JustNazzy Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 Road trip expert cites Utica Comets as best minor league hockey experience Print Email By Lindsay Kramer | lkramer@syracuse.com Follow on Twitter on January 16, 2016 at 6:48 PM, updated January 16, 2016 at 7:33 PM The Utica Comets have a big fan in Sean MacDonald. Actually, MacDonald is a lot more than a fan. He's a sports road trip guru who travels around the country reviewing venues of all sorts. Wednesday, he swung by the Utica Memorial Auditorium for a Comets-Marlies game. At first glance, that arena might not seem like much. But MacDonald was enthralled with the building and game presentation (and beer). "Overall, this is probably my favourite rink in the league, the epitome of what minor-league hockey should be,'' he said. "Having a passionate fan base, a nearby bar that raffles jerseys before the game, affordable food and beer options, ticket exchanges with no fees, and a unique, innovative arena combine to make this a must-see experience for any hockey traveller. It is great to see an organization committed to making its gameday experience the best it can be, something that rarely happens in the big leagues these days.'' MacDonald wrote that he still has ten rinks to go to complete the AHL. "Next month, I'll be seeing all five rinks in California, plus a trip to Portland for the Pirates, and then a flight to St. John's, Newfoundland for the Ice Caps in March,'' he said. "That will leave Grand Rapids, Iowa, and Winnipeg for next season.'' Can any of them knock off the Comets? MacDonald visited the War Memorial last season. Here is his review of that experience. http://www.syracuse.com/crunch/index.ssf/2016/01/road_trip_expert_cites_utica_comets_as_his_best_minor_league_hockey_experience.html I didn't see this posted and thought I would share. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Goblin Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twilight Sparkle Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 at some point within the next few years i wish to travel to see a utica comets game live. from what ive seen, that team has a lot of love down there and im happy the canucks minor team has a home of fans who appreciate that team Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winter Soldier Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 I have never not had a good time at Rogers Arena. CDC can't go one week without flagellating itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Down by the River Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 I've applied for a job in Albany, biggest perk would be the 90 minute drive to Utica. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJDDawg Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 Sigh. Lawyers don't do affordable food and beer, ticket exchanges, and tailgate parties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aqua59 Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 6 hours ago, JustNazzy said: Road trip expert cites Utica Comets as best minor league hockey experience Print Email By Lindsay Kramer | lkramer@syracuse.com Follow on Twitter on January 16, 2016 at 6:48 PM, updated January 16, 2016 at 7:33 PM The Utica Comets have a big fan in Sean MacDonald. Actually, MacDonald is a lot more than a fan. He's a sports road trip guru who travels around the country reviewing venues of all sorts. Wednesday, he swung by the Utica Memorial Auditorium for a Comets-Marlies game. At first glance, that arena might not seem like much. But MacDonald was enthralled with the building and game presentation (and beer). "Overall, this is probably my favourite rink in the league, the epitome of what minor-league hockey should be,'' he said. "Having a passionate fan base, a nearby bar that raffles jerseys before the game, affordable food and beer options, ticket exchanges with no fees, and a unique, innovative arena combine to make this a must-see experience for any hockey traveller. It is great to see an organization committed to making its gameday experience the best it can be, something that rarely happens in the big leagues these days.'' MacDonald wrote that he still has ten rinks to go to complete the AHL. "Next month, I'll be seeing all five rinks in California, plus a trip to Portland for the Pirates, and then a flight to St. John's, Newfoundland for the Ice Caps in March,'' he said. "That will leave Grand Rapids, Iowa, and Winnipeg for next season.'' Can any of them knock off the Comets? MacDonald visited the War Memorial last season. Here is his review of that experience. http://www.syracuse.com/crunch/index.ssf/2016/01/road_trip_expert_cites_utica_comets_as_his_best_minor_league_hockey_experience.html I didn't see this posted and thought I would share. What is it the Canucks are going to learn from Utica? They own them and set the same template. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 The more I read about the Comets fanbase; the more I wish I was local to go see a few games. All the articles and clippets I've read have made Utica out to be some sort of Montreal-South. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winter Soldier Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 Just now, MJDDawg said: Sigh. Lawyers don't do affordable food and beer, ticket exchanges, and tailgate parties. Utica Population: 61,808 Metro Vancouver Population: 2.4 Million. Things are cozier and easier going in a small town, who knew? