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Early speculation of a new NCAA D1 Program...........in Canada????

S

slowe

New member
You may have all heard about Simon Fraser University recently joining the NCAA. Here's an article that is just throwing out speculation of them applying for a D1 hockey team. There is NO actual talk of it mentioned from the university, just the author's point of view on what it would take. Still it implies there is a lot of fan discussion in the Vancouver area where the university is located.

Above the 49: NCAA hockey on the horizon in Canada?

There sounds like there are A LOT of hurdles in the way. If for whatever reason this actually worked, it would be interesting to get some west coast teams starting up. Especially in the heart of WHL country.

Not gonna happen, or at least anytime soon. Fun to consider though.
 
Re: Early speculation of a new NCAA D1 Program...........in Canada????

slowe said:
You may have all heard about Simon Fraser University recently joining the NCAA. Here's an article that is just throwing out speculation of them applying for a D1 hockey team. There is NO actual talk of it mentioned from the university, just the author's point of view on what it would take. Still it implies there is a lot of fan discussion in the Vancouver area where the university is located.

Above the 49: NCAA hockey on the horizon in Canada?

There sounds like there are A LOT of hurdles in the way. If for whatever reason this actually worked, it would be interesting to get some west coast teams starting up. Especially in the heart of WHL country.

Not gonna happen, or at least anytime soon. Fun to consider though.
Click to expand...

A giant hurdle would be for SFU to actually start a hockey team. UBC has a collegiate team, SFU doesn't.
 
Re: Early speculation of a new NCAA D1 Program...........in Canada????

Sadly, Simon Fraser did not appear to have a middle name at all, much less one that started with "T"...
 
Re: Early speculation of a new NCAA D1 Program...........in Canada????

I would like to see Manitoba go Division I then we would be able to have a series against them that actually counts and they are close by.
 
Re: Early speculation of a new NCAA D1 Program...........in Canada????

Goon said:
I would like to see Manitoba go Division I then we would be able to have a series against them that actually counts and they are close by.
Click to expand...

I would rather schedule Bemidji, Mankato, or Tech (or even UAH). When you factor that UND will have 24 league games, that only leaves 10 OOC games. Considering that we will likely schedule Wisconsin/Minnesota on a yearly basis (if not both), and likely get a series or two with top-end Eastern schools, that only leaves a few games.

Now, I'm all for Manitoba going D-1 (I don't think it will happen in the next 15-20 years, probably longer), but I don't want to schedule games with them over the likes of Bemidji, Tech, or Mankato.
 
Re: Early speculation of a new NCAA D1 Program...........in Canada????

Getting Simon Fraser and UBC on the NCAA D1 Hockey express would be a pretty good deal for everybody I think. They would give the Alaska schools an actual short hop for once, and could be be founding pillars for a Pacific Coast Hockey League that may or may not reach to say Denver. A couple of the Pacific Northwest schools like Washington, Oregon, Montana and perhaps one of the Idaho schools might be interested in starting up a program if there is a potential for a Far Western league.
 
Re: Early speculation of a new NCAA D1 Program...........in Canada????

The NCAA is carefully testing the ice over admitting Canadian college hockey teams under its authority. There isn't much chance that the stimulus for this move is pure generosity. There's money somehow to be had by this move, but other than media revenue I can't think how.
 
Re: Early speculation of a new NCAA D1 Program...........in Canada????

Canada already has its own college hockey. We don't need them.

I'd rather we focus on trying to encourage expansion in the U.S.
 
Re: Early speculation of a new NCAA D1 Program...........in Canada????

bigmrg74 said:
Getting Simon Fraser and UBC on the NCAA D1 Hockey express would be a pretty good deal for everybody I think. They would give the Alaska schools an actual short hop for once, and could be be founding pillars for a Pacific Coast Hockey League that may or may not reach to say Denver. A couple of the Pacific Northwest schools like Washington, Oregon, Montana and perhaps one of the Idaho schools might be interested in starting up a program if there is a potential for a Far Western league.
Click to expand...

