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Post by beachbound on Jan 25, 2020 16:38:46 GMT -5
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Post by longsuffering on Jan 25, 2020 18:29:51 GMT -5
They haven't sold the naming rights yet, but have a completion date. Maybe they will go with a commercial sponsor instead of a large donation. That would provide ongoing payments instead if one front loaded large contribution.
It looks like Bobby Valentine is not doing for SHU what he did for the Red Sox. Good for SHU.
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Post by timholycross on Jan 25, 2020 18:34:41 GMT -5
Bobby V or someone else there is pretty good at shaking the money tree, it would appear.
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Post by Crucis#1 on Jan 25, 2020 19:19:28 GMT -5
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Post by longsuffering on Jan 25, 2020 19:58:11 GMT -5
The SHU hockey arena will seat about twice as many as the basketball arena. Interesting there is no mention of making it available for both sports like Northeastern, BU and UMass have, and theoretically HC has at the DCU Center if the need ever arises. At present the Hart Center basketball arena and Hart Center ice rink are adequate for our needs, but I wonder if TPTB gave any consideration to one convertible basketball/hockey arena when the Hart Center was being planned?
Remembering NFL games played at major league baseball parks, an arena designed for one sport only is more aesthetically pleasing but obviously two arenas cost more to build and maintain than one.
I wonder if the success nearby Quinnipiac has had in moving from D-2 overall to D-1 and a power conference in Hockey influenced anything about SHU's $60 million investment?
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Post by timholycross on Jan 25, 2020 21:28:12 GMT -5
I don't think TPTB did, but maybe someone else has some info to the contrary.
BU and UNH had basketball courts in nice arenas but both went back to their "roots"; that is, The Roof and Lundhold Gym.
Didn't realize until now UMaine basketball plays at an 8,000 seat arena in Bangor. Hockey is still at Alfond, which I think is also multipurpose.
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Post by Sons of Vaval on Jan 25, 2020 22:01:27 GMT -5
Don’t think Sacred Heart would build this arena if they were planning on remaining in AHL. Perhaps the ECAC or HE told them that if they built this, they’d have a place in the conference?
Wonder if they look at the dividends having an emerging athletic program did for Quinnipiac right up the road from them in Hamden?
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Post by cruskater31 on Jan 25, 2020 22:04:32 GMT -5
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Post by Sons of Vaval on Jan 25, 2020 22:35:28 GMT -5
There are two sports that schools with the size and profile of a Sacred Heart can be competitive nationally in — hockey and lacrosse. Sacred Heart is clearly going all in here. Good for them.
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Post by bfoley82 on Jan 25, 2020 22:50:59 GMT -5
This move at least puts Sacred Heart ahead of Holy Cross if/when Hockey East comes calling. Holy Cross also now is in the bottom half of Atlantic Hockey in terms of facilities.
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Post by longsuffering on Jan 25, 2020 23:09:36 GMT -5
The SHU announcement mentions figure skating and fencing. Just guessing but I bet those activities attract applicants needing no or less than average need based financial aid, which is so helpful to private schools like SHU and HC.
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Post by beachbound on Jan 25, 2020 23:39:54 GMT -5
This move at least puts Sacred Heart ahead of Holy Cross if/when Hockey East comes calling. Holy Cross also now is in the bottom half of Atlantic Hockey in terms of facilities.
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Post by beachbound on Jan 26, 2020 0:29:02 GMT -5
Other than Robert Morris, we have the worst facility in Atlantic Hockey and by far the worst facility in Hockey East for the women’s program. If we want to be a competitive Division 1 program with a chance to make the NCAAs every few years, we need to do something similar to RIT, Bentley and now SHU. If we are fine being a bottom half team in Atlantic Hockey (men) and Hockey East ( women), the hart center rink makes sense. As a former player, I would love to see a similar effort to SHU, but I understand the resource constraints and lack of institutional history for hockey at HC. That being said, it is frustrating to see schools that have less financial resources and prestige than HC make investments in their hockey programs that we seem unwilling to undertake.
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Post by crossbball13 on Jan 26, 2020 8:40:40 GMT -5
Too many new buildings and capital investments. We need to focus on the endowment. First step should be a major revamp of the investment office (officer in particular). The returns are simply awful in this market. Holy Cross has a very difficult time keeping “back office” employees accountable (I know CIO isn’t quite back office but it seems to be in this case). The job is extremely attractive, time to change it up.
