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Announced: UConn to Hockey East

Re: Announced: UConn to Hockey East

ericredaxe said:
My point was more that a for a true rivalry the feeling has to be reciprocated both ways, and while right now 50% of UConn fans are viewing BC as their rival, there are close to zero BC fans that will feel the same way. It is similar for when BU plays BC in basketball.... a lot of BU kids make it out to be some big rivalry game, but to BC, its just another non-conference game against a weaker opponent. The same goes for when BC plays Duke or UNC in basketball, or when NU plays BU in hockey. There are plenty of cases where one team draws the ire of an opposing teams fan base..... but that does not make it a rivalry.
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I think we agree. I guess I see it this way...there are rivalries and there are what I'd call big games, for one side or the other. BC-Duke is actually a good example. For BC its a huge deal. And beating them would be big news. For Duke its a game they expect to win, and barring some unique circumstances nobody in Durham circles it on the calander, and it isn't one they highlight on the season ticket brochure...for UConn Hockey, at least in the beginning, probably always, BC will be a big game. For BC in the early years not so much. In 10 years, who can say...If UConn were somehow to win a bunch of the early games, maybe knock BC out of the HEA championship on a controvertial goal, maybe it becomes a rivalry. If BC's program falls off after york steps down, but UConn and UMass have a series of great games, maybe it becomes just another game, and that become a rivary.
 
Re: Announced: UConn to Hockey East

Jim said:
I think we agree. I guess I see it this way...there are rivalries and there are what I'd call big games, for one side or the other. BC-Duke is actually a good example. For BC its a huge deal. And beating them would be big news. For Duke its a game they expect to win, and barring some unique circumstances nobody in Durham circles it on the calander, and it isn't one they highlight on the season ticket brochure...for UConn Hockey, at least in the beginning, probably always, BC will be a big game. For BC in the early years not so much. In 10 years, who can say...If UConn were somehow to win a bunch of the early games, maybe knock BC out of the HEA championship on a controvertial goal, maybe it becomes a rivalry. If BC's program falls off after york steps down, but UConn and UMass have a series of great games, maybe it becomes just another game, and that become a rivary.
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I could definitely see UMass becoming a rival for UConn over the years, since there is a history of the teams, and they realistically can be on the same level competitively fairly soon. I don't see BC becoming a rivalry game only because of the presence of BU, which will always be rival #1, as well as the other established HE rivalries with UNH and Maine. That, in addition to the fact that UConn is years and years away from being able to compete consistently with BC, it's hard to see it developing into much of a rivalry. UMass, definitely PC, and maybe Lowell since they hate everyone, I can see turning into rivalry games.
 
Re: Announced: UConn to Hockey East

ericredaxe said:
My point was more that a for a true rivalry the feeling has to be reciprocated both ways, and while right now 50% of UConn fans are viewing BC as their rival, there are close to zero BC fans that will feel the same way.
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Not really. In hockey, BC is light years ahead. No one at UConn feels any sort of rivalry. They feel lucky that their guys will be on the same ice as BC twice a year in two year's time.

In BB, UConn people think their team(s) are at a much higher level and they have moved on from what was once a rivalry. Full stop.

In FB, it is a little less clear, but UConn fans also feel that their program is superior -- although arguing about either 2011 team is ridiculous. They were both bad. But BE fans note the higher level of success in BCS bowls than ACC teams. What is it, 7-7 for BE and 2-13 for ACC? And UConn did go to a BCS bowl. So while flame wars will start over this contention, UConn fans now think their FB program is superior. (I am just the messenger reporting my impressions here folks.)
 
Re: Announced: UConn to Hockey East

RSTuthill said:
No one at UConn feels any sort of rivalry.
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Appareantely over 50% of the UConn students that responded to a poll think otherwise.

Onion Man said:
I was reading an online story about this on the UConn athletics site and they had an interesting poll. It asked them which program would be UConn's hockey rival be. The votes (over 50%) were overwhelmingly for Boston College. I would have thought UMass would be UConn's natural rival way more than BC would.
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Re: Announced: UConn to Hockey East

Almost as accurate as a person with a fictitious name on a message board who tries to dispute said poll.

Also, did the guy say UConn football is superior to Boston College football? Ok.......
 
