Photo: Demand for seats for this year’s Frozen Four is bound to be sky high at Chicago’s United Center.
“This is going to be big,” said Brian Elizardi, Director of Alumni Engagement for DU told LetsGoDU. “We have been working on this [Frozen Four] for a long time and we have some exciting plans in place. There will be events in Chicago and 11 more around the country to celebrate the University of Denver’s success.”
In a memo, Brandon Buzbee, DU’s associate Vice Chancellor for Global networks cites a unique alliance between Global Networks and DU Athletics to bring the DU community together in a way that it has never been done before. The Frozen Four is seen by DU as a golden opportunity to build the DU brand and forge lasting ties with their alumni network.
Everybody wants a piece of these #1 seeded ice hockey Pioneers – and everyone wants to watch high octane “200 feet of relentless Pioneer hockey”.
But can you get a seat?
As the clock ticked down on the DU’s 6-3 win over Penn State in Cincinnati, fans’ eyes moved immediately to the winner of the Notre Dame (23-11) – Mass-Lowell OT contest. Notre Dame won 3-2 and set-up a prime time Frozen Four semifinal thriller pitting the Irish against the #1 seeded Denver Pioneers (31-7-4) in what is sure to be one of the hottest tickets in the history of DU sports.
While DU does not usually travel well, a variety of factors are converging to make this a must-see event, especially for Denver fans who have seen their title drought extended to nearly 15 years. DU has a major presence in Chicago and so do the other schools at the Frozen Four- Notre Dame, Harvard, and Minnesota Duluth.
Pioneer fans remember last year’s 3-2 heartbreaking semifinal loss to North Dakota in Tampa. Denver fans believe this is just the team to end the drought and they are going to want to watch the action live.
But not so fast.
Anyone who follows the Fighting Irish understands the power of the Notre Dame alumni and friends, especially in the city of Chicago. They have a whopping 16,000 alumni in the Chicagoland area alone – and that does not include family and non-alumni who join the local Notre Dame network. They could easily fill up the entire United Center. The Notre Dame influence is felt across the city of Chicago as anyone who lives there can tell you and South Bend is less than a 100-mile drive.
There is The Notre Dame Club of Chicago which serves as an anchor for local Golden Domers. The Notre Dame Club of Chicago is a non-profit organization that raises funds for the ND Club of Chicago Scholarship Foundation and for the sponsorship of Summer Service Learning Projects in Chicago for current students. The Foundation currently supports over 60 local students.
Want to build a network for your career development, find an apartment, or just join cultural events? The Notre Dame Club offers these services and much more. If you are not from Chicago but want to fly in and go to the Frozen Four, just go to Notre Dame Travel and they will be glad to plan your trip and coordinate all your activities – be it sports or social events sponsored by the University.
But don’t sell DU short.
The University of Denver has 6,000 constituents in Chicagoland – mostly parents and alums. The DU Chicago Chapter is led by president Cody Sherrill and they are one of the largest and strongest alumni chapters in the country, behind only Denver. Cody told LetsGoDU, “The base of hockey fans in Chicago is huge. Also, Chicago is a big sports town and there are lots of DU grads here so the demand is going to be there. We were hopeful and planning all year for Denver hockey to make it here. There are a number of Chicago alums that purchased tickets months ago and it has been the talk of the chapter the last few months.”
And what about Harvard and UMD, the other two teams at the Frozen Four? They will have a ticket allotment, too and will be scouring ticket sites for a chance to see their teams play as well. Of course, Harvard also has Harvard Alumni of Chicago along with a national following and well-heeled graduates with an interest and the wherewithal to follow their team live. Duluth is in close proximity to Chicago and has a large, passionate fan base that travels well.
Finally, Chicago is one of the most appealing destinations for a Frozen Four and travel by air to the Windy City is affordable and accommodations are relatively inexpensive. People have nearly two weeks to make plans to attend and the event is at a relatively quiet time of year. Add this all together and you have the perfect storm with ‘only’ 19,717 seats for hockey at the United Center.
