Ohio State U. ( 2009-2010 )

[osualum86]

Re: Ohio State U. ( 2009-2010 )

OSUmab, thanks for wetting my appetite on that. That sounds promising. I still think we need to bring in a different coach. But hey, if a new hockey-only facility helps us get to the level that Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, and Notre Dame are at, then I'll even shell out the $200 for a brick!

Redhawkman10, back to you. The more you say about Markell being brought back scares me that you know something the rest of us don't, and we're setting ourselves up for disappointment regarding our desire to see tOSU bring in a better hockey coach.

 

[redhawkman10]

Re: Ohio State U. ( 2009-2010 )

Draighlicht, I wasn't really saying Markell didn't develop players individually. It's obvious we have been developing individuals with all the Buckeyes suiting up in the NHL. My point, and maybe it didn't come across, is that he doesn't take these talented players and mold them into a championship-caliber team.

Tic Tac Toe, I can see you're in Markell's corner and that's fine. I don't think anyone here is saying to fire him in the middle of the season. We just don't want his contract renewed after this season. As for your other post about firing Jackson, Berenson, and Blasi. Those coaches have either won National Titles, or at least played for them in recent years, or have at least been to Frozen Fours in recent years. John Markell's recent accomplishments pale in comparison to theirs, don't you think? As for the rest of the season, there are a lot of games left, but what makes you think the second half of the season will be any different than the first half? Just curious.

RedHawkMan10, I hope you're wrong about Gene Smith bringing John Markell back, that's all I can say. If Gene Smith does bring Markell back, it will tell me loud and clear that hockey is just an afterthought to him, and that he doesn't care if our hockey program continues to be a joke. As for what OSU is willing to do, I wouldn't sell OSU short on that. OSU has shown in the past that they are willing to shell out the $$$ for coaches.

I think you misunderstood me. I didn't mean they wouldn't shell out money for a coach. Where I was going with it was that if a new coach came in he would undoubtedly want changes made and upgrades etc. That is what I meant by additional money towards the program. I guess I don't know if the university is that willing to throw more money into a program that is second tier at their school. I could be wrong in saying that but as an outsider, I see all the do for Football and Basketball and don't think they treat hockey the same. Some schools are happy with a program that is in the middle of the pact, I don't know just generating discussion and throwing stuff out there.

 

[redhawkman10]

Re: Ohio State U. ( 2009-2010 )

OSUmab, thanks for wetting my appetite on that. That sounds promising. I still think we need to bring in a different coach. But hey, if a new hockey-only facility helps us get to the level that Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, and Notre Dame are at, then I'll even shell out the $200 for a brick!

Redhawkman10, back to you. The more you say about Markell being brought back scares me that you know something the rest of us don't, and we're setting ourselves up for disappointment regarding our desire to see tOSU bring in a better hockey coach.

While a new facility would be great, they have already gone through a new facility with markell and the program hasn't moved forward and it wouldn't with him at the helm at a new facility. But should the university go in that direction that is a big committment which would lead me to believe if they are willing to do that they would bring in a new coach.

I honestly think if OSU does build a hockey only facility, Miami would have some help in that. A nicer facility than the small old osu ice arena can generate revenue with pick up hockey, open skates, figure skating, intermerials sp?, and even possibly youth hockey. You put in two sheets you can do a lot with that and turn a profit on your investment. With all the students OSU has I would be willing to bet open skates would be packed!

 

[osualum86]

Re: Ohio State U. ( 2009-2010 )

I think you misunderstood me. I didn't mean they wouldn't shell out money for a coach. Where I was going with it was that if a new coach came in he would undoubtedly want changes made and upgrades etc. That is what I meant by additional money towards the program. I guess I don't know if the university is that willing to throw more money into a program that is second tier at their school. I could be wrong in saying that but as an outsider, I see all the do for Football and Basketball and don't think they treat hockey the same. Some schools are happy with a program that is in the middle of the pact, I don't know just generating discussion and throwing stuff out there.

