a waiting list for season tickets early this summer moved up enough to buy four tickets last week.

Did the people on the waiting list have to leave a deposit or could they just sign up?

Certainly a interesting topic that raises lots of questions about not only Minnesota, but WCHA ticket sales in general. CC slashed prices for season tickets dramatically this offseason. I was pretty surprised last season to visit the Kohl Center and see how old the average season ticket holder was (late-fifties in my estimation). DU is having trouble filling in the goal zone seats against non-name brand opponents.

 

[Bakunin]

Re: Time to drop a deuce: the second MN Gopher Offseason Thread

There's a deposit required to be on the waiting list (I think it's something like $20).

 

[dggoddard]

Re: Time to drop a deuce: the second MN Gopher Offseason Thread

There's a deposit required to be on the waiting list (I think it's something like $20).

If its only 20 dollars, most people contacted probably didn't buy season tickets. So its not like that had 900+ cancellations.

 

[Bakunin]

Re: Time to drop a deuce: the second MN Gopher Offseason Thread

If its only 20 dollars, most people contacted probably didn't buy season tickets. So its not like that had 900+ cancellations.

Correct - they simply had to pass on the offer (why somebody would pay to get on a wait list and then decline tickets when offered goes to show how far the program has fallen - I would guess the unemployment/economic situation alone would only account for maybe 100 of those 900 spots that said no). A few years ago, the wait list was somewhere around 2000 deep, and it only moved about 10-20 spots per year. Naturally, the U knew this and created season ticket seating areas for people who make donations to the scholarship fund - with the minimum annual donation being $500 per seat - no waiting list required.

Of course, paying $500 on top of the cost of the ticket is a steep price to pay - as that essentially makes the ticket cost $50+ per game (and if you're going to pay that price, you may as well go to NHL games instead).

 

[HarleyMC]

Re: Time to drop a deuce: the second MN Gopher Offseason Thread

Bad economy + 3 bad seasons = severely depressed demand/fanbase.

If you figure the typical season ticketholder buys two tickets and spends $10 per game to park, that's a total cost of ~$1500 per season and doesn't include the cost to drive to/from the games. When the vast majority of games are on FSN, why spend this money to see the games in person in an arena with no atmosphere? Why spend it to watch a team that will probably be mediocre? For most people, this is a no-brainer - you don't waste money on tickets and you stay home and watch it on a 42" tv in the comfort of your home and don't deal with the expenses or hassles of going to the games.

I think the tipoff to the severity of the depressed demand can be found in the frozen four ticket thread. It looks like everybody who applied - at least so far - has gotten tickets. This speaks volumes, as many thought this would be a "high demand" frozen four when the site was announced years ago. However, with MN struggling in recent seasons, it appears many locals did not bother applying for tickets.

From what I understand a lot of seats opened up when a number of season ticket holders dropped their tics and then the ticket office went deep through the waiting list when a lot of people on the waiting list declined as well. Many of them declined because all new season ticket holders are immediately subject to the points system donation plan, while existing season ticket holders won't see that plan until the 2012-13 season.

The waiting list letter states the prices as follows: $735/seat/behind the nets (sec. 11-12, 15, 1-2, 23-24), $735 + $700 annual donation/seat/blue lines, (sec. 4, 5, 9-10, 16-17, 21-22) $735+$1025, annual donation/seat/red line (6-8, 18-20), and $740 + $1900 annual/club ($1100 annual per seat/$800 per barstool donation).

When the points system goes into effect, a large number of higher seniority season ticket holders may opt to relocate to the non-donation seats, so the lower seniority season ticket holders will be stuck paying the donation for the remaining seats. If you're looking two tics that's $2870 at the blue line.

This places even more pressure on the Gophers to do something this year. If they have a mediocre year, Gopher ticket sales are headed for serious revenue issues.

A person can get Wild tics for less and drink beer at the same time. I think a 20 game package for the Twins is somewhere around a grand.

And lets face it the Mariucci atmosphere is a snoozefest. The arena is frequently not full because of all the empty corp seats. People getting up leaving early doesn't help the atmosphere either. The general atmosphere has to change and my guess is it will factor in somehow to help determine whether or not their ticket seating scheme is successful in 2012-13.

 

[Bakunin]

Re: Time to drop a deuce: the second MN Gopher Offseason Thread

From what I understand a lot of seats opened up when a number of season ticket holders dropped their tics and then the ticket office went deep through the waiting list when a lot of people on the waiting list declined as well. Many of them declined because all new season ticket holders are immediately subject to the points system donation plan, while existing season ticket holders won't see that plan until the 2012-13 season.

A ticket costs $735 without a donation? Are there 21 home games on the ticket ($35 per game)? Does anyone else think this is getting a little ridiculous for a college sport? What exactly is the points system donation plan? Does that mean they have to donate even for the worst seats behind the nets now as new ticket holders?

And 735+700 for a season is insane - that comes out to nearly $70 per game. Even with the tax deduction, it still amounts to paying an extra $525 at the 25% marginal rate - for a grand total of $1260... which is $60 per game. May as well go to NHL games at that price and have an actual atmosphere.

I just googled it - the upshot is the student sections will be unified at long last. The downside is obvious though - I suspect there will be very few non-donation seats left in Mariucci. I have a hard time imagining any family with an AGI of < $60k will be able to afford season tickets. Gotta love it when schools make a money grab.

 

[The Rube]

Re: Time to drop a deuce: the second MN Gopher Offseason Thread

A ticket costs $735 without a donation? Are there 21 home games on the ticket ($35 per game)? Does anyone else think this is getting a little ridiculous for a college sport? What exactly is the points system donation plan? Does that mean they have to donate even for the worst seats behind the nets now as new ticket holders?

And 735+700 for a season is insane - that comes out to nearly $70 per game. Even with the tax deduction, it still amounts to paying an extra $525 at the 25% marginal rate - for a grand total of $1260... which is $60 per game. May as well go to NHL games at that price and have an actual atmosphere.

Yep. My buddy's parents have had season tickets since the Mooch opened, and this year they finally got to improve their seats. And there are ways to jump over the waiting list, and obviously it's through donations/etc.

 

[Bakunin]

Re: Time to drop a deuce: the second MN Gopher Offseason Thread

Yep. My buddy's parents have had season tickets since the Mooch opened, and this year they finally got to improve their seats. And there are ways to jump over the waiting list, and obviously it's through donations/etc.

I've long known about the donation program - I just didn't know the minimum had climbed to $700 per seat - which is almost equal to the cost of the ticket. Nobody on a budget would buy these things.

Sadly, it looks like the Gophers have gone from being an elite hockey program to being an elitist one. Most people cannot afford these prices.