Alaska / UAA : the Strategic, Restructured, Combined 2019-20 Season Thread.

[spiehler]

Re: Alaska / UAA : the Strategic, Restructured, Combined 2019-20 Season Thread.

Thrilled that there has been some positive ground made regarding the Alaskan budget situation, and that there will be Alaska college hockey this season. Looking forward to flying from Boston to Fairbanks in February to take in a game between the two teams, crossing off a big bucket list item for me. Good luck this season!

In January 2004 my wife and I visited Fairbanks to see BG play and enjoyed the trip. We recommend the Museum of the North and the Alaska RR to Anchorage. (At that time the train left Fairbanks Sunday morning.)

 

[JohnsonsJerseys]

Re: Alaska / UAA : the Strategic, Restructured, Combined 2019-20 Season Thread.

We recommend ...the Alaska RR to Anchorage. (At that time the train left Fairbanks Sunday morning.)

Yep, I'll second the train ride back to Anchorage. Certainly the best non-hockey part of my trip to Fairbanks. Awesome views and SO much better than flying. The train stopped on several of the major bridges for everyone could get scenic photos. Brutal cold, but great photos.

 

[Alaska Hockey]

Re: Alaska / UAA : the Strategic, Restructured, Combined 2019-20 Season Thread.

Yep, I'll second the train ride back to Anchorage. Certainly the best non-hockey part of my trip to Fairbanks. Awesome views and SO much better than flying. The train stopped on several of the major bridges for everyone could get scenic photos. Brutal cold, but great photos.

Most of the more talented and successful coaches make the Alaska Trip a adventure every time they came and made it part of their recruitment.............. trip adventure's... so they would take a extra day and do something buss people would never think to do.

 

[DrunkTrainPolka]

Re: Alaska / UAA : the Strategic, Restructured, Combined 2019-20 Season Thread.

its easy for me to say this, or anything, as a tech fan...

so here goes nothing;

i think the reason the mag7 split from the UA_ teams has very little to do with travel. sure its far, we tech fans know... as far as the lower 48 goes we are far from everything.

to me the split happened because of money and commitment. the AK budget crises has been brewing for a long time. the coaching hire circus at fairbanks was nothing short of ridiculous. etc, etc.

but we are where we are... so an idea, a suggestion;

pending the NCAA having some balls to actually do something (because they really do nothing). these three teams could go as independents with the NCAA requiring a rotation from every conference, for every team to visit and to be visited.

we would visit you, then something like four years later you visit us, and so on... with three teams that would mean a series every one or two years.

the three of you would have the most well rounded schedule in the entire country. half of the games at home, half away.

regardless of what happens i wish the three of you the best. and go further to say that i actually think UAH will be the 8th team if they get their commitment straightened out.

GO TECH GOLD!

 

[mmf]

Re: Alaska / UAA : the Strategic, Restructured, Combined 2019-20 Season Thread.

its easy for me to say this, or anything, as a tech fan...

so here goes nothing;

i think the reason the mag7 split from the UA_ teams has very little to do with travel. sure its far, we tech fans know... as far as the lower 48 goes we are far from everything.

to me the split happened because of money and commitment...

I appreciate you having done the leg work on this. Or I assume you have. And since I do not want to recreate the wheel, could you please tell me how much each of the ten WCHA teams spent on their hockey programs last season, or even the 2017-18 if last year’s numbers are still being gathered. I’d like to know just how far below the average UAA, UAF and UAH are. It’s hard to keep up with the LSSU’s and FSU’s of the world. Thank you in advance.

 

[gfmorris]

Re: Alaska / UAA : the Strategic, Restructured, Combined 2019-20 Season Thread.

pending the NCAA having some balls to actually do something (because they really do nothing). these three teams could go as independents with the NCAA requiring a rotation from every conference, for every team to visit and to be visited.

we would visit you, then something like four years later you visit us, and so on... with three teams that would mean a series every one or two years.

the three of you would have the most well rounded schedule in the entire country. half of the games at home, half away.

