The end of leagues as we know?

[RinkPig]

Re: The end of leagues as we know?

I love the Big Ten HC! U of MN owns college hockey and when they left the WCHA....it was game over for the league.

Look at this from the Susie viewpoint...they are about to become known as the FlickerTails and left in a watered down WCHA...how are they going to recruit?? Hence, they have gone into full blown panic mode. Even if they form a Super Conference they will still be envious of the BTHC and the recruiting power they will hold over college hockey.

As a Gopher fan...the times they are a changin...and I can't wait until the BTHC starts!

 

[Biddco]

Re: The end of leagues as we know?

I love the Big Ten HC! U of MN owns college hockey and when they left the WCHA....it was game over for the league.

Look at this from the Susie viewpoint...they are about to become known as the FlickerTails and left in a watered down WCHA...how are they going to recruit?? Hence, they have gone into full blown panic mode. Even if they form a Super Conference they will still be envious of the BTHC and the recruiting power they will hold over college hockey.

As a Gopher fan...the times they are a changin...and I can't wait until the BTHC starts!

Don't you worry your little troll head. Lucia will do his best to see that recruitment "advantage" is squandered!

 

[Hammy]

Re: The end of leagues as we know?

It'll be sad but it will happen.
SCSU basically sells out 2 series now as it is, UND and UMN.
IF they end up in a league consisting of MSUM, MTU, UAA, NMU, FSU, LSSU, BSU, UAH & UAF, they won't see conference sell outs again and I would doubt UND, UMD, or. UMN would make regular appearences at the NHC.

I think the Gophers will still try to maintain a relationship with the teams in the state (at least, the ones that might be left on the outside looking in if all this talk should actually come to pass). I know I will be upset if they don't try to continue their tradition of trying to help grow the sport in the state by helping those teams try to stay financially viable. I know the BTHC didn't help matters but that is a decision that was beyond any one school's control.

I think it is important to keep a school like SCSU on solid ground. If programs like SCSU, Mankato, etc go away, it means less opportunities for MN kids and that is not good for the state.

 

[RinkPig]

Re: The end of leagues as we know?

Don't you worry your little troll head. Lucia will do his best to see that recruitment "advantage" is squandered!

If Lucia doesn't make the NCAA's this season he will be out the door....so it's a win win the way I see it. We either return to elite status this year or find a new coach who will just in time for the BTHC to start!

 

[Dirty]

Re: The end of leagues as we know?

SCSU dies within a decade if this happens.

SCSU leads the charge decrying the use of Native American imagery and nicknames among colleges, specifically UND's nickname of the Fighting Sioux, to the NCAA. This leads the NCAA to agree with SCSU's stance and they come out against Native American nicknames. Universities that continue to use Native American nicknames and imagery without approval of their local tribes will no longer be allowed to host NCAA tournament games. Fast-forward a few years and because of these stipulations UND has to stop calling themselves the Fighting Sioux.
UND loses a nickname.

Around the same time the nickname saga is coming to an end, UND is leading the charge to start a new hockey conference. UND calls up DU, CC, UNO, Notre Dame and Miami and asks them to join the party. They all agree. With one remaining invitation left UND has to choose between UMD and SCSU. UND chooses UMD. Fast-forward a few years and SCSU drops hockey. With no money sport remaining SCSU eventually has to drop football along with men's & women's golf, track & field, cross country and skiing. With few sports remaining SCSU is forced to drop to NAIA.
SCSU loses everything.

Advantage: The Artist Formerly known as the Fighting Sioux.

 

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: The end of leagues as we know?

From Twitter.

F. Quick
Wish I could find the tweet where I said that Big Ten conference could mean death for WCHA, was attacked for it.

 

[Bale]

Re: The end of leagues as we know?

When I read this, as a UMD fan it made me feel relieved. I was worried UMD would be reactive and not proactive. As a college hockey fan I fear the changes this would bring for rivals and schools we do not play often (CCHA)

I think this is a case of UMD being in the right place at the right time more than it is being proactive. They are being asked to join (reportedly) not asking to join. UMD is lucky this didn't happen 4 years ago when the team wasn't good and Amsoil Arena was just a dream.

 

[4four4]

Re: The end of leagues as we know?

I definitely agree that the BTHC won't end up dominating college hockey. In addition to someone in the league needing to finish last (and 5th, etc.), it's not like there is a lot more room on any of their rosters for more first and second round NHL draft picks. The game is only played with 5 skaters per team and one puck at a time. Most of those rosters right now have plenty of the top recruits, and it's somewhat balanced out by the fact that the best of them leave after a year or two.

OSU and PSU also will be recuiting first and second round picks to fill out their roster. Mark my words this league from top to bottom will be the elite conference in the nation. Even major junior teams in the CHL have taken notice and they are not happy with the Big Ten.

 

[4four4]

Re: The end of leagues as we know?

