Thursday, January 9, 2014

How much did it cost to play at Madison Square Garden....in 1926?

Got my hands on a copy of a Yale hockey expense sheet for its trip to New York to take on Harvard at Madison Square Garden in Feb. 1926, and it's quite a treat.

At the time, Yale had no indoor arena to call its own. The original New Haven Arena had burned down two years earlier, and was in the process of being rebuilt. Still not ready, the Bulldogs often played home games at various outdoor rinks around the area. For the 1925-26 season, according to Yale's director of sports publicity Steve Conn, the team played it's entire home schedule at Madison Square Garden.

Twenty men made the trip -- 15 players, two coaches, two managers and one "Cheer Leader." Here's a breakdown of what the Feb. 27 trip cost.

20 round trip railroad fares from New Haven to New York, at a cost of $5.22 each -- $104.40
20 Pullman seats (sleepers), one way, from New Haven to New York, at a cost of .75 each -- $15.00
20 dinners at the Roosevelt Hotel, plus tip -- $55.00
Postgame food for 20 men -- $18.65
Baggage transfer in New York -- $3.00
Taxi fare for 20 men in New York -- $9.35
Taxi fare for 20 men in New Haven -- $3.20
Miscellaneous (paper cups, gum, tips, oranges, etc.) -- $2.05
Subway fare -- 0.10
Parking for coach Wanamaker's car -- $1.00
Skate sharpening (12 pairs at .50 each) -- $6.00

Total trip expenses -- $217.75

Don't hold me to it, but pretty sure $217 today just about covers the cost of the toll at the George Washington Bridge.

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