I understand what you mean now. You're talking about building a new hockey-only facility. As I said before, if that's what it takes to get our program to the next level, I would be for it. However, is there really a coach out there that would turn down the money OSU would throw out there due to our 17,500-seat, state-of-the-art arena? Like I said, if it's as simple as "build a hockey-only facility and they will come," then let's do it so we can be one of the elite programs in college hockey. To be completely honest, I've never really believed the facility was the problem. The reason it appears to be a liability now rather than the asset it was designed to be is because we have a coaching staff that is burying our program and we're only drawing a few thousand. Having been to a game a couple weeks ago, I can tell you that the place does look cavernous when there are that few people there, and the atmosphere stinks. Put an elite hockey program on the ice and the fans will come back. It will be interesting to see what happens in the offseason with this program. We're really at a crossroads here. We can keep everything as is and watch the program continue the downward spiral, or we can take steps to get ourselves on the same level as Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, and Notre Dame. This is a great discussion. It's just nice to see so many posters actually talking about OSU Hockey. It's like pulling teeth trying to get posters to talk Hockey on the mainstream forums. I'm really glad I found this.

 

[redhawkman10]

Re: Ohio State U. ( 2009-2010 )

I understand what you mean now. You're talking about building a new hockey-only facility. As I said before, if that's what it takes to get our program to the next level, I would be for it. However, is there really a coach out there that would turn down the money OSU would throw out there due to our 17,500-seat, state-of-the-art arena? Like I said, if it's as simple as "build a hockey-only facility and they will come," then let's do it so we can be one of the elite programs in college hockey. To be completely honest, I've never really believed the facility was the problem. The reason it appears to be a liability now rather than the asset it was designed to be is because we have a coaching staff that is burying our program and we're only drawing a few thousand. Having been to a game a couple weeks ago, I can tell you that the place does look cavernous when there are that few people there, and the atmosphere stinks. Put an elite hockey program on the ice and the fans will come back. It will be interesting to see what happens in the offseason with this program. We're really at a crossroads here. We can keep everything as is and watch the program continue the downward spiral, or we can take steps to get ourselves on the same level as Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, and Notre Dame. This is a great discussion. It's just nice to see so many posters actually talking about OSU Hockey. It's like pulling teeth trying to get posters to talk Hockey on the mainstream forums. I'm really glad I found this.

Do you really believe that though? With an NHL team in town and Hockey just not being on the radar of majority of the students, even if they had a top 5 program I just don't see them putting 17 k plus in that building. Its a big city and a major university. OSU and columbus aren't Fargo North Dakota of Madison Wisconsin when their isn't much else to do in those cities.

A hockey only facility would be wonderful, I have a hard time believing they will do it. The second half of the season will go a long way to deciding Markell's future. They get above .500 and make it to the joe or the NCAA tourny he is staying. If they continue to underperform and play inconsistant there is a great chance he is not returned.

 

[osualum86]

Re: Ohio State U. ( 2009-2010 )

Do you really believe that though? With an NHL team in town and Hockey just not being on the radar of majority of the students, even if they had a top 5 program I just don't see them putting 17 k plus in that building. Its a big city and a major university. OSU and columbus aren't Fargo North Dakota of Madison Wisconsin when their isn't much else to do in those cities.

A hockey only facility would be wonderful, I have a hard time believing they will do it. The second half of the season will go a long way to deciding Markell's future. They get above .500 and make it to the joe or the NCAA tourny he is staying. If they continue to underperform and play inconsistant there is a great chance he is not returned.

Redhawkman10, I'm not saying a top five program will necessarily sell out every single game at the Schott, but I've seen plenty of crowds of 10,000 or more when we have put a decent team out there. A hockey-only facility that held 8,000 or so would be great because we would sell out the big games on a consistent basis (provided we put a championship-caliber hockey program on the ice). What would eventually happen would be that fans would get shut out of going to, say, a Michigan game or a Miami game. Maybe those fans would end up going to the games against Northern Michigan or Alaska, and you might see those other games start to sell out, too. This is all contingent on, as I alluded to, us putting a top five-caliber hockey program on the ice. If we don't do that, it won't matter if we build a hockey-only facility or not. As far as the second half of the season goes, I looked at the schedule, and quite frankly, I don't see us getting to .500. I mean, here is the rest of the schedule (pasted below). I don't see any sweeps here, which is what we need to climb back to .500. We're not playing good enough hockey right now to sweep any of these teams, other than maybe Bowling Green and Western Michigan. Western Michigan is on the road, so I doubt we sweep them. All I see here are a bunch of splits at best, and in some of these, we could end up getting swept (Michigan State, Ferris State, UNO, Miami ... all those could be 0-2 weekends the way we're playing). Michigan State is Michigan State, Ferris State has already swept us this season, we've always had trouble at UNO, and Miami is only the #1 team in the country and just swept us. I'm having trouble finding a lot of wins in that remaining schedule. That means a low seeding in the CCHA Tournament, an early exit, and no NCAA Tournament bid. That will hopefully lead to a coaching change. Don't get me wrong, either. I'm not wishing for that just to get Markell out of here. I would love to see us turn it around. I'm just being realistic about the chances of that happening based on the remaining schedule.

