So you want to start up a D1 team

[4four4]

Since, the season is over I am curious to hear what USCHO posters would do if they had a chance to start up from scratch a Division one hockey program. Please try to keep the forming of a BTHC to minium. Here is the following criteria.

1.) The school of your choice has 50 million dollars to use. Any region of the country is fine, it is your choice.
2.) Currently, there is a basketball arena on campus that seats over 10,000 with bad sight lines for hockey but they do have a 1,500 seat hockey arena.
3.) When do you bring in a coach?
4.) When do you fundraise?
5.) How do you get around all the Title crap?
6.) What conference do you want to play in?
7.) Finally name the school.

[MoFan]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

University of Pennsylvania - ECAC. Used to have a team in the 1970s, would be nice to have an ECAC team close to NYC. Columbia would be impractical. Long road trip to Penn though for most teams, Penn players would live on the bus.

University of Illinois or Northwestern - CCHA. We need some college hockey in Illinois. CCHA needs another team to combat defections. Failing that, bring back Kent State but will need big funding.

University of Rhode Island - Hockey East. Obviously. They can play a Thanksgiving tournament with Brown every year (the Rhode Island Cup).

University of South Dakota - WCHA. Why should UND have all the fun? Do they have a rich alumnus?

I put a lot of thought into this but can't be bothered to answer all of the detail that you're looking for.

[STATEdude3]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

Penn State University or the University of Illinois-CU.

Both are located in states that produce college players, have existing hockey teams at various levels in the state, and have deep alumni pockets to support a new program. I think these are universities that could field competative programs pretty quickly.

As for title 9...no clue how to get around this one.

[goldy_331]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

As for title 9...no clue how to get around this one.

Start a women's team at the same time!

[bigmrg74]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

Penn State University or the University of Illinois-CU.

Both are located in states that produce college players, have existing hockey teams at various levels in the state, and have deep alumni pockets to support a new program. I think these are universities that could field competative programs pretty quickly.

As for title 9...no clue how to get around this one.

Simple, the Daddy Warbucks thats funding the start up of the Men's team is going to have to fund a women's program as well. same facilities, and an excuse to make sure you have extra locker rooms there as well so you can use it for tournements and what not.

Personally, I would like to see Syracuse and PSU start up programs, and have them team up with Ohio State to form a new conference. Niagara and Bobby Mo would probably jump on that idea, Miami and Bowling Green would likely want to stay with Ohio State, Mercyhurst would likely see the benefits of having OSU, PSU, and the Orange coming to Erie, and well, Alabama-Huntsville needs a home as well. I would have to think another western New York program would take a long look at this as well.

[BC Fan in KCMO]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

Iowa State University. They've had a club team for over 40 years that was, at one time, big enough to play in the Hilton. They now compete in the smaller, intimate Ames/ISU Ice Arena. They are consistently good in the ACHA and have excellent fan support. They could compete in the CCHA or WCHA and would have an instant rivalry with Nebraska-Omaha. I believe they could be successful on the ice and be well supported by the fanbase.

[Osorojo]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

Since, the season is over I am curious to hear what USCHO posters would do if they had a chance to start up from scratch a Division one hockey program. Please try to keep the forming of a BTHC to minium. Here is the following criteria.

1.) The school of your choice has 50 million dollars to use. Any region of the country is fine, it is your choice.
2.) Currently, there is a basketball arena on campus that seats over 10,000 with bad sight lines for hockey but they do have a 1,500 seat hockey arena.
3.) When do you bring in a coach?
4.) When do you fundraise?
5.) How do you get around all the Title crap?
6.) What conference do you want to play in?
7.) Finally name the school.

Re: #1: I suggest you ammend this statement to "The school of your choice has 50 million dollars to use and prefers not to use this money for research or education." Wouldn't this revision better describe reality?
Perhaps college hockey is simply a commercial venture. If so, I (and other college graduates) would appreciate some hard numbers from financially productive college hockey programs, and the educational improvement these profitable hockey programs gave the hockey players themselves and the educational institutions (colleges and universities) involved.

[MoFan]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

Further weakening the CCHA isn't allowed, that should be part of the rules here! Plus the smaller sub 10 team conferences don't seem to be doing that well..........I like the Syracuse idea, they could be part of an improved ECAC conference. Not sure about where PSU would fit in with logistics.

