Hockey East - The Off Season

[Jasma]

Re: Hockey East - The Off Season

If H.E. did Miami & N.D. it would make sense for scheduling but be a beast of a schedule. At 12 teams you do the ECAC travel partner system: Miami-N.D., UNH-Maine, Vermont-Umass, Providence-NU, Merrimack-Lowell, B.U.-B.C. Everybody plays everybody else home and away for 22 league games (meets the min) the rest are open for non-conference games. That leaves a ton of open schedule time to play WCHA and Big 10 teams. The problem is some long travel partner games and potentially many Friday-Sunday / Thursday-Saturday weekends. It does however limit much of the travel issue of the current teams heading to the midwest for games, it does burden Miami & N.D. with lots of travel. The last issue is the strength of schedule by adding two teams that have been fairly regular NCAA participants. The new H.E. with 12 teams (and 5 used to appearing in the NCAAs) get one autobid the same as the 6 Big10 teams.

HE is not the only, probably not even the most logical, place for ND hockey to end up. If they change leagues, they would want to go to a league where most members have a similar philosophy, culture and demographic makeup and that is not HE.

The Big 10 would be a better fit. The geography works. They have a relationship with those schools in hockey and other sports. They are all large universities with big time Div 1 programs and they are all very good academic institutions. The only HE school that you can say that about is BC. Providence fits the bill in some of those categories. The others all fall short in most of those categories.

The Big 10 could still decide to take ND and Miami and have a great 8-team hockey conference with a built-in TV contract. To me, that is the most likely scenario.
Hockey East could offer a good TV package, but only in New England and on the satellite. Many cable systems already have the Big 10 network, and more will add it with the addition of quality programming, such as a powerful 8-team hockey conference.

If only the ECAC had a decent league office and TV deal. That conference makes more sense than HE, except for the TV deal and organization of the league, but those draw backs will keep the ECAC out of the running for any new quality hockey programs.

 

[CHFAN222]

Re: Hockey East - The Off Season

HE is not the only, probably not even the most logical, place for ND hockey to end up. If they change leagues, they would want to go to a league where most members have a similar philosophy, culture and demographic makeup and that is not HE.

The Big 10 would be a better fit. The geography works. They have a relationship with those schools in hockey and other sports. They are all large universities with big time Div 1 programs and they are all very good academic institutions. The only HE school that you can say that about is BC. Providence fits the bill in some of those categories. The others all fall short in most of those categories.

The Big 10 could still decide to take ND and Miami and have a great 8-team hockey conference with a built-in TV contract. To me, that is the most likely scenario.
Hockey East could offer a good TV package, but only in New England and on the satellite. Many cable systems already have the Big 10 network, and more will add it with the addition of quality programming, such as a powerful 8-team hockey conference.

If only the ECAC had a decent league office and TV deal. That conference makes more sense than HE, except for the TV deal and organization of the league, but those draw backs will keep the ECAC out of the running for any new quality hockey programs.

You bash HE and its members a little to easily. Aside from UML and Merimack all of the members of HE are D-1 Programs. They all have decent size alumni bases and quite a few of them besides BC have a fine academic reputation ( Such as BU, NU, and UMASS).

As far as culture goes I think ND would have more in common with the conference that has more catholic schools/private schools in it than the one with all state schools same goes for demographic makeup.

Also the B10 will not let ND or anyone for that matter into their HC as a partial member. You are either in the B10 for everything or nothing.

I don't see how the ECAC is a better fit considering that HE's members have much better and big Athletic Departments than the schools in the ECAC.

 

[JB]

Re: Hockey East - The Off Season

HE is not the only, probably not even the most logical, place for ND hockey to end up. If they change leagues, they would want to go to a league where most members have a similar philosophy, culture and demographic makeup and that is not HE.

The Big 10 would be a better fit. The geography works. They have a relationship with those schools in hockey and other sports. They are all large universities with big time Div 1 programs and they are all very good academic institutions. The only HE school that you can say that about is BC. Providence fits the bill in some of those categories. The others all fall short in most of those categories.

The Big 10 could still decide to take ND and Miami and have a great 8-team hockey conference with a built-in TV contract. To me, that is the most likely scenario.
Hockey East could offer a good TV package, but only in New England and on the satellite. Many cable systems already have the Big 10 network, and more will add it with the addition of quality programming, such as a powerful 8-team hockey conference.

