Will Rutgers and/or Pitt ever do hockey?

[slowe]

There had been some interest, or at least discussion, of hockey at Maryland in the past. They also have a ton of money in the coffers; maybe not Nebraska but significant. Now that they're going to the B1G, I would bet that conversation might start again.

Maryland definitely does not have money in the coffers. Before accepting BIG membership they had to cut something like 7 sports due to lack of money. They are also still fighting with the ACC over an exit fee over $50 million. Rumor is the BIG front loaded their payments (new members get a smaller share for a few years) to help offset their financial difficulties. The only reason Maryland left the ACC was a money grab to fix their sinking ship. While I would love it, i would be shocked if they explore hockey any time soon. Too bad. With Ovechkin I hear it's really grown around that area.

[mookie1995]

Re: Will Rutgers and/or Pitt ever do hockey?

And again
Pitt has no place to play. They ain't putting up an arena in Oakland either.

Would enjoy if they did, but not happening

[Red Cows]

Re: Will Rutgers and/or Pitt ever do hockey?

When people postulate about this, they need to remember:

1. Who has the facilities to do it? If they don't, are they in a position to build them?

2. Who has the money to do it? Both at inception, and, going forward. Hockey is expensive.

3. Who is in a position to deal with the Title 9 implications? This is also a money issue if you have to add women's scholarships to stay in compliance and that also potentially makes it a facility concern as well.

4. Who has the administration, fanbase, and booster support to do this? Generally, my guess would be the farther north your school is, the more likely this sentiment is to exist.

Adding hockey isn't a slam dunk anywhere by any stretch of the imagination or a lot more schools would be playing it.

[Red Cows]

Re: Will Rutgers and/or Pitt ever do hockey?

And, just as of today, here is another little dynamic in the whole Husker hockey thing:

http://www.omaha.com/article/2014032...first-6-months

[Tipsy McStagger]

I've addressed the issue of Husker hockey and this facility (the Breslow Ice Center) numerous times in various threads over the past 3 years.

In as small a nutshell as I can make it:

Whether the Huskers go D-1 with their hockey program (they have one, an ACHA team) will be almost totally driven by fans, boosters, and, perhaps, the Big 10 Conference itself, no matter what pronouncements you currently hear from the school on the topic from Shawn Eichorst and the Athletic Department. If the right boosters (read: the NU Foundation, among others) want this, then what Shawn Eichorst says/wants isn't really going to matter in the end. At Nebraska, the tail DOES wag the dog.

The Big 10 Hockey Conference really doesn't "work" with 6 teams and my bet is that the conference is going to work towards getting a couple schools to add teams. Does anybody really think they want to stay static at only 6 teams? I sure don't. NU, with the addition of this building, will then have the practice facility they will need to sustain such a program (a problem that currently plagues UNO, I might add), besides the arena needed to actually play in.

So, Nebraska has cleared the facilities hurdle although the Pinnacle Bank Center would then have to shoehorn into itself a hockey program along with NU men's and women's basketball and along with the building's litany of concerts and the like.

Funding is not really a big issue at Nebraska, either. The NU Foundation has cash reserves in excess of a billion dollars. For those that don't know, this is the fundraising side of NU:

http://nebraska.edu/nu-foundation.html

This is a "private" corporation. To give you an idea of the scope and scale of this operation, the NU foundation has 250 full time employees. You want to know how Nebraska is what it is, where it is, look no further than to this organization and then think about who some famous NU alum are, starting with people like Warren Buffett on the business side and Johnny Carson on the entertainment side of things. This is the reason why Nebraska has facilities that take a back seat to no one, anywhere, and endows a large number of sports programs (for a state and school this size) and has one of the 10 largest athletic department budgets (note: I said BUDGET, not revenues) in the U.S. I mean, this is a school that has a volleyball, only, facility, that seats more than 9,000 people (and sells it out every single night) to give you an idea. They have state-of-the-art sand volleyball facilities at NU, for crying out loud. The Huskers even have a bowling facility, for THAT program (in which Nebraska is a national power with few peers, I might add).