Oh my goodness, this would never, ever happen. If the Alaska exemption isn't enough to bring teams to the 49th, enforced pity from the NCAA wouldn't be, either. Getting non-conference teams to come to Huntsville is like pulling eye teeth. I stand a better chance of being the flight director of the first Mars mission's landing and egress day than this does in coming to fruition.

GFM

 

[DrunkTrainPolka]

Re: Alaska / UAA : the Strategic, Restructured, Combined 2019-20 Season Thread.

I appreciate you having done the leg work on this. Or I assume you have. And since I do not want to recreate the wheel, could you please tell me how much each of the ten WCHA teams spent on their hockey programs last season, or even the 2017-18 if last year’s numbers are still being gathered. I’d like to know just how far below the average UAA, UAF and UAH are. It’s hard to keep up with the LSSU’s and FSU’s of the world. Thank you in advance.

i have done no leg work. nor will i. it was just an idea. but you make good points/questions... anybody out there?

 

[DrunkTrainPolka]

Re: Alaska / UAA : the Strategic, Restructured, Combined 2019-20 Season Thread.

Oh my goodness, this would never, ever happen. If the Alaska exemption isn't enough to bring teams to the 49th, enforced pity from the NCAA wouldn't be, either. Getting non-conference teams to come to Huntsville is like pulling eye teeth. I stand a better chance of being the flight director of the first Mars mission's landing and egress day than this does in coming to fruition.

GFM

note to self; do not hire GFM for your space mission.

you don't dream far enough... i stand by my comment!

the exemption? hence the point of it [cost] being shared...

have you ever been to AK? i have...

as a coach or program, to be able to provide students (**** the athlete side of it) an opportunity to be there... hell... like seeing a moose at the anchorage airport parking lot.

do right! ...or never get to mars.

GO TECH GOLD!

 

[Alaska Hockey]

Re: Alaska / UAA : the Strategic, Restructured, Combined 2019-20 Season Thread.

i have done no leg work. nor will i.

typical hick..... yap... yap..... yap .......I rest my case.

 

[TalonsUpPuckDown]

Re: Alaska / UAA : the Strategic, Restructured, Combined 2019-20 Season Thread.

Sean Pickett created a revenue/expense spreadsheet a few years back for all of the public school teams. Each school accounts for revenue and expenses differently so individual numbers may not correlate precisely, but here's what he lists as expenses for the WCHA teams in 2016 (last year data is reported). While I don't vouch for it's accuracy, it's as good as anything I've seen to date.

Team	2016 Expenses*
MSU	2,362,995
UAA	2,307,122
NMU	2,247,306
MTU	2,245,567
UA	2,208,390
BGSU	1,738,879
BSU	1,671,666
UAH	1,492,281
FSU	1,470,188
LSSU	1,183,949

*Numbers taken from sheet "Yearly Hockey" column "CU - Men's Total Expenses"

I've heard a few times how my school is "in the middle of the pack" on expenses; this seems to support that.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...8HNrKyrNrPYFQNL31bf74DGDA/edit#gid=1119207498

And FWIW, I don't think it's one single reason this is happening. Nor is it necessarily the same reason(s) for each of the schools involved.

 

[DrunkTrainPolka]

Re: Alaska / UAA : the Strategic, Restructured, Combined 2019-20 Season Thread.

typical hick..... yap... yap..... yap .......I rest my case.

hick?

it was just an idea... nothing else buddy.

and let me tell you... all these three schools need all the ideas they can get.

 

[Lost_Husky]

Re: Alaska / UAA : the Strategic, Restructured, Combined 2019-20 Season Thread.

hick?

it was just an idea... nothing else buddy.

and let me tell you... all these three schools need all the ideas they can get.

DPT, they do need to think outside the box if they want to survive. I'm sure the universities are calling everyone they can to keep their programs functioning. Some people aren't open to participate in thought experiments.