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crabcakes Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 5 minutes ago, aqua59 said: What is it the Canucks are going to learn from Utica? They own them and set the same template. Apparently not. The encouraging thing about this report is that the CSE appears NOT to be a top down heavy control type of organization. This is a blight on the business world imo and bears the hallmarks of insecure management. Everybody knows that a happy employee (and even middle manager) is one who has some say in how they do (and improve) their job. Good on CSE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustNazzy Posted January 17, 2016 Author Share Posted January 17, 2016 15 minutes ago, aqua59 said: What is it the Canucks are going to learn from Utica? They own them and set the same template. The SkyTrain on the way to a Canucks game has a better atmosphere than inside Rogers Arena during a Canucks game. That's a problem. Over priced munchies is a problem. ...you know I was going to start a big list but I think I'm just being trolled... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elvis15 Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 ^ It's great to have ideas on how to make things better, but what does "the SkyTrain having better atmosphere" and the price of our food have to do with Utica teaching the Canucks anything? 11 hours ago, Crabcakes said: Apparently not. The encouraging thing about this report is that the CSE appears NOT to be a top down heavy control type of organization. This is a blight on the business world imo and bears the hallmarks of insecure management. Everybody knows that a happy employee (and even middle manager) is one who has some say in how they do (and improve) their job. Good on CSE. I'm curious for a follow up on that. Do you think if they were trying to dictate the crowd they'd somehow be recommending Utica fans all show up in suits and make sure to be on their phones the whole time? Neither organization controls the fans, all they can do is encourage them to actually be fans and hope that creates a good atmosphere. From there they have to worry about the behaviour of people in the arena, but then that's also a situation where the Utica fans are probably more closely knit and interested in everyone enjoying the experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crabcakes Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 35 minutes ago, elvis15 said: ^ It's great to have ideas on how to make things better, but what does "the SkyTrain having better atmosphere" and the price of our food have to do with Utica teaching the Canucks anything? I'm curious for a follow up on that. Do you think if they were trying to dictate the crowd they'd somehow be recommending Utica fans all show up in suits and make sure to be on their phones the whole time? Neither organization controls the fans, all they can do is encourage them to actually be fans and hope that creates a good atmosphere. From there they have to worry about the behaviour of people in the arena, but then that's also a situation where the Utica fans are probably more closely knit and interested in everyone enjoying the experience. Ha ha, you misunderstand. I am saying that it appears that CSE lets the people who are running the Utica facility have input on how things are run there. They know the local fans after all and have a much better idea of what they would like than the people in the Vancouver head office. I've felt this for a long time. Linden empowers his people. It's modern and in my experience very effective. Nothing to do with the suits vs the dungarees. (am I sounding like a beatnick?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elvis15 Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 16 minutes ago, Crabcakes said: Ha ha, you misunderstand. I am saying that it appears that CSE lets the people who are running the Utica facility have input on how things are run there. They know the local fans after all and have a much better idea of what they would like than the people in the Vancouver head office. I've felt this for a long time. Linden empowers his people. It's modern and in my experience very effective. Nothing to do with the suits vs the dungarees. (am I sounding like a beatnick?) I was giving an example of the opposite, so I did understand your were saying they weren't controlling everything. My point was to say if CSE wanted to put in input that it wouldn't suddenly turn the atmosphere into what we have here because the fans and situations are totally different. The thread itself suggests that input in the opposite direction would solve the "atmosphere problem" in Rogers Arena, and that really isn't the case that you can just transfer things like that for either situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crabcakes Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 1 minute ago, elvis15 said: I was giving an example of the opposite, so I did understand your were saying they weren't controlling everything. My point was to say if CSE wanted to put in input that it wouldn't suddenly turn the atmosphere into what we have here because the fans and situations are totally different. The thread itself suggests that input in the opposite direction would solve the "atmosphere problem" in Rogers Arena, and that really isn't the case that you can just transfer things like that for either situation. The problem with Rogers arena is that regular folks can't afford to go to games very often. A pair of tickets in the worst seats in the house cost me a day's take home pay. Fortunately, you can do better than face value on the internet these days. Good seats? Forget about it for Joe Average. Lower bowl between the blue lines? Are you kidding? I'm not saying that people with money aren't great fans but the atmosphere comes from Joe 6-pack and he's at home in front of his 50" hi-def. