An open an honest proposal for the WCHA final five

[SiouxAviator]

I felt it appropriate to steal SCSU's icon for this because we all know UND fans, like their hockey team, are cheap losers that have to be cheap to win.

It seems to me in the little time I've spent following the game of college hockey and the WCHA that one fallacy immediately springs to mind every playoff time, and that is the belief that the Xcel energy center is a 'neutral' site. Yes, thats right, a mere stones throw from the UMTC campus, this venue somehow remains a 'neutral' location. Every school that competes in the final five save one (well, not counting this year) has to travel to the arena, some as little as 70 miles, some as much as 1,000 miles (UAA doesn't count). Then there's the team that can ride their bikes to the arena. Who thought that would be neutral? Even the pep band has to make a day of the drive down.

Therefore I propose an alternative. There is one arena within the WCHA that will likely never see its team in the Final Five, so I propose we do it there. That location? the MacInnes Ice Arena. We know that the Huskies would never play in the tourney, and the arena itself is nicely located on the UP, far enough out in the booneys that every team in the tournament would more or less have to take at least a half if not a full day to get there, and the pep band wouldn't even have to go anywhere!

It makes perfect sense.

[irishfan85]

Re: An open an honest proposal for the WCHA final five

Hockey East at the Garden has a supposed advantage for BC and BU, although Maine and UNH always bring huge crowds. Michigan and Michigan State have the advantage in the CCHA with it being at the Joe in Detroit.

Going further, in other college sports, the SEC Championship game for football is always in Atlanta and the ACC Hoops Tourney is almost always (or at least historically) been in the Greensboro Coliseum. So Duke and UNC supposedly have an advantage for the ACC and Georgia if they make it in the SEC.

I've been to the XCel Energy Center for the 2002 Frozen Four and thought it was a terrific facility. It is the most central site for the WCHA to hold their event. If college hockey was more popular, you could rotate the WCHA Final Five through Milwaukee, Denver, and St. Paul. However, it is not so the XCel Energy Center is the best option.

[Puck Swami]

Re: An open an honest proposal for the WCHA final five

The sole relevant purpose of conference tourneys is the sponsoring league needs to make money -- both in the seats they sell and on television, through commerical rates and media market size.

It's not about providing the most neutral site - if that were the case, we'd play it in St. Louis or Florida every year.

The WCHA's best prospects for financial return are in St. Paul. No other arena could come close to the gurantee that St. Paul offers, due to the closeness of the venue to the majority of participating schools and the generosity and size of the University of Minnesota fan base to be the primary financial driver behind crowd size, maximum spending capability and media revenue generated. That's why the Gophers get preferrential treatment in terms of proximity and game times when they appear- becuase their fans are the largest mealticket fan base in the league. They've earned the special treatment because they pay for it.

Until someone else can deliver a better proposal, the tourney should stay in St. Paul.

[ajoyce02]

Re: An open an honest proposal for the WCHA final five

You're just trying to get everyone worked up aren't you.

You can't possibly be that stupid, I refuse to believe it.

[Beer Pong Horn]

Re: An open an honest proposal for the WCHA final five

I felt it appropriate to steal SCSU's icon for this because we all know UND fans, like their hockey team, are cheap losers that have to be cheap to win.

It seems to me in the little time I've spent following the game of college hockey and the WCHA that one fallacy immediately springs to mind every playoff time, and that is the belief that the Xcel energy center is a 'neutral' site. Yes, thats right, a mere stones throw from the UMTC campus, this venue somehow remains a 'neutral' location. Every school that competes in the final five save one (well, not counting this year) has to travel to the arena, some as little as 70 miles, some as much as 1,000 miles (UAA doesn't count). Then there's the team that can ride their bikes to the arena. Who thought that would be neutral? Even the pep band has to make a day of the drive down.

Therefore I propose an alternative. There is one arena within the WCHA that will likely never see its team in the Final Five, so I propose we do it there. That location? the MacInnes Ice Arena. We know that the Huskies would never play in the tourney, and the arena itself is nicely located on the UP, far enough out in the booneys that every team in the tournament would more or less have to take at least a half if not a full day to get there, and the pep band wouldn't even have to go anywhere!

It makes perfect sense.

I know what you're trying to do, but just... stop.

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[BigM3810]

Re: An open an honest proposal for the WCHA final five

Hockey East at the Garden has a supposed advantage for BC and BU, although Maine and UNH always bring huge crowds. Michigan and Michigan State have the advantage in the CCHA with it being at the Joe in Detroit.

Going further, in other college sports, the SEC Championship game for football is always in Atlanta and the ACC Hoops Tourney is almost always (or at least historically) been in the Greensboro Coliseum. So Duke and UNC supposedly have an advantage for the ACC and Georgia if they make it in the SEC.

I've been to the XCel Energy Center for the 2002 Frozen Four and thought it was a terrific facility. It is the most central site for the WCHA to hold their event. If college hockey was more popular, you could rotate the WCHA Final Five through Milwaukee, Denver, and St. Paul. However, it is not so the XCel Energy Center is the best option.

But college basketball and football are popular so whey don't they rotate their conference championships?

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: An open an honest proposal for the WCHA final five

It always shocks me when I realize how many people don't understand the first, second, and last consideration of everything done by leagues and governing bodies in sports, and in spades in any sport that has the slightest potential to generate any recognition at all, is TO MAKE MONEY.

[Huskiefan906]

Re: An open an honest proposal for the WCHA final five

There is one arena within the WCHA that will likely never see its team in the Final Five, so I propose we do it there. That location? the MacInnes Ice Arena. We know that the Huskies would never play in the tourney, and the arena itself is nicely located on the UP, far enough out in the booneys that every team in the tournament would more or less have to take at least a half if not a full day to get there, and the pep band wouldn't even have to go anywhere!

