Caustic Undertow
Don't read this message. Really.
You may not like it, but it is happening.
Over the past five or so years that this topic has been a source of hot debate (and parody and irony) on this board I have warmed to the idea considerably. There are two major reasons why I have grown more sanguine about it: 1. College hockey has been stagnating in its current conference alignments, and competing with Major Junior for talent has become a problem. 2. The Big Ten stinks in hockey this year, and has grown steadily more mediocre since Wisconsin and Michigan State won national titles.
Now the inevitable has happened, and the Big Ten is going to be a reality. The question is: What realistic steps do we take to strengthen college hockey now?
We know some things will change for good. Improvements include a presumably strong television package on the Big Ten Network, perhaps some increased national attention, and a significant increase in the number of non-conference games available for teams in each affected conference. This last issue is no small thing; we have long lamented that there are too few big non-conference games, and those games now have a larger chance to occur.
The problem is, how do we strengthen the small schools that play hockey and encourage new ones to join? I hope that scheduling agreements will be reached between the CCHA and WCHA and their soon-to-be-former members. Several CCHA schools enjoyed exactly one home series against a Big Ten team this season; there is no reason they cannot continue to do so. WCHA teams are less tenuous, but there is little question that Wisconsin and Minnesota are among the biggest draws for teams like UMD and Mankato, so a scheduling agreement will help in that regard.
But is there more that can be done? Would it be better for there to be massive realignment, or better to keep things the way they are? If ever a time existed to completely realign the college hockey landscape, this would be it--but is it worth the risk?
Over the past five or so years that this topic has been a source of hot debate (and parody and irony) on this board I have warmed to the idea considerably. There are two major reasons why I have grown more sanguine about it: 1. College hockey has been stagnating in its current conference alignments, and competing with Major Junior for talent has become a problem. 2. The Big Ten stinks in hockey this year, and has grown steadily more mediocre since Wisconsin and Michigan State won national titles.
Now the inevitable has happened, and the Big Ten is going to be a reality. The question is: What realistic steps do we take to strengthen college hockey now?
We know some things will change for good. Improvements include a presumably strong television package on the Big Ten Network, perhaps some increased national attention, and a significant increase in the number of non-conference games available for teams in each affected conference. This last issue is no small thing; we have long lamented that there are too few big non-conference games, and those games now have a larger chance to occur.
The problem is, how do we strengthen the small schools that play hockey and encourage new ones to join? I hope that scheduling agreements will be reached between the CCHA and WCHA and their soon-to-be-former members. Several CCHA schools enjoyed exactly one home series against a Big Ten team this season; there is no reason they cannot continue to do so. WCHA teams are less tenuous, but there is little question that Wisconsin and Minnesota are among the biggest draws for teams like UMD and Mankato, so a scheduling agreement will help in that regard.
But is there more that can be done? Would it be better for there to be massive realignment, or better to keep things the way they are? If ever a time existed to completely realign the college hockey landscape, this would be it--but is it worth the risk?
