Where should the ECAC tourney be?

[ChuckNajimy]

If it were up to you, where would the tourney be?

[petal]

Boston, so I could actually go to it! I am one of the car-less.

[Brett Gobe]

Rotate between Boston, Lake Placid and Albany. Attendance will be about the same and it will give teams incentive to play well.

[ChuckNajimy]

Even though Albany is closer to me (close enough that I could get away w/o hotel), I loved LP! The whole atmoshpere was about hockey. I do think that they started taking us for granted up there, with 3 night minimun stays, high rates, etc., but it was always a fun trip for me and the family. Besides when you think of Lake Placid, you think of Hockey. When you think of Albany you think of __________?

[petal]

Makes me think of armpits.

[FireKnight]

Armpits, yes armpits! If you're going to consider putting the tourney on the fringe area of the conference in Boston, how about Hartford or even NYC. Princeton, Q, and Yale are all within an hour of NYC and I would love to see the games at MSG or even the Continental. The ECAC tourney usually grabs about 7000 - 8000 for the championship game, so I'm not sure MSG would touch it, especially with the Big East BB Tourney and the NIT finals already making scheduling for the Knicks and Rangers a bit difficult.

[ScottA '06]

I say Albany is good b/c it is no more than 4 hours from any of the member schools and at the intersection of 2 major highways. Granted, I'm sure LP was a great place to see a game, but it's not the easiest area to get to and has a much smaller capacity than the T-U Arena. Just my two cents.

[Stemmer]

MSG...they'll get more exposure that way. Although I think the Frozen Four should REALLY be in NYC!!

Can't have the ECACs in Boston, they left there because of the conflict with HE, since HE got preferred treatment and better coverage.

LP is okay. I can't think of Albany as a "destination." Besides, it's too close to Troy, which literally stinks. :p

[joecct]

Alabany :). Close to all the schools, media market (at least more than LP), and it is not a resort! Hotels in LP are $$$$, Albany $$.

[Tim]

Appleton. :D

[FireKnight]

Appleton. :D

Tim, you are so predictable... as soon as I saw you had answered the poll, I knew what your answer was. Honestly, I wouldn't mind seeing the tourney at Walker though. I'm sure the important (read as those who don't root for Cornell or RIP) fans would get tickets. :D

[Drew]

For "Home Ice" Lake Placid.
For ease and last minute plans, Albany.
For things to do Beantown.

[ChuckNajimy]

S.Hagwell say ALBANY!

http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?category=COLLHOCKEY&storyID=572998&BCCode=&newsdate=3/18/2007

[Todd '86]

Remember, though, they said something similar about keeping the tournament in Lake Placid. Then only a year or two later, it was off to the Capital Region.

And hey, in Lake Placid, when it snows they have a place to put the stuff!

Did anyone else notice the banner that read "Home of ECAC Hockey" hanging from the rafters of the TUC? I don't quite know where it should be, but it didn't feel like there.

Edit: The league orifices - er, offices - are at the Times-Union Center.

[TMB88]

Albany is easier to get to for me, but Lake Placid has the best atmosphere. Boston was great, too, but now that the Garden is gone, it wouldn't be the same. LP has my vote.

[Earl_Leatherland]

Lake Placid is great. It was made for hockey greatness. The experience there in '91 and '93 was incredible. I would love to be able to participate in it again.

Rochester, Syracuse, or Buffalo are possibilities.

[placid]

Lake Placid is great. It was made for hockey greatness. The experience there in '91 and '93 was incredible. I would love to be able to participate in it again.

Rochester, Syracuse, or Buffalo are possibilities.

Rochester: Not an ECAC town, not really that close, even, to an actual ECAC school (3 hour drive at least I'd guess? maybe Cornell is closer than that) Add to this that RIT plays in another league. Would seem odd to put the ECAC finals in a town where the D1 program is in another conference.

Syracuse: close enough to Colgate to be like a Lake Placid, as in not an ECAC town but reasonably close BUT the rink there is so awful it makes Albany's rink look like a gleaming jewel.

Buffalo: see Rochester but substitute Niagara for RIT ;p

[Knights16Golden]

I think it should rotate between Lake Placid, Syracuse, and NYC.
They should keep it away from Albany so the Troylets don't show up to cheer for Q when they're not even in the tournament. Lake Placid is the best though. Let's Go Tech.
We're going to the Frozen Four this year.

[Todd '86]

I think it should rotate between Lake Placid, Syracuse, and NYC.
They should keep it away from Albany so the Troylets don't show up to cheer for Q when they're not even in the tournament. Lake Placid is the best though. Let's Go Tech.

