Back in April, ESPN’s Public Relations Twitter account revealed the NCAA Men’s Hockey National Championship game between Quinnipiac and Minnesota peaked at 1.1 million viewers. Making it the most-viewed Frozen Four on ESPN platforms since 2011. Which makes sense considering what was at stake.
The Quinnipiac Bobcats were playing for their school’s first-ever National Championship in men’s hockey since transitioning to Division-1 nearly 30 years ago. While the historically strong Minnesota Golden Gophers program was playing for their sixth National Championship and first in 20 years.
Essentially, this tells you that while the game itself was compelling, the storylines make it appointment viewing. For further proof, let’s take a glance across the college hockey landscape.
For 71 years, The Beanpot between Boston’s top four division-1 programs: Boston College, Boston University, Northeastern, and Harvard, has evolved into the penultimate in-season tournament in New England hockey. Held annually on the first and second Monday in February, the schools square off to secure bragging rights as to who has the best team in the city. Students, fans, and alumni travel from all over the region to the city of Boston’s premiere event venue- the TD Garden with hopes of witnessing victory. For those unable to attend, the tournament is broadcasted throughout New England on its dedicated sports channel “NESN,” ensuring anyone unable to attend can still enjoy the moment.
Not to be outdone is the 58-year-old Great Lakes Invitational. Primarily hosted by Little Caesars Arena, home of the Detroit Red Wings. While not as steeped in tradition regarding its participants, you can regularly find Michigan State, Michigan, Michigan Tech, and Western Michigan represented. In essence, it offers the state of Michigan’s fans and students alike the annual chance to catch their teams compete in the state’s largest hockey venue. Like the Beanpot, the “GLI” is broadcasted live by Fox Sports Detroit, offering those unable to attend the opportunity to watch their favorite team or alumnus.
So why is it that as we enter an apparent renaissance of men’s college hockey, the state of Rhode Island remains content with the status quo? Providence, the capital city of Rhode Island, features two division-1 hockey programs in Providence College and Brown University. Since 1985-86, the two programs have competed in the “Mayor’s Cup, ” described as “an annual challenge series between the Brown Bears men’s ice hockey team and the Providence Friars men’s ice hockey team.”
You wouldn’t be looked down upon for hearing about this for the first time. A quick Google search of “Mayor’s Cup Providence” yielded a primary result from a fandom wiki page.
To get you up to speed- the Mayor’s Cup is a date circled on the calendar, at least within the two competing locker rooms, with both campuses a mere 1.8 miles apart, only feeding into their rivalry. Providence College holds a slight edge in head-to-head matchups, but it was Brown who snapped a nearly seven-year losing streak with a 3-2 win in 2022. Traditionally played at either the 3,030-seat Schneider Arena on PC’s campus or Brown’s 3,059-seat Meehan Auditorium.
In an effort to drive a much-needed jolt of adrenaline into the arm of this rather stagnant event, why not transition the location of the Mayor’s Cup away from home campuses? Perhaps to downtown Providence’s hockey-ready 11,273-seat Amica Mutual Pavilion? A change in scenery, which just so happens to be the state’s largest and most revered venue, presents a unique pivot point. Suddenly the game feels more like an event in the city rather than another night on campus. Affording the crosstown showdown some desperately needed exposure.
Unfortunately, as currently constituted, exposure is at an all-time low. A quick scan of Providence College’s hockey schedule for 2023-24 and the Mayor’s Cup is scheduled for 12/30/23. Smack dab in the middle of both schools’ holiday breaks and the holiday season itself. So forget about fans showing up in droves to pack at Meehan Auditorium. Not only that, but ESPN nor NESN are currently scheduled to broadcast the game. So, unless you attend or happen to catch a 20-second recap on WPRI, next season’s Mayor’s Cup will pass you by like a winter breeze.
Ultimately the goal is not to pack NHL-sized venues like the Beanpot or Great Lakes Invitational. Rather, to expand the scope of this historic rivalry for the better. The state of Rhode Island embraces the sport of hockey just as well as the rest of New England. If given proper care and dedication, the Mayor’s Cup can become more than just another game on the schedule. But from the outside looking in, it’s hard to think that proper attention is going to be paid. They don’t say “small state big problems” for no reason.
