OTish: OSU Hockey atmosphere question

Submitted by s1105615 on
So I have the opportunity to attend UM at OSU hockey in the coming season. Does anyone have any insight into how unpleasant such an experience would be for an 8 year old UM fan? My son would love to go to watch the games, but I'm worried OSU fans would do what they do and either just ruin the experience for him or something worse. I'm just curious to know how much grief we should expect to encounter and whether or not it would be wise to subject an 8 yr old to it. Thanks!

Alton

June 13th, 2017 at 10:28 AM ^

I have been to a few hockey games at Value City University.

I haven't experienced anything that would have been unbearable to me as an 8-year-old (or as a 38-year-old).  There will be grief, but all reasonably good-natured.  I certainly never experienced anything awful--no drinks dumped on me, no damage to my car, no invitations to perform anatomically impossible tasks. 

As long as you can tolerate your 8-year-old hearing words that he would hear at Yost anyway, it should be fine.

Cville Blue

June 13th, 2017 at 10:38 AM ^

I took my six year old this year and it was just fine.  We both wore Michigan gear and didn't hear any grief at all.  In fact, a group of students in front of us had a pretty fun interaction with my daughter who had been chearing loudly all game.  It was pleasant banter and they totally understood that they were dealing with a kid.  Having recently moved to the  Columbus area and sporting M gear I have not had any problems.  There are horror stories, but I haven't experienced them.  Even this year's football game was fine for friends and family.

It isn't a great hockey atmosphere and most of the fans seemed to be fans of OSU or fans of hockey, but not specifically OSU hockey fans.

We'll definitely be there for those games and I'll be bringing my younger kid too.

Tickets can be had for next to nothing and you can easily sit in any section that you want.

Feel free to ask more questions.

NittanyFan

June 13th, 2017 at 11:19 AM ^

But it's not an overly passionate fanbase.  Not an intense atmosphere either.  Watching hockey is more something to do before spring football begins.  

They could use a smaller arena.  Ranked 11th in the NCAA last year in attendance, but 56th in terms of percentage of capacity.

http://www.uscho.com/stats/attendance/division-i-men/2016-2017/

Blue in Paradise

June 13th, 2017 at 10:52 AM ^

He said he loved coming to Yost - he thought all of the chants and harassment he got was hilarious.  He said he really appreciated the passion that Michigan fans had for the hockey team.

BigT

June 13th, 2017 at 12:12 PM ^

(it's a cheap ticket and you can basically pick your seats past 8 rows from the ice).  I've never been for a UM game, but from what I've seen I don't think you have anything to worry about.  The student section is tiny and all at one end of the ice.  Everyone else is pretty chill.

Seperately, the atmosphere is among the worst I've ever seen for hockey.  Nothing like seeing 1,500 people in a 19,000 seat arena (which is a lame, corporate arena anyway).

lhglrkwg

June 13th, 2017 at 12:16 PM ^

In the recent past I've seen Michigan play at OSU in front of a mostly empty KMart Arena and felt like Michigan had a strong fan presence. It's probably about as tame as going to a major sporting event in Columbus goes - though maybe they've done better in recent years since they've been decent a few times

yourpaltal

June 13th, 2017 at 1:10 PM ^

OSU hockey doesn't draw flies, and half the people there will be wearing blue.  No one has ever said anything too offensive to my kids or me.  Mostly, they want to talk about Harbaugh.  They have discussed building a hockey only facility which might help the atmosphere.  Usually, they tarp off the upper bowl for hockey or women's hoops.  

blueturtle

June 13th, 2017 at 4:17 PM ^

Attending the game should be no worry. Most there think hockey siphons money away from the underfunded football program. If you get the chance stop by where they used to play hockey it is right next to St John arena and is creatively called the OSU Ice Rink. Honestly the first time I saw it I thought it was a side building where they stored track meet equipment. Held a few hundred and the rink had very little room between the blue lines. Locker rooms downstairs and so small the entire team wouldn't fit. Press box was about ten feet off the ice and your feet was basically over the top of the boards. Amazing.

DOBlue48

June 13th, 2017 at 4:21 PM ^

My experience going to an OSU hockey game in C-bus was a mixed bag.  Attendance is very small and the vast majority of fans are rather timid for hockey.  Frankly, too much so to make it a really fun environment.  So on one hand it should be a great and safe place to take your youngster.  Easy to get really good seats so up close action is all but guaranteed.

We happened to be there when LSSU was playing the enemy.  We were seated a few rows back and a few seats over from two buckeye fans that took great joy in taking every opportunity they could think of to loudly announce "Fuck Michigan!!"  Other than those periodic outbursts they were a jovial pair of college age kids.  So much so, that one of the kids traveling with our group (travel hockey team) asked them if they were aware that Michigan was not playing...Their response...."Yep, and Fuck Michigan!!"  So there is that.  We all let it go as is was a father-son outing and the kids were 15 or so and all found this behavior funny as hell.

Not sure you could go anywhere and get a completely sterile environment, but like most others, I think this would be a good place to go.  No doubt these two guys are the outliers from a behavioral stand point.

 

BTW....LSSU won the game, which was fun.