Hockey Expansion

[DownOnTheFarm]

Re: Hockey Expansion

Where are the great beaches close to campus at San Jose, Berkeley and Palo Alto?

Santa Cruz is only 20 mins from San Jose and Palo Alto. Berkeley granted isn't close to the beach but it's right over the bridge from San Francisco and there are a few "beaches" on the west side of SF.

[FloridaCat]

Re: Hockey Expansion

Was an ice plant included in the Assembly Hall renovation? Last I knew, it wasn't and their current ice rink is like 150' x 250' or some weird dimension like that and only seats 500.

No ice plant for Assembly Hall. Remodeling plans finalized. I had an acquaintance on the IU club hockey team tell me in 2011 that the university would not consider hockey until they were done with an Assembly Hall replacement/remodel. Last time I was in an ice rink in Bloomington it was city owned and sat at most 500. That was in 2001. IU would need to build an ice arena.

[cetihcra]

I just don't see the ACHA as equal to NCAA hockey. Sure there may be talent at the ACHA Division 1 level, but I think of them as below Div 3 NCAA sports.

While there are some talented players, ACHA D1 is wayyy below D3. There were several straight recent years where the D1 club champion was invited to a D3 holiday tournament, and went 0-2, with blowouts involved.

The biggest thing is probably the coaching and quality of systems, but there is also a big talent gap.

r

[Star2City]

Re: Hockey Expansion

Liberty is adding on to its rink to have over 3000 seats, including chairbacks and suites. Not typical behavior for club teams. Is Liberty an unannounced future member of Atlantic Hockey?

[SJHovey]

Re: Hockey Expansion

If ASU joins the Big Ten I will be sorely disappointed, but not surprised.

I have to believe that's the way it's going to go. As a UND fan, and fan of the NCHC, I personally hope it goes that way. I know I'm probably in the minority, but I think it will be better for the conference if ASU doesn't join.

First, I don't want to have a 9 team conference, and I don't want to engage in a scramble just to add a 10th. I know some have suggested Notre Dame as a 10th, but I don't see that happening, and they add pretty much the same problem as ASU. That problem is this. They just don't fit with our current NCHC schools. They are not similar institutions. They are not traditional rivals of any of our schools in anything. Basically they would use the NCHC as a place to park their program until a better offer comes along.

I am really hoping they go another way, most likely, the B1G.

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Hockey Expansion

Liberty is adding on to its rink to have over 3000 seats, including chairbacks and suites. Not typical behavior for club teams. Is Liberty an unannounced future member of Atlantic Hockey?

I've heard this rumour a few times. Would have been more interesting if Falwell were still with us and went to away games.

[John J. MacInnes]

Re: Hockey Expansion

I've heard this rumour a few times. Would have been more interesting if Falwell were still with us and went to away games.

I wonder what their TV contract would look like. Could they piggyback on all those affiliates on Sunday mornings?

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Hockey Expansion

I wonder what their TV contract would look like. Could they piggyback on all those affiliates on Sunday mornings?

Maybe they'll get a contract with ABC Family, or whatever CBN is called now.

Wait, that's the same company that owns ESPN. Maybe TBN...

Can't wait to see them get in the Café, though... Rover and Scooby would lose their minds.

[alfablue]

Re: Hockey Expansion

If ASU joins the Big Ten I will be sorely disappointed, but not surprised.

How come?

I actually don't have a feeling adding ASU to the B1G- and based on other not complete sports that are B1G, this would almost be expected.

Maybe I'm numb over the addition of Nebraska, Maryland, and Rutgers.

Based on the school size and bulk of athletic budget, they are very much a fit for the B1G and that's pretty much it.

[pgb-ohio]

Re: Hockey Expansion

If ASU joins the Big Ten I will be sorely disappointed, but not surprised.

While I understand where you're coming from, I think such an alliance might prove to be a positive for a period of time. For me, the greater problem for the B1G is that 6 teams is just too small for a conference. We need some temporary partners until more B1G schools are ready to join us. For ASU, the problem is that they temporarily need a place to play until other PAC-12 schools follow their lead.

A couple of loose analogies:

1. The old NFC Central featured four Midwestern teams -- and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The arrangement gave Tampa a landing place in the NFL. My recollection is that the Midwestern NFL teams had no objections to an annual trip to Florida. I'm guessing the players and coaches of B1G Hockey would be fine with a once-a-season trip to AZ. Obviously the NFL continued to grow, and the Bucs eventually found a better geographical fit. But as a temporary, mid-range solution, the NFC Central worked out fine.

2. Back in the '80s the WCHA played an interlocking schedule with Hockey East for a few seasons. True, that amount of regular season travel didn't make sense for the long run. But Hockey East was a fledgling league at the time, and games with the Western schools put them on a nice track to national credibility. (as opposed to a steady diet of former ECAC conference mates) For the WCHA, the situation was exactly what the B1G now faces: Six teams is just too small. So the interlock was a scheduling solution for both sides. When the benefits ran their course, it went away. I'd call that a success story.

Perfect analogies? No. But reasons to believe that an alliance with ASU might have some positives? I say yes.