Jamie Russell take note of the disrespect the hockey Huskies have wrought from the years of losing. Please post this on the bulletin board for next year.

[Driftryder]

Re: An open an honest proposal for the WCHA final five

You could set your clock to threads like this one.

[GopherBigGuy911]

Re: An open an honest proposal for the WCHA final five

Jamie Russell take note of the disrespect the hockey Huskies have wrought from the years of losing. Please post this on the bulletin board for next year.

If he doesn't have enough bulletin board material by now..... then you guys truly are hopeless...... Obviously it isn't any sort of motivating factor for the Huskies..... so who care at this point in life to bad the CHA folded..... the WCHA and CHA should have just done a team swap..... Tech for BSU..... That way.... MAYBE within the next 25 years Tech could have returned to the NCAA's I mean..... I would HOPE that they could teams the likes of UAH, Niagara, and Robert Morris..... But my money would still be that Tech would be Robert Morris's red headed step children

[Happy]

Re: An open an honest proposal for the WCHA final five

I felt it appropriate to steal SCSU's icon for this because we all know UND fans, like their hockey team, are cheap losers that have to be cheap to win.

It seems to me in the little time I've spent following the game of college hockey and the WCHA that one fallacy immediately springs to mind every playoff time, and that is the belief that the Xcel energy center is a 'neutral' site. Yes, thats right, a mere stones throw from the UMTC campus, this venue somehow remains a 'neutral' location. Every school that competes in the final five save one (well, not counting this year) has to travel to the arena, some as little as 70 miles, some as much as 1,000 miles (UAA doesn't count). Then there's the team that can ride their bikes to the arena. Who thought that would be neutral? Even the pep band has to make a day of the drive down.

Therefore I propose an alternative. There is one arena within the WCHA that will likely never see its team in the Final Five, so I propose we do it there. That location? the MacInnes Ice Arena. We know that the Huskies would never play in the tourney, and the arena itself is nicely located on the UP, far enough out in the booneys that every team in the tournament would more or less have to take at least a half if not a full day to get there, and the pep band wouldn't even have to go anywhere!

It makes perfect sense.

How about the REA and UND do a guarantee bid, that absolutely guarantees the WCHA more cash than they get at the X, and then it can be held in North Dakota.


I didn't think so.

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: An open an honest proposal for the WCHA final five

I felt it appropriate to steal SCSU's icon for this because we all know UND fans, like their hockey team, are cheap losers that have to be cheap to win.

It seems to me in the little time I've spent following the game of college hockey and the WCHA that one fallacy immediately springs to mind every playoff time, and that is the belief that the Xcel energy center is a 'neutral' site. Yes, thats right, a mere stones throw from the UMTC campus, this venue somehow remains a 'neutral' location. Every school that competes in the final five save one (well, not counting this year) has to travel to the arena, some as little as 70 miles, some as much as 1,000 miles (UAA doesn't count). Then there's the team that can ride their bikes to the arena. Who thought that would be neutral? Even the pep band has to make a day of the drive down.

Therefore I propose an alternative. There is one arena within the WCHA that will likely never see its team in the Final Five, so I propose we do it there. That location? the MacInnes Ice Arena. We know that the Huskies would never play in the tourney, and the arena itself is nicely located on the UP, far enough out in the booneys that every team in the tournament would more or less have to take at least a half if not a full day to get there, and the pep band wouldn't even have to go anywhere!

It makes perfect sense.

Dumbest thing I've ever heard and I've been around here for a long time.

[Twitch Boy]

Re: An open an honest proposal for the WCHA final five

If he doesn't have enough bulletin board material by now..... then you guys truly are hopeless...... Obviously it isn't any sort of motivating factor for the Huskies..... so who care at this point in life to bad the CHA folded..... the WCHA and CHA should have just done a team swap..... Tech for BSU..... That way.... MAYBE within the next 25 years Tech could have returned to the NCAA's I mean..... I would HOPE that they could teams the likes of UAH, Niagara, and Robert Morris..... But my money would still be that Tech would be Robert Morris's red headed step children

Posts like this are why I root for the Wolverines out of spite. At least they have their pride.

[GB Puck Fan]

Re: An open an honest proposal for the WCHA final five

I felt it appropriate to steal SCSU's icon for this because we all know UND fans, like their hockey team, are cheap losers that have to be cheap to win.

It seems to me in the little time I've spent following the game of college hockey and the WCHA that one fallacy immediately springs to mind every playoff time, and that is the belief that the Xcel energy center is a 'neutral' site. Yes, thats right, a mere stones throw from the UMTC campus, this venue somehow remains a 'neutral' location. Every school that competes in the final five save one (well, not counting this year) has to travel to the arena, some as little as 70 miles, some as much as 1,000 miles (UAA doesn't count). Then there's the team that can ride their bikes to the arena. Who thought that would be neutral? Even the pep band has to make a day of the drive down.

Therefore I propose an alternative. There is one arena within the WCHA that will likely never see its team in the Final Five, so I propose we do it there. That location? the MacInnes Ice Arena. We know that the Huskies would never play in the tourney, and the arena itself is nicely located on the UP, far enough out in the booneys that every team in the tournament would more or less have to take at least a half if not a full day to get there, and the pep band wouldn't even have to go anywhere!

It makes perfect sense.

I keep looking for the sarcasm alert and can't find it...

[Bakunin]

Re: An open an honest proposal for the WCHA final five

If this thread is an attempt at sarcasm, it's a poor one.

If it's an actual criticism, again, it's a poor one.

The X has never been claimed to be a neutral site. It is simply the best one - you can't find a comparable arena anywhere in the WCHA that can match the attendance and revenue that St. Paul generates for the league.