Winter Classic in South Bend looks to be an attendance disaster

Glacial

Registered User
Jan 8, 2013
1,704
116
Might this also be the first NHL game played in Indiana?

Last year. New York.
Last time I checked, New York was deep in the Eastern Time Zone, far from the Central & Atlantic Time Zone borders. Queens isn't a different time zone from Manhattan.
 

Ms Maggie

Registered User
Apr 11, 2017
2,759
1,869
Might this also be the first NHL game played in Indiana?


Last time I checked, New York was deep in the Eastern Time Zone, far from the Central & Atlantic Time Zone borders. Queens isn't a different time zone from Manhattan.
The question was when, before today, was the game outside the Central Time Zone.

To repeat, last year, New York. (I know what the real issue here is re home team/time zone but that's not at all clear from the posts. The answer to that question is never I think.)
 
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Deedog99

Registered User
Nov 22, 2016
6,503
4,634
I think attendance issues for this game can be attributed to money.

The tickets just cost too much to justify traveling to South Bend, and sitting outside on January 1. Between tickets, travel, and lodging, it would cost me almost as much as a vacation to Punta Cana. As much as I love the Bruins, that’s just too much money for a working-class joe like myself to attend a single regular season hockey game. I’d rather go on the vacation for a week in the Caribbean!

As others have said, the novelty has worn off. It’s a blatant money grab for fat-assed billionaires who want an excuse to sell more jerseys and sell out bigger venues.

No thanks. I’ll be heading south for some quality beach time instead.
Sold out. 76000
 

crimsonace

Registered User
Mar 7, 2010
2,160
1,563
Indianapolis, IN
Might this also be the first NHL game played in Indiana?

The sixth.

The others were in Indy: The Blackhawks played four "home" games at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum between 1952-54 (which has been gutted and the interior completely rebuilt, but is now the home of the ECHL's Indy Fuel). Arthur Wirtz was very involved in its construction and management in the building's early years. Blackhawks also played 11 home games in St. Louis, a couple in Omaha and one in St. Paul in the 1950s.

Neutral site game at Market Square Arena in 1992 (during which Keith Jones scored his first NHL goal).

Interestingly, the Blackhawks are 0-6 in those games.

History of the NHL in Indiana
 
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Fenway

HF Bookie and Bruins Historian
Sponsor
Sep 26, 2007
68,593
98,284
Cambridge, MA
Bring neutral site NHL games back to North America!

Apparently they did play in Indianapolis before.

Chicago has played 5 games in Indianapolis dating back to 1954

49267018_10216821193254857_3070027023859580928_o.jpg
 
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Fenway

HF Bookie and Bruins Historian
Sponsor
Sep 26, 2007
68,593
98,284
Cambridge, MA
Ticket sales for today were sluggish but then Wirtz put his corporation into overdrive. Not only were the tickets distributed but people used them. A friend who owns a Chicago bar bought quite a few tickets and in return would get a generous discount on his liquor bill but the discount only applies if the tickets were scanned.

I underestimated John McDonough again.
 
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GuelphStormer

Registered User
Mar 20, 2012
3,808
497
Guelph, ON
Ticket sales for today were sluggish but then Wirtz put his corporation into overdrive. Not only were the tickets distributed but people used them. A friend who owns a Chicago bar bought quite a few tickets and in return would get a generous discount on his liquor bill but the discount only applies if the tickets were scanned.

I underestimated John McDonough again.
looked packed. was a great game.
 
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IU Hawks fan

They call me IU
Dec 30, 2008
28,516
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NW Burbs
I meant to check, but forgot. How was secondary market for this game?
Lowest I saw throughout the week was $75 after fees. That was 3-4 days before, it was a bit higher the day before. Never got low enough to where I'd be willing to make the drive.

I looked towards the end of the 1st period as I was still getting Vivid Seats ads for it, and you could've gotten in for $30 at that point.
 

Ted Hoffman

The other Rick Zombo
Dec 15, 2002
28,859
8,113
Bring neutral site NHL games back to North America!

Apparently they did play in Indianapolis before.
Every so often, I wonder to myself "maybe Greg Wyshynski isn't nearly the moron I keep believing he is." And then he puts out an article like that one, and I remind myself, "nope - guy's still an idiot and keeps managing to fail upwards in spite of it."

I mean, the idea of neutral-site games sounds great, there's a lot of "good" points made for it, but the reality is neither the owners nor the players have any incentive to do it. The owners certainly aren't giving up revenue from a home game, and the players aren't giving up the revenue lost from going to a neutral site vs. what would be generated if that same game stayed in an NHL location. [And owners of potential neutral site arenas aren't coughing up that difference.] Not to mention, the look at the success those neutral site games had in creating new teams idea is kind of undone by Walt Disney, Wayne Huizenga, and Ted Turner explicitly pursuing the NHL for a franchise for reasons that had zip to do with "wow, that neutral site game was really well attended!"
 

KevFu

Registered User
May 22, 2009
9,007
3,239
Phoenix from Rochester via New Orleans
That was officially a neutral site game and the Capitals were the "home" team, even though the crowd (as much as it was - 8700 on Election Night) was mostly Blackhawks-centric.

Most of the "home" team stuff is contractually obligated. The Caps were likely the home team for the same reason the Islanders & Devils were "home" against the Rangers in Yankee Stadium...

The Rangers' lease says they CANNOT play a home game in another venue, period. So for the Rangers to be in the Stadium Series at Yankee Stadium, they had to be the visitor.
 

SomeDude

Registered User
Mar 6, 2006
16,911
27,431
Pittsburghish
Pens had to "distribute" tons of tickets to get their latest outdoor game to be a "sellout."

I have a friend that is in promotions for a company that is a main NHL sponsor and was given stacks of tickets to that game to get rid of the week leading up to it.

So this is nothing new.
 

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