Notre Dame going Independent?

[SCSU Euro]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

We're talking about hockey still, right?

Yeah... because when the average person was flipping through the channels and momentarily stopped to see the Frozen 4 semifinal between UND and Mich they probably asked, "Why the hell is Notre Dame wearing green?" Whilie UND is a bigger name on these boards and 7 > 0, to those not in the know, Notre Dame hockey > North Dakota hockey.

I am not saying Notre Dame will go independent, nor am I saying that someone should give them any time on TV if they wanna keep their job, but dg has paraded out the NCHC as the smartest business move of all time, and I'm pointing out that calling out Notre Dame with some of the things he's said is funny. Let's put it this way: if DU wanted a different team in the NCHC and was praying Notre Dame stayed away, he'd have a **** press release about how Notre Dame was going independent.

 

[Skeeterman]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

I've always been independent.

 

[SCSU Euro]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

I'm sure the rest of the NCHC wouldn't be thrilled if this happens as well.

For sure, but nobody's cheerios would be more urine-filled that morning than dg's. Luckily he'd have a big bowl of crow to wash it down with.

 

[bronconick]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

Just to start off at the beginning.

Why would the Big Ten want to give Notre Dame 24 games a season while they're not in the conference? That makes them a de facto associate member regardless of what Delany or whoever claims. All the bonus of Big Ten association without bringing the football team along. That's basically the dead last thing I'd expect to see the Big Ten do, considering that their long term goal still has to be luring Notre Dame as a full member.

I'm sure in whatever setup Notre Dame ends up they'll still play Michigan, Michigan State, etc., but to make a deal where 2/3 of their schedule is set? Can't imagine them agreeing to that.

 

[4four4]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

Just to start off at the beginning.

Why would the Big Ten want to give Notre Dame 24 games a season while they're not in the conference? That makes them a de facto associate member regardless of what Delany or whoever claims. All the bonus of Big Ten association without bringing the football team along. That's basically the dead last thing I'd expect to see the Big Ten do, considering that their long term goal still has to be luring Notre Dame as a full member.

I'm sure in whatever setup Notre Dame ends up they'll still play Michigan, Michigan State, etc., but to make a deal where 2/3 of their schedule is set? Can't imagine them agreeing to that.

From a Minnesota point a view they will not have enough games to schedule Notre Dame on a year in and year out basis.

 

[dggoddard]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

For sure, but nobody's cheerios would be more urine-filled that morning than dg's. Luckily he'd have a big bowl of crow to wash it down with.

We fans don't have any control over what Notre Dame, DU, UND, Miami, CC, UMD or UNO decide or do. You would be better spent using your acerbic wit and vast energy asking SCSU's President why he didn't want to join the NCHC.

 

[IrishHockeyFan]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

Notre Dame has maybe 200,000 alumni...

Actually it's closer to 100,000 than 200,000 I believe.

Here's the deal on this independence thing. Tom Nevala, Associate AD, made an off-hand and obligatory remark to the South Bend Tribune about Notre Dame looking at all their options when deciding where their interests would be best served in the new landscape for college hockey. "Other than joining the Big 10, we are looking at everything, even independence," were basically his words.

Everyone has been running with, and reading too much into those statements for a month now. Something everyone needs to understand is just how viscerally Notre Dame clings to it's independent status for the football team. So much so that sometimes, even among those at the very top of the athletic department food chain, that attitude creeps forth in statements made to the media about anything to do with athletics. While they stubbornly clung to independence in their men's basketball program for far too long, they likely won't make that mistake (and I think that's what it would be) in the hockey program. Making the NCAAs in our sport is too important, and giving up an extra chance to reach that goal (the playoff auto-bid if your regular season stumbles a bit) outweighs whatever attractiveness there is in going it alone.

There has been some recent scuttlebutt on another website that the delay in making their destination known publicly is due to a difference of opinion among the coaching staff and the athletic department on where that actually is. Supposedly one side wants Hockey East, the other wants the NCHC. This is not what I have been led to believe. While I have no definitive source to cite, my understanding is that Notre Dame has known for a while now where they want to be and this Notre Dame fan wishes we would just crap or get off the pot. Notre Dame is looked at all too frequently as being arrogant when it comes to just about anything, and especially when it comes to athletics. Dragging our feet publicly because we are so confident that anyone would welcome us with open arms -- even if that is entirely the case -- only serves to perpetuate that belief.

