Frozen Four Proved To Be Another Successful Event For Tampa Bay Sports Commission

Rand Pecknold would like for the Frozen Four to be played in Tampa more frequently. That is not just because his Bobcats’ last two Frozen Four appearances, and lone championship, took place at Amalie Arena. Rather, as somebody with more than three decades in college hockey, including serving as the ECAC’s representative on the NCAA Division-I men's ice hockey committee, he knows what cities work best for the sport and its premier events.

“I think it’s one of the best sites,” said Pecknold, whose Bobcats lost the championship game in Tampa to North Dakota in 2016 and defeated Minnesota this year. He was on the committee in 2012, the first year the city hosted the event. “I’d put it top three, probably, we have for the Frozen Four. We should try to get it (in Tampa) on a four-year rotation. I'd love to see the committee do that.”

So would Rob Higgins, bubbling with pride as the dust settled on last weekend’s Frozen Four. For nearly 20 years Higgins has served as executive director of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, a non-profit that is the Tampa Bay region’s lead organization when it comes to bidding on and hosting professional, collegiate and amateur sporting events. Not surprisingly, the commission’s visibility has grown with the region, which has more and more become a top-shelf destination for sporting events such as the Frozen Four.

As successful as the Frozen Four was in 2012 and 2016, college hockey fans who returned this year saw a much different Tampa, especially the growth of the city’s downtown. The transformation is most evident in a vibrant two or three block stretch around Amalie Arena with hotels, businesses, restaurants and high-rise living having replaced a cluster of parking lots and undeveloped spaces.

“If you haven’t seen our community in the last couple of years, you would not have recognized it, let alone seven years ago or 11 years ago or however long it has been since some of the fans have been here,” said Higgins. “I think that is what is so unique about our community, that it has truly been transformed. The opportunity to showcase our community’s growth was priceless.”

So was the hockey. Pecknold capped his 29^th season behind the Quinnipiac bench by hoisting the NCAA championship trophy aloft. The Bobcats overcame a 2-0 deficit to beat Minnesota, 3-2, with the game-winning goal scored 10 seconds into overtime by sophomore Jacob Quillan, and off a beautiful backhand feed from freshman Sam Lipkin. It was a highlight that will forever have its moment in NCAA championship lore.

The championship matchup’s announced attendance of 19,444 was the second largest in an arena setting in Frozen Four history, which dates to 1948. The 2017 game between Denver and Minnesota-Duluth at Chicago’s United Center drew 19,783. Detroit’s Ford Field attracted 37,592 for Boston College and Wisconsin in 2010.

“It’s a really special place,” Higgins said of Amalie Arena, which typically features one of the best, if not the best, game presentations in the NHL, something that was evident during the Frozen Four, which utilized much of the same staff as Tampa Bay Lightning games. “It starts with the leadership of (Lightning owner) Jeff Vinik and (Vinik Sports Group CEO) Steve Griggs. Their entire staff does a fantastic job of welcoming these events and being as hospitable as possible. Obviously, when it comes to a major event you must make sure every single detail is in place and that we are as prepared as possible from every angle.”

Adding to the appeal are sunshine and daytime highs ranging from the high-70s to low-80s, as was the case this year. The weather combined with downtown’s many attractions, including a completed riverwalk that is a short stroll from the arena and many of the hotels that were packed with fans, made for an ideal setting. That is why there is much hope among Higgins and his team at the sports commission that the Frozen Four will become a staple within the Tampa Bay sporting landscape.

With St. Paul, St. Louis and Las Vegas, respectively, locked in as the next three hosts of the Frozen Four, the next bid cycle will be for the 2027-31 events. It will be known in 2024 which cities will be hosts during that five-year stretch.

“Our focus is certainly on bringing back this event as quickly and as often as we can,” said Higgins. “It is a real special event for us and something that we would love to host on a regular basis. This is a community that knows and loves hockey and I think that was on full display during championship weekend.”

With a lengthy list of successfully hosting events that includes five Super Bowls, four NCAA women’s basketball Final Fours and men’s hoops early round NCAA games, there is no reason to think the Frozen Four will not make its way to Tampa on a regular basis. Before that is known, Higgins and his staff have much on their plate the remainder of 2023, including a two-game visit from the Savannah Bananas (April 28-29) and the NCAA volleyball Final Four in December.

“We are so fortunate to have all of our community leadership, our franchises and community ambassadors pulling in the right direction and understanding the value of being able to host these events,” said Higgins. “For many cities, an event like the Frozen Four is a once in a lifetime venture. The fact our community just had it for the third time is an honor that we do not take lightly, so we want to make sure we do everything we can for it to go as well as it possibly can.”