Bob Motzko hoped Tuesday's press release announcing the end of the North Star College Cup could be avoided.
The St. Cloud State coach said after his team won last year's tournament, "What's going to make it go, and that's what we have to have patience with, is the buy-in from the fans. I think there is some things that we have to pay with and let the thing continue, so we can continue to come down here."
The Gophers announced Tuesday the tournament, created to keep the Minnesota rivalries intact after conference realignment, would end after its fourth year this weekend at Xcel Energy Center.
Fans showed little interest in the event despite the regular Top 20 matchups and competitive games it produced, and the empty seats at Xcel Energy Center were too many to ignore.
Bemidji State coach Tom Serratore also lobbied for tournament organizers to be patient and give the event a chance to resonate with the fans the same way the WCHA Final Five eventually did.
"Remember the old Final Five wasn't that way in the beginning, and then it ended up being a destination weekend," Serratore said. "I just don't think you can snap your fingers and it's there in one, two or three years."
Tuesday's press release said the decision was based on the lack of interest from fans.
Attendance numbers dropped significantly at last year's tournament. The final day of the tournament featuring the championship and consolation games attracted a paid attendance of 10,993. The actual number of fans in the stands appeared to be much less.
The inaugural championship game between the Gophers and Duluth attracted 14,518. The second year of the tournament, championship day's paid attendance was 14,199.
The tournament's first year was the best-attended with 28,906 total sold tickets for both sessions. The second year sold 28,705 and last year's numbers dropped to 23,584.
Xcel Energy Center can sit nearly 18,000 for hockey games.
The goal of matching the excitement created by the WCHA Final Five fell well short. The final year of the old WCHA conference tournament averaged an attendance of 17,459 over five sessions at Xcel Energy Center. The tournament semifinals and championship game often attracted over 19,000 fans.
Fans often criticized North Star College Cup ticket prices and the inability to buy single-game tickets.
The competition on the ice, however, hasn't been the issue. The first tournament championship game went to overtime and ended with the Gophers beating the Bulldogs in a shootout. The tournament featured the country's No. 1 team in 2014 (Gophers) and 2015 (Mavericks). Last year, No. 3 St. Cloud State won the tournament. This year, No. 2 Duluth and the No. 6 Gophers face off in the first round.
The tournament also has featured a new champion each year. Duluth is the only program in this year's field that has not won the wooden cup that will be retired with just four champions etched into its base.