If only the ECAC had a decent league office and TV deal. That conference makes more sense than HE, except for the TV deal and organization of the league, but those draw backs will keep the ECAC out of the running for any new quality hockey programs.

Did you read the story from the newspaper where essentially N.D. brought up H.E.?

Honestly I don't think adding Miami & N.D. would be good fit for H.E. or good for college hockey overall. I was just pointing out how it could work.

 

[JB]

Re: Hockey East - The Off Season

Also the B10 will not let ND or anyone for that matter into their HC as a partial member. You are either in the B10 for everything or nothing.

Exactly N.D.'s independance in Football is why they aren't a member of the B10 already. My guess is if N.D. could be B10 in everything but football it would have been done years ago. But the B10 wants all or nothing, and N.D. wants football independance.

 

[CHFAN222]

Re: Hockey East - The Off Season

Exactly N.D.'s independance in Football is why they aren't a member of the B10 already. My guess is if N.D. could be B10 in everything but football it would have been done years ago. But the B10 wants all or nothing, and N.D. wants football independance.

One thing though I would add is ND loves being in a conference with other strong Catholic universities. The importance of that to ND should not be understated.

 

[sandiegoblkbr]

Re: Hockey East - The Off Season

If only the ECAC had a decent league office and TV deal. That conference makes more sense than HE, except for the TV deal and organization of the league, but those draw backs will keep the ECAC out of the running for any new quality hockey programs.

Yeah.......the ECAC makes A LOT more sense than Hockey East for Notre Dame........LOL.

What are you smoking?

 

[jcarter7669]

Re: Hockey East - The Off Season

Yeah.......the ECAC makes A LOT more sense than Hockey East for Notre Dame........LOL.

Well it would be an almost guaranteed trip to the NCAA's annually.

 

[Jasma]

Re: Hockey East - The Off Season

I was not bashing Hockey East schools. There are some very good schools in the league. Though BU, Providence, N'Eastern and UVM are Div 1, along with Maine and UMAS, the first four don't have football. Only BC, and maybe UMASS soon have big-time football and only Prov and BC big-time basketball.
I think you could argue the culture options endlessly. Notre Dame has a lot more history and geography in common with the Big 10 schools.
The six Ivies, and Colgate very good athletic programs. Q'Pac is pumping a lot into theirs and is moving up.

 

[Jasma]

Re: Hockey East - The Off Season

I will go back and read that article, but I thought that the coach was responding to a reproter's question and mentioned Hockey East.

 

[Jasma]

Re: Hockey East - The Off Season

The Big 10 is smart. The Big East really blew it by letting ND in the league in everything but football. The Big East has a problem right now trying to figure itself out. They twisted Villanova's arm about elevating their football program last fall and then pulled the rug out when 'Nova was about to opt in this spring. The Big East is a mess in everything but Football.

 

[Jasma]

Re: Hockey East - The Off Season

That remark was mostly tongue-in-cheek, but my point is, it makes as much sense to an impartial observer as HE.

 

[claver2010]

Re: Hockey East - The Off Season

The Big 10 is smart. The Big East really blew it by letting ND in the league in everything but football. The Big East has a problem right now trying to figure itself out. They twisted Villanova's arm about elevating their football program last fall and then pulled the rug out when 'Nova was about to opt in this spring. The Big East is a mess in everything but Football.

Don't know where the tounge-in-cheek was but the big east is a mess in everything. Even in basketball, a soon to be 17 team conference with absolutely nothing in common. Who's pumped for the January TCU-Depaul game?

 

[jcarter7669]

Re: Hockey East - The Off Season

The six Ivies, and Colgate very good athletic programs. Q'Pac is pumping a lot into theirs and is moving up.

Notre Dame isn't going to move into a weak conference that severely limits its recruiting and schedule. End of story.

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No need to post 3-4 line posts every 2 minutes, you can actually write it all in one post. Cool huh?

 

[Jasma]

Re: Hockey East - The Off Season

Notre Dame isn't going to move into a weak conference that severely limits its recruiting and schedule. End of story.

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No need to post 3-4 line posts every 2 minutes, you can actually write it all in one post. Cool huh?

Very nice. Do you finger paint as well?

