Lincoln Shot

Ok, so I meant to put a post up about the potential Frozen Four Sites weeks ago, but because I’ve procrastinated for so long, it’s old news. So now, I figured I’d look at the sites they picked and didn’t pick and give my opinion.

2009- Washington D.C.- I’ll preface this by saying this is one of the sites I would have passed on if the decision was up to me. I love Washington D.C. as a city. It’s a great place to take a vacation. But for a Frozen Four weekend? There’s no way you can see everything on the Friday off-day. So then the question is, what’s the point have all these great attractions in a city if you’re not going to be able to see them?

The other problem I have with it as a site is that I question how the city will embrace college hockey. I think they are going to have a tough time marketing this for two reasons. First, I doubt it’s going to get much local media coverage. The political issue du jour is always going to be the top story. Second, a lot of people in that area don’t really know much about college hockey, as evidenced by this thread on the Washington Capitals message board . That presents a tough problem for the NCAA. . Now I realize they don’t need local support to sell out, but if there is little interest for the event locally, it will probably largely be ignored.

One of the bonuses of D.C. as a site is that Navy promised to move up to Division I. Don’t get me wrong, I think that’s always a great thing, as 18 more kids will get the opportunity to play college hockey, but really can you name anyone on Army’s team? I know I can’t. I doubt Navy starting a program will make that much difference at all.

2010- Detroit- This was clearly the most controversial of the committee’s pick, and as a shameless Detroit supporter, I have to say that I love that the NCAA took a chance on Ford Field.

There were a lot of stupid arguments made against Ford Field. That people don’t like watching games in domes(It’s not a domed stadium). That it would be too big and people would be too far away from the action(That didn’t seem to be a problem when the Frozen Four moved to gargantuan NHL arenas). That the venue would outshine the event(When women’s softball is drawing twice as many TV viewers as the Frozen Four, it’s not shining all that brightly to begin with.) And my personal favorite college hockey fan gripe, that they don’t want to be associated with basketball in any way.(If you ever want a case study on inferiority complex, mention Michigan to a Michigan State fan or bring up basketball on a hockey message board)

I think Ford Field will be a great experience. Detroit will be veterans of hosting big events by then, after hosting the MLB All-Star Game, the Super Bowl, and the Final Four. By the way, during each of those, I guarantee at least once a broadcaster will mention the string of events Detroit is hosting, and that the Frozen Four will be on that list. Getting mentioned in the same breath as the biggest sporting events in the country is definitely a good thing for college hockey.

As for the games themselves, I don’t think it will be the horrible experience everyone is predicting. I’ve been to Ford Field multiple times and I think it’s a great set-up for college hockey. People along the sidelines are going to have a great view of the action. I’ve never been in an endzone there, but they are going to bring in some portable bleachers that should be good seats. Even if they can’t use every seat in the building, there are still going to be more great seats to watch the game then you would have at any other Frozen Four arena, which means more people are going to experience what a fun event it is.

Having been to Comerica Park and Ford Field numerous times, I think people will either be surprised at how nice that area is, or be too clouded by their preconceived notions to notice how nice the area is. It should be an extremely fun and memorable experience for anyone that goes.

2011-St. Paul- I don’t think I need to go on too long about what a solid site choice this is. I think everyone pretty much expected them to get a bid. It’s a wonderful area that is crazy about hockey. They did a great job hosting last time and there’s no reason to believe they won’t again. The XCel Center is one of the nicest hockey arenas around. There’s pretty much no cons to holding the Frozen Four here.

2012- Tampa- This was the second most controversial site. A lot of people feared that hosting it at a non-traditional site would be a failure like it was in Anaheim. I gotta think that this one will be better.

First of all, Tampa seems to have embraced the sport of hockey. Of course, that’s easy to say when Tampa is winning. We’ll have to see what it’s like in 6 years. If Tampa’s franchise is in the toilet by then, maybe they won’t be so fervent.

The other thing that Tampa has going for it is that the airfare down there is relatively cheap. The Anaheim trip was very expensive, and as a result, I think it priced out a lot of the market. Only the old retired folk have the money and time to make trips like those. With a cheaper trip, I think it will attract a younger, more fun-loving audience.

Overall, Tampa sounds like a place that I’d like to try to go to for a Frozen Four.

Now as for the two sites that got rejected:

Philadelphia- I think everyone saw this coming. Their biggest problem is that the arena is too far away from everything. They proposed a complicated shuttle bus system, but that just wouldn’t have worked. Philly isn’t set up for college hockey. College hockey fans love to walk around a nice downtown, or go sit in a restaurant and get a nice meal. Philly’s arena isn’t set up for that. It would have been perfect if college fans liked to tailgate before games, but they don’t. Philly is going to have to find a way around that major hurdle before they can think about bidding again. With so many other good sites out there, it’s going to be tough to overlook that flaw.

Boston- This was the most surprising omission. Boston is a great site for a Frozen Four. I went two years ago and absolutely loved it. It’s such a wonderful city that has so many things going for it. The only problem was that I think Boston is such an attractive site that they got a little complacent.

A lot of people felt that Boston didn’t put their whole heart into hosting the Frozen Four two years ago. They skimped on all the little details that make the Frozen Four special. I think Boston has learned their lesson though and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them get one of the first bids next time around so that the Frozen Four can return to the Northeast.