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Twitter (or X if you insist) has picked up much of the slack over the past several years.inthetwine wrote: ↑Wed Feb 19, 2025 5:44 pm I miss the good old days of this forum when there was many, many, many more people responding, and tons of good natured banter!
I used to get most of my info (opinions) from X but said sayonara to that platform a few months ago. Not much going on with Bluesky where I currently hang, but more people are joining every day. I'm hoping this brings in more high school hockey fans but, as you said, us fossils are still trying to make Internet Forums work and pining for a long-lost time As least we aren't stuck with Compuserve, AOL and Prodigy like in Elliot's heyday!ryguyMN wrote: ↑Wed Feb 19, 2025 8:29 pm I lurk more on X for high school hockey content. Maybe I'm not looking at the right accounts, but I don't really see much banter. It's more just everyone just throwing their opinion out there (mainly rankings) or what game you're watching without much conversation.
The younger generation are also flocking to the social media platforms. Forums are for the "boomers".
And mine!east hockey wrote: ↑Wed Feb 19, 2025 8:43 pmI used to get most of my info (opinions) from X but said sayonara to that platform a few months ago. Not much going on with Bluesky where I currently hang, but more people are joining every day. I'm hoping this brings in more high school hockey fans but, as you said, us fossils are still trying to make Internet Forums work and pining for a long-lost time As least we aren't stuck with Compuserve, AOL and Prodigy like in Elliot's heyday!ryguyMN wrote: ↑Wed Feb 19, 2025 8:29 pm I lurk more on X for high school hockey content. Maybe I'm not looking at the right accounts, but I don't really see much banter. It's more just everyone just throwing their opinion out there (mainly rankings) or what game you're watching without much conversation.
The younger generation are also flocking to the social media platforms. Forums are for the "boomers".
Lee
Yeah, nothing beat that squaking sound as our 28.8 baud modem connected to the network, did it?TTpuckster wrote: ↑Wed Feb 19, 2025 9:08 pmAnd mine!east hockey wrote: ↑Wed Feb 19, 2025 8:43 pmI used to get most of my info (opinions) from X but said sayonara to that platform a few months ago. Not much going on with Bluesky where I currently hang, but more people are joining every day. I'm hoping this brings in more high school hockey fans but, as you said, us fossils are still trying to make Internet Forums work and pining for a long-lost time As least we aren't stuck with Compuserve, AOL and Prodigy like in Elliot's heyday!ryguyMN wrote: ↑Wed Feb 19, 2025 8:29 pm I lurk more on X for high school hockey content. Maybe I'm not looking at the right accounts, but I don't really see much banter. It's more just everyone just throwing their opinion out there (mainly rankings) or what game you're watching without much conversation.
The younger generation are also flocking to the social media platforms. Forums are for the "boomers".
Lee
Unbelievable night in forum history.
That was what I found on Twitter also. Folks like whom you mentioned were a blast to read and occasionally chime in, but the overall experience there was getting bad for my brain (yes, I actually have one!BlueLineSpecial wrote: ↑Wed Feb 19, 2025 10:07 pm I still enjoy this place. I follow quite a few people on twitter - but it isn't the same. It's mostly just someone posting, getting a couple of likes and then one person responding with a 5 word comment. I prefer the ability to have a more thoughtful discussion - but I guess attention spans aren't what they used to be.
If you engage certain people on twitter - the dave spehar parody account, classAguy, Jeff Papas, Karl, FabFive to name a few - you can get a dialogue going. Unfortunately it just seems like most people consume the content rather than engage.
) I miss that about being there but I can follow Karl and classAguy here, too.I remember like it was yesterday.East Side Pioneer Guy wrote: ↑Thu Feb 20, 2025 6:01 amTell us again about when your family got that "radio with pictures" box.
I don't think interest in MN HS hockey has faded in terms of this time of year with sections and state but it does seem to me that it has faded somewhat substantially with the regular season. I remember growing up where regular season games would be packed and sold out. Standing room only for games at Braemar.BlueLineSpecial wrote: ↑Thu Feb 20, 2025 8:20 am I don't think HS hockey in Minnesota has faded in popularity. Arenas are still packed for big games, there is excitement and people seem to be engaged. What does seem to have faded in popularity is bantering with strangers about it. I do feel like there's just a desire to consume content rather than be a part of it, and ultimately there's only a select few that create. For example, I saw late last night that FabFive's twitter account reposted a link to an article by LetsPlayHockey that previewed potential difference-makers in sections. It was fun to read about the various impact players heading into sections, and I always like to see a couple of Hill kids mentioned so that was enjoyable. That's great content that someone created. But no one is engaging. It's just consume and move on. What I'd much prefer is that an article like that gets talked about - that people start chiming in with players they think should have made the list, or debating who is the best of them all, etc. Instead, again, it's just posted and a bunch of people consume it.
I see classAguy post tons of great content on twitter (and yes I like reading about class A). He does an awesome job and clearly puts a lot of time into it. Yet, he'll get some likes and maybe a couple of comments - even though if you look at the views it's often in the thousands. So again, lots of consuming of content, just not a lot of active engagement.
