NBC/Versus deal with College Hockey

[bronconick]

Re: NBC/Versus deal with College Hockey

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I just wanted to quote this because it's clearly not getting the kudos it deserves.

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: NBC/Versus deal with College Hockey

Sure I have. And I was talking about national interest in the sport, but clearly that point flew clear over your head.

How has national interest not changed when we go from 4 teams in 1 location to 16 in five? Or no TV at all to nationwide TV for the entire tournament?

[4four4]

Re: NBC/Versus deal with College Hockey

Source please? I don't know if this is correct because my memory says it was the 2008 semi final between UM and ND. I won't state definitively because I cannot back up by citing a source, and you may be correct. I remind you it is all still relative, because highest rated amongst a bunch of stuff that hardly anyone watches still equals low ratings.

It has been many years so I unfortunately don't have a source from ESPN. Back in 2002 Minnesota did well with viewers because it had been 20 plus years since they were in the national championship game and many of felt this was finally the best Gopher team in years. Most of us secretly knew this was a championship team.

[4four4]

Re: NBC/Versus deal with College Hockey

BTW - I hope your move to Hockey East helps your recruiting efforts out there, because I can assure you it will cool your recruiting efforts in the Midwest. You just got Mario Lucia, but he is a legacy (and I heard even he wasn't thrilled with the move to HE). Say goodbye to getting as many Anders Lee's, Steven Fogarty's, ect... from Minnesota.

I agree. I also will add the BHHC lost the Mpls/St. Paul recruiting market, they basically lost kids who might watch a UND or DU and decide to attend there.

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: NBC/Versus deal with College Hockey

Funny that you mention that. In the 2001-2002 season Maine vs. Minnesota championship game and the 2001-2002 Michigan vs. Minnesota semi final game are the two heights rated college hockey games of all time.

Source please? I don't know if this is correct because my memory says it was the 2008 semi final between UM and ND. I won't state definitively because I cannot back up by citing a source, and you may be correct. I remind you it is all still relative, because highest rated amongst a bunch of stuff that hardly anyone watches still equals low ratings.

[JDUBBS1280]

Re: NBC/Versus deal with College Hockey

I think Texas football (along with Ohio State or Penn State football) compares pretty closely to Minnesota hockey.

In size maybe, but not in culture.

Minnesota piles in 18,000+ fans to watch high school hockey games.

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: NBC/Versus deal with College Hockey

Notre Dame doesn't, and never has, produced a vast majority of it's talent within state. The closest thing I can think of to Minnesota Hockey is Texas Football, and IMO that doesn't even really compare.

I am heavily invested in Minnesota Youth hockey, and I can assure you that you WILL lose recruits from Minnesota because of your move East. You'll still get some, but not as many.

I think Texas football (along with Ohio State or Penn State football) compares pretty closely to Minnesota hockey. But that doesn't mean any of those three schools have monopolized football recruiting to the point they are the only teams that matter to the sport. And it isn't any big surprise that Notre Dame doesn't draw a lot of recruits from within the state. We have one on the roster right now. Hockey isn't widely played in Indiana. This alone doesn't tend to mean much. The last time I checked, 18,000 people still pile into the RBC Center in North Carolina to watch NHL hockey every time the Hurricanes play. And they've seen the Stanley Cup won by their team. The only time hockey mad Minnesota has seen the Cup raised in triumph, it was being done by the Pittsburgh Penguins or the New York Islanders. Yet I hardly think that takes anything away from how much hockey means in Minnesota.

[4four4]

Re: NBC/Versus deal with College Hockey

Minnesota has zero national cache among college sports fans. Zero. And since college hockey has about a tenth of the followers of college basketball and perhaps 1/1000th that of football, where do you think that leaves Gopher hockey in California, Pennsylvania, Indiana, or anywhere else? As for LOCAL ratings, yes, no college hockey will outdraw Minnesota games on FOX Sports North IN MINNESOTA. But once you get outside of your team's home region, NOONE is watching you.

Funny that you mention that. In the 2001-2002 season Maine vs. Minnesota championship game and the 2001-2002 Michigan vs. Minnesota semi final game are the two heights rated college hockey games of all time.

Re: NBC/Versus deal with College Hockey

It was written by a Boston College fan for the Boston College newspaper. It is just one of MANY, MANY, MANY examples of people from outside Minnesota who fall in love with Gopher Hockey because of the history and tradition.

Like I said, I bump into TONS of fans at games who aren't from Minnesota and aren't Gopher fans. Minnesota has THE largest hockey fanbase in this country and that won't change IMO. The NBC deal is great for college hockey in general, but those who think it will start a shift in the balance of power are simply delusional.

Mariucci isn't nicknamed "Mecca" for no reason

I've been involved with college hockey for two decades and had no idea Mariucci was called "Mecca" (I think that's an old basketball court in Milwaukee).

