UConn to apply to Hockey East

[Ralph Baer]

Re: UConn to apply to Hockey East

Whoa!! You serious?? Where did you hear that? A reliable source external to this board?

As you know, the Ivies leaving was already the alleged reason for BC, BU, et al. to leave in the mid-80s.

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: UConn to apply to Hockey East

The Ivies are just taking their sweet time. They'll probably hand in their 30 year notice sometime in the next twenty years.

[REDMEN2002]

The very idea that people are suggesting RPI and Union as alternatives to Notre Dame and UCONN suggests that some people really are out of touch with what is happening in college athletics. To think that 2 DIII schools that only play hockey at the D1 level would be preferable to almost any major D1 institutions, let alone two that have major atletic programs, significant success, and national reputations shows a pretty insular view, I think. I suspect that if you ask around outside of Greater Schenectady, most casual fans don't know the difference between RPI and RIT, and if you are trying to grtow a tv presence, it isn't the die hard fan you care about. The guy who flips back and forth between Michigan-Ohio State on the B-10 network and BC-Umass on NESN is important on to the extent you keep him. What you want is the guy who is watching Tampa Bay-Dallas or even the CAA basketball game of the week, or even Bones, to tune in, and you do that by including brands. For good or ill, UCONN and Notre Dame fit. RPI and Union, while they might be better hockey programs, aren't bigger brands and won't attract the folks you want to attract.

You want to know why people are suggesting RPI or Union? Because college hockey ratings are meaningless. They are abysmal and always will be. I rather see a established hockey program in Hockey East than Yukon. That school isn't going to bring one benefit to Hockey East. Definitely not in the TV realm.

[Nick Papagiorgio]

Re: UConn to apply to Hockey East

At the end of the day, almost no one watches hockey. Even fewer watch college hockey. Slapping a Big Ten, Notre Dame, or Uconn label on it isn't going to change this. The same reasons people don't watch hockey now are staying constant in spite of all these other changes.

[RSTuthill]

Re: UConn to apply to Hockey East

At the end of the day, almost no one watches hockey. Even fewer watch college hockey.

Yeah, I'm inclined to agree with you. But this is now and it may well change in the future, at least that is the hope.

[TigerFan86-87]

Re: UConn to apply to Hockey East

The Engineers and the Statesmen are right where they fit-in best,

What does Hobart have to do with this?

[TigerFan86-87]

Re: UConn to apply to Hockey East

Yup, and that was nicely done to match the AHA from the year before

And to pick yet another nit.... It was two years ago.

[MattS]

Re: UConn to apply to Hockey East

Yeah, I'm inclined to agree with you. But this is now and it may well change in the future, at least that is the hope.

Is that the same "hope" that the NHL has been waiting for?

[Jim]

Re: UConn to apply to Hockey East

At the end of the day, almost no one watches hockey. Even fewer watch college hockey. Slapping a Big Ten, Notre Dame, or Uconn label on it isn't going to change this. The same reasons people don't watch hockey now are staying constant in spite of all these other changes.

Dpends on your definition of nobody, I guess. I remember when almost nobody watched college baseball but last night I counted 4 games on various ESPN and Fox channels I got. And I rmember when nobody watched college lacrosse, but I peaked at 2 games yesterday afternoon...and I remember when absolutley nobody watched womens college softball but there were 3 games on when I was flipping through Saturday evening...Not to say that any of these drew huge audiences, but they were on tv, something unheard of 10 years ago. And when I stop to watch a game or a few innings of college baseball, invariably I stop to watch schools I've heard of...I watched a couple of innings of Ohio State-Illinois, and it turned out to be a good game so I watched a little more until I was caught up in it. I skipped over Davidson and somebody, which for all I know as a casual college baseball fan may have been better teams. My daughter who played college softball at a d3 school flipped on a softball game Sunday and skipped over some mid-major to watch a Big 10 game...again, she didn't know if Illinois was better than East Carolina, she just knew Illinois and Michgan better than East Carolina and Western Kentucky or someone...that is what is at work here. that's what NBCsports is looking for. it is the entire premise of the BTN. But beyond that, the addition of UCONN and Notre Dame isn't about the 2014 season. If that were the case, you probably would pick RPI. It is about 2020 and beyond and who has the higher long term upside. And I would maintain that if that is how you look at it, pretty much any D1 school, particularly one with a high profile, even one that would be a startup (say Syracuse, certainly a Penn State) would be a better long term bet than other options.

