Re: Big Ten Conference Tournament
If the Big Ten were that concerned with ticket sales, they would revert to home site 3-game series and skip the neutral site final. Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, and Michigan State would all draw at least 12,000 on a weekend for their playoff games, Penn State would be an unknown factor, and even OSU could expect better attendances if they were playing someone like Michigan State instead of Bowling Green (better attendance being a relative term--OSU's playoff attendances have always been pitiful). In five series your low-end attendance estimates wind up being north of 50,000, and your high-end can be much higher. A 3-game Big Ten championship series at the Kohl between Wisconsin and Minnesota would draw 45,000 people, just for the final.
But home sites are tricky to work, so it seems that the schools want a neutral site. Fine with me; if Michigan plays at the X every spring that gives me another chance to see them every year. I'd be one of 200 Michigan fans in the building, but I'd get to see them. The thousands of Michigan and Michigan State fans actually in Michigan would get left out, though, and that stinks in a big way. So would Minnesota's perpetual home-ice advantage, making them a dangerous team every season regardless of whether or not they were any good during the year. A rotation system may not make the most money, but it is the most fair and most reasonable option for a geographically diverse conference.
This debate illustrates one of the most poignant tragedies of realignment: The dissolution of strong, regional conference championships. The Final Five is one of the crown jewels of college hockey, a hugely popular and successful event that annually draws a tremendous diversity of fans to a central metropolitan location to celebrate their sport. The key factor is the regional convenience: Sure, Minnesota has the most fans and is the closest team, but St. Paul is an easy day trip for six other conference teams and a marginal one for two others. To a lesser extent this is true at the Joe as well; Michigan and MSU are the big draws, but most other CCHA schools are close enough to send a solid contingent if their team is doing well. The Michigan-Ferris final in 2003 outdrew the Michigan-MSU final in 2002 (over 19,000) on the strength of several thousand Ferris State fans heading down I-96 for the game.
This regional appeal simply does not exist for the Big Ten, and the large fanbase anchor school does not exist for the NCHC unless they hold the tournament at the Ralph. The only improvement for the Big Ten is that all six teams participate every year, which guarantees at least one Minnesota game at the X and one game for UM and MSU each at the Joe.
Perhaps the Big Ten brand, and the hockey equity of the top four schools, will build a new demand and make the new championship event popular. Perhaps not. My guess is that the best days of the conference championship tournaments in the West are behind us.
