Fill the X

AAFC · Post by **AAFC** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 10:37 am

Of course that's a pipe dream!

But just because some of our teams didn't make it, doesn't mean we can't go fill a seat at the X and show that there really IS interest in girls HS hockey in Minnesota.

I'm planning to be there Friday night and Saturday (I have to be out of town Thursday or I'd be there then too).

See you there!

state 06 · Post by **state 06** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 9:25 am

This will never happen, i dont understand why they moved the girls state tourny from ridder.

hockeya1a · Post by **hockeya1a** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 10:29 am

state 06 wrote:This will never happen, i dont understand why they moved the girls state tourny from ridder.

I agree the ridder is a great place when it is packed.
X is just too big.

RSI · Post by **RSI** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 10:43 am

state 06 wrote:This will never happen, i dont understand why they moved the girls state tourny from ridder.

Because it's free. Last year when this all came up the Wild organization offered to let the MSHSL use the X free of charge to host the Girl's Tourney. I suppose the Wild felt that some concession revenue is better than no concession revenue.

MNHockeyFan · Post by **MNHockeyFan** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 10:50 am

RSI wrote:
state 06 wrote:This will never happen, i dont understand why they moved the girls state tourny from ridder.
Because it's free. Last year when this all came up the Wild organization offered to let the MSHSL use the X free of charge to host the Girl's Tourney. I suppose the Wild felt that some concession revenue is better than no concession revenue.

I recall gender equity had something to do with it also (that's where the boys get to play so the girls should also). With all of the empty seats it really hurts the atmosphere but you still get the same great hockey and it's got to be big thrill for the girls just to step out on the ice.

hockeygod · Post by **hockeygod** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 10:53 am

I just looked into it and from What I read it was a title 9 issue. a couple of parents sued the mshl because there girls didn't get to play in the X so to settle it they were offered free use of the x for the girls tournament and the state high school league put the tournament there to settle the lawsuit.and i heard that they lose money even on the concessions for the girls tournament because they don't sell enough to to pay the workers serving and cleaning up afterwords

gopher25 · Post by **gopher25** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 11:07 am

What I don't understand is that having it at the X is actually hurting the girls game. There is zero atmosphere compared to when it was at Ridder. If Ridder Arena was good enough for Krissy Wendell and Natalie Darwitz(two of the best players in the WORLD) why isn't it good enough for the high school players? I could see Ridder selling out then fine move it to the next biggest venue, Marriuci....I don't know why we have it at the X but last year at the state semifinal/final it felt like no one was there, and I think that is sad for the sport.

Bensonmum · Post by **Bensonmum** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 11:30 am

Is there any radio or streaming video for the games today?

hawkyfan · Post by **hawkyfan** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 12:18 pm

hockeygod wrote:I just looked into it and from What I read it was a title 9 issue. a couple of parents sued the mshl because there girls didn't get to play in the X so to settle it they were offered free use of the x for the girls tournament and the state high school league put the tournament there to settle the lawsuit.and i heard that they lose money even on the concessions for the girls tournament because they don't sell enough to to pay the workers serving and cleaning up afterwords

Here you go.... http://www.grandrapids-mn.com/placed/in ... &view=text
this is the article on the whole lawsuit that was filed and we can all thank that bunch from CLOQUET for this one!

Why not leave well enough alone and let them play in an intimate setting where the crowd can get into it for their team and the close atmosphere builds the excitement!

hockeygod · Post by **hockeygod** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 1:13 pm

Equal is not neccesarily better when it comes to adding exitment to the game, After reading the article I guess that I can see there point in trying to bring the same experiance to the girls that the boys have. I guess, given the number of fan they will have in the forseeable future, I would rather see it held at Ridder or Marriucci than the X, but as were finding out equality can be a double edged sword.

