Say good bye to home ice advantage in 2009

[rudolph]

bystander said:

thats why I said pray for really really cold April and we can put on an outdoor rink to play at... then we can have 12000 fans... with the extra people in town for the curling... maybe tsn will do a special story about the outdoor game.. and the weird unseasonable cold temps...

wow drewlll drewlll

a 12000 seat rink is a far fetch dream for moncton but ... ohhhh. wouldn't be sweet

the fact that Moncton is built on mud is a problem. but than again... an 1200 outdoor rink in the center of the maritimes witch could be converted to a 10 000 football for the chl (HA HA just kidding)


awww well

thank god it doesn't cost anything to dream.

[jimmy]

billy said:

mrlittlewolf said:

Time for Mr Irving to build "The CATPLEX!!!"

let Moncton have all their stupid shows and see what happens when you screw your main tenant!!!!

Irving only spends money to make money...hockey rinks don't make money, that's why tax payers own them.

Actually, I just finished reading a book on the Irving empire, and it turns out they have become quite philanthropic over the years ... millions were spent on developing the Bouctouche dunes, parks in SJ, contributions to various universities ... not saying that RKI is going to build a new rink ... but it is not totally inconceivable ... and knowing the Irving's, if he ever did do it, you can bet that it would be a first rate facility that thinks of every detail for player and fan comfort ...

[SteveUL]

curtis said:

I agree that the 4-Ice was screwed up. I know other groups originally bidding for the project had other ideas for the main rink....

It really was the perfect opportunity to build a 3,000 to 4,000 seat venue. Moncton can't justify another rink the size of the Coliseum, and with the 4-Ice so new I can't see anything else being built in the forseeable future.

But how often do we need a 3000 to 4000 seat venue ? The current configuration of the 4-Ice is great for what it serves for 99% of the season. You don't build a facility that big when you likely will never utilize its full capacity ... except for once every 3 yrs.

The other 3 rinks with corner seating are designed to take the parents out of the game. Go watch a game in that rink and the parents aren't getting irate at the Refs nearly as much as they do in the more traditional rinks (Kay , Riverview, etc.). The parents can still yell ... but the kids and the Refs don't really hear it. Its a shame it has to come to that though.

[SteveUL]

bystander said:

Gee.. I think that might of happened before... When was that??? Is that when it was down on the marsh.(towards lewisville) I remember my dad talking about it, but sadly he is not with me this winter for me to ask about it.

Sorry about your Dad.

I think you are referring to the old Moncton Stadium ... which was not down on the marsh but right in front of CFB Moncton facing St. George. I started playing minor hockey in that rink and actually played in it the night the Stadium collapsed ... of course I was home in bed when that happened but was on the ice roughly 6 hrs before.

[SteveUL]

rudolph said:

bystander said:

thats why I said pray for really really cold April and we can put on an outdoor rink to play at... then we can have 12000 fans... with the extra people in town for the curling... maybe tsn will do a special story about the outdoor game.. and the weird unseasonable cold temps...

wow drewlll drewlll

a 12000 seat rink is a far fetch dream for moncton but ... ohhhh. wouldn't be sweet

the fact that Moncton is built on mud is a problem. but than again... an 1200 outdoor rink in the center of the maritimes witch could be converted to a 10 000 football for the chl (HA HA just kidding)


awww well

thank god it doesn't cost anything to dream.

Actually ... most of Moncton is built on glacial till.

[curtis]

steveul said:

curtis said:

I agree that the 4-Ice was screwed up. I know other groups originally bidding for the project had other ideas for the main rink....

It really was the perfect opportunity to build a 3,000 to 4,000 seat venue. Moncton can't justify another rink the size of the Coliseum, and with the 4-Ice so new I can't see anything else being built in the forseeable future.

But how often do we need a 3000 to 4000 seat venue ? The current configuration of the 4-Ice is great for what it serves for 99% of the season. You don't build a facility that big when you likely will never utilize its full capacity ... except for once every 3 yrs.

The other 3 rinks with corner seating are designed to take the parents out of the game. Go watch a game in that rink and the parents aren't getting irate at the Refs nearly as much as they do in the more traditional rinks (Kay , Riverview, etc.). The parents can still yell ... but the kids and the Refs don't really hear it. Its a shame it has to come to that though.

I always figure things should be built with the future in mind. I agree with you, it serves the purpose most of the time right now, but the Moncton area is growing....and the facility needs to last a long time.