Fri, Jan 08 Bowling Green - Columbus, Ohio 7:05 p.m.
Sat, Jan 09 Bowling Green - Columbus, Ohio 7:05 p.m.
Fri, Jan 15 U.S. National Under-18 Team - Columbus, Ohio 7:05 p.m.
Fri, Jan 22 Michigan State - at East Lansing, Mich. 7:35 p.m.
Sat, Jan 23 Michigan State - at East Lansing, Mich. 5:05 p.m.
Fri, Jan 29 Ferris State - Columbus, Ohio 7:05 p.m.
Sat, Jan 30 Ferris State - Columbus, Ohio 7:05 p.m.
Fri, Feb 05 Nebraska-Omaha - at Omaha, Neb. 7:35 p.m.
Sat, Feb 06 Nebraska-Omaha - at Omaha, Neb. 7:05 p.m.
Fri, Feb 12 Alaska - Columbus, Ohio 7:05 p.m.
Sat, Feb 13 Alaska - Columbus, Ohio 7:05 p.m.
Fri, Feb 19 Western Michigan - at Kalamazoo, Mich. 7:35 p.m.
Sat, Feb 20 Western Michigan - at Kalamazoo, Mich. 7:35 p.m.
Fri, Feb 26 Miami - at Oxford, Ohio 8:05 p.m.
Sat, Feb 27 Miami - Columbus, Ohio 8:05 p.m.

 

[----]

Re: Ohio State U. ( 2009-2010 )

osualum86-

excellent post.... it was almost like your in my head! Hopefully 10 years from now we can be that type of program!

 

[osualum86]

Re: Ohio State U. ( 2009-2010 )

osualum86-

excellent post.... it was almost like your in my head! Hopefully 10 years from now we can be that type of program!

----, feels funny typing that as your "name." I am really trying to be optimistic about this season despite the tone of some of my posts, and I really do believe the right coach could turn this program into a perennial top five program like the other CCHA schools I have mentioned. I also believe it could be done in less than ten years, although if someone were to tell me, "Ten years from now Ohio State Hockey will be a top five-caliber program," I'd take it in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, we're not there yet (not even close), but at least I have found a forum where there are a number of Ohio State Hockey fans who want to discuss the program and where it's heading. As for the team, I am certainly not going to bail on them. In fact, I am planning on hitting one and maybe both of the Bowling Green games. Mrs 86 is a Bowling Green grad, so we are a house divided when the Buckeyes and Falcons hook up. I can't vent to her about the condition of our program the way I can on this forum. She replies with something along the lines of, "Hey, my program almost got dropped, so I don't want to hear it." Should be fun. Back in the day (I was a student at tOSU from 1982 - 1986) BG was the big rivalry game in Hockey. We didn't play UM back then and that was before Miami really got their program going. That was basically in BG's heyday, so that was the biggest game on our schedule. My how the times have changed. But, yeah, if anyone goes next month and they see a couple with an OSU Hockey sweater and a BG Hockey sweater walking down the concourse, it will probably be us. Mrs 86 is a big Hockey fan. I actually told her if she is serious about talking Hockey, she should join the USCHO.com forums. Great Hockey discussions here!