LP: Gets my vote! The history, the welcome of the town - a great experience!
NYC: Obviously an interesting location, but an expensive one especially if the idea is to have it at MSG (is there another venue?) Plus it would never get any attention in the city. Given that ECACs can't fill the TUC in an area where college hockey gets at least a passing mention, I can't see this ever happening.
SYR: At that dump?!? At least they'd stand a chance of filling the place, closer than Albany. I live 1/2 hour away, that would be the only reason I'd want to see it there.

From the league's perspective, Albany is probably as good a choice as any. Easy to get to, the league offices are there, and its pretty close to the geographic center of the ECAC so its easier to draw more fans without leaving anyone with a long trip. Count on ECACs staying at the TUC for a while.

As for the RPI thing, next time I hope they at least show up not pretending to be somebody else.

[ursaminor]

As for the RPI thing, next time I hope they at least show up not pretending to be somebody else. They were asked by Quinnipiac to play for them. Shouldn't the question be "why couldn't QU supply its own band?"

[placid]

They were asked by Quinnipiac to play for them. Shouldn't the question be "why couldn't QU supply its own band?"

EVEN if Q asked them to play FOR them, that shouldnt be carte-blanche for them to act like a bunch of A--holes, which they did do that game.
RPI fans can try to paint it a different way, but it was a CLASSLESS performance and all I kept thinking of the old days when Red Sox fans were so pathetic that all they could do was look forward to someone ELSE beating the Yankees in big events, because they never could themselves.

[vicb]

Back to the topic at hand. ALBANY gets my vote although I would not mind seeing it at Rochester. Much better arena, only 1 hour from Syracuse where I stay instead of 2+ hrs to Albany and an added bonus is the Dinosaur Restaurant right outside the arena :) .

[placid]

Back to the topic at hand. ALBANY gets my vote although I would not mind seeing it at Rochester. Much better arena, only 1 hour from Syracuse where I stay instead of 2+ hrs to Albany and an added bonus is the Dinosaur Restaurant right outside the arena :) .

To bring up old point: why would the ECAC hold its title event in a non-ECAC town? I mean there is a D1 team in Rochester, which is NOT an ECAC team.
I realize Lake Placid was not an ECAC town, but it also did not have a Division I team based there which played in another conference.
Also Rochester is further away from Albany for most of the ECAC schools.

[FireKnight]

Another option that may not be great for a full-time site, but in a rotation could be Bridgeport, CT. They have an AHL team there and it's pretty easily accessible to Brown, Yale, Quinnipiac and not a bad trip from Princeton, Harvard, RPI, or Union. It is also closer to NYC and could bring some more alumni support from the NYC area.

The bad part, as mentioned about Rochester, is that there is no ECAC team there and there is an AHA team in the general area (Sacred Heart).

[vicb]

To bring up old point: why would the ECAC hold its title event in a non-ECAC town?

It should be obvious from my post: Just to satisfy me :D .

[FireKnight]

Heck, I'm going no matter where they hold it, so we might as well satisfy Vic.

[gocu11]

I'd love to see it back in Lake Placid

[vicb]

Heck, I'm going no matter where they hold it, so we might as well satisfy Vic.

Thanks FN :). You will NEVER see me in Lake Placid unless I win the Mega Millions ;) .

I'd also go to MSG (you will never see it there) or Hartford, Conn. I don't mind Albany as I come there for the hockey and only the hockey so I really do not need to be entertained by anything else.

[Drew]

Another option that may not be great for a full-time site, but in a rotation could be Bridgeport, CT. They have an AHL team there and it's pretty easily accessible to Brown, Yale, Quinnipiac and not a bad trip from Princeton, Harvard, RPI, or Union. It is also closer to NYC and could bring some more alumni support from the NYC area.

The bad part, as mentioned about Rochester, is that there is no ECAC team there and there is an AHA team in the general area (Sacred Heart).

Yes, but giving all the fans a police escort gets expensive ;)

[Bill]

Thanks FN :). I don't mind Albany as I come there for the hockey and only the hockey so I really do not need to be entertained by anything else.
Well.... yes Vic, but we do have to have a good place to celebrate the wins, no??? Placid has more options for that than Albany. ;)

[RSTuthill]

Crazy idea: put it in Hartford and go joint with the AHA like the tournament in the 1980's in Boston with HE. The difference being that this time the ECAC would be the senior partner rather than the junior partner.

Despite its reputation, there is plenty to do in Hartford.

Could be a real win-win.