EagleOutsider.com

Column: No More Excuses For Poor Attendance At Kelley Rink

By Hilary Chasse
Heights Editor
Published: Thursday, March 11, 2010

Like any true Mainer, New Englander, and French Canadian, I love hockey more than any other sport. I grew up watching all my male classmates play hockey. I watched the brave girls who took to the ice after pushing their way on to the boys’ peewee team. My high school’s team was always a contender for the state championship, and the annual tournament against our local rivals kept the student section filled and rowdy for all three periods.

Although I grew up in Maine, all of my schooling took place in New Hampshire, about 20 minutes down the road from the University of New Hampshire. Wildcat Fever infected my classmates and me as early as kindergarten. Most of them were the offspring of alumni, and many of them would eventually become Wildcats themselves.

Once hockey season hit, weekend nights would be spent in the Whittemore Center Arena, where loyal fans sported blue and white from face to foot and recited the legendary (and often crude) cheers. I distinctly remember when my two best friends and I, decked out in extra large jerseys, performed an elaborate UNH cheering routine to the tune of “We Will Rock You” for our third grade talent show. To me, what state college football is to the South, state college hockey is to the North.

Now I’m at Boston College, a school with a hockey program that’s the envy of almost every other Division 1 team and its fans. I have many sentimental ties to BC as well, such as memories of watching games on NESN with my dad (a BC alumnus) during the winter. I came to Chestnut Hill ready to cheer the demise of my old favorite along with the rest of the Eagles in the crowd, excited to learn the traditions of another great team and expecting many triumphant mid-game calls to my friends at UNH.

When the first game of the season during my freshman year came around, I dressed in maroon and gold gear and walked down to Conte, fearing that I wouldn’t be able to find a seat in the sure-to-be-packed student section with game time 30 minutes away. To my surprise and dismay, I was one of the first students there, despite the fact that the game was the home opener of the defending national champions. Although the crowds did eventually arrive about five minutes before the start, the cheers were unenthusiastic, and the student section began to clear out about halfway through the second period. I later found out that this was a fantastic showing for BC hockey fans. Since then, my expectations are lower and attendance is less frequent.

This past weekend, I visited a group of friends at UNH to watch our then-No. 5 Eagles take on the conference-leading Wildcats. As I walked into the arena 45 minutes before the start, I immediately began to question my decision to wear my bright, golden Superfan shirt; the student section was a sea of blue and white, packed to the very last row. I was immediately reminded why I came to love hockey. The fans’ energy didn’t waver for a moment. The cheers were loud enough to reach the opposite goalie. Most impressively, even when the ’Cats were down 3-0 in the second period, few fans decided to throw in the towel. Rather, the students led the alumni in ear-piercing, third-period cheers, the pitch rising with every goal made by the ’Cats until, with mere minutes left, the score was tied, and UNH had the Hockey East title in its grasp. This is what fans can do.

Too often I hear BC sports fanatics lament the poor performance of the current athletics program, pining away for the glory days of BC basketball and football, when Jared Dudley and Matt Ryan were icons, all the while ignoring our only team that is consistently ranked among the top 10 teams in the nation. We were national champions two years ago, and have a great chance to take the title this year as well.

Now, as many people constantly remind me, hockey is not everyone’s cup of tea, and many aren’t interested enough to make the effort to attend. To this, I would make the argument that the games are always short and fast-paced, they almost always fall in that sweet spot between dinner and parties on a weekend night, and I defy anyone to attend a great hockey game and not find themselves on their toes, straining to watch the puck’s every move.

What makes a game great, besides great players, is great fans. The energy of the crowd makes a visible difference in the state of play, changing a lethargic struggle into an electrifying comeback, which is exactly what happened at UNH.

This weekend, the Eagles will be hosting UMass in a best-of-three series in the Hockey East quarterfinals. Tickets for all three nights are just $10 for students. If you’re a regular attendee, recruit a group of friends to go with you. If you’ve never been to a hockey game before, there’s no better time than the present to show your support. Show that you can be true Superfans, for any and every sport.

As someone who grew up playing hockey, it really was disheartening through my years at BC.

You couldn't find a ticket on friday nights my freshman year ('03-'04) and then by '06-'07 you had a tough time giving them away.

shockdoct {l Wrote}:
You couldn't find a ticket on friday nights my freshman year ('03-'04) and then by '06-'07 you had a tough time giving them away.

It happened ridiculously quickly. Then again, basketball attendance/interest peaked in 0607 and 0708.

shockdoct {l Wrote}:As someone who grew up playing hockey, it really was disheartening through my years at BC.

You couldn't find a ticket on friday nights my freshman year ('03-'04) and then by '06-'07 you had a tough time giving them away.

