Big Ten 2015-2016

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: Big Ten 2015-2016

That kind of format would also help build animosity that's sorely needed to help me think why I should care about the CCHA teams and PSU compared to what we're missing from the old WCHA.

[gopher wes]

Re: Big Ten 2015-2016

Another problem with the BTT is it coincides with the first two rounds of March Madness. You're talking about four schools with MSU, Michigan, Sconnie, and tOSU who are traditionally in the big dance. That takes away what few interested hockey fans there are from those schools as far as BTN viewers and traveling to goes.

[SteveO]

Re: Big Ten 2015-2016

Until the Big Ten adds more teams with a hockey tradition and relatively strong fanbase, I don't expect attendance in large venues like the X to come anywhere near the WCHA F5. Maybe a few seasons down the road.

[alfablue]

Re: Big Ten 2015-2016

Problem is, it's just prohibitively expensive to travel to Detroit and St Paul for half the conference.

BS excuse. We saw fans from UNO come to Detroit. I'm sure when Alaska went to the WCHA, they brought fans.

None the less, very few LOCALLY even know what's going on. Both for St. Paul and Detroit. There are alumni from the entire B1G all over SE MI, and yet there are less fans at the Joe than Yost. That needs to be addressed.

Another problem with the BTT is it coincides with the first two rounds of March Madness. You're talking about four schools with MSU, Michigan, Sconnie, and tOSU who are traditionally in the big dance. That takes away what few interested hockey fans there are from those schools as far as BTN viewers and traveling to goes.

LOL- as if something changed? Did we not have the same problem between the big BB teams when we were part of the CCHA and WCHA??? I remember seeing big crowds of MSU fans watching their games in the concourse of the Joe. Again, an excuse that isn't new. That isn't that big of an issue.

You guys are sounding like you are happier complaining about the lack of attendance than trying to fix it. As if the B1G Hockey Conference may go away. It's not. Time to deal with what we have and work with it.

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: Big Ten 2015-2016

Until the Big Ten adds more teams with a hockey tradition and relatively strong fanbase

Uh...

http://i.imgur.com/synonSr.png

Anyone with hockey tradition already has a team.

[MINNESOTA]

Re: Big Ten 2015-2016

Yea, we know the attendance sucks.

So we should ALL try to do something about it. Send notes to your AD and get them to promote the championship. Locally and at each school. I can deal without promoting St. Paul and Detroit as long as they promote the championship weekend. Not only on the local channels that via the ownership of the teams/arenas. But AT EACH school.

It's time to stop whining and start doing. The B1G Hockey conference isn't going away. We need to deal with it.

Everyone here is a fan, some are donors. All of your voices count.

I appreciate what you're saying alfablue (I honestly do) but I, for one, will never support B1G hockey. It's been a disaster from day one and it'll remain a disaster. I think in the minds of many fans it IS conceivable that it'll eventually go away if this fan revolt continues for long enough. Personally, I enjoy seeing the conference getting embarrassed on their own network by 17,000+ empty seats. I enjoyed seeing the Gopher fan on the glass with his "B1G MISTAKE" jersey yesterday. The ripple effect caused by this dreadful conference has severely damaged college hockey and we're supposed to accept it? I don't. I won't.

[gopher wes]

Re: Big Ten 2015-2016

LOL- as if something changed? Did we not have the same problem between the big BB teams when we were part of the CCHA and WCHA??? I remember seeing big crowds of MSU fans watching their games in the concourse of the Joe. Again, an excuse that isn't new. That isn't that big of an issue.

You guys are sounding like you are happier complaining about the lack of attendance than trying to fix it. As if the B1G Hockey Conference may go away. It's not. Time to deal with what we have and work with it.

The basketball issue was not a big deal for the WCHA which is kinda my point. The other fours schools aside from Minnesota and PSU have a way bigger interest in basketball all the time, but especially this time of year, than hockey. SCSU, UND, UMD, etc did not have basketball teams to worry about. The few Gopher hockey fans that actually care about basketball, like myself, were checking out the Gopher basketball game in the concourse the one time I can remember them being in the big dance while I was at a Final Five LOL!

So if you're a Michigan or MSU fan this year.....would you rather travel to St Paul to watch your hockey teams in an empty X or go watch your basketball teams in the regionals?

[Almington]

That kind of format would also help build animosity that's sorely needed to help me think why I should care about the CCHA teams and PSU compared to what we're missing from the old WCHA.

I agree. At this point, the conference needs to do something different than the typical conference tournament.