Nebraska is an utterly unique situation where there is almost no competition for sports dollars from pro teams and little of consequence from other collegiate institutions, except, perhaps, from Creighton basketball.

One big hurdle, one that everyone always seems to want to gloss over, is Title 9 considerations. This is a biggie and is already a "problem" at Nebraska since they currently already endow more male athletic scholarships than female athletic scholarships. The "simple" solution would be for NU to also add women's hockey at the same time. That's where this all gets complicated a bit since they need a place to play, too, and the demand for dates at the Pinnacle Bank Center would seem to be getting stretched mighty thin at that point. They wouldn't seem to be able to play in the Breslow Center, either, since, as currently envisioned, this facility is only going to seat 700 or so. I couldn't really envision a situation where the University would allow the women's team to play in a hole like the Icebox in Lincoln (which seats 5,010 for hockey and is currently home to the Lincoln Stars of the USHL) so this is an issue that would have to be addressed, somehow. Locker rooms in the Icebox would be just the tip of the iceberg there.

It's worth mentioning in this discourse that Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln was built with all the piping put into the floor if they want to make ice there and that that this was a last minute addition to the building.

Hmmmmmmm.

So, for a school the publicly says they have no plans to add hockey, they sure are doing a great impression of someone that is, now aren't they? This gives you something of an idea of the disconnect between what the school says, and reality. It's also worth mentioning that Eichorst has just over year on the job as A.D. and he may not really realize, himself, just how much all of this isn't really "in his hands", as yet. He may get a dose of that later this year since there is a VERY significant portion of Husker Nation that wants Bo Pelini gone and if the football team doesn't have an "acceptable" upcoming season, Eichorst is going to find out just how little say he has, because that sentiment is then going to then come to a screaming crescendo. It's close, now. He is in Pelini's corner, obviously, but that isn't going to matter if the "right" people decide otherwise. Ask Bill Callahan and Steve Peterson about that.

My bet is that you are correct and that hockey is in the offing at Nebraska at some point in the not too terribly distant future. And, I think the most plausible scenario for this to happen is that they are pushed that way by Jim Delany and the Big 10 itself, since the conference would seem to need to add a couple schools. Under the circumstances, Nebraska is by far the most ideal candidate in the Big 10 right now in terms of the infrastructure, monies, etc. needed to do so.

And, they have a ready-made rival just 50 miles up the interstate, too.

Holy crap, if this is as simple as you can make it, the answer is probably no.

[FireKnight]

Re: Will Rutgers and/or Pitt ever do hockey?

3. Who is in a position to deal with the Title 9 implications? This is also a money issue if you have to add women's scholarships to stay in compliance and that also potentially makes it a facility concern as well.

Syracuse is the perfect example of Title IX issues. It's a shame they added women's hockey but not men's. Want to talk about a slam dunk for a market, especially since their squeakball team seems to run out of gas in March.

[FireKnight]

Re: Will Rutgers and/or Pitt ever do hockey?

Maryland definitely does not have money in the coffers. Before accepting BIG membership they had to cut something like 7 sports due to lack of money. They are also still fighting with the ACC over an exit fee over $50 million. Rumor is the BIG front loaded their payments (new members get a smaller share for a few years) to help offset their financial difficulties. The only reason Maryland left the ACC was a money grab to fix their sinking ship. While I would love it, i would be shocked if they explore hockey any time soon. Too bad. With Ovechkin I hear it's really grown around that area.

That's interesting. As a Maryland alum (grad school), they at least seemed to imply to us that moving to the B1G was indeed money related but that it would allow them to repair and expand the athletic department. I don't doubt your story but we were at least given the indication that the B1G move was a big payday.

[Patronick]

Re: Will Rutgers and/or Pitt ever do hockey?

Whenever this question comes up, a bunch of schools always pop into my head in a "they just sound like they should have a hockey team" list.