 

[Bale]

Re: Alaska / UAA : the Strategic, Restructured, Combined 2019-20 Season Thread.

Sean Pickett created a revenue/expense spreadsheet a few years back for all of the public school teams. Each school accounts for revenue and expenses differently so individual numbers may not correlate precisely, but here's what he lists as expenses for the WCHA teams in 2016 (last year data is reported). While I don't vouch for it's accuracy, it's as good as anything I've seen to date.

Team	2016 Expenses*
MSU	2,362,995
UAA	2,307,122
NMU	2,247,306
MTU	2,245,567
UA	2,208,390
BGSU	1,738,879
BSU	1,671,666
UAH	1,492,281
FSU	1,470,188
LSSU	1,183,949

*Numbers taken from sheet "Yearly Hockey" column "CU - Men's Total Expenses"

I've heard a few times how my school is "in the middle of the pack" on expenses; this seems to support that.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...8HNrKyrNrPYFQNL31bf74DGDA/edit#gid=1119207498

And FWIW, I don't think it's one single reason this is happening. Nor is it necessarily the same reason(s) for each of the schools involved.

Let's be honest, it probably has very little to do with the schools themselves and more to do with things that are out of the control of the schools. The instability that was created the last couple of years by the Alaska government and the University of Alabama system can't be easy for the other 7 schools. I have zero doubt in my mind that UAA, UAF and UAH are committed to hockey and are willing to put money towards their programs. I would think UAH would be less of a concern from a stability standpoint, but lets not forget that the Alabama system essentially shut them down a few years ago and the program was saved by a few very dedicated fans and boosters. Now, let's just play devil's advocate for a minute....say the worst did happen this year. We are in July of 2019 and the season starts in 3-4 months and all of a sudden the two Alaska teams are gone from college hockey. That was a realistic possibility for a time. That leaves the other schools in the conference short of 6-8 games for the year and quite possibly each of the next 3 years (2019, 2020, and maybe 2021). This was also a topic of conversation last year and it's hard to believe that it won't be a topic of conversation next year. Now, if you take the emotion out of it, at what point do the other schools say, "we can't stay in a relationship in which we don't know if others are going to walk away and leave us hanging"? At some point the other schools are going to be cold and heartless and think about how they are going to be hurt if this keeps happening.

Essentially, you're asking the other 7 schools to hang around hoping they don't get hurt. That's a pretty big ask when it seems like it's inevitable that at least 1, if not 2 or 3, of these programs are going to fold at some point. In a perfect world, everyone would support everyone else, but in reality each of the schools has to think of themselves and make sure they survive first. I know this won't be a popular opinion, but, reading the tea leaves, it seems like this has to be what's going through the other Athletic Directors' and University Presidents' minds.

 

[davyd83]

Let's be honest, it probably has very little to do with the schools themselves and more to do with things that are out of the control of the schools. The instability that was created the last couple of years by the Alaska government and the University of Alabama system can't be easy for the other 7 schools. I have zero doubt in my mind that UAA, UAF and UAH are committed to hockey and are willing to put money towards their programs. I would think UAH would be less of a concern from a stability standpoint, but lets not forget that the Alabama system essentially shut them down a few years ago and the program was saved by a few very dedicated fans and boosters. Now, let's just play devil's advocate for a minute....say the worst did happen this year. We are in July of 2019 and the season starts in 3-4 months and all of a sudden the two Alaska teams are gone from college hockey. That was a realistic possibility for a time. That leaves the other schools in the conference short of 6-8 games for the year and quite possibly each of the next 3 years (2019, 2020, and maybe 2021). This was also a topic of conversation last year and it's hard to believe that it won't be a topic of conversation next year. Now, if you take the emotion out of it, at what point do the other schools say, "we can't stay in a relationship in which we don't know if others are going to walk away and leave us hanging"? At some point the other schools are going to be cold and heartless and think about how they are going to be hurt if this keeps happening.

