Canadian College into NCAA Div 2

[Squarebanks]

Re: Canadian College into NCAA Div 2

Touche sir. Touche.

Yeah I can see "Uncle Phil" being the one possible inroad.
He was apparently the driving force behind the return of UO baseball. Well that and watching Oregon State win back to back College World Series Titles.

As a native Oregonian (and an employee of a company that counts Nike as a client), I'd absolutely love to see this happen. Given a chance, I think NCAA hockey could actually do pretty well at any of the four major Northwest schools (UO, OSU, WSU, and UW).

But...

The problem is that hockey has no natural roots in Oregon or Washington. About 10-15 years ago there was a push to put an NHL team in Portland, but beyond that there's a few WHL teams and not much else. NHL coverage is relegated to a small corner in back of the sports page,and NCAA hockey is completely off the radar. If Fox NW or Comcast would pick up a few NCAA games over the course of the season, say some games from the big-name schools and maybe the Governor's Cup in Alaska, that could help plant the seeds, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it. Another problem would be recruiting, as home-grown talent would be pretty slim to almost none. They would be raiding western Canada for players, much like the Alaska schools currently do. In all the years I've followed Nanook hockey, I can only recall one recruit from the Pacific Northwest (Keith Bartusch, from somewhere in Washington).

There's also the issue of what conference a school such as Oregon would be in. I don't see Phil Knight ponying up the dough to start hockey at UO without a tie-in to an established conference, and even then there wouldn't be any natural rivals.

Anyway...don't get me wrong, I'd love to see it happen, but I'm also trying to be a realist about it.

 

[Happy]

Re: Canadian College into NCAA Div 2

I sure hope so, it would be pretty dang asinine for the NCAA to not allow D2 schools to have D1 Hockey if they chose to have the sport.

There is a lot of bitter NCAA politics involved with this battle, and I can tell you being called asinine is not one of the ncaa's concerns.

 

[FreddyFoyle]

Re: Canadian College into NCAA Div 2

I've posted on this topic in the past, so in summary:

- You will probably NOT see any more CIS schools apply to the NCAA, other than perhaps UBC and Windsor -- neither whom is a hockey power in the CIS. UBC is a big school with big ideas, but as a provincially ("state") supported university I can's see taxpayers keen on covering all of those American roadtrips ...
- SFU never really wanted to be in the CIS ... their old US conference (NAIA?) died and CIS was a temporary home. They don't have a varsity hockey team.
- The hockey powers in the CIS (UNB, Alberta, SMU, Saskatchewan, Moncton, UQTR, Acadia, etc.) rely heavily on recruiting CHL players and benefit from their partnership with the CHL -- Major Junior players "earn" education packages while they play which are in turn translated into scholarships to CIS schools. Because many of these players bring with them close to a "full ride" the direct scholarships costs for CIS schools are low by NCAA standards. Why break what isn't broken?

 

[BoomGoestheDynamite]

Re: Canadian College into NCAA Div 2

I've posted on this topic in the past, so in summary:

- You will probably NOT see any more CIS schools apply to the NCAA, other than perhaps UBC and Windsor -- neither whom is a hockey power in the CIS. UBC is a big school with big ideas, but as a provincially ("state") supported university I can's see taxpayers keen on covering all of those American roadtrips ...
- SFU never really wanted to be in the CIS ... their old US conference (NAIA?) died and CIS was a temporary home. They don't have a varsity hockey team.
- The hockey powers in the CIS (UNB, Alberta, SMU, Saskatchewan, Moncton, UQTR, Acadia, etc.) rely heavily on recruiting CHL players and benefit from their partnership with the CHL -- Major Junior players "earn" education packages while they play which are in turn translated into scholarships to CIS schools. Because many of these players bring with them close to a "full ride" the direct scholarships costs for CIS schools are low by NCAA standards. Why break what isn't broken?

Good info thanks. Doesn't seem like theres really a way forward and big time College sports never seemed very "Canadian" anyway, certainly not on the level were used to in the States.

Canadian colleges to the NCAA has become the hoped for deus ex machina for D-I hockey in the past few years it seems (well that and Penn State, Navy, Iowa, and the 'Cuse)

 

[bigmrg74]

Re: Canadian College into NCAA Div 2

I've posted on this topic in the past, so in summary:

- You will probably NOT see any more CIS schools apply to the NCAA, other than perhaps UBC and Windsor -- neither whom is a hockey power in the CIS. UBC is a big school with big ideas, but as a provincially ("state") supported university I can's see taxpayers keen on covering all of those American roadtrips ...
- SFU never really wanted to be in the CIS ... their old US conference (NAIA?) died and CIS was a temporary home. They don't have a varsity hockey team.
- The hockey powers in the CIS (UNB, Alberta, SMU, Saskatchewan, Moncton, UQTR, Acadia, etc.) rely heavily on recruiting CHL players and benefit from their partnership with the CHL -- Major Junior players "earn" education packages while they play which are in turn translated into scholarships to CIS schools. Because many of these players bring with them close to a "full ride" the direct scholarships costs for CIS schools are low by NCAA standards. Why break what isn't broken?

Yeah, I have heard some rumors about Windsor sending out feelers to the GLIAC about joining up. I would love to see them come in, they would be a great school to add, and would give Wayne State an automatic new rivalry thats just across the border.

 

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: Canadian College into NCAA Div 2

Yeah, I have heard some rumors about Windsor sending out feelers to the GLIAC about joining up. I would love to see them come in, they would be a great school to add, and would give Wayne State an automatic new rivalry thats just across the border.

Hey, if its great for Wayne State, that's great for college hockey.

Wait a minute...