While none of the four participants have the singular draw of the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks fan base, this is sure to be one of the hottest tickets ever for a Frozen Four.
LetsGoDU will be covering all the details regarding Denver’s national watch parties, the soon to be announced #SkateFor8 Ambassador Challenge and Chicago Pre-Game reception details as soon as we get them.
As for tickets, good luck!
This might be the most comments ever on this blog on a single story here and clearly, DU screwed up. I have been sticking up for DU’s process in principle, but clearly, there was a high level of disconnect between servicing the high end donors first, and the reality of stiffing long term season ticket holders, some poor communications from DU around the ticket sale process, and some bad personal attitudes shown to some long term season ticket holders, which should not happen. The ticket information on the web site was unclear and it was quickly taken down. And clearly ticket office people operations were unprepared for what fell on them and with the ferocity of ticket demand. All of this should have been much better planned. There should have been an e-mail send to every season holder that explained the process in detail, not just an e-mail to the high end people.
So mistakes were made. here’s how DU should rectify the situation:
1) MAN UP. Admit publicly that ticket mistakes were made. Own the problem, explain what happened and don’t hide from it. Put the apology on the DU athletics web site for all to see and show some humility in doing it.
2) BE PROACTIVE: Find the ticket holders who feel screwed – the ones who showed up in person, the list of people who left their names and weren’t served, and anyone who might have had something reassigned (if that happened). And send a letter to ALL season ticket holders apologizing for what happened. Be empathetic.
3) MAKE THINGS RIGHT: Don’t just tell them to donate more money. Find tickets for them in Chicago. And if that can’t be done, discount their Denver season tickets next year and show them more love with swag and more apologies. DU cannot afford to piss off its loyal fans. Turn the lemons into lemonade as best you can.
I too will speak to the poor job done by DU handling the NCAA tickets. Let me begin with me queing up with one other person in the cold and rain this morning prior to 9 am outside the north box office window, as the DU website said. I did want to leave tickets to the chance of a call not getting returned.
Starting with something as simple as the sign (this morning) that said “hours 9 am to 5 pm M-F.” Another sign on the far right window said “West window open 2 hours before event on game days.” When there were no lights on at 9:10, I called Ron Grahame (the only name I recognized that I thought might respond) and left a VM. So I wandered inside only to find the west office was open, contrary to the signage. I drove by the arena tonight to snap a photo to record the erroneous sign so I could send it to Mr. McNeill. To my surprise, they had actually changed the signage to say “go to the west box office for ticket purchases.” They could not even do something right that was that rudimentary. I am disappointed Mr. Grahame did not bother to return my call, but at least someone responded in some way.
While purchasing my tickets, I asked the agent why they made the change that season ticket holder sales did not start on Tuesday morning as promoted on their website. He said they made the change “upstairs.” After asking several times they gave me Brandon McNeill as the person “upstairs” pulling the strings. No one would say anything bad about their boss, but I certainly could see they were not pleased with how that had taken place. They obviously understood how bad the communication had been.
So I went up the fourth floor and visited with Mr. McNeill. His first instinct was to jump out his chair, blame his staff and said “lets go downstairs and find out who said that.” Knowing that would solve nothing, I told him that is not the point. Look at your website and how it changed. After a few more minutes of back and forth, his parting shot was “maybe next year you should make a contribution and you won’t find your self in this position.” Really? It did not make me reach for my checkbook. This guy is in charge of selling tickets to the public? I was embarrassed for him that a remark like that came out of his mouth, let alone some who represents DU. He managed to suck all the joy I have had for the program right out of me.
I understand about Donors and the big money getting the favors… no problem with that. I understand that the NCAA controls the events. I looked at the United Center website after the game and knew I could have just gotten tickets then. But a big part of going for me would be enjoying and cheering with the other DU fans. So I waited to buy until the information was up on the DU website (which was pretty slow).
