"I love the Civic," (Herb) Brooks said, "and it would be crazy if they ever took the college game out of there. You keep putting 8,000 people in the Civic and keep the tickets a premium, and you've got something going. With the sight lines, it's one of the great college hockey rinks in America. The fans are as boisterous and as enthusiastic as any I've seen."
So said the renowned coach in the July 11, 2001 issue of the Omaha World-Herald to reporter Eric Olson.
We had the chance to meet Brooks later that summer at the UNO Blue Line Club's Face-Off Golf Classic Banquet held at the Sapp Fieldhouse (an event Bridget helped organize).
The thing I remember most about the banquet was that Brooks wasn't afraid to tell it as he saw it -- pulling no punches in the process. A certain cynical edge was apparent as he talked about his disdain for "Dream Teams" (and the rise of professional athletes) in the Olympics.
The man was an interesting character...a character who helped build collegiate hockey into the terrific sport it is today. In fact, he referred to collegiate hockey as "the most 'exciting athletic event, pro or amateur.'"
I agree.
His prophetic comments back in 2001 regarding UNO's arena situation should be a reminder that bigger is not always better, and ignoring the obvious can cause problems down the road.
His comments hold true for me as it regards UNO's current arena situation, and all of the recent banter as to whether the facility is "big enough."
We should embrace the notion of "intimate" and realize that a packed house of "core fans" has the potential to create a truly special atmosphere and environment for the UNO Hockey program.
For the past seven years Bridget and I have had seats in sections that became the repository for large, "special occasion" groups. While I appreciated the efforts to grow the fanbase, I also found it to be incredibly irritating.
The reason being is that I love watching UNO Hockey games each season, and look at each of the 20-odd-something games as being a special part of my life -- shiny nuggets in a relatively ordinary existence.
Being surrounded by folks who often seem "ambivalent" about being there really hasn't done anything to further UNO's goals, or help create a rollicking atmosphere. It has basically been a tease.
As terrific as the environment was at the Civic, interest ebbs and flows. It's just the natural course of things.
Here is a picture of the boys celebrating a goal back in March 1, 2001, at the Civic against Findlay (a program that no longer exists) to close out the regular season:
Even though there were empty pockets that night (a Thursday), there still existed sparks of electricity in the arena. I think it is safe to say that a Thursday night stand against Findlay at the CenturyLink Center would have been a veritable "power outage."
The ~7,500-seat capacity will be terrific for this program. The simple fact is that a considerable amount of time has passed since the program's days of yore. I think we've all forgotten how exciting an intimate environment can be.
And while Thomas Wolfe once wrote "You Can't Go Home Again" (and Jon Bon Jovi had a catchy duet with Jennifer Nettles playing on that phrase), UNO has the potential to experience something new -- an opportunity to move away from the cavernous sterility of the CenturyLink Center, and actually create a "home."
Wolfe wrote: "Make your mistakes, take your chances, look silly, but keep on going. Don't freeze up."
This isn't the moment to second guess the situation. Every season ticket holder has had the opportunity to claim his or her seats (and then some) in the UNO Community Arena. Excitement among our fans is percolating along after our Frozen Four experience.
Let's not douse the momentum.
As Herb Brooks (played by Kurt Russell) says in the "Unleash the Fury" pump-up montage that plays before the third period, "Great moments are born from great opportunity..."
Let's enjoy this opportunity, and the great moments ahead.
I respectfully disagree... my thoughts from earlier this month...
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