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Post by longsuffering on Jan 26, 2020 10:16:41 GMT -5
Too many new buildings and capital investments. We need to focus on the endowment. First step should be a major revamp of the investment office (officer in particular). The returns are simply awful in this market. Holy Cross has a very difficult time keeping “back office” employees accountable (I know CIO isn’t quite back office but it seems to be in this case). The job is extremely attractive, time to change it up. How did common sense wander onto this board? Last night's hockey game was televised on the local Spectrum TV cable station and I caught a little bit of it. The arena looks fine on TV and the seating capacity was more than adequate for the Saturday Night Homecoming weekend crowd. The ancient Chapel also looked stunning in a newspaper photo of the memorial Mass for Grace Rett. The pews were filled and the photographer shot from the balcony it appeared and it was simply beautiful and touching. Holy Cross takes good care of it's facilities new and old which requires much commitment and attention to detail. Crossball13 makes an interesting point that taking care of the endowment does not seem to have been done as well as taking care of the buildings and manicured grounds.
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Post by MeatWilkerson on Jan 26, 2020 11:48:51 GMT -5
SHU is making a run @ Hockey East, imo. Where are they getting all of these funds from? When the music stops to the education credit bubble, schools like this with all their debt could get absolutely crushed and destroyed.
Perhaps I am missing something, but I am at a loss to understand where this capital is coming from...
Can some explain?
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Post by longsuffering on Jan 26, 2020 12:58:48 GMT -5
I'll take a stab at that Meat. There is no name of the arena yet. That suggests there has been a good amount of general fundraising, perhaps enough to name certain rooms or features, ie: "The Shamus McGuillicutty '68 Zamboni" but SHU is still negotiating with a primary donor or a commercial sponsor to make a substantial payment or contracted series of annual payments so the Arena could be named something like the "Aetna Ice Palace" or something.
If SHU is borrowing a substantial amount to build the arena, that is worrisome.
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Post by nycrusader2010 on Jan 26, 2020 21:36:57 GMT -5
If SHU ever gets invited to Hockey East ahead of Holy Cross, I will become physically ill.
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Post by beachbound on Jan 26, 2020 21:41:14 GMT -5
A very nice weekend for SHU, the news of this arena, and the best team in Connecticut. They dominated Yale last night and beat Quinnipiac tonight 4-1 to win the inaugural Connecticut ice festival tourney. Well done by HC splitting with them this year.
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Post by HC92 on Jan 26, 2020 21:49:11 GMT -5
We just need one big donor to make a new rink a reality. HC will build anything someone is willing to pay for.
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Post by timholycross on Jan 26, 2020 22:06:03 GMT -5
Given that a good deal of what they are building is probably contained in our new Luth (except the beer garden!), we're still talking somewhere north of 40 million.
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Post by crusader12 on Jan 27, 2020 8:33:32 GMT -5
Can you say Hockey East???
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Post by longsuffering on Jan 27, 2020 8:40:11 GMT -5
Atlantic Hockey Association rolls off the tongue a little easier at this time.
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Post by bigfan on Jan 27, 2020 12:26:14 GMT -5
we need to push for Hockey East. This is the right time, the Worcester Railers STINK, Need to convince the administration this is the right time. Time to get in touch with the AD to get moving on this. Less travel and games with BC,BU, Merrimack, UConn, Umass, Northeastern, Maine, UNH & Vermont, Providence & Umass-Lowell. No more trips to Air Force, Niagara, Canisius, Mercyhurst, Robert Morris, RIT, AIC & Bentley.
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Post by bfoley82 on Jan 27, 2020 12:45:54 GMT -5
we need to push for Hockey East. This is the right time, the Worcester Railers STINK, Need to convince the administration this is the right time. Time to get in touch with the AD to get moving on this. Less travel and games with BC,BU, Merrimack, UConn, Umass, Northeastern, Maine, UNH & Vermont, Providence & Umass-Lowell. No more trips to Air Force, Niagara, Canisius, Mercyhurst, Robert Morris, RIT, AIC & Bentley. But what use does Hockey East have with Holy Cross? They don't need the Worcester market. They also don't need the Fairfield market either...
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