So you want to start up a D1 team

[Patman]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

Since, the season is over I am curious to hear what USCHO posters would do if they had a chance to start up from scratch a Division one hockey program. Please try to keep the forming of a BTHC to minium. Here is the following criteria.

1.) The school of your choice has 50 million dollars to use. Any region of the country is fine, it is your choice.
2.) Currently, there is a basketball arena on campus that seats over 10,000 with bad sight lines for hockey but they do have a 1,500 seat hockey arena.
3.) When do you bring in a coach?
4.) When do you fundraise?
5.) How do you get around all the Title crap?
6.) What conference do you want to play in?
7.) Finally name the school.

2.) Depends on which one is easier to retrofit or refurb... 50 mill will go a long way for that. I'd either put more seats in the 1,500 seater and start to make it a real old barn with the right paint job and lower cost highlights. If I have to work with the 10,000 seater I'd plop the rink in the middle and I'd spend the rest on upgrading the bells and whistles in the arena with some consultation with the basketball coaches. Depending on what's left or what gets me to 'reasonable' I'd pour the rest into coaching/training space... weights, films, etc.
3.) I assume we'd have to deal with the land of reasonable here. I'd try to pry Dennehy out of Merrimack... after that I go with an current assistant in his early 30s... somebody who will want to grunt it out the first few years to prove himself.
4.) When do you not? The question is finding the right pitch and audience.
5.) Womens' Golf... Women's Bowling. Most of the tests tend to rely on opportunities though often money is used as an indicator. I'd try to get the headcount in order and then try to weasel on the money bit as much as possible... inflate other sports budgets as little as needed to cross the limbo line.
6.) Which ever will let me in the door. Not a lot of options floating around here.
7.) Suppose I should answer #1.
1.) Lets put it near Chicago... why don't they have a D-1 team?
7.) Joliet State University Fighting Ditkas.

 

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

Rutgers.

Here's a kinky idea: Rutgers and Seton Hall starting programs at the same time.

Honestly, I think there's enough big name schools out East that COULD have hockey that they could fill their own new conference. Between PA, NJ and NY alone you've got:

Pitt
Penn State
Penn
Temple
Villanova
Seton Hall
Rutgers
Columbia
Syracuse
St. John's

Bam! 10 team conference, all within a reasonable bus ride of each other.

 

[bigmrg74]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

If Penn State forms a conference, the you-know-what will get some legs. Syracuse though, along with tOSU, BGSU, Miami, BG, Niagara, Bobby Mo, Mercyhurst, UAH and my suggestion of UK - that'd be a sweet little conference, especially with a CCHA scheduling agreement.

True, but PSU would be building their program up from the ground up while competing head to head with Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Not a great recipe for immediate success. And well, of the five current Big Ten Schools, Ohio State is the Red Headed step child among them. Only one of the five that's yet to win an NCAA Championship in Hockey. a change of pace to a conference that only one school off the bat there would be able to point to their rafters and show a recuit a NCAA D1 Hockey Championship would be good for them, especially if they can get that yearly deal to play a series with Michigan and or Michigan State, or if there is some sort of a Big Ten Crossover deal that lets them play just enough to stave off the BTHC formation.

Syracuse would belong in the ECAC. Pulling out 4 teams from the CCHA would break the conference.

They would still have at least 7 teams, and all but Notre Dame and Alaska would be in state. There's a chance that they could swipe Michigan Tech, and they might make a push for Wisconsin, into jumping ship. And there's a few schools nearby that could add hockey as well. A Chicago School would clearly fit in nicely here, Marquette wouldn't be that bad of a stretch either, Wayne State could revive their men's hockey program, and there's a few schools like Central Michigan and Grand Valley State where hockey would be a natural fit at. Plenty of potential for growth here to flesh out both conferences.

Like maybe the University of Buffalo? Lots of homegrown talent and can recruit the ontario leagues well.

U of Buffalo would be a logical place to add the sport at as well.

 

[DaveStPaul]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

The University of Kentucky Cool Cats

I have always loved that Ashley Judd poster.

That's the first thing I thought, too. Put her on the calendar, appropriately attired? I'm not even in their time zone and I'd be an Original Season Ticket Holder. Da-yumn! Wait, what were we talking about?

 

[JHG722]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

To say nothing of the fact that any of the Philly schools (not just Penn, but probably Temple and 'Nova) probably have the money.

Haha I'm not sure that we do have the money, but I will do whatever it takes to bring college hockey to Philly in my lifetime.