Essentially, you're asking the other 7 schools to hang around hoping they don't get hurt. That's a pretty big ask when it seems like it's inevitable that at least 1, if not 2 or 3, of these programs are going to fold at some point. In a perfect world, everyone would support everyone else, but in reality each of the schools has to think of themselves and make sure they survive first. I know this won't be a popular opinion, but, reading the tea leaves, it seems like this has to be what's going through the other Athletic Directors' and University Presidents' minds.

As for the Alaska schools, the threat that was out there a few years ago blew holes in 2 recruiting classes and affected 2 more. Not only did it affect on ice recruiting, but recall the difficulties each went through in their recent coaching searches. Then when it started to look like things were going to start to return to normal, Governor Dunleavy puts them right back in the crosshairs and pulls the trigger, not only blowing up the near futures for hockey, but the rest of both schools’ athletic departments as well. You can’t blame the coaches or school administrations, it falls squarely on the Governor and it crushed the schools’ coaches, athletes and programs in ways he likely never conceived of when kicking his political football.

 

[gfmorris]

Re: Alaska / UAA : the Strategic, Restructured, Combined 2019-20 Season Thread.

note to self; do not hire GFM for your space mission.

you don't dream far enough... i stand by my comment!

the exemption? hence the point of it [cost] being shared...

have you ever been to AK? i have...

as a coach or program, to be able to provide students (**** the athlete side of it) an opportunity to be there... hell... like seeing a moose at the anchorage airport parking lot.

do right! ...or never get to mars.

GO TECH GOLD!

I work at NASA in ISS Payload Operations. I'm #2 on the MSFC side from June through the end of next week. I can tell you that no idea is worth crap without execution. I've even got spreadsheets for previous years trying to figure out an ECAC-WCHA schedule interlock that would build the WCHA's PWR and profile. It's hard.

GFM

 

[gfmorris]

Re: Alaska / UAA : the Strategic, Restructured, Combined 2019-20 Season Thread.

DPT, they do need to think outside the box if they want to survive. I'm sure the universities are calling everyone they can to keep their programs functioning. Some people aren't open to participate in thought experiments.

You're presuming that these three schools aren't doing these things. Just because it's in private doesn't mean that it's not happening.

GFM

 

[DrunkTrainPolka]

Re: Alaska / UAA : the Strategic, Restructured, Combined 2019-20 Season Thread.

I work at NASA in ISS Payload Operations. I'm #2 on the MSFC side from June through the end of next week. I can tell you that no idea is worth crap without execution. I've even got spreadsheets for previous years trying to figure out an ECAC-WCHA schedule interlock that would build the WCHA's PWR and profile. It's hard.

GFM

we would make very good friends...

...or in the least have some very good conversations.

 

[Lost_Husky]

Re: Alaska / UAA : the Strategic, Restructured, Combined 2019-20 Season Thread.

You're presuming that these three schools aren't doing these things. Just because it's in private doesn't mean that it's not happening.

GFM

Give that second sentence another read. We agree. I'm sure all three athletic departments are doing all they can to continue/grow their programs.

The "thought experiment" comment was in regards to AH.

 

[gfmorris]

Re: Alaska / UAA : the Strategic, Restructured, Combined 2019-20 Season Thread.

Give that second sentence another read. We agree. I'm sure all three athletic departments are doing all they can to continue/grow their programs.

The "thought experiment" comment was in regards to AH.

I skipped the second sentence. Grrrr, bad me.

Thing is, it's a ****ty thought experiment because there are exactly zero incentives to keep it going. I remember when we couldn't get anyone to play here. I remember when we had to play Merrimack in Nashville because they wouldn't come to Huntsville and a promoter up there was willing to put the weekend together (and, I think, took a bath).

GFM

 

[Seawolf Fan]

Re: Alaska / UAA : the Strategic, Restructured, Combined 2019-20 Season Thread.

The "thought experiment" comment was in regards to AH.

That may be a battle you will end up wishing you hadn't entered.