I trusted my alma mater to provide accurate and timely information, of which they did neither. So I guess I am the idiot for trusting them. Spare me the false modesty DG. I do what I can for DU, but I do not have your money nor Dan Richie’s. I am just a hardworking old alum who graduated years ago when not every student had a silver spoon in their mouth.
The bottom line is that DU has done a poor job managing this. Interesting with DG’s comments about Notre Dame and how they treat their alumni. DU does owe us straight talk. Not asking for favors. Just be straightforward and truthful. If we would be better off going our own way, just tell us. Do not not lead us down a false path.
As for the NCAA, DU is a member. Work to change it. Make it more open to the loyal fans. When the quarter final tournament was here a few years back, I bought 16 tickets. The deal was to get one ticket to the Frozen Four the next year, you had to buy 4 tickets to the prior year’s regional. And I was at the Frozen Four here at the old hanger in 1976.
I do not have much to do with pro sports anymore, because it is all about the money. Sadly, I thought college hockey would stay free of that for at least a while longer. The people on earlier posts will probably not be the only ones you lose as season ticket holders. As someone posted recently, Loyalty 0, Money 1.
Maybe the University needs to look at itself instead of blaming fans for the reason for declining ticket sales. Check your collective egos. It is all about the attitude.
Great note, Old Pio. You provided a thorough summary of your experience – hopefully, DU will see this and make improvements. I got interested in college sports because I was sick of high $$$ pro sports, too. Contrary to what you may think, DU and athletes need our support at DU. DI sports without a big football program is not a profit center. Nor by the way does DU benefit by NCAA playoff revenue – the NCAA does. Thanks for taking the time write about your experience Old Pio.
I was there last year at Tampa. DU’s presence was minimal, including no pep band. I would hope that with a year’s advance notice, and a #1 rated team, that DU could have done a better job of anticipating a possible return and marshaling their fans to Chicago.
I will be there because I am there every year. Four of us attend every Frozen Four. This year I hope DU makes a much better effort to support its team. Go PIoneers!
I understand the athletes do need our support, but I was basically told today that “we do not care about you unless you make a donation.” Hard to stomach that after supporting the program for 45 years, and through some extremely lean years. What will happen with that attitude is attendance will continue to decline, and there will remain a few wealthy donors sitting in the stands. Not a good show for recruiting.
I am not sure why they hired Mr. McNeill with an attitude like that. He has been in academia too long! And why hire someone from a non hockey school–Tulane, really? I am sorry he does not have a better understanding of the history… but then again maybe they don’t care where the real support has been over the years. It is the fans in seats that will make the program truly succeed. Mr. Ritchie and other donors have done great things for the University, but there does need to be balance.
What an opportunity to promote the program, keep fans enthused, attract new ones and, yes, generate ticket sales. But instead, there was this horribly managed process. Why have ticket sales declined? You have the best program in the country and can’t sell out every night? Boobs like the guy upstairs are part of the problem.
You sell tickets one at a time, and it appears DU is going to lose fans the same way. Very sad.
Adding on to Old DU Youngstar, why isn’t there a headquarters hotel, a reception for fans, a travel agent to set up package deals? (Don’t worry Mr. McNeill, happy to pay for my drink.) I think you can still get a marketing degree at DU… where is the creativity? Coordination with the Chicago alumni club? The list goes on.
Need to get rid of that “if we build it, they will come” mentality. Other schools can do it, why can’t DU?
The Alumni group is working with the Chicago Chapter and they are going to have a sizable reception area and a place for Denver fans to go that will be announced shortly. There is also a team hotel but tough to save enough rooms for fans when they only make the tournament a week and a half before Chicago. That being said, Old Pio hit the nail on the head with the need for better communication and coordination.
5bwest, Old Pio passed away unfortunately over a year ago. You mean Old School
Right you are…I my mistake! We miss him.
Just read the last 30 or so comments for the first time tonight. Pretty shocking developments.
My heart goes out to everyone who has been impacted by this. Who’s to say who or how many already think they have tickets, might get screwed over still? None of us have a ticket in hand until moments before Faceoff on Thursday week. All we have is a credit card receipt.
