Hockey East future tournament structure

[kingdobbs]

Re: Hockey East future tournament structure

I wonder if it would be more likely for Hartford to get a NCAA regional with UConn as the host at some point going forward?

I wouldn't be surprised to see a joint Hartford-UConn bid for a regional, but I don't think it offers anything more than a fresh face in the rotation, to be honest (and I'm, in general, kind of a Hartford apologist).

 

[buoldtimer]

Re: Hockey East future tournament structure

Jerry York and Joe Bertagna will meet early next week to thrash out the details of several issues; postseason tournament structure is one of them. Other matters they will discuss include conference realignment, scheduling and officiating assignments. York will be flexible on all topics except scheduling. He is adamant that BC retain the right to schedule one game during midweek and the second on a weekend.

 

[Huskies01]

Re: Hockey East future tournament structure

I think if hockey east is that weak then the league is done for anyhow.

I do not see how the league could be that stupid.

Just wait until they threaten to leave for the Big-10 when the rest of their sports teams outside of football migrate there once the Big East once and for all collapses. Then see what they hang over Hockey East's head to stay. They will end up hosting the tournament every third year or so. Write it down now, its going to happen.

 

[Craig P.]

Re: Hockey East future tournament structure

Just wait until they threaten to leave for the Big-10 when the rest of their sports teams outside of football migrate there once the Big East once and for all collapses.

Will. Not. Happen.

If ND were to join a conference for all sports (including football), it will be the XII or the ACC. If ND were to join a conference for non-football sports, all indications are that it will be the XII, as there has been public support for the move from UT's media mouthpieces. The Integer will not accept partial membership, and ND is clearly not interested in the conference for all sports.

 

[jjmc85]

Re: Hockey East future tournament structure

Bottom four play a relegation tournament. Last place switches places with the ECAC champion.

Bottom 4 ECAC do same thing vis a vis AHA.

Is this your master plan to get UConn back in the AHA in two years?

If I am Notre Dame, i am calling up Big Ol' Joey B and asking, more likely telling him, that going forward due to travel reasons, at the end of the regular season they HAVE to play the final week at home, and then the following week, no matter where they end up in the standings, they want a home playoff series, again because of travel. What is Joey going to say, no?

Absolutely say no. What if another team plays at Notre Dame the last week of the season, then has to go to Notre Dame the first week of the playoffs? They're in the same boat.

Notre Dame is the outlier. They need Hockey East. I don't think they'd want to be part of the Division II and Division III dominated NCHC or WCHA. Something tells me their older, richer boosters who brag about how Notre Dame has never played a FCS school would not stand for those associations. Similarly, there's no way they're getting into the Big 10 without joining for all sports, which once again, won't happen cause they think they're too good for a football conference.

Hockey East was the best conference in the country before Notre Dame joined. Hockey East doesn't need Notre Dame. If they start complaining about travel, have them on the road the last week of the season at one of the Boston schools, and then give them an automatic road series. Boom. They spend the week in a hotel in New England and bus out to their road playoff series from that location. If they win that first round road series, they bus back to Boston and play in the Garden.

Notre Dame of all schools complaining about travel costs. Now I've heard everything.

 

[BU2K]

Just wait until they threaten to leave for the Big-10 when the rest of their sports teams outside of football migrate there once the Big East once and for all collapses. Then see what they hang over Hockey East's head to stay. They will end up hosting the tournament every third year or so. Write it down now, its going to happen.

I would expect the answer from HE to be "Don't let the door hit you on the azz on the way out."

ND doesn't bring enough in to make demands. The Tourney won't be moved. What would attendence be if ND isn't in it?

 

[jjmc85]

Re: Hockey East future tournament structure

Just wait until they threaten to leave for the Big-10 when the rest of their sports teams outside of football migrate there once the Big East once and for all collapses. Then see what they hang over Hockey East's head to stay. They will end up hosting the tournament every third year or so. Write it down now, its going to happen.

Why exactly do we need Notre Dame? If they threaten to leave, tell them to take a hike.

 

[Craig P.]

Re: Hockey East future tournament structure

More broadly, I don't see how there's a real travel issue for ND. Travel to/from Boston is what, a six hour proposition? At worst, it's half a day. It's not even in the same ballpark time-wise or cost-wise as Alaska. And the only reason there are special arrangements for Alaska is that both Alaska teams landed in the same conference.

 

[Huskies01]

Re: Hockey East future tournament structure

Why exactly do we need Notre Dame? If they threaten to leave, tell them to take a hike.

