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Big Ten Hockey Conference

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Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

Big Ten Statement on their website...

http://www.bigten.org/genrel/091710aaa.html

For many years, we have had five institutions sponsoring Division I men’s ice hockey programs – Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, and Wisconsin. Big Ten rules allow for a championship whenever there are six institutions sponsoring a program in any given sport. This leads to the presumption that there will be a Big Ten Men’s Ice Hockey Championship at some point in the future. A decision of that nature, however, cannot be made without a significant amount of discussion both internally with conference chancellors, presidents, administrators and coaches, and externally with the hockey community as a whole. Whatever we do, we will communicate in a respectful and responsible way as we endeavor to balance all of the unique interests in play.
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Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

Guys, take it with a grain of salt, but I was talking to a guy who has knowledge and he tells me that 4 Big Twelve schools are looking at adding hockey and want to start a new conference! Don't ask me when because I have no clue, but within a year expect an announcement. These arent small schools either, this is the big time folks!
 
Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

Handyman said:
Guys, take it with a grain of salt, but I was talking to a guy who has knowledge and he tells me that 4 Big Twelve schools are looking at adding hockey and want to start a new conference! Don't ask me when because I have no clue, but within a year expect an announcement. These arent small schools either, this is the big time folks!
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Grain, hell - I got a 40 pound bag of salt for that one! :p
 
Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

Handyman said:
Guys, take it with a grain of salt, but I was talking to a guy who has knowledge and he tells me that 4 Big Twelve schools are looking at adding hockey and want to start a new conference! Don't ask me when because I have no clue, but within a year expect an announcement. These arent small schools either, this is the big time folks!
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Nice..... the video game shouldn't be far behind.
 
Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

Handyman said:
Guys, take it with a grain of salt, but I was talking to a guy who has knowledge and he tells me that 4 Big Twelve schools are looking at adding hockey and want to start a new conference! Don't ask me when because I have no clue, but within a year expect an announcement. These arent small schools either, this is the big time folks!
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I heard that the PAC10 is going to let Texas play hockey in the newly formed PAC Hockey Conference, since Texas won't move their Footbally team unless Oklahoma and A&M come along with them.
 
Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

ScoobyDoo said:
Lip service. Sounds like they hired a lawyer to write that.
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Perhaps.

But it's still nice to see it written out like that. It's a lot more classy than the way Barry Alvarez handles it: blab to beat writers about how backing out of the WCHA is just the last hurdle we need to clear and that a BTHC is "very appealing" (and this is in a story where the beat writer claimed that Alvarez was "carefully measuring his words").
 
Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

ExileOnDaytonStreet said:
Perhaps.

But it's still nice to see it written out like that. It's a lot more classy than the way Barry Alvarez handles it: blab to beat writers about how backing out of the WCHA is just the last hurdle we need to clear and that a BTHC is "very appealing" (and this is in a story where the beat writer claimed that Alvarez was "carefully measuring his words").
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Depends on your view of the world I suppose. The more I digest this (and I have waffled) the more I believe the Alvarez faction will ultimately win out.
 
Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

Handyman said:
Guys, take it with a grain of salt, but I was talking to a guy who has knowledge and he tells me that 4 Big Twelve schools are looking at adding hockey and want to start a new conference! Don't ask me when because I have no clue, but within a year expect an announcement. These arent small schools either, this is the big time folks!
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I'll file this under "I'll believe it when I see it".
 
Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

ScoobyDoo said:
Depends on your view of the world I suppose. The more I digest this (and I have waffled) the more I believe the Alvarez faction will ultimately win out.
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Reading the Big Ten statement leads me to believe that whatever Alvarez and the AD's cook up, will have to be approved by the Big Ten Chancellors and Presidents. Obviously, the schools left behind and are going to try everything at their disposal to sway the Presidents.
 
Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

dggoddard said:
You're stating an opinion and making it sound like a fact.

Maybe Alvarez had to throw in the Notre Dame sweetener to pull Minnesota, Michigan and/or Michigan State on board. All I know is that Notre Dame is a "brand name" and they make the new conference far better IMO.
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It may mean nothing or everything, but there are a lot of connections between ND and the Integer hockey schools. Lucia, Alvarez, MSU, the AD at OSU...
 
Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

Shirtless Guy said:
Well Alvarez can't come right now and say that Bruce McLeod and all the non-big ten schools in the WCHA can suck his dick can he?
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Would you be suprised?

ScoobyDoo said:
Depends on your view of the world I suppose. The more I digest this (and I have waffled) the more I believe the Alvarez faction will ultimately win out.
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I don't think there's any doubt that Alvarez will get his way. Presumably because there are other people involved who also know nothing about college hockey that feel the same way he does.

It doesn't do much to change the fact that its really stupid to read an article where my AD is treating this like a foregone conclusion. Can't Barry at least pretend like he gives a crap what happens to the rest of midwestern college hockey?
 
Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

blockski said:
But what you're missing is the idea that you can separate a Big Ten hockey championship from the entirety of the Big Ten. You cannot, and the Big Ten will not.
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That's not a decision imposed on the Integer by someone outside. I have no reason to think that they <em>will</em> change their stance, but they certainly <em>can</em> if they want to.

There is no 'convincing' Minnesota to join the BTHC. If the Big Ten decides to form a hockey conference, Minnesota will join because they are a member of the Big Ten.
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While that's true, Minnesota will certainly play a part in any discussions about whether the Integer will form a hockey conference. Depending on how the non-hockey (and other hockey) schools feel about it, it may very well be necessary to convince Minnesota to go along for it to go through.
 
Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

Craig P. said:
It may mean nothing or everything, but there are a lot of connections between ND and the Integer hockey schools. Lucia, Alvarez, MSU, the AD at OSU...
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Not convinced that it means anything.

When it comes to Notre Dam and the Big Ten/Televen/Twelven, it's always always always always come down to football, and Notre Dame has always always always always wanted to keep their football program independent.

The Big Ten/Televen/Twelven doesn't want associate members. Otherwise they would have taken in Notre Dame's non-football teams back in the 90s.
 
Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

ExileOnDaytonStreet said:
Not convinced that it means anything.

When it comes to Notre Dam and the Big Ten/Televen/Twelven, it's always always always always come down to football, and Notre Dame has always always always always wanted to keep their football program independent.

The Big Ten/Televen/Twelven doesn't want associate members. Otherwise they would have taken in Notre Dame's non-football teams back in the 90s.
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You are rationalizing the past and this situation with Notre Dame hockey is in the future.
 
Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

Craig P. said:
That's not a decision imposed on the Integer by someone outside. I have no reason to think that they <em>will</em> change their stance, but they certainly <em>can</em> if they want to.
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Semantics aside, there is absolutely no reason for the Big Ten to change their stance now. They haven't had associate members in the past, they've shown no inclination to do so now, and saying that they will not do so isn't really going out on a limb.

From the other side - what would adding ND for hockey only do for the Big Ten? The answer is little - and it probably gives up any leverage to get ND as a full member of the conference. It won't happen because the Big Ten won't have associate members, but most importantly it won't happen because it doesn't make any sense.

While that's true, Minnesota will certainly play a part in any discussions about whether the Integer will form a hockey conference. Depending on how the non-hockey (and other hockey) schools feel about it, it may very well be necessary to convince Minnesota to go along for it to go through.
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Oh, that may well be the case behind closed doors - but there won't be leverage like "we'll add Notre Dame!" to help convince them.
 
Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

blockski said:
From the other side - what would adding ND for hockey only do for the Big Ten? The answer is little - and it probably gives up any leverage to get ND as a full member of the conference. It won't happen because the Big Ten won't have associate members, but most importantly it won't happen because it doesn't make any sense.
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Adding Notre Dame prevents the potential WCHA breakaway schools from getting Notre Dame. Addition by subtraction.

I would also think that Notre Dame is a powerful road draw for neophyte college hockey fans.
 
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Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

dggoddard said:
Adding Notre Dame prevents the potential WCHA breakaway schools from getting Notre Dame. Addition by subtraction.
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You really know nothing about the Big Ten do you? The BigTen cares about things much larger than College Hockey. They have never had associate members, every university in the BigTen is part of CIC. Academics plays a large role in things. How hard is it to wrap your head around these ideas? The BigTen will never do anything to help ND hockey even if you think its better for the 6 schools in the BigTen that play hockey...at least not without getting the diamond that is the ND football team.
 
Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

ExileOnDaytonStreet said:
I don't think there's any doubt that Alvarez will get his way. Presumably because there are other people involved who also know nothing about college hockey that feel the same way he does.

It doesn't do much to change the fact that its really stupid to read an article where my AD is treating this like a foregone conclusion. Can't Barry at least pretend like he gives a crap what happens to the rest of midwestern college hockey?
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You can stop overplaying Barry's role here, EoDS.

Barry is merely the voice of reason here. We're talking about Big Ten hockey because Big Ten hockey makes sense. With the addition of Penn State (which, unless Barry is on the Board of Royal Dutch Shell, has nothing to do with Mr. Alvarez), it's a question that's moved from the theoretical to the practical.

He's treating it like a foregone conclusion because it is a foregone conclusion. Everyone in the various ADs knows this - even Maturi. The numbers just make too much sense. There's a reason why these schools are associated with each other in every other sport, and there's a reason why those associations have been successful both financially and competitively.

I also don't buy the argument that the mere formation of a BTHC means doom for the rest of college hockey. It means change, and change will produce some winners and some losers - but I don't think the individual delta for any one school is going to be disastrous. If it is (as I've argued before), then that program was already teetering on the brink.
 
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