[SteveUL]

curtis said:

steveul said:

But how often do we need a 3000 to 4000 seat venue ? The current configuration of the 4-Ice is great for what it serves for 99% of the season. You don't build a facility that big when you likely will never utilize its full capacity ... except for once every 3 yrs.

The other 3 rinks with corner seating are designed to take the parents out of the game. Go watch a game in that rink and the parents aren't getting irate at the Refs nearly as much as they do in the more traditional rinks (Kay , Riverview, etc.). The parents can still yell ... but the kids and the Refs don't really hear it. Its a shame it has to come to that though.

I always figure things should be built with the future in mind. I agree with you, it serves the purpose most of the time right now, but the Moncton area is growing....and the facility needs to last a long time.

Ok ... but what team/event is going to put 3000 people in the 4-ice Center on a regular basis. Yes you have to plan for the future ... but your planning should not be foolhardy. It costs more money to build it ... and costs more money to run it ... wasted money if there is only a draw of 1000 on game night ... the Beavers get about 750 regularly ... half of what the current rink will hold. Unless you can come up with some future tenant that is going to draw big your idea of planning doesn't make sense.

It will always be the secondary "big event" facility ... and its current configuartion serves that well.

I'd like to see the entire 4-Ice facility utilized for more trade shows ... I would think if you take out the boards in the 3 minor hockey rinks that you'd come close to equalling the floor space of the Coliseum/Agrena. Only problem with that is the facility is privately run and so the City wouldn't get the same revenue ... and the Coliseum needs the tenants to generate revenue.

[forrest]

I don`t want to get anyone angry here, but I wonder if the coliseum is going to be full for this event? Would the 4-ice be big enough to hold the curling event?

[milo]

If previous tournaments in Moncton are any indication, it should be pretty full when Canada's playing.

[gongshow]

milo said:

If previous tournaments in Moncton are any indication, it should be pretty full when Canada's playing.

First Country concerts and now Curling....what is this city coming to

I think the curling will be more like the lacrosse tourny in Hfx.....70% empty seats

[Wild74]

forrest said:

I don`t want to get anyone angry here, but I wonder if the coliseum is going to be full for this event? Would the 4-ice be big enough to hold the curling event?

The WC were held in Saint John (Harbour Station) in '99
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Ford_World_Curling_Championships

Nothing about attendance there, but perhaps someone from Saint John could chime in.

[kbt]

I watch a lot of curling and the rinks world championships are held in are always pretty full. A lot of Europeans will come over for them.

[sec21critic]

steveul said:

bystander said:

Gee.. I think that might of happened before... When was that??? Is that when it was down on the marsh.(towards lewisville) I remember my dad talking about it, but sadly he is not with me this winter for me to ask about it.

Sorry about your Dad.

I think you are referring to the old Moncton Stadium ... which was not down on the marsh but right in front of CFB Moncton facing St. George. I started playing minor hockey in that rink and actually played in it the night the Stadium collapsed ... of course I was home in bed when that happened but was on the ice roughly 6 hrs before.

That's a scary thought...

... but what I think bystander may also be referring to is a rink that still partially stands off Donald Av on the other side of the overpass for Wheeler Blvd going towards Elmwood. That was called the Abderdeen Rink (I THINK) and was originally an open air surface. It was only in operation for about a decade and much of the structure burnt down in the late '20s. Sadly, I think one or two died as a result of that fire if I recall. It's mentioned in greater detail in the book "From Pond to Pro".

Maybe I'm thinking it was called Aberdeen because Aberdeen High School (predessecor to MHS) played their hockeo games there... either way, that is the structre that still remains in part over in Sunny Brae.

EDIT - Now that I think of it... it may have been called Sunny Brae Rink... and it's burning down was definately one factor in building Moncton Stadium.

[habh8er]

wild74 said:

forrest said:

I don`t want to get anyone angry here, but I wonder if the coliseum is going to be full for this event? Would the 4-ice be big enough to hold the curling event?

The WC were held in Saint John (Harbour Station) in '99
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Ford_World_Curling_Championships

Nothing about attendance there, but perhaps someone from Saint John could chime in.

I attended two matches during the W.C.C. at Harbour Station, both were well attended...but there were a lot of free tickets going around , as I seem to remember(thats why I went..free tickets) but they seemed to do well from what I recall.

[milo]

gongshow said:

First Country concerts and now Curling....what is this city coming to

Yeah, it's a rodeo away from being Random City, Alabama.

I wonder how many people at the Coliseum will complain about the curlers being too loud.