 

[SteveF]

If Texas has their own TV network, so will ND - their hockey team will be very happy there in stunning HD. The end.

No one in the US even cares enough about the NHL to warrant extensive TV coverage on anything but a leper channel like VS; you really think these same audiences are going to care about one college hockey team? There will never be a national tv deal with college hockey; it's far too regional.

Rudy aint walking through that door

 

[mookie1995]

No one in the US even cares enough about the NHL to warrant extensive TV coverage on anything but a leper channel like VS; you really think these same audiences are going to care about one college hockey team? There will never be a national tv deal with college hockey; it's far too regional.

Rudy aint walking through that door

I like college hockey and I would prefer to watch notre dame's girls tennis over notre dame boys ice hockey.

 

[bigmrg74]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

Just to start off at the beginning.

Why would the Big Ten want to give Notre Dame 24 games a season while they're not in the conference? That makes them a de facto associate member regardless of what Delany or whoever claims. All the bonus of Big Ten association without bringing the football team along. That's basically the dead last thing I'd expect to see the Big Ten do, considering that their long term goal still has to be luring Notre Dame as a full member.

I'm sure in whatever setup Notre Dame ends up they'll still play Michigan, Michigan State, etc., but to make a deal where 2/3 of their schedule is set? Can't imagine them agreeing to that.

There is that as well. I could see Wisconsin still being in that mix, but signing up with home and home deals? That's going to be a bit much, even with the amount of NC games that the BTHC schools will want to fill. Especially with the party line from Delany being, "Join the Dark Side, get a cut of our Giganormous TV network deal that your football program alone will increase everybody's overall share, oh, and have a free Cookie!!!"

 

[SCSU Euro]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

We fans don't have any control over what Notre Dame, DU, UND, Miami, CC, UMD or UNO decide or do. You would be better spent using your acerbic wit and vast energy asking SCSU's President why he didn't want to join the NCHC.

It doesn't really matter, we weren't invited. Our president saying he didn't want SCSU to be a part of it is sour grapes, and I really can't believe you can't see through that. What's he supposed to say? "We really wanted to get in and we're ****ed we're stuck with this ******nozzles."

 

[scsutommyboy]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

It doesn't really matter, we weren't invited. Our president saying he didn't want SCSU to be a part of it is sour grapes, and I really can't believe you can't see through that. What's he supposed to say? "We really wanted to get in and we're ****ed we're stuck with this ******nozzles."

I really hope Notre Dame goes to hockey east. Man I would get a good laugh.

By the way has puck swami chimed in on the NCHC discussion yet? He was the one spouting off about how his program was going to be a mid major and wanted all this change and now he has dissapeared.....

 

[Patman]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

The thing is, ND would need to fill some 34 dates... the only leverage, in all irony, to make sure they get enough home dates is to secure a national tv package of some amount. Otherwise they have a large schedule to fill and without that additional cachet, there is no leverage to schedule late into the conference schedules and ND would have no leverage to be sure they'd get home dates unless they have a means to constantly be nationally relevant.

I have to wonder if this is being played out because they can't get in the Big12, they aren't enthralled with the NCHC and they actually do want Hockey East but Hockey East is having none of it. So, here they make it look like they've got all the choices in the world, but really, it doesn't appear that there's a heck of a lot going on for Notre Dame.

ND hockey's performance is a relatively recent thing and the ND brand only goes so far.

 

[boblav1]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

There has been some recent scuttlebutt on another website that the delay in making their destination known publicly is due to a difference of opinion among the coaching staff and the athletic department on where that actually is. Supposedly one side wants Hockey East, the other wants the NCHC. This is not what I have been led to believe. While I have no definitive source to cite, my understanding is that Notre Dame has known for a while now where they want to be and this Notre Dame fan wishes we would just crap or get off the pot.

Where do you think they'll end up, NCHC or HE? I guess we'll know for sure in about a week.

 

[Tweedle Dee]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

If push comes to shove does anyone think that they will join the WCHA/CCHA leftovers?

 

[darker98]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

If push comes to shove does anyone think that they will join the WCHA/CCHA leftovers?

IMO the probablity there is 0%

 

[ScoobyFanClub]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

TV contracts are complicated ... Notre Dame's waiting probably just has to do with trying to figure out where all the chips are falling with TV - that's it. For example, Hockey East still hasn't formally announced a new deal with NESN - but probably will. Notre Dame needs to determine the nature of that deal, etc... - and maybe it's talking about its own network, and how that would come into play. And remember, the NCHC has barely been incorporated yet ... so they haven't really had a chance yet to figure out any sort of TV deal. Notre Dame may prefer to go there, but it's too early to determine NCHC's TV status. So these are all factors weighing against ND making a decision.