 

[MoFan]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

During all the discussion about UAH/no UAH in the CCHA, the CCHA fans have been more than willing to portray their conference as suffering because some schools have to bus further than others.

One would think that some of these schools would be ecstatic at the notion of having a smaller conference that still has Michigan and MSU.

Everyone's entitled to their view but I wouldn't be a fan of a smaller conference at all.

 

[MoFan]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

Are you kidding me? Spoiled Eastern schools... ask the Colorado and Alaska schools how sympathetic they'd be to Penn State.

Fair point, though PSU wouldn't have a logical team nearby for Friday/Saturday conference games. They'd be hanging out there on their own. I can't argue with your Colorado/Alaska point, but that doesn't mean it's the right choice for the ECAC or HEA.

 

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

Everyone's entitled to their view but I wouldn't be a fan of a smaller conference at all.

Granted, you're a Michigan fan. Michigan doesn't have to worry about transportation costs as much as, say, NMU, FSU or BGSU.

 

[Beer Pong Horn]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

Granted, you're a Michigan fan. Michigan doesn't have to worry about transportation costs as much as, say, NMU, FSU or BGSU.

I'm surprised he would prefer a larger conference anyway - a small conference with MSU and perhaps another major rival would mean more appearances by those rivals, as well as more non-conference play against out-of-conference rivals like Minnesota and Wisconsin (and OSU, if they move out.)

Two schools no one have suggested yet: Ohio University and the University of Pittsburgh. OU has its own rink (only 2k seating, but still) and has a hockey tradition with a highly competitive ACHA team, though an NCAA D1 team is admittedly on a different level altogether. They also have one fewer men's team than women's, but they might still need to add another to balance a men's hockey program. As for Pitt, the area loves hockey but only has one collegiate team, in a far corner of the suburbs. Even though Pitt doesn't have its own rink, there are a few rinks in the area it could use, and it makes sense for Robert Morris to have an in-town rival (though if Pitt flourished, it could potentially put Bobby Mo out of the hockey business.) For big games, there's always Consol Energy Center, assuming the Pens are out of town.

I think there's a lot of room for expansion in the area bounded more-or-less by Western Michigan, UAH, Niagara and Princeton. In Michigan, Minnesota, New England and New York, pretty much every college that can host a team has one (D-I, -II or -III), but that second tier is very thinly populated by hockey schools.

 

[freak]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

7) The University of Kentucky Cool Cats.

I've always liked UK hockey for THIS reason.

 

[Beer Pong Horn]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

I've always liked UK hockey for THIS reason.

Yup.

(Also, I neglected to mention that Rupp Arena is in Lexington, and has full icemaking capability. 23,500 is grossly oversized for collegiate hockey, but nevertheless it occasionally hosts UK club hockey games. It couldn't be a normal facility though, as UK routinely packs it for basketball.)

EDIT: And if UK really wanted to be classy, they could remodel the Alumni Gym to contain a rink, a la Yost.

 

[Puck Swami]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

Two schools no one have suggested yet: Ohio University and the University of Pittsburgh. OU has its own rink (only 2k seating, but still) and has a hockey tradition with a highly competitive ACHA team, though an NCAA D1 team is admittedly on a different level altogether. .

Ohio University was a founding member of the CCHA in the 1971 along with Bowling Green, Ohio State and St. Louis University, but OU dropped D-I hockey after about three years.

 

[DenverGoldJersey]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

colorado or colorado state.
Both schools have minor league/junior rinks fairly close to campus. plus basketball courts
Either might be able to pick up UNO's old coach who brought up a large state school to DI, I forget his name off the top of my head.
They would have to be independent for a while, but I don't see the WCHA holding together with 12 team for long in its current state, perhaps split it east and west and either would jump to join, perhaps getting Airforce in too.

Most importantly, the gold pan could transition into a bean pot type tournament at pepsi center which would be awesome.

plus if it was CU DU would get another mascot to beat historically, like the sioux

 

[Puck Swami]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

colorado or colorado state.
Both schools have minor league/junior rinks fairly close to campus. plus basketball courts
Either might be able to pick up UNO's old coach who brought up a large state school to DI, I forget his name off the top of my head.
They would have to be independent for a while, but I don't see the WCHA holding together with 12 team for long in its current state, perhaps split it east and west and either would jump to join, perhaps getting Airforce in too.

