An Open Letter to Eric Kaler, Mark Coyle, and the University of Minnesota Board of Regents

Mr. Kaler, Mr. Coyle, Regents of the University of Minnesota, and to anyone else reading this letter:

I love Gopher hockey.  Something needs to change.



As an avid Gopher hockey fan almost since birth, I've grown up in and around Mariucci Arena, and I've been present for wonderful and heartbreaking moments.  Gopher Hockey is more than an entertainment option to me, and I think it's safe to say that is the case for many, many others.  Gopher hockey is a passion, a commitment between the University and the fans, though it feels like the University hasn't been holding up its end of the bargain lately.

Gopher hockey is special to me, and it's discouraging to feel something I love lose its special-ness little by little every time I make my way down to campus.

I know lots of people have complained over the past few years about the Big Ten conference, and I think that certainly plays a part in the decreased passion for some people.  But earlier this year when the Gophers hosted Wisconsin the arena was 2/3 full, and that never happened when UW came to town during the WCHA days.  Hell, that never even happened when Alaska-Anchorage came to town in the old days.  The sickness runs deeper than the conference change, and somebody needs to make some changes or it will continue to fester.

1. The important part about College Hockey is College.  Treat it that way.

Over the last few years, Gopher hockey has tried to emulate the Wild in terms of gameday experience.  From the in-arena hostess, to the corporate-sponsored ice crew, to the blaring piped-in music and goal horn, the games feel less like a college hockey game and more like the NHL.  I assume this is by design, the powers-that-be think that by making the Gopher games feel like the pros they'll be providing a better product to their customers, but that thinking could not be further from the truth.  Gopher hockey is never going to compete with the Wild - the NHL has better talent, and a majority of people prefer the NHL's brand of hockey.  The Gophers need to embrace what makes college hockey different from the NHL and find their own niche again.  Some recommendations:

• Make sure there is a band at every single game.  A big part of what people pay their ticket price for is the college experience, and the band is the most important part of that experience.  I don't care if the football team plays an away game the next day - I've never seen a football game without the band because of what the hockey team is doing.
• Let the band play.  No more AC/DC blaring over the speakers for the 15 seconds between whistles, let the band play something.  Some of my most fond memories are of the band doing something fun at games - bring back that feeling.  I don't think that means getting rid of the in-arena music entirely, but the band should get the vast majority of the time.
• Don't feed us so many corporate sponsorships throughout the game.  It feels so sterile.  3M Arena at Mariucci was bad enough, I don't need to be told 6 times a game that the Splash Ice Crew is coming out to shovel up the ice, or that it's time for another Kwik Trip power play.  It's never been more obvious that the fans are a product that the U is selling to the sponsors.  The sponsorships that fans actually got engaged in (5 goals for Culvers Ice Cream) are no longer in place.  There is a huge disconnect between what the marketing department thinks they're delivering and what is actually happening in the real world.
• Get rid of the in-arena hostess girl.  She does a fine job, but it feels so far removed from the college hockey experience.

2. The University has been taking its hockey season-ticket holders for granted for far too long.

The hockey team is the only perennially-successful team the U of M has, and hockey revenue has been used to support a struggling football and basketball program for as long as I can remember.  Minnesota has the highest ticket prices of any college hockey team in the country, but even though we are a premiere program the fans shouldn't get raked over the coals to pay for another basketball coach's buyout.  Other programs have season ticket reps that reach out to season ticket holders on a frequent basis just to check in and keep the relationship going.  I think the only time my family has been contacted by the U regarding our 25 year season ticket commitment is when it's time to pay up for another year.

The U needs to start treating its ticket holders with more respect, which means charging them a fair (lower) price for tickets, doing a better job of treating each season ticket holder as a relationship to manage instead of a revenue stream, and providing some basic benefits that other sports teams provide their season ticket holders like secondary ticket markets and access to promotions.  I remember when the waiting list for season tickets was years long, and now there is no list and the season ticket holders are dropping like flies.  It's pretty easy to understand why - they get virtually no benefits for their commitment and are treated like they only matter when they're forking over money.

3. The prices are too high, especially for the students.

Boston College has been the best college hockey program of the past 15 years.  They play in a market saturated with other options for the entertainment dollar, just like we do.  Their highest priced ticket last year was $25.  I understand that selling 75% of the arena at $40 is better from a revenue perspective than selling out at $25, but it's not very good from an atmosphere perspective, nor from a secondary revenue perspective (parking, concessions).  Lower prices so more people can come and enjoy the games, so that families can come with their little kids and more people can grow up loving Gopher hockey like I did.  You're losing future fans by pricing them out of the market now.

Also, I'm not sure what season tickets cost now for students, but whatever it costs is too much.  Lower the price for students, or make the student tickets free and first come / first served.  Nothing will jazz up the atmosphere like a bunch of rowdy college kids, but the student section has been shrinking for a while now.  Let 'em in for free and watch people line up a few hours early to make sure they get in for the big games.

4. Stop being the fun police.

I remember growing up when Goldy would fight the Subway Sub mascot, when the students and fans would chant some slightly off-color cheers.  That stuff doesn't happen anymore, and it has definitely contributed to the administration-approved atmosphere that checks all the boxes but doesn't equal any fun.  Let the kids chant what they want to chant (within reason, of course), let the band play the songs that get people excited, and let the mascot do stupid stuff like mascots are supposed to do.

5. Upgrade the in-arena concessions.

People seem to love talking about how selling beer will be a cure-all for the atmosphere problems at Mariucci.  I don't think that's true, but I have no real problem with it either way.  I think the bigger deal is the other concessions that Mariucci sells.  Take a look at the Twins stadium or any other modern sporting event - the food options are varied and are all interesting.  Gopher hockey has a few good options (Jax, Kemps Ice Cream, Maui Wowie, Drew's Popcorn), but most everything else is disappointing.  Some fresh new concessions would help.

Those of us that love Gopher hockey care enough about it to want it to get better.  The things I've listed above are just a few of my observations, and shouldn't be viewed as a complete list, merely a starting point for a broader conversation about how to improve Gopher hockey.

As I said at the outset, something needs to change.  You have the power to start making those changes.  Please do something.

Chris Eckes

University of Minnesota, Class of '09

PS: If you're reading this letter and have other ideas, please leave a reply in the comments!