Why should I bother traveling to the conference tournament if I'm already planning to travel to the F4? It's the same argument that the west regionals have. The conference tournaments with these new conferences are not destination events, until they develop into that (if they ever do) they will continue to suffer from fan apathy.

[icehawk]

Re: Big Ten 2015-2016

Should go to a 3 game series format.

Top 4 get in. 1 weekend for the semis, the next for the championship.

At the top seeded teams' home rinks.


3 game series for the conference championship?

Yes please!

Totally on board for this.

[wolverineTrumpet]

Re: Big Ten 2015-2016

I agree. At this point, the conference needs to do something different than the typical conference tournament.

Why should I bother traveling to the conference tournament if I'm already planning to travel to the F4? It's the same argument that the west regionals have. The conference tournaments with these new conferences are not destination events, until they develop into that (if they ever do) they will continue to suffer from fan apathy.

This reflects my feelings as well. I go to a lot of hockey games. I am working in MI today and not going to the tournament in St. Paul. I would rather use the money and vacation days I budget for hockey and use them on the NCAA tournament, or an away weekend. For an away weekend, I get to see my team play more than 1 game. The B1G tournament my team may only play 1 game. For the NCAA, though my team may only play 1 game, I get to see other teams I may not have seen this season, and high quality games. I've seen every B1G hockey team in person at least twice this year.

Plus, with this every team makes the tournament crap, unless it's my team (or has PWR implications), I don't care about the Thursday games. If this year was in Detroit, a mere hour drive for me, I wouldn't have gone yesterday. Who wants to watch hockey being played against two teams with a winning percentage under .35? The WCHA Final Five and the CCHA Super Six Thursday games at least had decent teams playing, not the conference basement.

[burd]

Re: Big Ten 2015-2016

That kind of format would also help build animosity that's sorely needed to help me think why I should care about the CCHA teams and PSU compared to what we're missing from the old WCHA.

You need a water bottle disagreement to liven things up a little.

[SteveO]

Re: Big Ten 2015-2016

Anyone with hockey tradition already has a team.

Which is exactly my point. IIRC this thread partly began with a discussion regarding adding teams to the Big Ten. The Big Ten may have to consider adding affiliate members in men's ice hockey that have an existing hockey tradition to increase interest and revenue in the BTHC and the tournament. IMO until that happens, adding startup programs (e.g. ASU, UNL, Illinois, etc.) or additional marketing will not result in a significant attendance spike.

Adding ASU may be under consideration to evoke an broader cooperative alliance in other sports with the Pac-12 and additional media revenue, but obviously its addition to the B1G will have little impact upon the current interest level and attendance at this tournament. If the Big Ten does add ASU as an affiliate member, they most certainly must consider adding another startup or preferably a school with an existing hockey tradition.

[SCSU BlackandRed]

Re: Big Ten 2015-2016

Should go to a 3 game series format.

Top 4 get in. 1 weekend for the semis, the next for the championship.

At the top seeded teams' home rinks.


3 game series for the conference championship?

Yes please!

Makes too much sense. Clearly, it will never happen.

[Gurtholfin]

Re: Big Ten 2015-2016

The B1G Tourney will never do well.

The reason that the WCHA Tourney did so well is because you had so many local schools and the alumni living in and around the Twin Cities.

The vast majority of the attendees were Gopher and Sioux fans, but there were also significant numbers of SCSU, UMD, Tech and Badger fans to fill it out along with the other programs.

All of these are schools where hockey is or was one of the top draws or has (had) a great tradition.

Part of the fun was that it was a destination tourney - meaning that there was a buzz around it and the atmosphere was worth traveling to.

That will never happen with the B1G schools or their tourney. Ever.

You cannot manufacture or create that.


Centrally locating it in Chicago wouldn't help either.

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: Big Ten 2015-2016

The B1G Tourney will never do well.

The reason that the WCHA Tourney did so well is because you had so many local schools and the alumni living in and around the Twin Cities.

The vast majority of the attendees were Gopher and Sioux fans, but there were also significant numbers of SCSU, UMD, Tech and Badger fans to fill it out along with the other programs.

All of these are schools where hockey is or was one of the top draws or has (had) a great tradition.

Part of the fun was that it was a destination tourney - meaning that there was a buzz around it and the atmosphere was worth traveling to.

That will never happen with the B1G schools or their tourney. Ever.

You cannot manufacture or create that.


Centrally locating it in Chicago wouldn't help either.

175% correct.