Syracuse
Buffalo
Colorado
Colorado State
Illinois
Northwestern
Iowa
Indiana
Purdue

I know there are probably a dozen reasons (or at least IX) why they don't, and I imagine a lot of it has to do with the sheer cost of new ice facilities. I agree with the post about the Big 10 - I believe it's going to drag at least two of its schools into the fray within the next 5-6 years. Nebraska makes a lot of sense. If I were a betting man (and I am) I'd put my money on either Northwestern or Illinois joining the Cornhuskers when the Big eventually expands.

[FireKnight]

Re: Will Rutgers and/or Pitt ever do hockey?

Whenever this question comes up, a bunch of schools always pop into my head in a "they just sound like they should have a hockey team" list.

Syracuse
Buffalo
Colorado
Colorado State
Illinois
Northwestern
Iowa
Indiana
Purdue

I know there are probably a dozen reasons (or at least IX) why they don't, and I imagine a lot of it has to do with the sheer cost of new ice facilities. I agree with the post about the Big 10 - I believe it's going to drag at least two of its schools into the fray within the next 5-6 years. Nebraska makes a lot of sense. If I were a betting man (and I am) I'd put my money on either Northwestern or Illinois joining the Cornhuskers when the Big eventually expands.

Buffalo State actually has a D-3 program and a "small" arena for D-1 that Canisius uses. U-Buffalo doesn't have a hockey facility at all and I can't imagine that anyone is considering it in the budget the way our state is. (Who knows, maybe if the Sabres get run out of town, the NHL arena will be looking for some guests.)

Two state schools that would be in a better position to add hockey would be U-Albany and U-Binghamton. Both are D-1 schools already and both could theoretically have access to facilities. U-Albany has two division 1 rinks in town as well as the TUC for bigger events. Binghamton has the Broome County facility which would actually be a good size arena for D-1.

Do I think any of the state schools are going to add hockey? Not anytime soon. Given the uptick in hockey programs in the Capital District, I'd think Albany would be the one with the most potential, especially as they've been supporting their athletic programs much more recently.

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: Will Rutgers and/or Pitt ever do hockey?

Whenever this question comes up, a bunch of schools always pop into my head in a "they just sound like they should have a hockey team" list.

Syracuse
Buffalo
Colorado
Colorado State
Illinois
Northwestern
Iowa
Indiana
Purdue

I know there are probably a dozen reasons (or at least IX) why they don't, and I imagine a lot of it has to do with the sheer cost of new ice facilities. I agree with the post about the Big 10 - I believe it's going to drag at least two of its schools into the fray within the next 5-6 years. Nebraska makes a lot of sense. If I were a betting man (and I am) I'd put my money on either Northwestern or Illinois joining the Cornhuskers when the Big eventually expands.

Purdue's athletic department is not in nearly sound enough financial shape to think about adding hockey, and most of IUs finanacial health depends on robust booster support of the traditionally sound basketball team. Neither will add hockey anytime soon without their own Terry Pegula. And while there is always some sort of hockey being played at the either the junior or minor pro level (or both) in Indy -- it is where Gretzky started his major league career after all -- there really is not much interest in the sport in the Hoosier state. And the vast majority of it is in the northern quarter of the state.

[Jasma]

Buffalo State actually has a D-3 program and a "small" arena for D-1 that Canisius uses. U-Buffalo doesn't have a hockey facility at all and I can't imagine that anyone is considering it in the budget the way our state is. (Who knows, maybe if the Sabres get run out of town, the NHL arena will be looking for some guests.)

Two state schools that would be in a better position to add hockey would be U-Albany and U-Binghamton. Both are D-1 schools already and both could theoretically have access to facilities. U-Albany has two division 1 rinks in town as well as the TUC for bigger events. Binghamton has the Broome County facility which would actually be a good size arena for D-1.

Do I think any of the state schools are going to add hockey? Not anytime soon. Given the uptick in hockey programs in the Capital District, I'd think Albany would be the one with the most potential, especially as they've been supporting their athletic programs much more recently.