 

[redhawkman10]

Re: Ohio State U. ( 2009-2010 )

Redhawkman10, I'm not saying a top five program will necessarily sell out every single game at the Schott, but I've seen plenty of crowds of 10,000 or more when we have put a decent team out there. A hockey-only facility that held 8,000 or so would be great because we would sell out the big games on a consistent basis (provided we put a championship-caliber hockey program on the ice). What would eventually happen would be that fans would get shut out of going to, say, a Michigan game or a Miami game. Maybe those fans would end up going to the games against Northern Michigan or Alaska, and you might see those other games start to sell out, too. This is all contingent on, as I alluded to, us putting a top five-caliber hockey program on the ice. If we don't do that, it won't matter if we build a hockey-only facility or not. As far as the second half of the season goes, I looked at the schedule, and quite frankly, I don't see us getting to .500. I mean, here is the rest of the schedule (pasted below). I don't see any sweeps here, which is what we need to climb back to .500. We're not playing good enough hockey right now to sweep any of these teams, other than maybe Bowling Green and Western Michigan. Western Michigan is on the road, so I doubt we sweep them. All I see here are a bunch of splits at best, and in some of these, we could end up getting swept (Michigan State, Ferris State, UNO, Miami ... all those could be 0-2 weekends the way we're playing). Michigan State is Michigan State, Ferris State has already swept us this season, we've always had trouble at UNO, and Miami is only the #1 team in the country and just swept us. I'm having trouble finding a lot of wins in that remaining schedule. That means a low seeding in the CCHA Tournament, an early exit, and no NCAA Tournament bid. That will hopefully lead to a coaching change. Don't get me wrong, either. I'm not wishing for that just to get Markell out of here. I would love to see us turn it around. I'm just being realistic about the chances of that happening based on the remaining schedule.

Fri, Jan 08 Bowling Green - Columbus, Ohio 7:05 p.m.
Sat, Jan 09 Bowling Green - Columbus, Ohio 7:05 p.m.
Fri, Jan 15 U.S. National Under-18 Team - Columbus, Ohio 7:05 p.m.
Fri, Jan 22 Michigan State - at East Lansing, Mich. 7:35 p.m.
Sat, Jan 23 Michigan State - at East Lansing, Mich. 5:05 p.m.
Fri, Jan 29 Ferris State - Columbus, Ohio 7:05 p.m.
Sat, Jan 30 Ferris State - Columbus, Ohio 7:05 p.m.
Fri, Feb 05 Nebraska-Omaha - at Omaha, Neb. 7:35 p.m.
Sat, Feb 06 Nebraska-Omaha - at Omaha, Neb. 7:05 p.m.
Fri, Feb 12 Alaska - Columbus, Ohio 7:05 p.m.
Sat, Feb 13 Alaska - Columbus, Ohio 7:05 p.m.
Fri, Feb 19 Western Michigan - at Kalamazoo, Mich. 7:35 p.m.
Sat, Feb 20 Western Michigan - at Kalamazoo, Mich. 7:35 p.m.
Fri, Feb 26 Miami - at Oxford, Ohio 8:05 p.m.
Sat, Feb 27 Miami - Columbus, Ohio 8:05 p.m.

I disagree with you not having any sweeps left. You should sweep western and could sweep anyone else if you play up to it your potential. But even a crowd 10,000 still makes the place kind of dull to watch a game. They need a hockey only facility. We will see what happens, but one of two things is going to happen in April. Either they bring markell back and the program falls further into the depths of being mediocre or they shake things up, bring in a new coaching staff and get plans in place for a new hockey only facility. This would help recruiting tremendously. As it is now, they can't practice on the ice they play on on a regular basis and the have to share facilities off the ice with the basketball program. That makes a difference when a recruit walks into their or into say a Miami where they are giving the red carpet treatment and treated like Kings.

 

[osualum86]

Re: Ohio State U. ( 2009-2010 )

I disagree with you not having any sweeps left. You should sweep western and could sweep anyone else if you play up to it your potential. But even a crowd 10,000 still makes the place kind of dull to watch a game. They need a hockey only facility. We will see what happens, but one of two things is going to happen in April. Either they bring markell back and the program falls further into the depths of being mediocre or they shake things up, bring in a new coaching staff and get plans in place for a new hockey only facility. This would help recruiting tremendously. As it is now, they can't practice on the ice they play on on a regular basis and the have to share facilities off the ice with the basketball program. That makes a difference when a recruit walks into their or into say a Miami where they are giving the red carpet treatment and treated like Kings.