I agree with most of your post and it is nice to see a Sioux fan with his feet on the ground about all of this. Well stated.

I agree with him but he believes OSU and PSU will not be getting a few first and second round recruiting picks. I gurantee they will. Many of the recruits who are above average or elite will play for both schools because the tv exposure from the BTN. Like I said before every scout in the NHL, family and friends will be able to watch all the BTHC games in North America. The kicker is the BTN will only schedule member vs. member games. Ouch!

 

[Rich]

Re: The end of leagues as we know?

OSU and PSU also will be recuiting first and second round picks to fill out their roster. Mark my words this league from top to bottom will be the elite conference in the nation. Even major junior teams in the CHL have taken notice and they are not happy with the Big Ten.

Maybe. But if some team - it could be just about any of them - ends up finishing in 5th or 6th place every year for 5-10 years, they will have a tougher time getting the top players. The recruits will know that they won't have much of a shot at the NCAAs. And even a team that's loaded with sure-fire NHL prospects often doesn't do very well in college hockey. I'm not going to count, but I'd be willing to bet that Minnesota and Wisconsin both had more draft picks than Duluth, and Duluth won it all while Wisconsin and Minnesota didn't even make the tournament. It's also not as though there's a paucity of talent interested in playing college hockey. Adding one more team (or two if you think OSU's recruiting will take a big jump) isn't going to suddenly leave the rest of the teams looking for guys who couldn't make their high school teams. Sometimes the one-two year superstar talent pays off, while sometimes a team of 4-year guys who wouldn't get drafted if there were 15 rounds can win a title. The teams in the BTHC will definitely be good, but they're not likely to dominate. There are a lot more than just 6 teams worth of top end talent out there. And if a handful of teams end up dropping college hockey there will be even more talent available that the BTHC teams can't pick up. There's some very good talent on a few of the teams that might be looking in from the outside after everything falls out in the conference re-organization.

 

[Priceless]

Re: The end of leagues as we know?

Non-Conference Games:

HEA	70
ECAC	72
Ivy	42
AHA	84
BTHC	84
Super 8	48
UAH	34
LL	70

LL=Leftover League

This assumes the new Super 8 Conference plays 28 games (each conference foe 4 times). The BTHC can get the bulk of their games from the AHA and ECAC, with occasional games against HEA foes. Likewise, the Super 8 can schedule home and homes with HEA teams and fill in the schedule with AHA/ECAC/Ivies. Not to mention that the BTHC and Super 8 will play against each other. Any gaps that may appear can be filled by having UAH come to town for a weekend (assuming they still have a team). So any teams from the Leftover League that say they won't play teams from the Super 8 or BTHC...well, they don't need you on the schedule. Neither do the teams back East.

The only reason they need you guys to remain viable Division I teams is to keep the tournament at 16 teams. Without those teams the NCAA will shrink us back down to 12. If the BTHC schools are powerful enough to get the NCAA to ignore their 25% threshold, why would Michigan, Minnesota, Denver or North Dakota (or anyone in the East) care if they have a D-I team in Mankato, Houghton or Anchorage?

To set the record straight, I am on your side. I wish the BTHC had never formed, which (apparently) has caused the Super 8 to steal teams from both the WCHA and CCHA. I would rather see conferences realign into smaller entities with talent equally divided with room for expansion as (hopefully) more schools make the step up to Division I. Unfortunately that ship has sailed. The landscape of college hockey is being redrawn and you guys are on the outside looking in. It's fine for fans on message boards to angrily say that their team/league will boycott games against the BTHC or Super 8, but I doubt we'll hear that same fiery rhetoric from coaches and athletic directors... You guys in the Leftover League need the teams in power conferences a lot more than they need you.

 

[Handyman]

Re: The end of leagues as we know?

I think the Gophers will still try to maintain a relationship with the teams in the state (at least, the ones that might be left on the outside looking in if all this talk should actually come to pass). I know I will be upset if they don't try to continue their tradition of trying to help grow the sport in the state by helping those teams try to stay financially viable. I know the BTHC didn't help matters but that is a decision that was beyond any one school's control.

I think it is important to keep a school like SCSU on solid ground. If programs like SCSU, Mankato, etc go away, it means less opportunities for MN kids and that is not good for the state.

They are going to need games, and the Minnesota teams are bus trips if they go on the road so that makes it easier to justify alternating series. If the BTHC thinks teams out East are gonna do a 2 for 2 deal they got another thing coming.

Kepp the games, get some good will back after you ditched out of the conference and everybody wins.

BTW Scooby quoting a tweet by that twit Fiona is not exactly proving any point. Might as well just quote Sid.

 

[Handyman]

Re: The end of leagues as we know?