What if DU is able to secure more tickets in the next week, but longtime Denver based season ticket holders who would have gone, have already been turned away by the Ticket Office? That would be tragic.
Can’t help thinking about countless DU hockey road games have I attended over the years when there less than half-dozen Pioneer fans in the building, not counting parents? Now we have this situation where many were willing and able to go and appear to be shutout at the last minute.
What would North Dakota fans do in the same situation? They’d get on Stubhub.com and buy tickets anywhere in the barn. Then they’d vent their anger at the opponent.
Let’s turn this into an opportunity. I’m willing to trade up to four tickets in the DU section (if I actually get them) for nose bleed seats. The seats may not be together, but who know what right now. Just email me a copy of your Stubhub receipt from now onwards and the first two people will get to swap tickets with me. dggoddard “at” aol “dot” com
I can predict one thing with certainty. This is going to be the largest DU road turnout in history. The party’s are going to be off the hook fun and DU hasn’t been this favored in a Frozen Four for half a century.
All four teams are staying at the Sheraton Grand Hotel.
This might be the most comments ever on this blog on a single story here and clearly, DU screwed up. I have been sticking up for DU’s process in principle, but clearly, there was a high level of disconnect between servicing the high end donors first, and the reality of stiffing long term season ticket holders, some poor communications from DU around the ticket sale process, and some bad personal attitudes shown to some long term season ticket holders, which should not happen. The ticket information on the web site was unclear and it was quickly taken down. And clearly ticket office people operations were unprepared for what fell on them and with the ferocity of ticket demand. All of this should have been much better planned. There should have been an e-mail send to every season holder that explained the process in detail, not just an e-mail to the high end people.
So mistakes were made. here’s how DU should rectify the situation:
1) MAN UP. Admit publicly that ticket mistakes were made. Own the problem, explain what happened and don’t hide from it. Put the apology on the DU athletics web site for all to see and show some humility in doing it.
2) BE PROACTIVE: Find the ticket holders who feel screwed – the ones who showed up in person, the list of people who left their names and weren’t served, and anyone who might have had something reassigned (if that happened). And send a letter to ALL season ticket holders apologizing for what happened. Be empathetic.
3) MAKE THINGS RIGHT: Don’t just tell them to donate more money. Find tickets for them in Chicago. And if that can’t be done, discount their Denver season tickets next year and show them more love with swag and more apologies. DU cannot afford to piss off its loyal fans. Turn the lemons into lemonade as best you can.
4} FIRE BRANDON MCNEILL: Hire someone who understands what it takes to create and retain a fan base.
I don’t usually comment on articles but I will on this one. Seems like Old School and a few other folks should take DG up on his offer – and have a beer and chill out. This next week and a half should be about hockey and our kids. Go on-line – there are tickets. Let’s win the party and the game.
You are missing the point. It is not about a game ticket or making a donation. It is about how you treat people, and build support and a fan base. You can bring people in, but they will continue to drive them away with the elitist attitudes and poor communication that DU has shown. If one of my people treated one of my customers that way or communicated that poorly, they would be gone quickly.
Take the advice of Cicero – I think they named a street after they guy in Chicago: “Any man can make mistakes but only an idiot persists in his error.” I don’t have “my people” but I am a believer in second chances. I bet you believe that also Old School. Go Pios!
Sorry to hear about this debacle. Unfortunately it’s always about the money, which I learned pretty quickly once DU called me asking for donations 3 months after graduation (I kid you not). Trying to please bigger donors in the short term ends up hurting them in the long term as bread-and-butter season ticket holders get put off by this sort of stuff. The product on the ice is first-class, having a beer at Magness is awesome, and the institution itself has really made impressive upgrades over the past few decades. There is absolutely no excuse for losing fans, especially alumni; with the Avs as bad as they are and Broncos out of season DU hockey should arguably be the biggest draw it has ever been. Buck has to stop with someone who handles the finances/ticketing.