[STATEdude3]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

Bigmrg I like where you are going with that, but do you think OSU would leave the CCHA and traditional rivalries just to face upstart programs in PSU and Syracuse? I like the new conference on paper but is it practical?

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

Marquette might have the donors, and they actually have a hockey-capable 9,500 seater that is exactly one block closer to campus from their basketball arena.

Of course, Milwaukee is a black hole in the hockey landscape of Wisconsin.

That in mind, I would also imagine that someone between Chicago and St. Louis would have the money to make this happen. Between Northwestern, DePaul, Illinois, Washington University, St. Louis University... someone's got the money.

To say nothing of the fact that any of the Philly schools (not just Penn, but probably Temple and 'Nova) probably have the money.

[Beer Pong Horn]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

Ok, I'll bite.

1) Ok, $50M. Good enough to start an endowment, hire coaches, get equipment and equip a practice facility.
2) Hm. We'll say that this place holds 1,500, but even that's pushing it. Figure a bonding bill for a 4-5,000 seat arena on campus at the outset, so another $40M or so (more or less the cost of the BREC, a similar-sized arena.)
3) Lock up a name-brand guy at least 2 years out. He'll have to do all the recruiting until his assistants come on board, as well as shaping the program (though the club team has paved the way.)
4) Start some 5 years out with trusted alumni and at the state level (bonding), then break ground on a new ice-capable facility in 3 years. Sell a LOT of calendars in the meantime.
5) It appears that the school in question already has 10 men's varsity sports and 11 women's varsity sports.
6) The CCHA is the only conference that makes sense, and frankly Anastos would jump at the opportunity. If this school felt like being chivalrous, they'd make it a package deal with themselves and UAH, but there's only one open spot in the CCHA and a split league isn't happening yet.
7) The University of Kentucky Cool Cats.

[bigmrg74]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

Bigmrg I like where you are going with that, but do you think OSU would leave the CCHA and traditional rivalries just to face upstart programs in PSU and Syracuse? I like the new conference on paper but is it practical?

Its not like OSU can't sign a deal to face Michigan and OSU every year on the ice. Hell, Michigan Tech and Northern do it every year. Hell, I'm sure MTU wouldn't mind making OSU and PSU a regular invite to the GLI every other year as well if they were off in their own conference. OSU would be bringing the other Ohio Schools with them. BGSU might be a little more hesitant, being as close to Ann Arbor as what they are, but I bet they'll want to play and get the gate they get from OSU than what they do from Michigan.

[Beer Pong Horn]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

Simple, the Daddy Warbucks thats funding the start up of the Men's team is going to have to fund a women's program as well. same facilities, and an excuse to make sure you have extra locker rooms there as well so you can use it for tournements and what not.

Personally, I would like to see Syracuse and PSU start up programs, and have them team up with Ohio State to form a new conference. Niagara and Bobby Mo would probably jump on that idea, Miami and Bowling Green would likely want to stay with Ohio State, Mercyhurst would likely see the benefits of having OSU, PSU, and the Orange coming to Erie, and well, Alabama-Huntsville needs a home as well. I would have to think another western New York program would take a long look at this as well.

If Penn State forms a conference, the you-know-what will get some legs. Syracuse though, along with tOSU, BGSU, Miami, BG, Niagara, Bobby Mo, Mercyhurst, UAH and my suggestion of UK - that'd be a sweet little conference, especially with a CCHA scheduling agreement.

[MoFan]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

Syracuse would belong in the ECAC. Pulling out 4 teams from the CCHA would break the conference.

[alfablue]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

I like the idea of Marquette- no matter CCHA or WHCA. Natural rivalry with Wisconsin based on location, and natural rivalry with Notre Dame based on the nature of the school.

Think of a Chicago rink game beween Notre Dame and Marquette- that would be pretty cool.

But another Wisconsin team, IMHO, would be a good thing. Milwaukee is close enough to the CCHA to fit easily.

If not them, Northwestern. I just think that a hockey progam that's exclusive to Chicago would be drown by the Blackhawks, much like happens in Detroit (outside of the ONE game, MSU and UM don't fill JLA).

(not interested at all in BT)