UAlbany is very unlikely to add an expensive sport like hockey. They just built a new football stadium and moved their program to the best IAA league in the country. They want to spend millions more on the football facility and need to add more scholarships to make that program successful. Binghamton is a better bet, but with all the recent problems with their men's hoops program they are likely to lay low for some time. Not likely we will see another D1 program in the Empire State soon.

[SteveP]

Re: Will Rutgers and/or Pitt ever do hockey?

Having spent (until this past season) eleven years with Penn State hockey, let me add my perspective to the annual debate of which school is ready to make the jump.

One of the big reasons that got Terry Pegula interested in funding D-1 hockey was the incredible fan base behind the Penn State Icers. The old Greenberg was regularly sold out night in and night out. Very few schools with existing ACHA teams can match the support level from fans, students and the school administration.

Ones that come to mind right away are Ohio, Illinois, Arizona, Rhode Island and Delaware. The vast majority of teams, even at the D-1 level, play in almost empty community rinks.

There's been the rumor of the Jimmy John's founder funding varsity hockey at Illinois, a group of alums looking to raise funding at Colorado State and various others dipping a toe in the water (Navy, Rhode Island). I doubt that any will happen in the near future. In my humble opinion, Illinois might be the best bet, with Navy a possibility for Atlantic Hockey with UConn soon to be heading East.

[MGoBlueHockey]

Re: Will Rutgers and/or Pitt ever do hockey?

Maybe if Rutgers gets a team Michigan can manage to get to .500 against them in their first year.


****.

[Hockey Monk]

Re: Will Rutgers and/or Pitt ever do hockey?

Red Cows,

I hope you do not mind but I posted your post from here on the Scout Nebraska board:

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=204&f=4511&t=12761573

Also, as much as I want Nebraska to make the jump the rumors on the PBA are the sightlines are really bad for hockey as it is a basketball specific design. At the same time it holds 12k+ for hockey so maybe if you block off or tarp 3k of the really bad seats you could still have 9k for hockey.

What are your thoughts of the PBA as you could see the ice floor goes deep into one side:

http://www.1011now.com/localsports/h...213216951.html

Also, here is another look at where the ice floor sits during construction....seems like lots of seats need to be folded back:

http://journalstar.com/news/local/ar...b13b56a85.html

[Red Cows]

Re: Will Rutgers and/or Pitt ever do hockey?

Red Cows,

I hope you do not mind but I posted your post from here on the Scout Nebraska board:

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=204&f=4511&t=12761573

Also, as much as I want Nebraska to make the jump the rumors on the PBA are the sightlines are really bad for hockey as it is a basketball specific design. At the same time it holds 12k+ for hockey so maybe if you block off or tarp 3k of the really bad seats you could still have 9k for hockey.

What are your thoughts of the PBA as you could see the ice floor goes deep into one side:

http://www.1011now.com/localsports/h...213216951.html

Also, here is another look at where the ice floor sits during construction....seems like lots of seats need to be folded back:

http://journalstar.com/news/local/ar...b13b56a85.html

I haven't been in Pinnacle Bank Center as yet. I do have a standing invite from a customer of mine there that is a suite holder to take in an event there, though. I need to take him up on this. I will say this, though; having a new facility with bad sight lines is better than having no facility at all.

Given the Nebraska lemmings that exist around here, I think Husker D-1 hockey would fill that building on an almost nightly basis. NU fans are a species of some of the biggest bandwaggoners I have ever seen.

Something that I have mentioned elsewhere, too---I firmly believe that Husker hockey would come at the expense of the Lincoln Stars. I don't think there are enough hockey dollars for both and, unlike the Lancers situation in Omaha where they were a long established big, big winner in a much bigger city, I think Stars fans would abandon them in droves for a Husker program. There are some UNO "fans" that would probably do this as well. I'd certainly follow both since they would be in different conferences but my loyalty would be to UNO, obviously.