The problem many of you have is with the NCAA. They control the allotments each school gets. Remember any event the NCAA puts on is a money grab, even the Frozen Four. They gave DU the same number of tickets Notre Dame, Harvard, and UMD received. Priority always goes to players’/staff’s families and friends and then to donors, and then to everyone else. As a result, there were less than 200 left to be given out. This is the way it was for Cincinnati as well, but only seven (7) people took DU up on that.
I talked to Brandon myself about it and, simply put, the athletic department wasn’t expecting this kind of demand for tickets because of such low ticket demand for the Cincinnati regional. DU’s fanbase as a whole (DG and the DG-ettes notwithstanding) has a well-earned reputation for being reluctant to travel (which I get) and Peg and her staff know this. They were expecting decent turnout, and better than what they saw for Cincy, but not what they got yesterday.
Brandon is going to do EXCELLENT things for this program. Mark my words. So, Old School, I understand and feel your frustration but please dial it back. I haven’t met someone with as much passion and drive to grow ALL DU programs in a long long time. Remember that DU is more than just a “hockey school.” I believe he’ll be better in this role than Ryan Peck ever was, and Ryan was INCREDIBLE.
Brandon also admitted to me mistakes were made and things could have and should have been handled better. Based on what I’m reading in these comments, most everyone would agree with that.
People are always going to get shut out of tickets for these kinds of events. That’s the nature of the beast with the Frozen Four. As DG alluded to above, think about North Dakota fans. They had the same allotment as DU last year and they still found a way to pack Amalie Arena. I’m sure they complained about their experience with the UND administration (complaining is what UND fans do best), but they put it behind them and they showed up.
I’m not saying your frustration isn’t justified. It absolutely is. But instead of getting bogged down by it, let’s celebrate what an AWESOME problem this is to have. The DU fanbase is BACK. The passionate and dedicated are angry that they can’t get tickets! This is a good thing! We all want to see as much Crimson and Gold at the United Center as possible next weekend. That’s the point. So let’s make it happen and stop calling for the firing of someone who’s going to do great things for DU.
Just an Update. Still Plenty of tickets available on Stubhub.com. If you check out the link there are lots of affordable seats left in the Nosebleeds ($190). Also check out the “Best Value” option. You could sit on the glass for $575 for both nights. Agreed its super expensive, but for a once in a lifetime opportunity…..Pretty cool.
Sorry the Link:
https://www.stubhub.com/2016-ncaa-frozen-four-tickets-2017-ncaa-men-s-frozen-four-all-sessions-4-6-2017/event/9682429/?mbox=1&rS=6&abbyo=true&sliderpos=false&qtyq=false&qtyddab=true&sort=price+asc
4} FIRE BRANDON MCNEILL: Hire someone who understands what it takes to create and retain a fan base.
Nick makes some excellent points.
Those said, there is no real comparison between an NCAA Regional and a Frozen Four. It’s night and day. Airfares to Cincinnati were about $1,000 each from Denver on the six days notice people had to book between the selection show and game day. Not many are going to be able to swing that kind of money for a personal, short notice trip, especially not to Cincinnati. Only true die hards go to regionals, which are little more than hockey games. Typically, only people who can drive to them ever show up.
The Frozen Four is more than hockey games – they are EVENTS. NCAA Championship is are on the line. Sellout Crowds. NHL Arenas. Bright lights. Casual fans, not just die hards. Plenty of time to plan travel. Airfare to Chicago with this kind of notice was about $175 round trip. Good hotels are available from $100-200 per night – in short, very doable for the average fan. Then add the attractions of Chicago, DU’s largest non-front range alumni base, and then of course, DU scoring 11 goals in the regional and looking like a title favorite.
In short, DU should have seen this coming. If you compare it to Cincinnati, it’s apples and oranges.
And so it begins….
A friend just got a phone call from DU Ticket Office asking to move his ticket to the Upper Level.
Monty just named Spencer Penrose Coach of the Year. Well deserved.
