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McLeod to Retire; What to Make of His Reign

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  • McLeod to Retire; What to Make of His Reign

    Concentrate on what he did with the growth of the Final Five into college hockey's second biggest event? 8 national championships? 10 Hobey Bakers? Or "The Guy Who Failed to Save College Hockey's Best Conference"?

    I don't think anyone could have kept MN and WI on board. They're Big 14 in every other sport, and their membership in that conference pre-dates even their WCHA membership. Now, the other 6 who left...I have to think there was more he could have done. Those schools traded Kato, BSU, Tech, and UAA as conference opponents for Miami and Western Michigan. That's not a deal so delicious that nothing could have been done.

    Oh well. Remember the good stuff, right?

  • #2
    Re: McLeod to Retire; What to Make of His Reign

    I think the writing was on the wall once the nWCHA transition was complete. Best of luck wherever life takes him.

    That said, the nWCHA has a good opportunity to bring in a dynamic leader. It'll be interesting to watch the transition unfold.

    Also, does this mean the WCHA will move its office away from Denver?
    “We offer no apology for our location at 64 51’21’’ north latitude. We are building for the future and we are confident that well directed effort and education are the forces which make progress possible”

    —UA President Charles E. Bunnell, 1925

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    • #3
      Re: McLeod to Retire; What to Make of His Reign

      remember the good stuff.

      I don't think it was his fault. MN and WI had to leave and DU and UND were hell bent on making a "superior" league. which is pretty ironic as that was what we already had.
      Originally posted by mtu_huskies
      "We are not too far away from a national championship," said (John) Scott.
      Boosh Factor 4

      Originally posted by Brent Hoven
      Yeah, but you're my favorite hag.

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      • #4
        Re: McLeod to Retire; What to Make of His Reign

        Originally posted by Squarebanks View Post
        Also, does this mean the WCHA will move its office away from Denver?
        finally.
        Originally posted by mtu_huskies
        "We are not too far away from a national championship," said (John) Scott.
        Boosh Factor 4

        Originally posted by Brent Hoven
        Yeah, but you're my favorite hag.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by huskyfan View Post
          finally.
          What's a likely destination? Minneapolis perhaps? Probably depends somewhat on who they hire.
          “We offer no apology for our location at 64 51’21’’ north latitude. We are building for the future and we are confident that well directed effort and education are the forces which make progress possible”

          —UA President Charles E. Bunnell, 1925

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          • #6
            Re: McLeod to Retire; What to Make of His Reign

            Also, I'd say remember the good stuff. The Big 10 schools were contractually obligated to play in a B1G league once that conference decided to sponsor hockey...nothing could have been done.

            UND and DU were lost causes...all they really have to show for it now is a similar conference schedule and a tv deal on an obscure sports network that most people don't get.

            The WCHA was a heck of a league for a long time under his watch...almost like the SEC of college hockey in many ways.
            “We offer no apology for our location at 64 51’21’’ north latitude. We are building for the future and we are confident that well directed effort and education are the forces which make progress possible”

            —UA President Charles E. Bunnell, 1925

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            • #7
              Re: McLeod to Retire; What to Make of His Reign

              Originally posted by Squarebanks View Post
              What's a likely destination? Minneapolis perhaps? Probably depends somewhat on who they hire.
              4 schools in Michigan, 1 in Ohio, why not Grand Rapids? Although I think the Xcel should still host every other tournament

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              • #8
                Originally posted by purpleinnebraska View Post
                4 schools in Michigan, 1 in Ohio, why not Grand Rapids? Although I think the Xcel should still host every other tournament
                Well at least one, maybe two, of the Michigan schools are actually closer to Minnesota. And travel connections for pretty much the whole conference is easier from Minnesota.
                U-A-A!!!Go!Go!GreenandGold!
                Applejack Tells You How UAA Is Doing...
                I spell Failure with UAF

                Originally posted by UAFIceAngel
                But let's be real...There are 40 some other teams and only two alaskan teams...the day one of us wins something big will be the day I transfer to UAA
                Originally posted by Doyle Woody
                Best sign by a visting Seawolf fan Friday went to a young man who held up a piece of white poster board that read: "YOU CAN'T SPELL FAILURE WITHOUT UAF."

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                • #9
                  Re: McLeod to Retire; What to Make of His Reign

                  Originally posted by Squarebanks View Post
                  What's a likely destination? Minneapolis perhaps? Probably depends somewhat on who they hire.
                  Houghton, MI - Lot's of low cost office space available.
                  On a serious note, I could see Green Bay being chosen if they don't pick a city that houses a league member.

                  As for how Bruce is remembered, regardless of what the WCHA won under his watch, his legacy will be what was lost.
                  Ryan J
                  Preserving Michigan Tech's Hockey History
                  https://www.johnsonsjerseys.net
                  Originally posted by geezer
                  Tech has the best of everything, even the best jersey nerd.
                  Originally posted by manurespreader
                  ...I really enjoyed listening to Ryan Johnson. He sounded intelligent.

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                  • #10
                    Re: McLeod to Retire; What to Make of His Reign

                    Now that he is leaving, I just have a feeling that the WCHA's social media presence will be much better.

                    I will always wonder how he acted like he didn't know that the NCHC was forming when Schlossman had a report (and other people reported his report about a new super league). Did he talk to people and they lied to him? Or did he sit pat and thought nothing would happen?

                    He obviously led the league through its best days but no doubt his legacy will have a large "but" at the end of it.
                    tUMD Hockey

                    "And there is a banana running around the DECC." "Well you don't see that every day..."