Most importantly, the gold pan could transition into a bean pot type tournament at pepsi center which would be awesome.

plus if it was CU DU would get another mascot to beat historically, like the sioux

I am all for college hockey's growth, but I am a NIMBY where it concerns Colorado. I would not be excited if CU or CSU started a D-I hockey program. This is not like Minnesota where hockey is part of the culture - our little hockey ecosystem is far more fragile here in Colorado. As private schools, DU and CC have a hard enough time battling the other big public schools in the WCHA. Adding CU and CSU would add more difficulty in recruiting for DU, and at least CU Boulder would also siphon off a chunk of the local DU fan base who would feel closer to a public school like CU than they do to a private school like DU. Having more hockey schools in an overstaurated sports market would also reduce our local media coverage, and that's a net negative.

DU has worked very hard to carve out a uniquness in this market for college hockey, and as a small private school, we don't need more local hurdles...the national hurdles are steep enogh.

 

[NMU8405]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

Rutgers. They have alot more money coming in now because of the football stadium renovations. Plus might be getting alot more money if they do the conference switch. They are looking into getting the RAC either renovated or replaced so either way they could adjust it and put in a rink (the original RAC plans actually called for a rink). They also have alumni who have stated in the past they will donate a large amount of money to start a program.

Florida or Texas. Two of the most profitable college programs in the country. They also have large student bodies that could support it. If either one added a team it could cause another school to add one as well. Throw in the fact that they would likely invite UAH into the new conference and might be able to convince Navy to set up shop and you could have the SEHC.

USC- They have the money and might convice another PAC-10/western school to jump on board. Throw in the two BC schools that want to join the NCAA the Alaska schools and a few others such as Boise St or Oregon (Nike U) and you could have a power conference. The distance between teams would be large but that hasnt hurt the PAC-10 for basketball.

Most SEC schools have started up club hockey teams in recent years, and have been rather successful on campus. Tennessee has played some D-1 teams in the past as well I believe.

As for the Pac-10...USC beat Washington in the Pac 8 championship game this season. USC was 5-8 but made a run in the post season. As for expanding the Pac-8 (which is missing Oregon State and Arizona) is Gonzaga, UNLV, Montana are some good ideas. <object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5ZOXSzNuG5U&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5ZOXSzNuG5U&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

also, Oregon the two time defending Champion in the Pac-8 refuses to give up the Cup to USC.

As for teams starting up, I would love the idea of 'Nova starting a team, Rhode Island (the only State flagship school in New England without a team, add UConn and you have all the state schools plus Hockey East.

 

[GreatLakerMohawk]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

Here's a kinky idea: Rutgers and Seton Hall starting programs at the same time.

Honestly, I think there's enough big name schools out East that COULD have hockey that they could fill their own new conference. Between PA, NJ and NY alone you've got:

Pitt
Penn State
Penn
Temple
Villanova
Seton Hall
Rutgers
Columbia
Syracuse
St. John's

Bam! 10 team conference, all within a reasonable bus ride of each other.

The only catch with this is that you have Penn and Columbia in there. All the Ivies would cry bloody murder if they weren't kept together in their incestuous menagerie.

 

[redhawkman10]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

Yup.

(Also, I neglected to mention that Rupp Arena is in Lexington, and has full icemaking capability. 23,500 is grossly oversized for collegiate hockey, but nevertheless it occasionally hosts UK club hockey games. It couldn't be a normal facility though, as UK routinely packs it for basketball.)

EDIT: And if UK really wanted to be classy, they could remodel the Alumni Gym to contain a rink, a la Yost.

So is the Schott at Osu but that didn't stop them.....

 

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

The only catch with this is that you have Penn and Columbia in there. All the Ivies would cry bloody murder if they weren't kept together in their incestuous menagerie.

True.

Add Penn and Columbia to D-I and you have a few options:

1) Add them to their own conference. Drawback: what you said.
2) Add them to the ECAC. Drawback: 14 team hockey conference?
3) Create an Ivy League conference. ECAC figures out their own plan (see: the other east coast schools I mentioned)

I recall someone (maybe me?) mentioning the idea of #3 once upon a time on these boards. The reaction from a few non-Ivy ECAC fans was akin to the reaction you get from some of the fans of smaller WCHA/CCHA schools when you mention the dreaded BTHC: without the big money schools, the world falls apart and Freddy Meyer hacks your mom.

 

[GreatLakerMohawk]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

I'm sure if the Ivies were able to make their own conference, they'd more than happily do so, ECAC's opinion be dâmned. The ECAC would find a way to make something work, either through encouraging others to jump into the ECAC or getting others to start D-I programs.

Of course, I highly doubt Penn or Columbia would get into the mix for hockey anyhow so this is just filler conversation.

 

[CornwallAce]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

Siena and Albany State, since we are pipedreaming.