Re: Announced: UConn to Hockey East

Jim said:
To me you can't really predict who or what will be a rivalry. They develop organically. In football, BC-Clemson isn't one despite the attempts of the ACC and the schools to have a trophy and all that. In hockey BC-BU is, despite the fact that they don't really have the same athletic interests in any other sport. Nobody "designated" BC-BU as a rivalry. It just became one of the best in college sports. When BC was in the Big East, UConn-BC was sort of one, more because of proximity but I think played second fiddle to UConn-Syracuse, which has developed into a nice one, though it is likely to end shortly. Since UConn hasn't really played hockey at this level before, it is tough to predict who, if anyone will be our "rival." You need some close games, upsets, bizzare endings...and none of those have happened yet. That 2 fan bases don't much care for each other is helpful, but it isn't definitive without some history.
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I think UCONN's 1st big time hockey rival will be Yale. (it's an in state thing)
 
Re: Announced: UConn to Hockey East

Priceless said:
Online polls are incredibly accurate and trustworthy.
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I don't expect it to be an even rivalry... but from the UConn side I think BC will be more than enough of a drawing power and hate source. Its cultural.
 
Re: Announced: UConn to Hockey East

Matt75 said:
I think UCONN's 1st big time hockey rival will be Yale. (it's an in state thing)
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Not likely. The Eli's only recognize fellow Ivy's as rivals and even then it's a stretch. And until UConn becomes competetive enough to be a TUC it's likely Yale won't even notice their jump to HE.
 
Re: Announced: UConn to Hockey East

ericredaxe said:
Appareantely over 50% of the UConn students that responded to a poll think otherwise.
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And how many students at UConn know anything about college hockey? Only the radio announcers, now that Kingdobbs and Patman have graduated. The first season in HE will dispel any foolish thoughts on the part of other students.
 
Re: Announced: UConn to Hockey East

MarkEagleUSA said:
Not likely. The Eli's only recognize fellow Ivy's as rivals and even then it's a stretch. And until UConn becomes competetive enough to be a TUC it's likely Yale won't even notice their jump to HE.
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I think Yale and Quinnipiac have built up somewhat of a rivalry, although alot of it is perpetuated by the Quinnipiac marketing folks. The games at Ingalls when Quinnipiac comes in are raucous and usually sold out, they are usually close hard hitting games as well.
 
Re: Announced: UConn to Hockey East

RSTuthill said:
And how many students at UConn know anything about college hockey? Only the radio announcers, now that Kingdobbs and Patman have graduated. The first season in HE will dispel any foolish thoughts on the part of other students.
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My daughter has attended UConn for three years and does not even know where Freita's Rink is. Another point about the place is that it is not an easy place to get to on campus, not a realistic walk from the dorms. In the long run, it may be more cost effective and a better plan to build a new hockey facility closer to the student population, and use Freitas as a womens and mens practice facility.
 
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Re: Announced: UConn to Hockey East

MarkEagleUSA said:
Not likely. The Eli's only recognize fellow Ivy's as rivals and even then it's a stretch. And until UConn becomes competetive enough to be a TUC it's likely Yale won't even notice their jump to HE.
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Interesting thought. Don't dismiss it out of hand. Back in the day UConn and Yale were big football rivals on the OOC schedule. Who was the Dallas running back who was asked how it felt to be hit in the NFL? His response was that the hardest hits he ever took were in the UConn-Yale games.

Edit: Calvin Hill was the RB I was thinking of. Guess he didn't appreciate UConn's MLB Vic Radzevich drilling him.
 
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Re: Announced: UConn to Hockey East

LTsatch said:
My daughter has attended UConn for three years and does not even know where Freita's Rink is. Another point about the place is that it is not an easy place to get to on campus, not a realistic walk from the dorms. In the long run, it may be more cost effective and a better plan to build a new hockey facility closer to the student population, and use Freitas as a womens and mens practice facility.
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This. It would also be a very big recruiting tool for the women to be able to say they have their own arena. Not that anyone here cares. But BU and Minnesota both have women's-hockey-only facilities. Minnesota is women's hockey royalty and BU has made ridiculous leaps since coming up from being a club team. Having Walter Brown as women's hockey only has been enormous for BU.
 
Re: Announced: UConn to Hockey East

With all this rivalry talk, the funny thing is with UConn not having a real rival yet...just picture the day when they think BC is their biggest rival yet we all know who BCs biggest rival is...
 
Re: Announced: UConn to Hockey East

TonyTheTiger20 said:
This. It would also be a very big recruiting tool for the women to be able to say they have their own arena. Not that anyone here cares. But BU and Minnesota both have women's-hockey-only facilities. Minnesota is women's hockey royalty and BU has made ridiculous leaps since coming up from being a club team. Having Walter Brown as women's hockey only has been enormous for BU.
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Who are you and what have you done with Tony?
 
Re: Announced: UConn to Hockey East

J.D. said:
With all this rivalry talk, the funny thing is with UConn not having a real rival yet...just picture the day when they think BC is their biggest rival yet we all know who BCs biggest rival is...
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Northeastern, of course.

Only difference is, in basketball and football, BC doesn't have anywhere near the same obvious and historic rivalry that they do in hockey.
 
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