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elvis15 Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 Honestly for people who've been to any significant number of games, watching from home starts to get pretty attractive. I love going to watch games, but getting excited for a nothing game against a lower end team when you have to trek into the arena and pay for beer and food that'd be much more expensive than it would be at home tends to drag on the experience a little bit. I've never minded the crowd in the lower bowl or upper. I've had some amazing experiences there and some where it was still fun even when the crowd wasn't as into it. It costs a lot for sure, and there are plenty of business seats where the tickets get given out, but none of that will change with any advice from Utica. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aqua59 Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 On 1/17/2016 at 10:20 AM, JustNazzy said: The SkyTrain on the way to a Canucks game has a better atmosphere than inside Rogers Arena during a Canucks game. That's a problem. Over priced munchies is a problem. ...you know I was going to start a big list but I think I'm just being trolled... Good points I missed.How ever, I think the demographic on where the dollar is coming from has to be brought in to play too. In Vancouver people pay it, they obviously can afford it. Vancouver has a much larger mix of culture within their at game fan base. Utica is an American East coast city with pretty much an across the board fan base, cultural and financial. I hear what you're saying, I just think the fan bases are different to the point of this is what we get. Maybe the fans are so depressed after paying for parking and food their spirits are dead before they even get going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UticaHockey Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 On 1/17/2016 at 0:56 PM, aqua59 said: What is it the Canucks are going to learn from Utica? They own them and set the same template. Not true. The Vancouver Canucks own the AHL franchise and have 100% control over the hockey operations. The "Utica Comets" are locally owned and headed by Robert Esche. The Utica Comets have an affiliation agreement with Vancouver and pay the Canucks X amount of money to place their AHL team in Utica. I have no idea what the financial terms are but a guess would be a set dollar amount plus a portion of the revenue generated. It's a win-win setup for the Canucks and the Comets. The Canucks have 100% control over the hockey operations and how they want to develop prospects while not having the burden of trying to manage the business side of a minor league team. For Esche he gets to run the business side of an AHL team in his home town after his playing days are over. Esche and his local team control 100% of the business side of the Comets. It is an important distinction because if at some point in the future Vancouver decides to move their AHL team somewhere else the Utica Comets name stays here if Esche can sign another NHL team to place their AHL franchise in Utica. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toews Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 11 hours ago, UticaHockey said: Not true. The Vancouver Canucks own the AHL franchise and have 100% control over the hockey operations. The "Utica Comets" are locally owned and headed by Robert Esche. The Utica Comets have an affiliation agreement with Vancouver and pay the Canucks X amount of money to place their AHL team in Utica. I have no idea what the financial terms are but a guess would be a set dollar amount plus a portion of the revenue generated. It's a win-win setup for the Canucks and the Comets. The Canucks have 100% control over the hockey operations and how they want to develop prospects while not having the burden of trying to manage the business side of a minor league team. For Esche he gets to run the business side of an AHL team in his home town after his playing days are over. Esche and his local team control 100% of the business side of the Comets. It is an important distinction because if at some point in the future Vancouver decides to move their AHL team somewhere else the Utica Comets name stays here if Esche can sign another NHL team to place their AHL franchise in Utica. Robert Esche, that's a name I haven't heard in a while. Comes from a long line of failed Flyers goalies. It's good to hear he has done a much better job on the management side than he ever did in his playing career. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Kneel Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 I think Linden could help a lot in studying the loss of atmosphere in the new stadium compared to the old one...he played in both. Linden would know how to get the best out of his staff..increase positive interaction's somehow. Implement what good things he's seen in Utica. Take chances on the side of enjoyment of the event, not all security based. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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