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: UConn to apply to Hockey East

Dpends on your definition of nobody, I guess. I remember when almost nobody watched college baseball but last night I counted 4 games on various ESPN and Fox channels I got. And I rmember when nobody watched college lacrosse, but I peaked at 2 games yesterday afternoon...and I remember when absolutley nobody watched womens college softball but there were 3 games on when I was flipping through Saturday evening...Not to say that any of these drew huge audiences, but they were on tv, something unheard of 10 years ago. And when I stop to watch a game or a few innings of college baseball, invariably I stop to watch schools I've heard of...I watched a couple of innings of Ohio State-Illinois, and it turned out to be a good game so I watched a little more until I was caught up in it. I skipped over Davidson and somebody, which for all I know as a casual college baseball fan may have been better teams. My daughter who played college softball at a d3 school flipped on a softball game Sunday and skipped over some mid-major to watch a Big 10 game...again, she didn't know if Illinois was better than East Carolina, she just knew Illinois and Michgan better than East Carolina and Western Kentucky or someone...that is what is at work here. that's what NBCsports is looking for. it is the entire premise of the BTN. But beyond that, the addition of UCONN and Notre Dame isn't about the 2014 season. If that were the case, you probably would pick RPI. It is about 2020 and beyond and who has the higher long term upside. And I would maintain that if that is how you look at it, pretty much any D1 school, particularly one with a high profile, even one that would be a startup (say Syracuse, certainly a Penn State) would be a better long term bet than other options.

Reading the first 2/3 of the paragraph you just wrote, it sounds like you're all about the 2014 season, and your logic in the last part of the paragraph is completely backwards.

[AspyDad]

Re: UConn to apply to Hockey East

Whoa!! You serious?? Where did you hear that? A reliable source external to this board?

Paul Kelly from United States of Hockey Report

“Having commonly five conferences, soon to be six conferences, and you may one day have the Ivy League spinning out for seven conferences, what you get is very parochial interests,”

Source - http://unitedstatesofhockey.com/2012...at-comes-next/

[REDMEN2002]

Dpends on your definition of nobody, I guess. I remember when almost nobody watched college baseball but last night I counted 4 games on various ESPN and Fox channels I got. And I rmember when nobody watched college lacrosse, but I peaked at 2 games yesterday afternoon...and I remember when absolutley nobody watched womens college softball but there were 3 games on when I was flipping through Saturday evening...Not to say that any of these drew huge audiences, but they were on tv, something unheard of 10 years ago. And when I stop to watch a game or a few innings of college baseball, invariably I stop to watch schools I've heard of...I watched a couple of innings of Ohio State-Illinois, and it turned out to be a good game so I watched a little more until I was caught up in it. I skipped over Davidson and somebody, which for all I know as a casual college baseball fan may have been better teams. My daughter who played college softball at a d3 school flipped on a softball game Sunday and skipped over some mid-major to watch a Big 10 game...again, she didn't know if Illinois was better than East Carolina, she just knew Illinois and Michgan better than East Carolina and Western Kentucky or someone...that is what is at work here. that's what NBCsports is looking for. it is the entire premise of the BTN. But beyond that, the addition of UCONN and Notre Dame isn't about the 2014 season. If that were the case, you probably would pick RPI. It is about 2020 and beyond and who has the higher long term upside. And I would maintain that if that is how you look at it, pretty much any D1 school, particularly one with a high profile, even one that would be a startup (say Syracuse, certainly a Penn State) would be a better long term bet than other options.

Your argument is weak. The only thing you are right about is that very few people are watching those college baseball, lax and softball games.

[Ma#1ne Hky]

Re: UConn to apply to Hockey East

I have a few questions...do you think that UConns .370 winning perecentage in the last 9 seasons will rise with 18 Scholarships..? And with that said what top notch recruits are going to play for UConn that plays in terrible rink,is more or less a non issue on Campus compared to the M&W B-Ball and with FB getting the support needed...well think about that...even IF they put in a NEW Arena...which would take close to 3-5 years if they are lucky....maybe this is a long range target,but how long away..?? 5-6 to 7-8 years from 2014..?

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: UConn to apply to Hockey East

I have a few questions...do you think that UConns .370 winning perecentage in the last 9 seasons will rise with 18 Scholarships..? And with that said what top notch recruits are going to play for UConn that plays in terrible rink,is more or less a non issue on Campus compared to the M&W B-Ball and with FB getting the support needed...well think about that...even IF they put in a NEW Arena...which would take close to 3-5 years if they are lucky....maybe this is a long range target,but how long away..?? 5-6 to 7-8 years from 2014..?

How does Union get people to play at their Mess[-of-]a rink?

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: UConn to apply to Hockey East

Paul Kelly from United States of Hockey Report

“Having commonly five conferences, soon to be six conferences, and you may one day have the Ivy League spinning out for seven conferences, what you get is very parochial interests,”

Source - http://unitedstatesofhockey.com/2012...at-comes-next/

With Slick Willie we went over the definition of the word "is"... with you, we need to review the definition of the word "may".