TheGame · Post by **TheGame** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 2:29 pm

Having been to the state tournament at both locations I am happy that it moved to the X. Ridder was too small. I did not enjoy having to just about sit in the band's lap at games. Ridder's small capacity was limiting the number of people that could go and many didn't go because they didn't think that they could get seating. Along with the gender equity issue Ridder did not meet the minimum seating requirements that were part of the original MHSL original bids.

hockeygod · Post by **hockeygod** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 3:05 pm

maybe ridder is to small but mariucci would have been fun, The x just feels empty to me,

nikebauer_07 · Post by **nikebauer_07** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 3:09 pm

TheGame wrote:Having been to the state tournament at both locations I am happy that it moved to the X. Ridder was too small. I did not enjoy having to just about sit in the band's lap at games. Ridder's small capacity was limiting the number of people that could go and many didn't go because they didn't think that they could get seating. Along with the gender equity issue Ridder did not meet the minimum seating requirements that were part of the original MHSL original bids.

So do you enjoy your own section at the X now?

The state games i attended at Ridder were very fun and exciting with great atmosphere. i'd think it'd be a lot better to have the place jam packed than to have 16,000 empty seats..

AAFC · Post by **AAFC** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 3:35 pm

I'm not surprised at the negativity. So let's all just stay home to prove a point.

Or maybe if EVERYBODY who whined about it actually attended the same game, we might be surprised.

What am I thinking? Are these forum writers fans of "girls high school hockey" or are they fans of "their own high school hockey team" and they wouldn't cross the street to watch a game because their little darling isn't playing....

i play hockey · Post by **i play hockey** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 5:56 pm

i liked playing at the x. sure it wasnt exactly full, but doesnt that give us a goal for the future?

xwildfan · Post by **xwildfan** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 7:03 pm

AA, My take on the posts is not negativity. I think the posters think (and I agree) that a big part of a state tourney is the atmosphere, excitement, enthusiasm, etc. And the X does not come close to providing it for the girls game. The best atmosphere at a girls tournament was the first one at Aldrich Arena. The place was packed - SRO; like a State Tourney should be. If the reward for making it to State is to play at arguably the best facility in the country, everyone should be happy. But for those of us lucky enough to have attended boys tourneys at the old St.Paul Auditorium, Met Center, Civic Center know that a packed arena, noise, enthusiasm; being stuck next to the band (as a poster mentioned) is as the commercial says priceless.

People talk about selling the girls game. It would be a lot easier to get people interested in girls hockey by taking them to a sold-out game at Ridder than taking them to an empty X. The impression taken from a hard fought game in front of a bunch of noisy fans at Ridder would get people more excited than a game at the X where you can actually hear the coaches yelling out the line changes.

I've attended every girls tourney (and every boys tourney since 1963). I will take noise, excitement, etc. over a fancy venue anytime.

AAFC · Post by **AAFC** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 9:10 pm

I hear all the arguments against XL but the fact is that the tournament is being played there, not some place else. Maybe I'm an infernal optimist but if all the complainers would actually GO to the games at the X, the attendance might build and the rest will be history.

But it seems everybody wants to prove the point that the X is too big so they stay home and prove the point. Seems to me those folks are NOT hockey supporters at all, just wet blankets. By the way, is the X FULL for the Boys' tournament first round games? I've seen enough on TV to know the answer.

Do we support girls hockey or don't we? I guess the answer, by the straw poll of nay-sayers, is NO.

For me my kid's high school career is over (we lost in sections) but I will continue to support my city's high school hockey, just like I did before either of my kids were old enough. (My family went to games since the beginning at my kid's HS and people would ask - "Which one is your kid?" and be shocked that the answer was "We're just here to support the team!")

Maybe the popular song should be re-written about the State of Hockey - maybe it's the "State of MY KID's Hockey"!

xwildfan · Post by **xwildfan** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 9:50 pm

AA, I think the majority of the posters do go to the games at sections and state. I saw many non-parents at the Wayzata- BSM game. I saw many non-parents as well at the section semis. My take is that the posters think the State tournament would have a better tourney atmosphere at a smaller venue. That's all.

