ish said:
Is anyone else as disgusted as I am about the poor crowds in MN? I don't care baout bad marketing. If you people can sell out a Wild-Preds game with 32 total shots in the game months in advance can you put some fans in the seats for a some great international hockey? No offense to the great hockey people of Minnesota but I don't think anyone will be knocking your door for quite a while in regards to hosting international hockey. Let's hit Detroit next (despite that Canadians will poor over the border to attend).
Great international hockey? Pfft. I was pumped for those games, asked the team about tickets the day after I learned we'd get some games at the X. Apart from a couple of flashy plays every so often, that sweet Kovalev goal, and some marvelous passing by Modano, these games weren't all that great. It was mostly a letdown, and it wasn't because the crowds got in late. The hockey wasn't all that stunning. Wild games are often more fun there. I was really trying to get into it, too. Don't get me wrong, I had fun, but this last loss doesn't really feel like a big deal. There's no heartbreak. Without that tension, the games just aren't really that great. The US team looked like they didn't care half the time. How are the fans supposed to get into it when the players aren't?
Honestly, I got the feeling from a lot of people that they felt this was sort of a made-up, exhibition tournament. The tension level at the games just wasn't there. I think they should go back to calling it Canada's Cup. Play all the games on the north side of the border (or east, I suppose). Fans over there will watch anything, and you'll get good crowds and coverage.
Gophers v. Denver on October 9th at the X is going to blow all of these games away combined, and I can't wait for it.