Neutral Site Regional Tournament Games Are TRASH And Need To Go

As we quickly approach the NCAA Hockey Tournament, one of the best times of the year for hockey fans, it's time for a revolution. A revolution to save college hockey and prevent it from spiraling into a money grabbing, fanless, watered down product

I think everyone can agree, the best part of college hockey is the crazy environments. From the old school traditions, to the bands, to the student sections, college hockey’s forte is certainly the insane atmospheres. 

So you’d think when college hockey is on it’s biggest stage, in the tournament that airs on national television, they would want to highlight such a thing? Nope. They choose places like Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Springfield Massachusetts to host their regional tournaments. And thats not to rip on those cities (shoutout Mardi Gras strip club in Springfield), but what are we doing here? Don’t we want to highlight the best part of the game? Don’t we want to show the student sections going bananas during the games? Or do we want to see an empty barn in Manchester NH because it makes a few extra bucks in the short term?

What I want to see? Imagine a tournament game at the Ralph in Grand Forks? Or how about at historic Yost Arena on Michigans campus. You’re telling me that wouldn’t electric on television? A Saturday night playoff game at Michigan!? MSU vs Michigan under the bright lights of Yost Arena. Come on!

Then brings the argument that the NCAA (crooks) needs ticket revenue and they can’t get fucked if a school with a small arena advances too far. My suggestion? Make all D-1 schools require an arena that can hold atleast 2k fans and embrace the fuck out of the small barns. 

The small arenas look SO much better on TV too. I’d so much rather see the Sanford Centre in Bemidji EXPLODE after a goal, than see a few fans notice someone on North Dakota just scored in a game being played in a half empty arena in Maryland Heights, Missouri. 

I can’t even believe this is a thing. Lets take away the best part of college hockey and replace it with a money grabbing dead environment to save a few bucks, when in the end, the storylines surrounding home playoff games would benefit the game of college hockey 10x more than what the ticket revenue would bring in. 

Denver Head Coach David Carle chimed in on the topic, and it makes too much sense. The tournament is seeded 1-16 and the top 4 seeds host home games. It seems like a no brainer to me. Others? not so much.

"According to conversations with a dozen college hockey leaders, there are athletic directors and coaches who believe it's unlikely their teams will ever be in the top eight of the Pairwise Rankings and have the ability to host.

So, they'd rather play in an empty arena in the middle of a college hockey desert than in a packed house on campus. They believe that gives their teams the best chance to advance". - GrandForksHerald.com

What selfish dickheads these guys are. Think about the greater good of the game. Think about the fans. Playing in an empty arenas is good for no one. Talk to the kids too. I guarantee you they’d rather play villain and go into an opposing school’s barn than play in a half empty arena in fucking Allentown Pennsylvania.