UBC decided to stay in the CIS, rather than move to NCAA DII. Therefore, UBC can't become a DI hockey program

Eastern Washington however plays in the same BC club league as Simon Fraser. EWU also has an on campus practice rink and could play games in nearby Spokane. Probably a long way from ever happening, but a SFU, EWU, UAA, UAF western wing of the WCHA would make some travel sense.

WCHA
West: UAA, UAF, SFU, EWU
Midwest: Bemidji, Mankato, MTU, NMU
Mideast: LSSU, Ferris St, BGSU, UAH

Home and home series within division, alternating yearly home series outside divisions (28 games in conference), solves the Alaska and Alabama travel issues for the most part, playoffs within divisions, top two in each division go to final six.

Pipe dream yes, but reasonable.
 
Re: Early speculation of a new NCAA D1 Program...........in Canada????

I feel like it would be a team out of Toronto or Montreal that would make the jump first. They are geographically closer to a lot more existing NCAA teams. Lower travel costs, more likely the NCAA and conferences bite on an "experiment" basis. For instance, Montreal (concordia, UQAM, etc) is a 2 hour drive from UVM.

One could argue that opening Canadian colleges to the NCAA could help the fight against Major Juniors as well.
 
Re: Early speculation of a new NCAA D1 Program...........in Canada????

Star2City said:
UBC decided to stay in the CIS, rather than move to NCAA DII. Therefore, UBC can't become a DI hockey program

Eastern Washington however plays in the same BC club league as Simon Fraser. EWU also has an on campus practice rink and could play games in nearby Spokane. Probably a long way from ever happening, but a SFU, EWU, UAA, UAF western wing of the WCHA would make some travel sense.

WCHA
West: UAA, UAF, SFU, EWU
Midwest: Bemidji, Mankato, MTU, NMU
Mideast: LSSU, Ferris St, BGSU, UAH

Home and home series within division, alternating yearly home series outside divisions (28 games in conference), solves the Alaska and Alabama travel issues for the most part, playoffs within divisions, top two in each division go to final six.

Pipe dream yes, but reasonable.
Click to expand...
UBC has decided to stay in the CIS for now, but that could be subject to change in a couple of years. There's a lot more Canadian Schools coming along down the pike that are starting up athletic programs, that an established athletic department like what UBC has would wipe the floor with them, and they're not really getting competitive games and such from those little sisters of the poor. Imagine if you will D1 UCLA going up against D3 Cal Tech in Basketball. The talent gulf there in CIS probably isn't that bad, but you get the ideal. I still think UBC will make the move to the NCAA. I think that would get a little more motivated to do so when the GNAC, the athletic conference that Simon Fraser expands some more to where they can play a few more non-con games for football instead of a round robin schedule and they can resume playing the Shrum Bowl once again.
 
Re: Early speculation of a new NCAA D1 Program...........in Canada????

Star2City said:
UBC decided to stay in the CIS, rather than move to NCAA DII. Therefore, UBC can't become a DI hockey program

Eastern Washington however plays in the same BC club league as Simon Fraser. EWU also has an on campus practice rink and could play games in nearby Spokane. Probably a long way from ever happening, but a SFU, EWU, UAA, UAF western wing of the WCHA would make some travel sense.

WCHA
West: UAA, UAF, SFU, EWU
Midwest: Bemidji, Mankato, MTU, NMU
Mideast: LSSU, Ferris St, BGSU, UAH

Home and home series within division, alternating yearly home series outside divisions (28 games in conference), solves the Alaska and Alabama travel issues for the most part, playoffs within divisions, top two in each division go to final six.

Pipe dream yes, but reasonable.
Click to expand...

Not as odd as you think... EWU was in an exploratory phase at one point.
 
Re: Early speculation of a new NCAA D1 Program...........in Canada????

Puke on Canada. NCAA is for American schools.
 
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