My freshman year was 00-01 and the place was consistently pretty full. You had to get there early to get seats behind goal.

I remember being disappointed by attendances your frosh year, actually.

GDF looking confused at the senior game. (Last one on the right)

campion {l Wrote}:Ans, as BC has become a slick, international destination for hockey players it has lost that us-against-the-world attitude that made Snooks' and Lenny's teams so attractive to subway alums. As youth and hs hockey in MA has tanked, local interest in BC has gone down as well. There isn't the sense that its a team of Boston kids anymore.

BC has a lot of players from Mass (11)...and very few international players (1)

campion {l Wrote}: AAns, as BC has become a slick, international destination for hockey players it has lost that us-against-the-world attitude that made Snooks' and Lenny's teams so attractive to subway alums. B As youth and hs hockey in MA has tanked, local interest in BC has gone down as well.

BC is no where near a, "slick, international destination for hockey players"

I think B lead to A. Comparatively to HE schools BC does much better in Mass/NE than BU, NU, UNH, Maine, etc...

There are less big time hockey players from Mass we are just picking the best and making others look elsewhere:

Here are the amount of Mass kids, followed by NE/Tri-State kids:

BC: 11, 18
BU: 3, 11 (BU has almost double the players from Texas, Cali, & Georgia than it does from Mass)
NU: 5, 8
UNH: 3, 10
Maine: 4, 10

claver2010 {l Wrote}:

campion {l Wrote}: AAns, as BC has become a slick, international destination for hockey players it has lost that us-against-the-world attitude that made Snooks' and Lenny's teams so attractive to subway alums. B As youth and hs hockey in MA has tanked, local interest in BC has gone down as well.

BC is no where near a, "slick, international destination for hockey players"

Seriously--other than Kaltiainen, I can't think of a single European player at BC in the last 8 years.

campion {l Wrote}:McHugh Forum only held about 3800-4000 but it rocked all the time. It would be full for a Tuesday night game against Princeton or Brown. Games against BU, Cornell, RPI, St Lawrence, Clarkson, Dartmouth, Providence, and Harvard would be sold out long before the puck dropped. The schedule is partly to blame for today's problems. Who cares about seeing Merrimack, UML or UMass, UNH as often as they play them? HE is too small. When it first started they played a rotating schedule with WCHA, which made it good. Seeing Minnesota and Wisconsin made it a better schedule.

The other thing is that kids from Boca Raton, Chevy Chase, Shaker Heights, and Cherry Hill don't know about or care about hockey. Ans, as BC has become a slick, international destination for hockey players it has lost that us-against-the-world attitude that made Snooks' and Lenny's teams so attractive to subway alums. As youth and hs hockey in MA has tanked, local interest in BC has gone down as well. There isn't the sense that its a team of Boston kids anymore.

Hockey is an acquired taste. Too bad the shitheads in the yellow undershirts don't have the time to learn to love it.

McHugh was always packed during our era. I think it has more to do with the changed composition of the student body, not where the players are from. Back in the 80's, BC was 50% commuters from the greater Boston area and another 40% from the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states. All states where hockey has a meanigful presence and the large base of local students made BC hockey/sports a more local presence. Plus, our reputation back then was that BC was a school that was not impossible to get into. Now, a lot of local folks hate BC because they think we are now Ivy League snooty. Today, BC is a national university with a much broader student distribution, many of whom have had zero exposure to hockey. There is also the nerdification factor. Back in the 80's, BC was a good school but did not have the national standing it enjoys today. Back in the 80's, there were more above-average middle-class kids that attended with good grades from a broad spectrum of public/private schools. Today, the admission standards are much more difficult. Many of us oldies probably wouldn't even get in to the school today. We were a work,hard, play hard group of middle-class kids who weren't necessarily the brainiacs that BC accepts today. So, we went to almost all the Fball, Bball and hockey games. We were into the whole experience. Today, these kids are under much more pressure to perform in college to make their way in the world. Going to the games is way down the priority list for many of them.

1981Eagle {l Wrote}:

campion {l Wrote}:McHugh Forum only held about 3800-4000 but it rocked all the time. It would be full for a Tuesday night game against Princeton or Brown. Games against BU, Cornell, RPI, St Lawrence, Clarkson, Dartmouth, Providence, and Harvard would be sold out long before the puck dropped. The schedule is partly to blame for today's problems. Who cares about seeing Merrimack, UML or UMass, UNH as often as they play them? HE is too small. When it first started they played a rotating schedule with WCHA, which made it good. Seeing Minnesota and Wisconsin made it a better schedule.