To set the record straight, I am on your side. I wish the BTHC had never formed, which (apparently) has caused the Super 8 to steal teams from both the WCHA and CCHA. I would rather see conferences realign into smaller entities with talent equally divided with room for expansion as (hopefully) more schools make the step up to Division I. Unfortunately that ship has sailed. The landscape of college hockey is being redrawn and you guys are on the outside looking in. It's fine for fans on message boards to angrily say that their team/league will boycott games against the BTHC or Super 8, but I doubt we'll hear that same fiery rhetoric from coaches and athletic directors... You guys in the Leftover League need the teams in power conferences a lot more than they need you.

Some of us have been calling for realignment for a few years now and many of these same fans were upset at the very idea of it. Even when conferences were getting overbloated and it was screwing up scheduling and the PWR still it was "we want our rivalries screw change"! Well sooner or later things were going to come to a head and here we are. The worst of all ways for this to end up.

 

[First Time Long Time]

They are going to need games, and the Minnesota teams are bus trips if they go on the road so that makes it easier to justify alternating series. If the BTHC thinks teams out East are gonna do a 2 for 2 deal they got another thing coming.

Kepp the games, get some good will back after you ditched out of the conference and everybody wins.

BTW Scooby quoting a tweet by that twit Fiona is not exactly proving any point. Might as well just quote Sid.

Goodwill sounds nice but how many non-conference road trips does Minnesota go on now?
I don't see Minnesota giving up gate receipts out of the goodness of their hearts.

 

[uaafanblog]

Re: The end of leagues as we know?

Butt Hurt Hockey Conference ....

There is simply nothing else to call it.

 

[HarleyMC]

Re: The end of leagues as we know?

Notre Dame isn't going to come play in the WCHA. They've already done that, and didn't really like it the first time. Notre Dame is like the hot chick everyone keeps hitting on (but who really isn't all that hot when you scrape off the makeup and silicone), but keeps turning everyone down. She likes the attention, keeps thinking someone richer will come along, but never commits. Stop wasting your time.

Nice analogy...a feminist, stuck up Dame from Notre.

 

[dggoddard]

Re: The end of leagues as we know?

I agree with him but he believes OSU and PSU will not be getting a few first and second round recruiting picks. I gurantee they will. Many of the recruits who are above average or elite will play for both schools because the tv exposure from the BTN. Like I said before every scout in the NHL, family and friends will be able to watch all the BTHC games in North America. The kicker is the BTN will only schedule member vs. member games. Ouch!

90% of the elite players are drafted BEFORE they get to college, so elite players end up going to schools that gives them the best perceived advantage of making the NHL [coaching, facilities, strength training].

I would also add that a majority of hockey players attend schools that are an easy commute for family and friends to attend games in person. So location, location, location.

TV exposure is more critical to alumni and fans at the end of the day.

Interesting to note that Notre Dame believes that their proposed TV network may have trouble cracking local cable channel lineups and are betting on technology improving and digital computer streaming to televisions may be their solution.

 

[uaafanblog]

Re: The end of leagues as we know?

I like Nachos. They've been a delicious addition to our multi-cultural North American cuisine that paved the way for other excellent foreign fare to be introduced into the U.S. Would we have potstickers if Nachos hadn't already been here? Ask yourself that.

 

[uaafanblog]

Re: The end of leagues as we know?

90% of the elite players are drafted BEFORE they get to college, so elite players end up going to schools that gives them the best perceived advantage of making the NHL [coaching, facilities, strength training].

It's unfortunately necessary to point out that far from 90% of "elite players" blah blah anything. "Elite" is as purely a subjective term as can be applied. Secondarily, check the rate of undrafted free agents in the NHL. Lastly, whether a player is "drafted" or not is an unreliable indicator as to that players production in the NCAA. The NHL's number one concern continues to be a "minimum" size. There's been a helluva lotta 5'10" and under NCAA undrafted freaking studs over the years.

So there's that.

 

[manurespreader]

Re: The end of leagues as we know?

90% of the elite players are drafted BEFORE they get to college, so elite players end up going to schools that gives them the best perceived advantage of making the NHL [coaching, facilities, strength training].

I would also add that a majority of hockey players attend schools that are an easy commute for family and friends to attend games in person. So location, location, location.

TV exposure is more critical to alumni and fans at the end of the day.

Interesting to note that Notre Dame believes that their proposed TV network may have trouble cracking local cable channel lineups and are betting on technology improving and digital computer streaming to televisions may be their solution.

Best perceived advantage... yeah agreed, still, remember the article about jerry york telling kids they should not plan on the NHL.? Even hobey winners have a very checkered record as far as success in the NHL, plus top facilities is not a good indicator of success either.

Second, your assumption on exposure is only partially true. yes exposure is nice but the kids know that no matter where they play, the NHL will see them and scout them.
And you are dead wrong on the transportation system in this country.Pretty much everywhere is within two airline flights from anywhere else. Even Houghton. So a parent from Vermont or California can quite often get to Houghton or Huntsville just as easily as he can get to Denver.

Notre Dame will have no trouble in the big markets getting their cable channel to be carried, but it might take a couple of years to get the deal sold.