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The future of Ohio
Topic Started: Oct 8 2006, 06:27 PM (314 Views)
Puckster
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Yes but Philly has the Phantoms and the Flyers, but no USHL team! -just to try and confuse GopherIce more.

I don't know how Omaha expects to do all 3 but I hope the AHL succeeds there too. There was a fairly decent crowd for the USHL Lancer game on Saturday or so it seemed to me. I would guess at least 3 thousand.

Minnesota just has too many opportunities and it hasn't been done like its been done in the new USHL. The Vulcans were our team. They played many places throughout their years here, starting at Wakota I believe in the 80's, and then they went to Bloomington I believe, and finally ended up at Columbia Ice Arena.

Now all of the arenas are great arenas and all, but they aren't the X.

The arena's I've seen in the USHL are great fits for their hockey teams. There is much more seating, much more concessions, many more sponsors, and better facilities. They have local news coverage, local newspaper coverage, radio coverage, and much better marketing.

The fans love these players who play for their teams, and support their players in a rowdy atmosphere that makes it a blast each and every game.

The Gophers are the best comparison here, they get the same autograph fans, the same media, and seem to be the minor show to the Wild.

It won't work here, and I'm glad that the Vulcans became the Storm because otherwise many young players would be robbed of their great experience that their new fan-base has brought upon them.

I'd love it if it could work here, but the fans have too many choices.



 
Ryan
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There was a fairly decent crowd for the USHL Lancer game on Saturday or so it seemed to me. I would guess at least 3 thousand.


Nearly 4 thousand ;)

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I don't know how Omaha expects to do all 3 but I hope the AHL succeeds there too.


They lowered ticket prices to try and draw more people in. I believe they also have more weekend games. Last year, they had more weekday games than weekend games and those weekday games KILL attendance.

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It won't work here, and I'm glad that the Vulcans became the Storm because otherwise many young players would be robbed of their great experience that their new fan-base has brought upon them.


Had they not moved to Kearney, they would have eventually resurfaced somewhere. There are two other defunct USHL teams that could potentially resurface. They had been rumors of a team going to Wisconsin, but the town shot down the idea.

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I'd love it if it could work here, but the fans have too many choices.


I'm sure some people are bitter that leagues take away the talent at their high schools they cheer for <_<
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Puckster
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The USHL doesn't have a lot of HS players or at least the teams I follow. Some do a split season, but most do their local HS stint first. Of course every team has a couple of HS players, but not a majority.

 
Ryan
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I believe anyone born in 1988 or after is still in HS. I know here, we have about 14 kids in school.

1988 should be seniors, if my math is right :D

A lot of them take college courses too. So, there are probably more taking classes than you even know! hehe
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Puckster
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89's and fall 88's are seniors. Spring 88's are one year out of HS.

 
sundawgg
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The powers that be probably figured that if hockey can draw 3-4 thousand in South Dakota, it can make it anywhere... :lol:

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Puckster
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But I believe with SF, if they had an actual hockey arena instead of whatever that building was built for; they would have amazing crowds.

The team's staff have done a wonderful job with the color scoreboards, and all the advertising. I imagine it would be a sellout nearly every night with an arena like the Firstier Event Center (formerly Kearney Event Center) or Cedar Rapids Ice Arena, or even the Mid America Center.
 
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Just another note on the hockey choices in Columbus...I would imagine that Ohio State has a different crowd base than we have here at the U even though they are both division I at big ten schools. Because hockey is not as popular there I would think that they are getting mostly students and corporate sponsers and not necessarily other followers. Here in the cities, pretty much every hockey follower knows about the Gophers, whether they attended the U or not (includes me). In Columbus, you might not even know that there is a varsity hockey team unless you are somehow involved with the school. I'm not saying that all hockey people in the cities here are Gopher fans, but they are at least aware of the team.

Make sense?
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Ryan
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Yes. It's hard to sell hockey in a market like Columbus. Atleast in the south, you have teams winning Stanley Cups to draw fans to the games.

There was an article on TSN that said teams have raised ticket prices this year. And for an average family, it would cost about $330 to attend a game, this was based on 2 beers, 4 sodas, food I think, and some souvenirs.
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Wild-Puck
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Yeah, I saw that headline somewhere too but did not read the article...that's just crazy to expect your average family to shell out that kind of money, IMO.
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Ryan
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No kidding. Hockey tickets are insane in the NHL.

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Montreal had the highest average ticket price at $56.82. According to the report, a family of four would pay an average of $332.27 to attend a game at the Bell Centre. That figure includes the cost of four average tickets, two small draft beers, four small soft drinks, four regular-size hot dogs, parking for one car, two game programs and two adult-sized adjustable caps.


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Carolina tickets now average $38, an increase of 45 per cent over last season, the first since the NHL returned from a lockout that cost the league the 2004-05 season.


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The Phoenix Coyotes' average price of $25 is the league's lowest. Right behind them are the St. Louis Blues, who dropped prices by 29 per cent under new ownership.


$25 seems reasonable.
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Puckster
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I'd pay $25 for a ticket! St. Louis here I come. Too bad I can't go watch the great Blues teams of the past.

 
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GopherIce
Oct 10 2006, 03:23 PM
In Columbus, you might not even know that there is a varsity hockey team unless you are somehow involved with the school. I'm not saying that all hockey people in the cities here are Gopher fans, but they are at least aware of the team.

Make sense?

Well there was that movie Airborne, which made it seem like HS hockey in Ohio was quite popular.

The character comes in from sunny California, and lives with his cousin. They immediately go to a hockey game in a weird semi-open air arena.
 
Wild-Puck
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Don't know about that movie.

When I made that statement I was refering to Ohio State and their fan-bases comparrison to Minnesota, but you could apply it the HS as well.
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goofygirlinva
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Ryan
Oct 10 2006, 03:39 PM
There was an article on TSN that said teams have raised ticket prices this year. And for an average family, it would cost about $330 to attend a game, this was based on 2 beers, 4 sodas, food I think, and some souvenirs.

Wow, that is high, I had no idea it was that expensive to attend an NHL game. But I think other sports are probably just as expensive, if not more so? I'm thinking the NBA may be just as bad, and doesn't it cost at least that much to attend an NFL game?
 
Ryan
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Baseball is a LOT cheaper. At some places, you can get tickets for less than $5. I assume it has to do with the longer schedule, but I don't really know. Baseball has almost 2 times the home games of the NHL and NBA, and a whole lot more than NFL.
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Wild-Puck
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Yeah, baseball is by far the most econmical. I am not sure either about the other sports but I think it's close to being on par with the NBA and NFL.

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I understand tOSU had to resort to making this past weekend's men's hockey exhibition game free to anybody who attended the OSU football game, so that tells you how much of a profile the team has on campus.

That reminded me of when I was in Florida a few years ago and McDonalds was running a 2 for 1 deal on Panthers tickets...
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sundawgg
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Ohio, Ohio, Ohio...is not a hockey state, let me repeat... Ohio is not a hockey state.

The junior team drew 900 Sat and 600 Sun, and average 961 after 4 games. Can you imagine if we still had more midweek games than weekend games.
Chicago is next on the list and they are averaging 2000 (better than last year)

Ohio is a football state and hopefully those fans gravitate towards hockey when the season is done.

A glimmer of hope- The NHL team avg'd about 17000 per game last year to be 17th in the league (92% full). For comparision, MN avg'd 18,500 to be 9th (102% full)

I cant find Ohio State, but after building a HUGE 17000 seat ice arena, they must draw a few people, but it was not evident last weekend against the gophers. I think football was at home.

Guess we wont have trouble finding seats for the playoffs B)

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