College Hockey News Coach of the year. Spencer Penrose will be named the 5th of April. https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.ncaa.com/amp/news/icehockey-men/article/2017-03-28/college-hockey-spencer-penrose-award-ccmahca-division-i-coach
Thanks for correction.
Unless he also wins Spencer Penrose Coach of the Year April 5th in which case; You’re Welcome for the free inside information.
I don’t usually comment on articles but I will on this one. Seems like Old School and a few other folks should take DG up on his offer – and have a beer and chill out. This next week and a half should be about hockey and our kids. Go on-line – there are tickets. Let’s win the party and the game.
Great…now I received a message from the DU ticket office. If the above comment is an indication as to what this message is about, I will be pissed!
This is worse than “NFL Cut Day” on Hard Knocks.
AND btw…if the DU folks predicted Frozen Four attendance based on regional attendance, then the really don’t know what they are doing. I was on the bandwagon of moving on and not harshing on the ticket people, but that would be pretty ridiculous if true. Congrats to Monty, by the way!!! What a great honor, last achieved at DU by Gwoz…tho I can’t remember the year.
Tell the DU Ticket Office that you’ll only take the Upper Level seats if the team agrees to wear Boone Jerseys next week.
In all seriousness, if they’ve processed a credit card DU is on pretty thin ice if you refuse their offer. But if you want to be helpful you could ask for a better seat closer to center ice, a seat in a suite or some form of an upgrade.
Quite frankly this is what they should be doing anyway.
Thanks, DG. I like your suggestion of the Boone jerseys. I’ll have some of my own Boone gear in Chicago, just in case the team can’t represent in similar fashion. All worked out with my ticket, so that is a relief.
Can’t wait for Chicago. Someone tell Monty not to let the award go to his head. Ha ha. Would love to see an article on Jaillet either here or in the Denver Post this week. He could be perhaps the least understood DU goalie in modern times. Hyperbole…but here is a guy with an outstanding GAA and save percentage, finalist for the Richter award, leading the #1 team in the country, but I still don’t know squat about him. I do know, however, that his two clutch saves in a row when we were on the power play against Penn State (right before we took the 3-2 lead) were the key to that game. Penn State scores another shortie there, and we might not be going to Chicago.
You are missing the point. It is not about a game ticket or making a donation. It is about how you treat people, and build support and a fan base. You can bring people in, but they will continue to drive them away with the elitist attitudes and poor communication that DU has shown. If one of my people treated one of my customers that way or communicated that poorly, they would be gone quickly.
Here are some interesting numbers that have been verified by DU Ticket Office:
DU only sold 150 of their 600 Allotment in Tampa.
DU sold 600 of their 600 Allotment on Monday for Chicago.
Hope this helps explain what happened on Monday. Mistakes were made to be sure.
Wait, were all tickets sold as of Monday? Yesterday, when I called the ticket office I was informed that they have tickets available for the upper level section at $175. I was told over the phone that they were to ‘allot’ these out sometime today.
Interesting. DU must have been able to grab $175 Upper Deck tickets yesterday. Presumably this is what they have left.
Take the advice of Cicero – I think they named a street after they guy in Chicago: “Any man can make mistakes but only an idiot persists in his error.” I don’t have “my people” but I am a believer in second chances. I bet you believe that also Old School. Go Pios!
Let’s be positive. I am anxious to prove to my UND friends that DU can assemble a good group of college and alumni fans for the Frozen Four. Heck, I’m not even a DU alum, but I am an alum of Murray Armstrong’s Youngstar Hockey school for kids back in the 1960’s. I’m still playing ice hockey and am loyal to the team I listened to on a transistor radio back in the day..
Let’s have a good party and cheer the Pioneers on to victory…
… and I don’t want to hear about DU “not traveling well.” My Dad’s school is not a bunch of losers. We will party hardy.
That’s the Pioneer spirit!
