Michigan Getting a Women's Team?

[Hockeybuckeye]

I know Bonnie Tholl, the Michigan head softball coach and had a chance to converse with her today and I asked her if Michigan was ever going to get a women's hockey program. To my surprise she said that the university president is actually looking into a woman's hockey program for Michigan!

[wiscolorado]

I'll believe it when I see it. I hope it happens, but it seems unlikely to come to fruition anytime soon.

[Bonzo]

Still mind blowing that there are no D1 women’s hockey team’s in the state of Michigan

Especially given the fact there are 7 D1 men’s teams in Michigan

[Hockeybuckeye]

I'll believe it when I see it. I hope it happens, but it seems unlikely to come to fruition anytime soon.

I don't know anything other than what I already posted but the head coach of one of Michigan's top women's sports would certainly know what's going on there with future plans don't you think?

[Still Eeyore]

On some level, Michigan is always "looking into a woman's hockey program," but usually, it's not with any degree of seriousness. The last time they put real effort into studying the idea, which was about a decade ago, they found that, for the cost of adding women's hockey, they could add three other sports, including men's and women's lacrosse, for less money. They opted to go the route of offering more athletic opportunities, and I find it hard to blame them for that choice.

One aspect is that Yost doesn't have the locker room space to add a women's team. They would either have to play at The Cube, a substandard facility about several miles from campus, or tear down Yost and build a new arena. Given the millions they spent to renovate Yost over the last two decades, the latter isn't happening absent a Pegula like donation.

Like wisccolorado, I'm deeply skeptical that this is going anywhere. Every few years, everyone gets excited about over some whispers that, maybe, this time it's going to happen. It never does.

[ManBehindTheCurtain]

I am deeply skeptical. Michigan has had more than enough time to move on women's hockey if they had any sincere desire to do so.

On the other hand, it is hard to imagine any single thing which would provide more motivation to Wolverine hockey boosters than the reality of Ohio State winning a national championship.

[Still Eeyore]

I am deeply skeptical. Michigan has had more than enough time to move on women's hockey if they had any sincere desire to do so.

On the other hand, it is hard to imagine any single thing which would provide more motivation to Wolverine hockey boosters than the reality of Ohio State winning a national championship.

Michigan State adding women's hockey would provide far more motivation, to the point that I can't see one of them adding it without the other joining. Ohio State isn't Michigan's biggest rival in hockey, or any other sport outside of football. I always get amused whenever Ohio State fans start up anti-Michigan chants even when Michigan isn't within 300 miles. Sorry, guys, Michigan's just not that into you.

[LongGame]

Wasn’t Oakland U. getting a D1 Women’s team about 5 years ago?

Yeah, that didn’t happen, either.

[Hockeybuckeye]

I am deeply skeptical. Michigan has had more than enough time to move on women's hockey if they had any sincere desire to do so.

The current university president at Michigan came on board last October so after settling in and getting up to speed along with prioritizing things it's within reason that he is now looking into the women's hockey situation. New president, new timeline, priorities and goals!

[Russell Jaslow]

Still mind blowing that there are no D1 women’s hockey team’s in the state of Michigan

And only one D3 program (Adrian), now that Finlandia is closing its doors.

[wiscolorado]

I don't know anything other than what I already posted but the head coach of one of Michigan's top women's sports would certainly know what's going on there with future plans don't you think?

I honestly don't think the softball coach at Michigan is likely to know that much more than any of the rest of us about the likelihood of them adding varsity women's hockey anytime soon. For the reasons that others have mentioned in this thread, I think it's unlikely to happen anytime soon, if ever. I'd love to be wrong.

[Hockeybuckeye]

I honestly don't think the softball coach at Michigan is likely to know that much more than any of the rest of us

She been there for decades, first as a player and then as associate head coach and now as head coach. She been Carol Hutchins right hand and Hutch is the winningest coach of all time of all Michigan's sports.
I've known Bonnie for 18 years and have full confidence in her knowledge of what's going on in Michigan's athletic department and what she says to me is not hearsay.
She may not have details about plans for hockey but she does know for certain that discussions for women's hockey are currently happening.

[Hockeybuckeye]

Here's a link to a extremely interested read from a year ago about Michigan women's hockey.

https://www.michigandaily.com/sports...ce-is-glaring/

[PondHockeyGuy]

What is also interesting is that Denise Ilitch, president of Ilitch Holdings that runs Little Caesar’s and the Red Wings, has been a Regent at Michigan since 2008. You would think that she would be stronger advocate for Women’s Hockey at Michigan.

[bodyup88]

Well, the Wolverines are also at least two iterations removed from the Red Berenson era, who vowed there would never be women's varsity hockey in Ann Arbor as long as he was involved.