 

[CHFAN222]

Re: Hockey East - The Off Season

Anyone else think the B's winning the cup will have a positive impact on HE? It definitely has gotten more people to follow hockey again not just in the immediate Boston area but New England in general. The short term effect could be a slight increase in attendance for many teams. Long term we could see more talent coming out of New England 10-20 years down the road and hopefully some of that talent will go to the local schools.

 

[sterlippo1]

Re: Hockey East - The Off Season

Anyone else think the B's winning the cup will have a positive impact on HE? It definitely has gotten more people to follow hockey again not just in the immediate Boston area but New England in general. The short term effect could be a slight increase in attendance for many teams. Long term we could see more talent coming out of New England 10-20 years down the road and hopefully some of that talent will go to the local schools.

i agree with the latter part of this though i don't see any rinks being built like back in the early 70's when the Bruins ruled Boston so,yeah , i think young kids may be more willing to consider playing hockey but then there is the economics of youth hockey in these tough financial times. I am not so sure what effect if any it will have on HE but i sure hope you are right on that

 

[Jasma]

Re: Hockey East - The Off Season

i agree with the latter part of this though i don't see any rinks being built like back in the early 70's when the Bruins ruled Boston so,yeah , i think young kids may be more willing to consider playing hockey but then there is the economics of youth hockey in these tough financial times. I am not so sure what effect if any it will have on HE but i sure hope you are right on that

It can't hurt. I would think there would be a slight uptick in interest and attendance in the short-term. Long-term is tougher to guage, for the reasons mentioned by the other posters.

 

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Hockey East - The Off Season

Unless whatever happens of the western conferences starts getting more NC games, I don't foresee Hockey East adding 2 more teams anytime soon. I've heard rumors that if Hockey East does go to 12 teams, they go with 22 game conference schedules. That's 12-17 non-conference games (Alaska tournament, IceBreaker, as well as Hall of Fame, though I highly doubt a school would do all of those in one year). Supporting your local Atlantic team is a good thing, and I realize Big Ten would go to 14 NC games (though they probably won't travel; at least 2 of them have proven this), but what after that? Going to start playing the ECAC non-ivies again (they also have 12, but only 6 teams there)? 12 games can be tough to fill, although I'm sure Atlantic would be up for the change (so they could get full schedules).

 

[CHFAN222]

Re: Hockey East - The Off Season

Unless whatever happens of the western conferences starts getting more NC games, I don't foresee Hockey East adding 2 more teams anytime soon. I've heard rumors that if Hockey East does go to 12 teams, they go with 22 game conference schedules. That's 12-17 non-conference games (Alaska tournament, IceBreaker, as well as Hall of Fame, though I highly doubt a school would do all of those in one year). Supporting your local Atlantic team is a good thing, and I realize Big Ten would go to 14 NC games (though they probably won't travel; at least 2 of them have proven this), but what after that? Going to start playing the ECAC non-ivies again (they also have 12, but only 6 teams there)? 12 games can be tough to fill, although I'm sure Atlantic would be up for the change (so they could get full schedules).

UAH will probably benefit from HE and the B10(12) having alot of NC games to schedule.

As far as B10 returning travel dates what HE could do is set up a B10-HE challenge similar to what the power conferences do in basketball. If the HE members hold firm they could force the B10 schools to schedule road games.

 

[jcarter7669]

Re: Hockey East - The Off Season

I don't think the B10 returning travel dates is going to be a huge issue. They have to realize they aren't going to come in and be the powerhouse conference in Hockey like in other sports. If they want to play the best teams they are going to have to make concessions. I don't see BC BU or even UVM scheduling games with them without a return date. If they want to play Clarkson, UAH, AIC then sure, but that isn't going to give them the prestige they are looking for.

Regardless, HE will be fine.

Personally, I think the B10 discussion has been beat to death at this point anyways. And for what it's worth, I don't see ND joining HE.

There has to be something more entertaining to discuss. Here are some options :

a.) Maine is leading the off season thread count leaving RPI in the dust.
b.) The best goaltender in Boston is still a Catamount
c.) The UNH thread needs to get over the fact that they aren't playing BC to end the season
d.) Northeastern fans setting themselves up for a downfall with all the expectations in that thread
5.) Is Big Pappa a joke poster or does he just overdose on anti-depressants daily
6.) The Yale thread is dead....
g.) Oh whatever I give, keeping beating the B10 horse