I do not know. I have been trying to figure that one out since it happened. If they have not come Hockey East still would have been the top league. Yet, here they are, and now we get stuck with UCONN to boot. But that is conversation for a different thread.

As for ND selling out the conference tournament, lots of empty seats at the Garden every year. The tournament could probably move to a small sized arena and do perfectly fine.

 

[AMC]

Re: Hockey East future tournament structure

I do not know. I have been trying to figure that one out since it happened. If they have not come Hockey East still would have been the top league. Yet, here they are, and now we get stuck with UCONN to boot. But that is conversation for a different thread.

As for ND selling out the conference tournament, lots of empty seats at the Garden every year. The tournament could probably move to a small sized arena and do perfectly fine.

They aren't fully empty seats. Most people only go for one semifinal- their team's. Are there tickets available? Yes. But the empty seats are a product of two games with four teams. Maine fans aren't going to rush down to Boston to get there by 4 to watch BC-PC. They'll stroll in before Maine-BU. Same for PC fans after losing to BC, they aren't going to stick around for the nightcap. They'll either hit the bars or get on the road/train.

 

[brassbonanza]

Re: Hockey East future tournament structure

Hockey East was the best conference in the country before Notre Dame joined. Hockey East doesn't need Notre Dame.

Exactly. If HE loses ND to the B1G, then that's fine, the league won't suffer. Say we replace them with RPI, competitively, it's a marginal downgrade at best. But considering there are multiple other powerhouse programs in the conference, and with the dilution of power among conferences out west, HE is still the best league in the nation. It's nice to have them, it brings eyeballs to the TV sets, they're building their program into a nationally competitive one, but this isn't like the Big East where if ND leaves, the conference falls apart, far from it.

 

[brassbonanza]

Re: Hockey East future tournament structure

As for ND selling out the conference tournament, lots of empty seats at the Garden every year. The tournament could probably move to a small sized arena and do perfectly fine.

What small-sized arena do you want to move it to that's not one or more of:
1. Difficult to access via public transportation.
2. A dump.
3. In a dump of a city.
4. Makes it more difficult for more fans from more schools to get there than the Garden.

Don't forget, if you move the tournament out of the Garden, you essentially lose all student attendance, all alumni who live in Boston and don't use/have a car, and anyone who goes to the games on the commuter rail/Downeaster. So it's not like that same 12/13K is going to up and go to the same game if it's in Providence or Hartford, you're going to lose a sizable number of those same attendees, while not picking up too many others.

 

[Huskies01]

Re: Hockey East future tournament structure

What small-sized arena do you want to move it to that's not one or more of:
1. Difficult to access via public transportation.
2. A dump.
3. In a dump of a city.
4. Makes it more difficult for more fans from more schools to get there than the Garden.

Don't forget, if you move the tournament out of the Garden, you essentially lose all student attendance, all alumni who live in Boston and don't use/have a car, and anyone who goes to the games on the commuter rail/Downeaster. So it's not like that same 12/13K is going to up and go to the same game if it's in Providence or Hartford, you're going to lose a sizable number of those same attendees, while not picking up too many others.

I know all this. Just saying, it seems every year the crowds get smaller and smaller, even with the "normal teams" getting there, and one of the normal bottom ones rising up for one season as a "story".

Where to move it to? No idea. Just saying, ND could ask, and HE could say, lets try it out for a year, lets start rotating arenas around the area, play one year out in Western MA, one year up in UNH, one year down in Rhode Island, the next year back to the Garden.

If the city is a dump and there is no public transportation, so be it. Really only three schools can take the T there, and only two of them make the Garden anyway. Not sure how many fans from outside the city take the commuter rail in.

Look, you all wanted to discuss possibilities, my point is, you are not thinking creatively enough about ND. Sure, they are probably use to the travel now, but that does not mean they are going to like it going forward, especially when the rest of the league is a bus league. Advantage rest of the league. I do not know how many flights from Indiana go to Vermont or Maine, so unless the charter, they get to fly then bus to those places. I am sure they are going to love flying into Logan and then busing out to UMASS when the have to do that.

The door was already opened with Alaska, ND will get creative to over time. The idea they are going to just go along with it, I find it hard to believe. They like throwing their weight around, they will.

 

[Patman]

Just wait until they threaten to leave for the Big-10 when the rest of their sports teams outside of football migrate there once the Big East once and for all collapses. Then see what they hang over Hockey East's head to stay. They will end up hosting the tournament every third year or so. Write it down now, its going to happen.