Sorry to hear about this debacle. Unfortunately it’s always about the money, which I learned pretty quickly once DU called me asking for donations 3 months after graduation (I kid you not). Trying to please bigger donors in the short term ends up hurting them in the long term as bread-and-butter season ticket holders get put off by this sort of stuff. The product on the ice is first-class, having a beer at Magness is awesome, and the institution itself has really made impressive upgrades over the past few decades. There is absolutely no excuse for losing fans, especially alumni; with the Avs as bad as they are and Broncos out of season DU hockey should arguably be the biggest draw it has ever been. Buck has to stop with someone who handles the finances/ticketing.
The problem many of you have is with the NCAA. They control the allotments each school gets. Remember any event the NCAA puts on is a money grab, even the Frozen Four. They gave DU the same number of tickets Notre Dame, Harvard, and UMD received. Priority always goes to players’/staff’s families and friends and then to donors, and then to everyone else. As a result, there were less than 200 left to be given out. This is the way it was for Cincinnati as well, but only seven (7) people took DU up on that.
I talked to Brandon myself about it and, simply put, the athletic department wasn’t expecting this kind of demand for tickets because of such low ticket demand for the Cincinnati regional. DU’s fanbase as a whole (DG and the DG-ettes notwithstanding) has a well-earned reputation for being reluctant to travel (which I get) and Peg and her staff know this. They were expecting decent turnout, and better than what they saw for Cincy, but not what they got yesterday.
Brandon is going to do EXCELLENT things for this program. Mark my words. So, Old School, I understand and feel your frustration but please dial it back. I haven’t met someone with as much passion and drive to grow ALL DU programs in a long long time. Remember that DU is more than just a “hockey school.” I believe he’ll be better in this role than Ryan Peck ever was, and Ryan was INCREDIBLE.
Brandon also admitted to me mistakes were made and things could have and should have been handled better. Based on what I’m reading in these comments, most everyone would agree with that.
People are always going to get shut out of tickets for these kinds of events. That’s the nature of the beast with the Frozen Four. As DG alluded to above, think about North Dakota fans. They had the same allotment as DU last year and they still found a way to pack Amalie Arena. I’m sure they complained about their experience with the UND administration (complaining is what UND fans do best), but they put it behind them and they showed up.
I’m not saying your frustration isn’t justified. It absolutely is. But instead of getting bogged down by it, let’s celebrate what an AWESOME problem this is to have. The DU fanbase is BACK. The passionate and dedicated are angry that they can’t get tickets! This is a good thing! We all want to see as much Crimson and Gold at the United Center as possible next weekend. That’s the point. So let’s make it happen and stop calling for the firing of someone who’s going to do great things for DU.
Just got a call from the ticket office. Was able to purchase one ticket (that is all I needed) for $179.
Great to hear. Thanks for heads up.
Just an Update. Still Plenty of tickets available on Stubhub.com. If you check out the link there are lots of affordable seats left in the Nosebleeds ($190). Also check out the “Best Value” option. You could sit on the glass for $575 for both nights. Agreed its super expensive, but for a once in a lifetime opportunity…..Pretty cool.
Sorry the Link:
https://www.stubhub.com/2016-ncaa-frozen-four-tickets-2017-ncaa-men-s-frozen-four-all-sessions-4-6-2017/event/9682429/?mbox=1&rS=6&abbyo=true&sliderpos=false&qtyq=false&qtyddab=true&sort=price+asc
Nick makes some excellent points.
Those said, there is no real comparison between an NCAA Regional and a Frozen Four. It’s night and day. Airfares to Cincinnati were about $1,000 each from Denver on the six days notice people had to book between the selection show and game day. Not many are going to be able to swing that kind of money for a personal, short notice trip, especially not to Cincinnati. Only true die hards go to regionals, which are little more than hockey games. Typically, only people who can drive to them ever show up.