Regarding the boys tourney, there are some empty seats in the afternoon sessions of the AA tourney and the A tourney doesn't come close to selling out. This is a direct result of adding the A class and to some extent of some of the top players leaving HS early. If there was a one class tourney, there would be no empty seats.

GOCARDS1 · Post by **GOCARDS1** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 3:43 pm

the tournament needs to be moved to the ridder and/or the mariucci. preferrably the ridder. the xcel is far to big, not even CLOSE to being somewhat full, the girls look very slow out there, and the atmosphere is dull/boring. The ridder is perfect for the current amount of fans that come to the girl's state tournament.

gomnhky · Post by **gomnhky** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 11:40 am

As a fan of girls hockey and have been to many girls high school hockey and tournament games as well as countless Gopher women's games, we took in the first girls tournament games held at the X last night. I hate to beat a dead horse to death, and mean absolutely no disrespect to the teams and players in the tournament, it was less than an enjoyable experience. While some may say that the girls enjoy playing there and that girls deserve the same opportunities that the boys have, this definitely comes at a big price for the fans of girls hockey. The atmosphere is absolutely horrible - it's so incredibly quiet, minus the bands playing, and the girls look so much slower on the ice and the overall quality of the game is diminished significantly because of that. I was also disappointed to see so few high school girls supporting their sport and the teams in the tournament. I strongly believe, and realize that this decision is out of anyone on this board's hands, that playing this tournament at its present location only hurts girls hockey overall and will do nothing to build any kind of fan base. Even with the announced crowd for the evening session last night, it would not have filled Ridder, but it would have been much better and much more entertaining. I hope at some point down the road, this decision can be revisited and better logic will prevail. The girls deserve better!

hawkyfan · Post by **hawkyfan** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 12:37 pm

gomnhky wrote: I strongly believe, and realize that this decision is out of anyone on this board's hands, that playing this tournament at its present location only hurts girls hockey overall and will do nothing to build any kind of fan base. Even with the announced crowd for the evening session last night, it would not have filled Ridder, but it would have been much better and much more entertaining. I hope at some point down the road, this decision can be revisited and better logic will prevail. The girls deserve better!

I completely agree with you! Atmosphere is everything at these things! Being at the X, there is NO atmosphere!

Stealth · Post by **Stealth** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 2:22 pm

The Wild stepped up to help solve the Girls (Cloquet) issue with the free use for only a short period of years.

If I recall the tournament was awarded to St. Cloud State the year Ridder was just built or close to it.

Central location to make it viable for all seating 7,000 and central location. Issue was we want the same as the boys now. but not have to earn it. Being this will be the 63rd annual State Boys Hockey Tournament the atmosphere was built over time.

Remember we have been brought up in an environment of spending a $1:00 and being a millionaire!!!!! Want it today. Minority can makes it tough for the majority.

My guess is when the Excel is not free and somebody has to justify the expense the Ridder will be the best choice. It is the countries finest arena build for ladies hockey.

GophyFan18 · Post by **GophyFan18** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 11:45 pm

AAFC wrote: By the way, is the X FULL for the Boys' tournament first round games?

Actually for AA, it's getting to be pretty darn close. Last year for the first AA session, there was a lot of people there. I can't remember the numbers though, but it was not far off from full.

bella01 · Post by **bella01** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 12:52 pm

i was just down at the state tourney with the lightning and their first game was at the xcel... drawing a crowd of 3900+ fans. an amazing accomplishment for girls hockey i'd have to say... however, even with this many fans, not even the first level of the xcel was filled and when they played at the ridder the following day, the band was able to rock the house and the atmosphere was sooooo much better. it was exciting to see the girls playing there

GophyFan18 · Post by **GophyFan18** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 4:21 pm

In my opinion, I think it would be more of an honor to play at the Ucc(ooch) aka Mariucci. There's tons of more hockey history there than the X, but I still don't know if they'd fill it. Does anybody know how many seats are in Ridder?