And he is a fan of college hockey at another school, not a fan of the Goofers. Or are you going to try to tell us that anyone who likes college hockey is de facto a fan of the Goofers?

[JDUBBS1280]

Re: NBC/Versus deal with College Hockey

Are you trying to convince us or yourself? Because you just keep repeating yourself over and over (and over) again. We get it; you like Minnesota hockey and does everyone else in Minnesota allegedly. What does that have to do with this thread?

The vast majority of the country couldn't tell you who plays the sport, let alone who is good or has the most history. The NBC deal is aimed at appealing to as many new markets as possible; not to reward one rabid fan base in a niche market. As such, the alignment with notre dame makes The most sense like it or not

Neither. I am just sick of all the conjecture surrounding the realignments and the NBC TV deal and am voicing my opinion because it's a slow Thursday and I'm bored. This is my take on the whole situation, am I not entitled to an opinion?

And as I mentioned, I don't think a vast majority of this country will care about college hockey with or without a TV deal, and that local ratings in those "rabid" markets will still be greater than the ratings on the national broadcasts IMO. Not to mention, with the BTN, some of the teams in those "rabid" markets will also have national exposure. Not that it matters because some of the teams in those "rabid" markets have been able to build national followings even without the national exposure.

[JDUBBS1280]

Re: NBC/Versus deal with College Hockey

You haven't watched very closely then.

35 years ago we had a 4 team "national" tournament, held in one location per season. Now we have a 16 team tourney that takes place in 5 different cities each season. We had no live national TV 35 years ago. Now all tournament games are on some form of national TV, and there are numerous games available to the diehards nationally each week. In 1976 there were 2 conferences that mattered, now there are 5 that will send teams to the tournament and in 2 years it will be 6. Few if any college hockey players went on to long careers in the NHL in the 1970s. I believe over a third of all NHL players on opening day rosters this season played college hockey. The NHL was almost openly hostile to NCAA hockey when I saw my first game in 1976, now there are former NCAA players throughout the NHL, some even running teams. 35 years ago no one dreamed of European players in the NCAA even as a few began playing professionally in North America. Now Notre Dame has flags of four nations hanging in its arena and other teams have also enjoyed players from far flung locations. In 1976 I was surprised if a final score didn't add up to 10 or 12 goals. Now I am surprised if it is 6 or 7.

On second thought, yeah it hasn't changed at all.

Sure I have. And I was talking about national interest in the sport, but clearly that point flew clear over your head.

[SteveF]

It was written by a Boston College fan for the Boston College newspaper. It is just one of MANY, MANY, MANY examples of people from outside Minnesota who fall in love with Gopher Hockey because of the history and tradition.

Like I said, I bump into TONS of fans at games who aren't from Minnesota and aren't Gopher fans. Minnesota has THE largest hockey fanbase in this country and that won't change IMO. The NBC deal is great for college hockey in general, but those who think it will start a shift in the balance of power are simply delusional.

Mariucci isn't nicknamed "Mecca" for no reason

Are you trying to convince us or yourself? Because you just keep repeating yourself over and over (and over) again. We get it; you like Minnesota hockey and does everyone else in Minnesota allegedly. What does that have to do with this thread?

The vast majority of the country couldn't tell you who plays the sport, let alone who is good or has the most history. The NBC deal is aimed at appealing to as many new markets as possible; not to reward one rabid fan base in a niche market. As such, the alignment with notre dame makes The most sense like it or not

[JDUBBS1280]

Re: NBC/Versus deal with College Hockey

[QUOTE=giwan;5234555]

Notre Dame doesn't, and never has, produced a vast majority of it's talent within state. The closest thing I can think of to Minnesota Hockey is Texas Football, and IMO that doesn't even really compare. /QUOTE]

I agree they may lose MN recruits but if you believe that MN hockey comes even close to TX football then those recruits will go somewhere and why not ND?

Minnesota recruits do go elsewhere. However, not many Minnesota players historically have gone East to play. Minnesota has a different hockey culture. Kids grow up wanting to play in front of friends and family in the High School Tournament, and in front of friends and family in college.

You'll still see some kids who are willing to go play a majority of their games out East, but I don't think you will see nearly as many Minnesota kids go to Notre Dame as you have seen the past several years. Even Mario Lucia, who is a legacy and chose Notre Dame (partly because of interest in not playing for his father) commented several times about how he wasn't thrilled with the idea of playing out East.

[MUhawks628]

Re: NBC/Versus deal with College Hockey

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[JDUBBS1280]

Re: NBC/Versus deal with College Hockey

Quite right. It's nicknamed that because it's what select Gopher fans refer to it as. But unlike say Michigan's The Big House or Florida's The Swamp, no one else calls it that.

Sure they do, even if it's despisingly