 

[Split-N]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

Where do you think they'll end up, NCHC or HE? I guess we'll know for sure in about a week.

I have no particular insight into who's thinking what out in South Bend but I can't see any reason why ND--with it's pedigree and a location well east of the Mississippi--would want to climb in bed with the likes of North Dakota, Denver, Nebraska-Omaha, and Minnesota-Duluth--and have to go well west of the Mississippi to do it. If they wanted into the NCHC, they would have been a founding member.

My guess (and strictly a guess) is that they want Hockey East but I'm not sure HE wants to give up its geographic compactness and the cost containment that goes with it. We'll see.

My other guess is that ND goes independent before it falls in with the so-called leftovers.

Looking forward to being in South Bend the first weekend of Dec.

 

[ScoobyFanClub]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

I have no particular insight into who's thinking what out in South Bend but I can't see any reason why ND--with it's pedigree and a location well east of the Mississippi--would want to climb in bed with the likes of North Dakota, Denver, Nebraska-Omaha, and Minnesota-Duluth--and have to go well west of the Mississippi to do it. If they wanted into the NCHC, they would have been a founding member.

My guess (and strictly a guess) is that they want Hockey East but I'm not sure HE wants to give up its geographic compactness and the cost containment that goes with it. We'll see.

This isn't true. It's been widely reported that Hockey East is ready to accept ND with open arms if ND wants in. It's up to Notre Dame. Any conference would need to be eating retard sandwiches if it didn't want ND in their league.

 

[IrishHockeyFan]

Re: Notre Dame going Independent?

The thing is, ND would need to fill some 34 dates... the only leverage, in all irony, to make sure they get enough home dates is to secure a national tv package of some amount. Otherwise they have a large schedule to fill and without that additional cachet, there is no leverage to schedule late into the conference schedules and ND would have no leverage to be sure they'd get home dates unless they have a means to constantly be nationally relevant.

This makes sense and with so many games to fill is the main reason why Notre Dame shouldn't attempt an independent schedule. After the games the football team gets every year (Navy, USC, UM, MSU, Purdue) or virtually every year (Stanford, Pittsburgh or someone else from the Big East) there are still holes left to be filled. Scrambling to find just one or two opponents is getting harder and harder since nearly every team seems to want 7 or 8 home games. It's why Notre Dame had to pay Western Michigan a half million dollars to fill out our 2010 schedule after we had already played most of our 2009 schedule, which in football scheduling terms is beyond the last minute. It would be that much harder in hockey.

I have to wonder if this is being played out because they can't get in the Big12, they aren't enthralled with the NCHC and they actually do want Hockey East but Hockey East is having none of it. So, here they make it look like they've got all the choices in the world, but really, it doesn't appear that there's a heck of a lot going on for Notre Dame.

I know for a hard and fast fact that Hockey East HAS told Notre Dame they are welcome to come along for the ride. If Notre Dame wants to be a part of Hockey East, they will be.

ND hockey's performance is a relatively recent thing...

If people actually thought long term anymore I could see this being a valid concern. We've mattered as a hockey program for about 60 minutes now and that is hardly long enough to assume anything like a 2 decade long UM-like run to the NCAAs. But no one thinks long term. Notre Dame is hot right now, a very good team, fairly secure immediate future, brand new arena to show off, and who wouldn't want that to be a part of their league? I'm thinking no one.

...and the ND brand only goes so far.

When it comes to TV, it goes further than nearly every other NCAA hockey team. TV is all about attracting casual fans. Everyone knows the die-hards are going to watch the TV games (unless they are in the stands). TV success comes with getting the channel flippers to actually land somewhere and camp out for a bit. As a "sports" fan you land when the little scoreboard graphic says Ohio State, or Texas, or Michigan, or Notre Dame. There are -- relatively speaking -- hardly any college hockey fans. And certainly not enough to move the ratings dial in any meaningful way. It is the entire reason behind the Big 10 hockey conference. While the idea of a Michigan/North Dakota hockey game in St Paul was something all of us here could warm up to, you'd be foolish to think that ESPN didn't really wish that it could have been Notre Dame playing UM in that game at 7:00.