Redhawkman10, great talking with you regarding OSU Hockey. You may be right about getting some sweeps. I just feel like, if we haven't developed the consistency necessary to sweep teams by now (season is two months old), why should I think we're going to be able to sweep anyone in the next couple months? You bring up some good points about having a hockey-only facility. I think we will just have to agree to disagree on the facility versus coaching situation. You think our facility is the reason our program is not moving forward. I think the coaching staff is the reason we are not moving forward. It's probably a little bit of both (truth lies somewhere in between), but if Markell gets an extension, I don't think it will matter if we build a hockey-only facility. We'll still be a mediocre program and only draw a few thousand. I have no way of knowing what will happen in the offseason, but to me it's telling that AD Gene Smith has not given John Markell an extension already. Normally, our athletic department doesn't let these coaches get into the last years of their contracts. Normally, the two sides will sit down before the season starts to iron out an extension. That way the coaches don't have that hanging over their heads during the season. That wasn't the case here. It will be interesting to see what happens after the season ends.

 

[redhawkman10]

Re: Ohio State U. ( 2009-2010 )

Redhawkman10, great talking with you regarding OSU Hockey. You may be right about getting some sweeps. I just feel like, if we haven't developed the consistency necessary to sweep teams by now (season is two months old), why should I think we're going to be able to sweep anyone in the next couple months? You bring up some good points about having a hockey-only facility. I think we will just have to agree to disagree on the facility versus coaching situation. You think our facility is the reason our program is not moving forward. I think the coaching staff is the reason we are not moving forward. It's probably a little bit of both (truth lies somewhere in between), but if Markell gets an extension, I don't think it will matter if we build a hockey-only facility. We'll still be a mediocre program and only draw a few thousand. I have no way of knowing what will happen in the offseason, but to me it's telling that AD Gene Smith has not given John Markell an extension already. Normally, our athletic department doesn't let these coaches get into the last years of their contracts. Normally, the two sides will sit down before the season starts to iron out an extension. That way the coaches don't have that hanging over their heads during the season. That wasn't the case here. It will be interesting to see what happens after the season ends.

Actually I don't think its the facility. I think its a combination of both and am with you on that. I think the problem lies more or less with the administration's committment.

As for their remaining schedule. The talent is there and is why I believe they can do it, they have wins over Denver and Bemidji two very talented teams. SO the talent is there, but the desire needs to be. If they play more consistant they can accomplish a lot, only time will tell what happens.

 

[osualum86]

Re: Ohio State U. ( 2009-2010 )

Actually I don't think its the facility. I think its a combination of both and am with you on that. I think the problem lies more or less with the administration's committment.

As for their remaining schedule. The talent is there and is why I believe they can do it, they have wins over Denver and Bemidji two very talented teams. SO the talent is there, but the desire needs to be. If they play more consistant they can accomplish a lot, only time will tell what happens.

Redhawkman10, you hit the nail on the head in that first paragraph. And therein lies my biggest concern regarding the offseason. Does Gene Smith really have any expectations for our hockey program or are his statements about having championship-caliber teams just a bunch of talk? If he really does want us to have a championship-caliber hockey program, as he purports, he'll make a coaching change and the athletic department will look into the situation with the facility. If Markell gets an extension, it will tell me that Gene Smith is all talk regarding all our athletic programs being championship-caliber and that he doesn't give a rat's rear end about our hockey program.

As for the second paragraph, I still contend that if they haven't developed any consistency to this point, I don't see it happening in the next couple months. Plus, it's not like we have a favorable schedule, either. I do agree that we have the talent, but as we've seen in the last 14 seasons, having talent has not translated to wins or championships here.

 

[Draighlicht]

Re: Ohio State U. ( 2009-2010 )

Does Gene Smith really have any expectations for our hockey program or are his statements about having championship-caliber teams just a bunch of talk?

Think about it this way.....

OSU has two sports that turn a profit and they pay the freight for all the other sports. If you are looking to increase the number of profit making sports there are really only two possibilities, men's hockey and women's basketbal (and I'm not here to talk about the round ball).

For the first few years playing in the Schott attendance averaged 6 to 7K a game. OSU was coming off a frozen four appearance and several consecutive trips to the tourney. For two years the program broke even financially. After the CCHA tourney championship the team tanked and attendance has consistently gone down with the team's record. I read that as telling me "a winning team can increase attendance and the program can pay for itself."