That could certainly be true. I've attended a handful of games this year, and watched many more on streaming. Hill/Moorhead, Hill/STA and Hill/Stillwater all had very large crowds. Some of the other games non-Hill games I watched seemed to have good crowds. I guess it depends on the teams playing and their rankings & such.The51 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 20, 2025 8:59 amI don't think interest in MN HS hockey has faded in terms of this time of year with sections and state but it does seem to me that it has faded somewhat substantially with the regular season. I remember growing up where regular season games would be packed and sold out. Standing room only for games at Braemar.BlueLineSpecial wrote: ↑Thu Feb 20, 2025 8:20 am I don't think HS hockey in Minnesota has faded in popularity. Arenas are still packed for big games, there is excitement and people seem to be engaged. What does seem to have faded in popularity is bantering with strangers about it. I do feel like there's just a desire to consume content rather than be a part of it, and ultimately there's only a select few that create. For example, I saw late last night that FabFive's twitter account reposted a link to an article by LetsPlayHockey that previewed potential difference-makers in sections. It was fun to read about the various impact players heading into sections, and I always like to see a couple of Hill kids mentioned so that was enjoyable. That's great content that someone created. But no one is engaging. It's just consume and move on. What I'd much prefer is that an article like that gets talked about - that people start chiming in with players they think should have made the list, or debating who is the best of them all, etc. Instead, again, it's just posted and a bunch of people consume it.
I see classAguy post tons of great content on twitter (and yes I like reading about class A). He does an awesome job and clearly puts a lot of time into it. Yet, he'll get some likes and maybe a couple of comments - even though if you look at the views it's often in the thousands. So again, lots of consuming of content, just not a lot of active engagement.
I went to an Edina/Wayzata regular season game last year where Edina had 15 students and Wayzata had nobody but parents. The rink was a quarter full at most. It was sad to see.
Perhaps too many distractions these days?
I don't know what it was like back in the day, but a few possibilities could be: 1) They stream nearly every game now, whether that's the local crew, MN Hockey, Livebarn, etc. -- being able to view things from the comfort of your home without having to travel has become the preferred option for a lot of people 2) Prices for adults are $7 and students $5 -- not sure if pricing is a factor here but things could rack up if you're going to every game. Even at some of the games, you do get a decent amount of students who turn up, but it certainly isn't a whole mob of people like you see in a lot of the media from time to time. Things obviously pick up once sections start, but I just think students have a ton of things going on these days with all the activities and other distractions.The51 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 20, 2025 8:59 amI don't think interest in MN HS hockey has faded in terms of this time of year with sections and state but it does seem to me that it has faded somewhat substantially with the regular season. I remember growing up where regular season games would be packed and sold out. Standing room only for games at Braemar.BlueLineSpecial wrote: ↑Thu Feb 20, 2025 8:20 am I don't think HS hockey in Minnesota has faded in popularity. Arenas are still packed for big games, there is excitement and people seem to be engaged. What does seem to have faded in popularity is bantering with strangers about it. I do feel like there's just a desire to consume content rather than be a part of it, and ultimately there's only a select few that create. For example, I saw late last night that FabFive's twitter account reposted a link to an article by LetsPlayHockey that previewed potential difference-makers in sections. It was fun to read about the various impact players heading into sections, and I always like to see a couple of Hill kids mentioned so that was enjoyable. That's great content that someone created. But no one is engaging. It's just consume and move on. What I'd much prefer is that an article like that gets talked about - that people start chiming in with players they think should have made the list, or debating who is the best of them all, etc. Instead, again, it's just posted and a bunch of people consume it.
I see classAguy post tons of great content on twitter (and yes I like reading about class A). He does an awesome job and clearly puts a lot of time into it. Yet, he'll get some likes and maybe a couple of comments - even though if you look at the views it's often in the thousands. So again, lots of consuming of content, just not a lot of active engagement.
I went to an Edina/Wayzata regular season game last year where Edina had 15 students and Wayzata had nobody but parents. The rink was a quarter full at most. It was sad to see.
Perhaps too many distractions these days?
I think that first golden era goes back a little further, well before 1984. I'd start it at 1969 was when the tournament moved to Met Center. The final that year was Warroad with Henry Boucha against Edina, which won its first title. All the tournaments through the next decade seemed epic--but maybe I think that because that's when I was first cognizant.ryguyMN wrote: ↑Thu Feb 20, 2025 10:22 am As far as attendance and popularity goes, I think streaming plays a role in smaller attendance numbers. Sure, it's nothing like seeing a game live and video doesn't capture the speed of the game, but it does makes it convenient to be two places at once.
Even at this year's Holiday Classic at Braemar, but brother and I were commenting on how small the crowds were. Granted the games were a little closer to Christmas than in prior years, and that may have played a role. Last season's Tonka vs. Edina matchup at Braemar was pretty well attended. It was probably the last "big" regular season matchup I've attended.
I think there has been two "golden eras" to MN HS hockey...one from about 1984 through 1996 (when WCCO took over broadcasting rights and made a Grade A production out of it through the Jefferson dynasty and the Apple Valley/Duluth East game) and then again from 2006 through 2019.