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by purpleinnebraska View Post
                      4 schools in Michigan, 1 in Ohio, why not Grand Rapids? Although I think the Xcel should still host every other tournament
                      Travel is a lot easier from MSP than Grand Rapids (or Green Bay). If HQ goes to michigan, I'd bet on Detroit or possibly Lansing.

                      If it's a centralized location they're after, Chicago would also work.
                      “We offer no apology for our location at 64 51’21’’ north latitude. We are building for the future and we are confident that well directed effort and education are the forces which make progress possible”

                      —UA President Charles E. Bunnell, 1925

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: McLeod to Retire; What to Make of His Reign

                        Why does McLeod get credit for the power of the WCHA in his heyday or the strength of the Final Five? Shouldn't the credit go to the member schools?

                        Same for the blame of the schools leaving. I think unless he got some powerful school to join the conference or had a great idea that changed the game, he was largely a figurehead. That is what most commissioners are.
                        Originally posted by SJHovey
                        Pretty sure this post, made on January 3, 2016, when UNO was 14-3-1 and #2 in the pairwise, will go down in USCHO lore as The Curse of Tipsy McStagger.
                        Originally posted by Brenthoven
                        We mourn for days after a loss, puff out our chests for a week or more after we win. We brave the cold for tailgates, our friends know not to ask about the game after a tough loss, we laugh, we cry, we BLEED hockey, specifically the maroon'n'gold. Many of us have a tattoo waiting in the wings, WHEN (not IF) the Gophers are champions again.

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                        • #13
                          Re: McLeod to Retire; What to Make of His Reign

                          Originally posted by Biddco View Post
                          Now that he is leaving, I just have a feeling that the WCHA's social media presence will be much better.

                          I will always wonder how he acted like he didn't know that the NCHC was forming when Schlossman had a report (and other people reported his report about a new super league). Did he talk to people and they lied to him? Or did he sit pat and thought nothing would happen?

                          He obviously led the league through its best days but no doubt his legacy will have a large "but" at the end of it.
                          I disagree, I don't see any reason to slap an asterisk next to Bruce McLeod's legacy. Most will remember him as a dedicated individual and leader in the sport who made significant contributions to the expansion of the college hockey during his notable and successful 20 year tenure as WCHA commissioner.

                          This subject has been discussed ad infinitum/ad nauseam, but I think it's important to reiterate the facts here. It's not as if McLeod acted as if he didn't know about the potential formation of a new league. In actual fact, UND AD Brian Faison and Gwoz who were the prime movers in initiating the breakup, made absolutely no attempt to contact him, negotiate nor include him in the information loop whatsoever! Keep in mind, WCHA member schools had already discussed the possibility of adding additional members to bolster the league's profile and add a recruiting edge in their annual meeting that year to offset the imminent departure of Mn and Wis.

                          “I’m not sure why or whatever; I’m not privy to those conversations. I’ve never had a conversation with North Dakota or Denver about their plans that they’re pushing,” McLeod said. “At this point, I haven’t thought about Plan B at all. I’m still working on the assumption that we’re together as 10 [teams after Minnesota and Wisconsin leave for the Big Ten] and, as unanimously directed by the group in Florida [at league meetings in April], can consider extending an invitation to anybody that could strengthen the league. And that’s our plan.”
                          It's clear McLeod is not to be blamed for the defection of current NCHC teams from the WCHA. Mn and Wis had no choice but to affirm their allegiance to the Big Ten...that's a no brainer. But what UND and Denver (primarily Faison and their UND boosters) did was nothing more than a power grab to become more competitive financially and in recruiting by choosing the "six cutest girls at the prom" that would ultimately compete with the BTHC in recruiting and TV revenue by inking a big media package comparable to BTN thus providing national exposure and equally profitable dividends (NBCSN). How self absorbed were they? When Notre Dame, after a long deliberation, finally decided their preference was to join the NCHC with their NBCSN media package in tow, UND said "sorry we don't want you" because ND had more executive clout with NBCSN than UND and of course UND was far too self absorbed to acquiesce to anyone at that point. The onus in the end was they signed a relatively insignificant media deal with CBS Sports.

                          Faison said the new conference enables UND to take care of two big concerns. "From a scheduling standpoint and recruiting standpoint," he said, "we knew we had to compete with the Big Ten Conference. A group coalesced with the same perspectives, issues and concerns."
                          Then in an untimely and presumptuous manner with fervent speculation looming large throughout the ranks of college hockey, jack***** egomaniac Faison hints to the press that he has "concerns" about the administration of the WCHA, which essentially deflected the blame for the breakup on Bruce McLeod. What a crock of ****.

                          Faison told the Herald that he has concerns with “the administrative side of the WCHA.”
                          North Dakota athletic director Brian Faison told the Herald. “At the end of the day we have to do what’s in the best interest of UND hockey, and that’s what we’re going to do. It’s an emotional decision. It’s a business decision.”
                          I thought it was comical that when the decisive moment finally arrived to announce the NCHC to the world, a 20-minute press conference was held to unveil the big plan for the league to challenge the Big Ten, but it was spent mostly discussing the historical tradition of the room the meeting was held in, not the earth shaking impact that the NCHC "super conference" was hoping to create. In retrospect, despite their grandiose expectations and agenda for self preservation, most would agree there's NOTHING "super" at all about the so-called "super conference", it was pure greedy BS. Merry Christmas.

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                          • #14
                            Re: McLeod to Retire; What to Make of His Reign

                            To all that it may concern,
                            The NCHC is purely about greedy b.s. nothing more...
                            Sincerely, the big ten conference

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                            • #15
                              Re: McLeod to Retire; What to Make of His Reign

                              McLeod saved the present WCHA and I will always be gratefully for that. He is leaving a winner. Good for him.
                              Upper Deck Fan

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