Now let's add in the possible expansion of the Big Ten with one of the schools in the theoretical mix being Notre Dame. Can you say six Big Ten teams playing hockey? Like it or not a Big Ten hockey league would be a money maker in Columbus. First, it is teams the students and alums are familiar with from football. With all due respect to Ferris State, Lake Superior and others OSU fan's won't get excited about those teams. Second the Big Ten Network needs programming to fill Friday nights. Neither football or basketball plays on those nights and women's volleyball, swimming, or any other sport has an out of the league appeal that hockey has.

Gene Smith is basically the CEO of a major sports program looking to stay solvent and pay for other sports. He's no fool and only a fool would turn his back on a potential source of revenue, be it ever so humble.

BTW, Gene's wife is Canadian and she is more than somewhat a hockey fan.

 

[osualum86]

Re: Ohio State U. ( 2009-2010 )

Think about it this way.....

OSU has two sports that turn a profit and they pay the freight for all the other sports. If you are looking to increase the number of profit making sports there are really only two possibilities, men's hockey and women's basketbal (and I'm not here to talk about the round ball).

For the first few years playing in the Schott attendance averaged 6 to 7K a game. OSU was coming off a frozen four appearance and several consecutive trips to the tourney. For two years the program broke even financially. After the CCHA tourney championship the team tanked and attendance has consistently gone down with the team's record. I read that as telling me "a winning team can increase attendance and the program can pay for itself."

Now let's add in the possible expansion of the Big Ten with one of the schools in the theoretical mix being Notre Dame. Can you say six Big Ten teams playing hockey? Like it or not a Big Ten hockey league would be a money maker in Columbus. First, it is teams the students and alums are familiar with from football. With all due respect to Ferris State, Lake Superior and others OSU fan's won't get excited about those teams. Second the Big Ten Network needs programming to fill Friday nights. Neither football or basketball plays on those nights and women's volleyball, swimming, or any other sport has an out of the league appeal that hockey has.

Gene Smith is basically the CEO of a major sports program looking to stay solvent and pay for other sports. He's no fool and only a fool would turn his back on a potential source of revenue, be it ever so humble.

BTW, Gene's wife is Canadian and she is more than somewhat a hockey fan.

Draighlicht, intriguing take on things. I agree it would be great to have a Big Ten Hockey Conference. That would be awesome, and I also agree with you that those teams have more name recognition than teams like Lake Superior State and Ferris State. It's too bad one or two of the club teams in the Big Ten (Penn State has a pretty good club team) won't upgrade to varsity status. I'm also glad to know that Gene's wife is an avid hockey fan.

 

[Draighlicht]

Re: Ohio State U. ( 2009-2010 )

Friday night with no hockey.

It's worse than complaining about them losing!

 

[THE OHIO STATE]

Re: Ohio State U. ( 2009-2010 )

I hope the team and Coaching staff have a safe and happy holiday break.

I hope that they all come back with fresh ideas and attitudes. I hope they come back " HUNGRY " for some WINS.



" GO BUCKS GO. "

 

[redhawkman10]

Re: Ohio State U. ( 2009-2010 )

Think about it this way.....

OSU has two sports that turn a profit and they pay the freight for all the other sports. If you are looking to increase the number of profit making sports there are really only two possibilities, men's hockey and women's basketbal (and I'm not here to talk about the round ball).

For the first few years playing in the Schott attendance averaged 6 to 7K a game. OSU was coming off a frozen four appearance and several consecutive trips to the tourney. For two years the program broke even financially. After the CCHA tourney championship the team tanked and attendance has consistently gone down with the team's record. I read that as telling me "a winning team can increase attendance and the program can pay for itself."

Now let's add in the possible expansion of the Big Ten with one of the schools in the theoretical mix being Notre Dame. Can you say six Big Ten teams playing hockey? Like it or not a Big Ten hockey league would be a money maker in Columbus. First, it is teams the students and alums are familiar with from football. With all due respect to Ferris State, Lake Superior and others OSU fan's won't get excited about those teams. Second the Big Ten Network needs programming to fill Friday nights. Neither football or basketball plays on those nights and women's volleyball, swimming, or any other sport has an out of the league appeal that hockey has.