Let them

 

[brassbonanza]

Re: Hockey East future tournament structure

If the city is a dump and there is no public transportation, so be it. Really only three schools can take the T there, and only two of them make the Garden anyway. Not sure how many fans from outside the city take the commuter rail in.

Lots of fans take the commuter rail in. When Lowell was there in 09, North Station was packed with Lowell fans. Last year after the BU-Maine game, the Amtrak terminals were jammed to the core with Maine fans getting on, to the point that you almost couldn't walk through the station, there were so many people walking across to the tracks. I suspect when Mack was there in 2011there were quite a few getting on commuter rail trains there as well. Yes, three schools can take the T, but think about that, 30% of the league right now can pay $2 and get there on the subway from campus. Nowhere else in the nation is that possible. My point is, if you move it out of Boston, you lose ALL of that.

 

[Huskies01]

Re: Hockey East future tournament structure

Lots of fans take the commuter rail in. When Lowell was there in 09, North Station was packed with Lowell fans. Last year after the BU-Maine game, the Amtrak terminals were jammed to the core with Maine fans getting on, to the point that you almost couldn't walk through the station, there were so many people walking across to the tracks. I suspect when Mack was there in 2011there were quite a few getting on commuter rail trains there as well. Yes, three schools can take the T, but think about that, 30% of the league right now can pay $2 and get there on the subway from campus. Nowhere else in the nation is that possible. My point is, if you move it out of Boston, you lose ALL of that.

Look, in the end, the Garden is not going to host thing forever. It is nice that is does now, but at some point, someone is going to make a decision to move things. Nothing stays the same forever. Would it be nice if it is always played at the Garden, yes. Does it HAVE to be there. No.

The title of this thread is Hockey East future tournament structure. Well, I am giving you all some different tracks to go down, things that may seem outlandish now, but might not 3-4 years from now. The door was cracked opened by the Alaska schools reasons be whatever, lets see who tries to push it open a bit more next.

 

[jjmc85]

Re: Hockey East future tournament structure

1) Notre Dame doesn't have to fly into Boston and drive out to UMass. They can fly into Hartford, which is only an hour away from Amherst. They could also probably get cheaper flights to Albany, which is two hours away (about the same as Boston).

2) The WCHA of the future is not the same as the WCHA of the past. They're pretty much a full scholarship version of the AHA now. They are no longer a leader in college hockey. What they do has absolutely no effect on what Hockey East will do, unless of course all the big schools leave Hockey East. Even in that case, Notre Dame will be gone, so who really cares?

3) The Beanpot should start playing their tournament games in Providence. Look, in the end, the Garden is not going to host the thing forever. It is nice that it does now, but as some point, someone is going to make a decision to move things. Nothing stays the same forever. Would it be nice if they always played at Garden, yes. Do they HAVE to be there? No.

See how silly that sounds?

Is there a possibility that the Hockey East tournament eventually moves? Absolutely. If it does change, will it be in any way, shape or form related to what a severely weakened conference is doing for a couple of teams in Alaska? I highly doubt it.

 

[BC/HE]

Re: Hockey East future tournament structure

I wouldn't be surprised to see a joint Hartford-UConn bid for a regional, but I don't think it offers anything more than a fresh face in the rotation, to be honest (and I'm, in general, kind of a Hartford apologist).

This actually would be a good thing. Hartford is closer to many eastern fans than Bridgeport or Albany. Manchester usually messes things up because with UNH as a host school and UNH often in the NCAA's, UNH must be placed there if they are in. The chances for UConn to make the NCAA's anytime soon are very slim. There are too many established programs that will be hard to dislodge. Some may falter from year to year but most of them bounce back. Worcester has gone to Holy Cross as a host school only so even if the Cross gets in they most likely are a 4 seed and don't disrupt the pairings like UNH does or BU did when they hosted in Worcester. Yale hosting in Bridgeport causes problems too since their program has had recent success. Providence is showing signs of knocking on the door so if they host in Providence instead of Brown they too could disrupt things. So I am all for UConn putting in a regional bid for Hartford. It is an easy drive to go back and forth for a couple of nights without staying over.

 

[mookie1995]

Re: Hockey East future tournament structure

.... Providence is showing signs of knocking on the door so if they host in Providence instead of Brown they too could disrupt things..

i hope they start making these signs in big type, cause i ain't seeing it.

 

[The Zlax45]

Re: Hockey East future tournament structure

i hope they start making these signs in big type, cause i ain't seeing it.

Umm...first round pick in the draft coming in and a high quality goalie.....hmmmm