schulzte

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  1. schulzte

    Illitch announces plan to build new arena

    I know many of you have seen this before, but I've redone the Website and cleaned up the drawings. This is the last time I'm going to do it, but I wanted to get them as nice as I could. Here are a couple pics, but visit http://www.newolympia.blogspot.com to see the new web site.
  2. 18,000 must be a magic number that someone came up with when penciling out how to maximize arena revenue vs. marginal construction cost. The way arenas are built now, those 2,000 extra seats makes the building taller, the footprint bigger, and mechanical and service portions of the arena increasingly large. Those 2,000 extra seats will generate the least amount of revenue and have the most marginal cost per seat. That said, the Red Wings have been more or less regularly selling out 20,066 in an underwhelming building for the better part of two decades now; I think it would be nice for the new rink to hit 20,000.....perhaps 19,500 with significant SRO places. The last 11 arenas constructed for NHL teams have all been between 17,125 (Phoenix) and 18,819 (Toronto), averaging 18,186 (not including Winnipeg). Here's hoping..........New Olympia Stadium
  3. schulzte

    Interesting CCHA standings

    If the CCHA season ended today, all four teams in the Lower Peninsula would get first round byes and host second round games simultaneously. The top 4 in order are Ferris St., Michigan (Boo), Western, and Michigan State (Yea). Its very cool that Ferris is ranked #1 in the country right now and that Michigan State is looking better. Hire of Tom Anastos is looking good, hopefully MSU is in good shape in time for Big Ten play down the road.
  4. schulzte

    New arena news?

    Many of you may have seen this already, but its been updated with a video. New Olympia Stadium Website
  5. schulzte

    Sounds like more Versus/NBC for the next few years

    People who are arguing for ESPN are missing the fact that Versus is going to carry 90 games next year. ESPN was offering 1 per week on ESPN 2. So Versus is going to broadcast 3 times the games. 80 million homes with 3 games a week is better than 100 million homes with 1 game a week. That 80 million homes will be up to 90 million very quickly, with NBC getting involved. ESPN should be nervous, Versus (or what ever the new name is going to be) is going to be going after college football and basketball and will have the Olympics. The NHL has actually made all the right moves in getting away from ESPN, and sticking with a network for the long haul instead of jumping around every four years. New Olympia Stadium
  6. schulzte

    Designer shares idea for new rink

    My thought is that the Palace could be the main concert venue from October-May, with the sports events and some other events held downtown during that time. The major events could then move downtown after the playoffs end until sports seasons begin once again. The Palace could close down for the summer to save costs, because DTE will get lots of concerts too. The lower bowl of the Palace could even be reconfigured to have more seating directed toward the stage instead of the playing surface. As much as I would like to see a new building downtown, completely abandoning the Palace would be such a waste. I think the venues managed together could both succeed. New Olympia Stadium
  7. schulzte

    Designer shares idea for new rink

    I don't really have a preference for where to sit in an arena other than high up in the opponent's shoot twice end. Even at the Joe, those seats are a long way from the action when there is a power play on the opposite end of the ice. If your going to be high up in the arena, center ice is better. In the lower bowl, center ice or the home shoots twice end is best. The good thing about the New Olympia design is that those highest end seats are pushed closer to the ice horizontally, so they are closer to the ice than at the Joe. The third level on the ends would be pretty steep and feel like they are hanging over the ice. New Olympia Stadium
  8. schulzte

    Designer shares idea for new rink

    I wouldn't go so far as to say the Joe was designed masterfully...it didn't even have a press box when it opened. However, it does provide simple, good viewing for 20,000 fans and the upper bowl isn't in the stratosphere with two levels of suites below to push it higher. I think the New Olympia plan provides enough suites and club seats without sacrificing the experience for the majority of the fans, like many arenas do, including the one proposed by the architects featured in the Detroit News. New Olympia Stadium
  9. schulzte