Gene Smith is basically the CEO of a major sports program looking to stay solvent and pay for other sports. He's no fool and only a fool would turn his back on a potential source of revenue, be it ever so humble.

BTW, Gene's wife is Canadian and she is more than somewhat a hockey fan.

Very good post, To my knowledge they are the only athletic department that is fully funded by themselves. Im sure there might be others but I don't know who. You are absolutely right about Gene Smith being more of a CEO than a athletic director but if he hasn't made a move by now what would his motivation be to dump more money into them to hopefully turn them around and make a profit? I think if you are pinning your hopes on a BTHC that is a long shot. OSU should be a viable program and has the resources and ability to do so should they put forth the effort. I just question if they really want to.

 

[Draighlicht]

Re: Ohio State U. ( 2009-2010 )

but if he hasn't made a move by now what would his motivation be to dump more money into them to hopefully turn them around and make a profit?

Past history with non-profit making sports. OSU under Smith seems to allow contracts to expire or coaches to resign rather than terminating contracts with even a year left on them. Wrestling, track and field, cross country, swimming, lacrosse and golf coaches all retired, left for other universities or resigned before changes were made. That's just the way OSU handles things.

Markell is in the last year of his contract and the program is under-performing. That's reason to believe a change could be forthcoming.

As for Big Ten Hockey - I have mixed feelings about it even though I believe it is not far down the road. OSU hockey should be able to pay its own way without the Big Ten league, but with the league it can turn a small profit when you add in additional TV revenue from the Big Ten Network. As things stand now with the network they are not the primary provider of games involving Big Ten schools. This winter they are picking up games that others passed on. If there is a Big Ten conference in hockey suddenly the BTN is a player.

 

[redhawkman10]

Re: Ohio State U. ( 2009-2010 )

Past history with non-profit making sports. OSU under Smith seems to allow contracts to expire or coaches to resign rather than terminating contracts with even a year left on them. Wrestling, track and field, cross country, swimming, lacrosse and golf coaches all retired, left for other universities or resigned before changes were made. That's just the way OSU handles things.

Markell is in the last year of his contract and the program is under-performing. That's reason to believe a change could be forthcoming.

As for Big Ten Hockey - I have mixed feelings about it even though I believe it is not far down the road. OSU hockey should be able to pay its own way without the Big Ten league, but with the league it can turn a small profit when you add in additional TV revenue from the Big Ten Network. As things stand now with the network they are not the primary provider of games involving Big Ten schools. This winter they are picking up games that others passed on. If there is a Big Ten conference in hockey suddenly the BTN is a player.

No I get it, I just think it is an awful idea lol. Of course I am an outsider, but for the sport as a whole it is a bad idea IMO. With that said I don't think it will happen because I don't believe all big ten schools are willing to do it. But that is a different topic lol.

But is tOSU the only self supported athletic department in the country? IMO its about 50-50 on what will happen with markell. If the bucks have a solid second half and get in the NCAA hunt I don't think they make a move. Either way at the end of the season everyone will see what Gene Smith really thinks about the hockey program with whether changes are made or not in more than just the coaching department.

 

[Arpod]

Re: Ohio State U. ( 2009-2010 )

Interesting PhD thesis on the financing of college athletics:

http://txspace.tamu.edu/bitstream/handle/1969.1/86021/Penry.pdf?sequence=1

It's based primarily on schools without hockey programs, but it has a bunch of references discussing more generic issues of athletic funding. For example, from (presumably now Dr.) Penry's thesis: "The Sports Business Journal reports that, based on 2004-2005 financial data, excluding institutional support, 95 of the 117 the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision athletic programs lost money (Zimbalist, 2007)." Frankly, the number of programs in the black without institutional support is larger than I would have guessed. I'd also guess that most of the schools with hockey programs do not operate in the black because they do not have gonzo-revenue football or roundball programs.

I beleive the athletic departments of the U of MI, U of WI-Madison, and tOSU are self-sufficient. I also beleive if tOSU had competent coaching (which IMHO they currently do not), coupled with the talent they bring in (despite the lack of competent coaching), they would consistently compete at the highest level in the CCHA and make regular appearances in the NCAA tourny. They would also put butts in the seats, which could be the tipping point for a hockey-only facility.