The other thing is that kids from Boca Raton, Chevy Chase, Shaker Heights, and Cherry Hill don't know about or care about hockey. Ans, as BC has become a slick, international destination for hockey players it has lost that us-against-the-world attitude that made Snooks' and Lenny's teams so attractive to subway alums. As youth and hs hockey in MA has tanked, local interest in BC has gone down as well. There isn't the sense that its a team of Boston kids anymore.

Hockey is an acquired taste. Too bad the shitheads in the yellow undershirts don't have the time to learn to love it.

McHugh was always packed during our era. I think it has more to do with the changed composition of the student body, not where the players are from. Back in the 80's, BC was 50% commuters from the greater Boston area and another 40% from the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states. All states where hockey has a meanigful presence and the large base of local students made BC hockey/sports a more local presence. Plus, our reputation back then was that BC was a school that was not impossible to get into. Now, a lot of local folks hate BC because they think we are now Ivy League snooty. Today, BC is a national university with a much broader student distribution, many of whom have had zero exposure to hockey. There is also the nerdification factor. Back in the 80's, BC was a good school but did not have the national standing it enjoys today. Back in the 80's, there were more above-average middle-class kids that attended with good grades from a broad spectrum of public/private schools. Today, the admission standards are much more difficult. Many of us oldies probably wouldn't even get in to the school today. We were a work,hard, play hard group of middle-class kids who weren't necessarily the brainiacs that BC accepts today. So, we went to almost all the Fball, Bball and hockey games. We were into the whole experience. Today, these kids are under much more pressure to perform in college to make their way in the world. Going to the games is way down the priority list for many of them.

I agree that the composition of the student body...I know a lot of International kids on campus...At least the Latins who are well 150 students never go to hocket games...Im sure you can say the same of student who are from the South or other areas where hockey isn't really a big sport...That said, student attendance was really strong this weekend. Given they weren't the most enthusiastic bunch as sometime they were dominated by 50 UMass students....but its a start...I hope we bring a large group to the Garden this weekend...and if the Final is BC-BU im sure they will be loud, just like the Beanpot were the student section was amped...

The problem is the location. The students behind the goals are just yelling into glass, they are looking into moving everyone back up top (which would be a great move IMO)

claver2010 {l Wrote}:The problem is the location. The students behind the goals are just yelling into glass, they are looking into moving everyone back up top (which would be a great move IMO)

Agreed...everyone together would be much better plus...the sound could be projected more if students weren't behind the glass like you said

claver2010 {l Wrote}:The problem is the location. The students behind the goals are just yelling into glass, they are looking into moving everyone back up top (which would be a great move IMO)

I always sat in the front row of the student section in center. What makes hockey so exciting is watching the plays develop and you can't see a damn thing behind the nets.

I know some of the other fans who like to bring signs will disagree...

shockdoct {l Wrote}:

claver2010 {l Wrote}:The problem is the location. The students behind the goals are just yelling into glass, they are looking into moving everyone back up top (which would be a great move IMO)

I always sat in the front row of the student section in center. What makes hockey so exciting is watching the plays develop and you can't see a damn thing behind the nets.

I know some of the other fans who like to bring signs will disagree...

That.

bignick33 {l Wrote}:

shockdoct {l Wrote}:

claver2010 {l Wrote}:The problem is the location. The students behind the goals are just yelling into glass, they are looking into moving everyone back up top (which would be a great move IMO)

I always sat in the front row of the student section in center. What makes hockey so exciting is watching the plays develop and you can't see a damn thing behind the nets.

I know some of the other fans who like to bring signs will disagree...

That.

The students were much louder during the years they were up top, a recent example of this would be the couple of games you guys were up in section JJ…..you could be heard all around the arena, trumpet included. I disagree with Shocdoct, as someone that has always had seats on an end I think its much easier to watch the plays develop because I think you’re more focused on the puck and everything sort of develops in front of you. All I can say is if they move the students up top

The upper level is also a lot easier to conceal beers/nips.

bcsoxfan12 {l Wrote}:All I can say is if they move the students up top

It looks kind of likely that they will, if I were to guess. We're really pushing hard for it.

Even though I won't be a part of it next year, if me and a couple of my senior friends can get them to do it, it would be a great feeling to personally have led to an improvement of the BC hockey experience for future students (and everyone else that likes having a student section as part of a decent game day experience).

I really would like to think that the decision to move the students was to improve the atmosphere at the game, but in the end it is likely motivated by the only factor that means anything to the athletic dept: $$$$$. Those seats are worth a lot more than the benches up top.

I think its cyclical. My freshman yeat was '90 and it was always packed, then again Conte was still new and we were awesome, by senior year the buzz dried up. I was even guilty, I went from 2 years of going to EVERY BC game to just attending the biggies and the tourneys. (I also couldnt get laid freshman year so what else was I going to do.)