    Designer shares idea for new rink

    If you click on the link below, you can see drawings of previous Kadushin projects. The Red Wings proposal in the News appears to be a total rehash of previous projects, particularly a Windsor Arena proposal. Kadushin Sports Proposals New Olympia Stadium
  10. schulzte

    Designer shares idea for new rink

    Yeah, its Google Sketchup, and its the first building I ever made on it, so it isn't perfect. But I think its not bad for my first try.
  11. schulzte

    Designer shares idea for new rink

    By looking at it, I figured 14,000 max for capacity. There is hardly any end seating; you would need 80 rows along the side boards to get to 20,000. And then with his 48 inch wide rows, the balcony seating would be horrendous; way too far from the ice. I posted a few new interior shots of my New Olympia Stadium prototype that you can compare to. They aren't as clean or refined, but I think they convey a look closer to what people would actually want. You can see them here New Olympia Stadium
  12. schulzte

    2009-2010 NHL Attendance

    This talk about the Red Wings only being at 97% capacity is kind of silly. We're talking about less than 500 unsold tickets a game. When the Joe was opened, it had 19,250 seats. So we're still over the original capacity of the building each game (not that everyone shows). I also don't like this argument about the sun belt teams failing. Expansion in the NHL has always been hit and miss. The North Stars, Whalers, and Rockies moved, Cleveland folded, Pittsburgh has clung to life over time. Tampa Bay still has the all-time record for attendance at a playoff game. It isn't just a Southern thing when it comes to attendance; the bigger problems with those teams is that the do not draw well on TV. Give some props to San Jose and Dallas, which have been very successful in non-traditional markets. And 15,000 in attendance for crappy teams such as Carolina and Anaheim isn't bad either. Remember when the Whalers moved to Greensboro and were averaging 8,000 a game? They've actually come a long way. Attached is a good resource for NHL attendance over the past 40 years. It's interesting to see trends, which teams have done well and which haven't over time. The authors are listed, I had nothing to do with it. New Olympia Stadium NHL Attendance Figures1.pdf
  13. schulzte

    Don Cherry does like reading emails from fans?

    I don't agree with Cherry on much, but I saw the clip and thought it was great. He's dead right, random fan opinions don't belong on HNIC. New Olympia Stadium
  14. schulzte

    Re-alignment

    I like going to four divisions again. Division titles are meaningless anyway. I don't like Detroit in the East unlike most people. Northeast New York Rangers New York Islanders New Jersey Devils Buffalo Sabres Boston Bruins Toronto Maple Leafs Montreal Canadians Ottawa Senators Southeast Philadelphia Flyers Pittsburgh Penguins Washington Capitals Tampa Bay Lightning Florida Panthers Atlanta Thrashers Carolina Hurricanes Nashville Predators Central Detroit Red Wings Columbus Blue Jackets St. Louis Blues Dallas Stars Minnesota Wild Chicago Blackhawks Colorado Avalanche West Phoenix Coyotes San Jose Sharks Anaheim Ducks Los Angeles Kings Vancouver Canucks Calgary Flames Edmonton Oilers 35 or 36 in division games (either 5 or 6 games against division teams, depending on size of division) 46 or 47 out of division games (2 games against the rest of the league, 3 against a couple teams) Top four teams from each division make the playoffs Crazy plan or sane?
  15. schulzte

    Where will the Wings play next year?

    I'm glad you like the New Olympia concept, and I hope it gets some traction in the public and among the fans. I agree that there is a better chance of a comet hitting Joe Louis Arena than a new arena being named Olympia Stadium. This doesn't bother me that much however. If a corporation wants to contribute $100 million over 20 years for a new arena, thats money taxpayers aren't spending and puts the Red Wings that much closer to a new building. I'm more interested in the building itself that the name. As long as it isn't named after a nuclear waste disposal company, like Salt Lake City's arena is now. I draw the line at nuclear waste disposal, and maybe toothpaste. I don't want the Red Wings new arena to be named the "Aquafresh Centre" or "Listerene Arena". Actually now that I think about it, "Colgate Centre" or "Crest Centre" might not be too bad compared to some new names. New Olympia Stadium