The Frozen Four is more than hockey games – they are EVENTS. NCAA Championship is are on the line. Sellout Crowds. NHL Arenas. Bright lights. Casual fans, not just die hards. Plenty of time to plan travel. Airfare to Chicago with this kind of notice was about $175 round trip. Good hotels are available from $100-200 per night – in short, very doable for the average fan. Then add the attractions of Chicago, DU’s largest non-front range alumni base, and then of course, DU scoring 11 goals in the regional and looking like a title favorite.
In short, DU should have seen this coming. If you compare it to Cincinnati, it’s apples and oranges.
And so it begins….
A friend just got a phone call from DU Ticket Office asking to move his ticket to the Upper Level.
Monty just named Spencer Penrose Coach of the Year. Well deserved.
College Hockey News Coach of the year. Spencer Penrose will be named the 5th of April. https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.ncaa.com/amp/news/icehockey-men/article/2017-03-28/college-hockey-spencer-penrose-award-ccmahca-division-i-coach
Thanks for correction.
Unless he also wins Spencer Penrose Coach of the Year April 5th in which case; You’re Welcome for the free inside information.
Great…now I received a message from the DU ticket office. If the above comment is an indication as to what this message is about, I will be pissed!
This is worse than “NFL Cut Day” on Hard Knocks.
AND btw…if the DU folks predicted Frozen Four attendance based on regional attendance, then the really don’t know what they are doing. I was on the bandwagon of moving on and not harshing on the ticket people, but that would be pretty ridiculous if true. Congrats to Monty, by the way!!! What a great honor, last achieved at DU by Gwoz…tho I can’t remember the year.
Tell the DU Ticket Office that you’ll only take the Upper Level seats if the team agrees to wear Boone Jerseys next week.
In all seriousness, if they’ve processed a credit card DU is on pretty thin ice if you refuse their offer. But if you want to be helpful you could ask for a better seat closer to center ice, a seat in a suite or some form of an upgrade.
Quite frankly this is what they should be doing anyway.
Thanks, DG. I like your suggestion of the Boone jerseys. I’ll have some of my own Boone gear in Chicago, just in case the team can’t represent in similar fashion. All worked out with my ticket, so that is a relief.
Can’t wait for Chicago. Someone tell Monty not to let the award go to his head. Ha ha. Would love to see an article on Jaillet either here or in the Denver Post this week. He could be perhaps the least understood DU goalie in modern times. Hyperbole…but here is a guy with an outstanding GAA and save percentage, finalist for the Richter award, leading the #1 team in the country, but I still don’t know squat about him. I do know, however, that his two clutch saves in a row when we were on the power play against Penn State (right before we took the 3-2 lead) were the key to that game. Penn State scores another shortie there, and we might not be going to Chicago.
Here are some interesting numbers that have been verified by DU Ticket Office:
DU only sold 150 of their 600 Allotment in Tampa.
DU sold 600 of their 600 Allotment on Monday for Chicago.
Hope this helps explain what happened on Monday. Mistakes were made to be sure.
Wait, were all tickets sold as of Monday? Yesterday, when I called the ticket office I was informed that they have tickets available for the upper level section at $175. I was told over the phone that they were to ‘allot’ these out sometime today.
Interesting. DU must have been able to grab $175 Upper Deck tickets yesterday. Presumably this is what they have left.
Let’s be positive. I am anxious to prove to my UND friends that DU can assemble a good group of college and alumni fans for the Frozen Four. Heck, I’m not even a DU alum, but I am an alum of Murray Armstrong’s Youngstar Hockey school for kids back in the 1960’s. I’m still playing ice hockey and am loyal to the team I listened to on a transistor radio back in the day..
Let’s have a good party and cheer the Pioneers on to victory…
… and I don’t want to hear about DU “not traveling well.” My Dad’s school is not a bunch of losers. We will party hardy.
That’s the Pioneer spirit!
Just got a call from the ticket office. Was able to purchase one ticket (that is all I needed) for $179.
Great to hear. Thanks for heads up.
ENOUGH! Go to Ticketmaster or StubHub and buy tickets.
ENOUGH! Go to Ticketmaster or StubHub and buy tickets.