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The end of leagues as we know?

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Re: The end of leagues as we know?

Generally speaking, road trip guarantees come close to paying for a trip...(hotel and plane)...but not all of it. Somewhere between $15K and $20K...generally speaking. This is what BSU received in the past (while a member of the CHA). ..unless it was a home and home...then no money changed hands.

As for schools invited...what I heard last week (but couldn't get anyone to confirm them) was exactly what was reported by Pates in Duluth.

UND, DU, UNO, CC, UMD, ND, Miami, WMU.

As for why Western would be included? They have 25,000 students...and they're a bus ride for ND and Miami (might be a long bus ride...but it's a bus ride).

And it appears they may be on the uptick. A "futures" bet, so to speak. If their coach doesn't bolt for the Red Wings. Plus, they may be the best school to round out the conference.
 
Re: The end of leagues as we know?

Bruce McLeod should resign and then things will be all better. Maybe.
 
Re: The end of leagues as we know?

And it appears they may be on the uptick. A "futures" bet, so to speak. If their coach doesn't bolt for the Red Wings. Plus, they may be the best school to round out the conference.

WMU is a Division one program in other sprots and is likely the biggest program in the BHHC 8.
 
Re: The end of leagues as we know?

UMD is in Minnesota. WMU is in Michigan. Schools looking at the new conference haven't forgotten the nations top recruiting grounds and richest fan bases.

So will UND really rather host Miami than SCSU? Would it rather play WMU than Mankato? They must have felt obligated to throw ND a bone...and must have really wanted to slim down the league bad.
 
Re: The end of leagues as we know?

So will UND really rather host Miami than SCSU? Would it rather play WMU than Mankato? They must have felt obligated to throw ND a bone...and must have really wanted to slim down the league bad.

The Miami / North Dakota rivalry will be huge from the get-go. Two programs that are regular Final Four contenders. I'd expect those games to have massive Pairwise ramifications every time they meet.

Miami's student section is second to none. They line up hours before the game and fill at least 25% of their arena.

North Dakota fans that make that road trip are going to love Oxford.
 
The Miami / North Dakota rivalry will be huge from the get-go. Two programs that are regular Final Four contenders. I'd expect those games to have massive Pairwise ramifications every time they meet.

Miami's student section is second to none. They line up hours before the game and fill at least 25% of their arena.

North Dakota fans that make that road trip are going to love Oxford.

Doesn't take much for a D1 school with a sub-WCHA capacity arena.
 
Re: The end of leagues as we know?

The Miami / North Dakota rivalry will be huge from the get-go. Two programs that are regular Final Four contenders. I'd expect those games to have massive Pairwise ramifications every time they meet.

Miami's student section is second to none. They line up hours before the game and fill at least 25% of their arena.

North Dakota fans that make that road trip are going to love Oxford.

sure, but when the students are not there no one else is either.

Doesn't take much for a D1 school with a sub-WCHA capacity arena.
Agreed, and dg, if your guys have not vetted this proposal any better than this you deserve what you get.
 
Re: The end of leagues as we know?

It's important to keep in mind that when Notre Dame chooses to go east (perhaps taking Miami with them to round out HE to 12 teams), the 6 renegade WCHA teams of the so called "super conference" will be left holding their * in their hands, ****ing into the wind. The media frenzy based upon the conjecture that Notre Dame will relentlessly accept an offer to join this new conference idea is comical to say the least.

This is nothing more than UND inviting others to their financial pity party.

Four factors that may influence Notre Dame realigning to Hockey East:

1) The head coach's preference:

"I have a lot of respect for the programs and coaches in Hockey East," said Jeff Jackson, Notre Dame hockey head coach. "That has been one of the premier leagues in the country over the last 15 years. Our university is open to everything right now. As I've said, a lot has to do with going to a conference with like-minded schools. The Catholic aspect and academic aspect are strong suits for Hockey East."

2) Division I consistency in all sports:

The WCHA will have 10 remaining schools after Minnesota and Wisconsin depart, but eight are Division II or III in other sports. North Dakota and Denver are the only schools that are Division I in all sports. Eight of Hockey East's 10 teams are Division I across the board. Merrimack and UMass Lowell are Division II in other sports.

3) Historical rivalries and philosophical similarities:

Jackson said they will be looking at being in a conference with like-minded schools and that pertains to academics and other areas in addition to athletics.

Notre Dame is a Catholic institution as are Providence College, Merrimack and Boston College. Notre Dame and Providence are Big East rivals in every sport except football. Boston College used to be in the Big East until it left to join the Atlantic Coast Conference.

4) Media revenue sharing in addition to Notre Dame Network revenue:

"It's not just about the hockey end of it," said Jackson. "And we're also looking at our access to TV rights."

Hockey East is currently negotiating a TV rights deal. It has had a contract with the New England Sports Network, but that expired and league commissioner Joe Bertagna is currently negotiating with NESN. The league has two years left on a three-year deal with the CBS Sports Network, which airs a game of the week on Friday nights although it isn't exclusively linked to Hockey East. Comcast SportsNet New England could be another option and Bertagna said Versus, which carries NHL games, has expressed a desire to branch into college hockey.

And now a message for UND from our sponsors:

<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/viHh2RYj4ko" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
Re: The end of leagues as we know?

Generally speaking, road trip guarantees come close to paying for a trip...(hotel and plane)...but not all of it. Somewhere between $15K and $20K...generally speaking. This is what BSU received in the past (while a member of the CHA). ..unless it was a home and home...then no money changed hands.

As for schools invited...what I heard last week (but couldn't get anyone to confirm them) was exactly what was reported by Pates in Duluth.

UND, DU, UNO, CC, UMD, ND, Miami, WMU.

As for why Western would be included? They have 25,000 students...and they're a bus ride for ND and Miami (might be a long bus ride...but it's a bus ride).

Long bus ride? 227 miles...about 4 hours...not a long bus ride by any stretch of the imagination...now Duluth (737 miles) and Omaha (699) are long bus trips to Oxford.
 
Re: The end of leagues as we know?

The Miami / North Dakota rivalry will be huge from the get-go. Two programs that are regular Final Four contenders. I'd expect those games to have massive Pairwise ramifications every time they meet.

Miami's student section is second to none. They line up hours before the game and fill at least 25% of their arena.

North Dakota fans that make that road trip are going to love Oxford.
By regular Final Four contenders, you mean in the last 20 minutes for Miami?
 
Re: The end of leagues as we know?

North Dakota fans that make that road trip are going to love Oxford.

I think I can state with pretty good certainty most North Dakota fans don't even know that Miami of Ohio is in Oxford.

This whole thing is just a very, very bad idea and it makes me unhappy to think about it.

Also, I don't get your zeal for this proposal. All we ever hear from you and PS is about the glory days of DU hockey in the 60's, a decade by the way in which Wisconsin wasn't in the conference and Minnesota refused to play you. Isn't this a chance for DU to return to those days?

I have been watching college hockey a long time. I can categorically state that the game of college hockey as a whole is substantially better since programs like DU, UND and the Big 10 schools actually helped programs like SCSU, Mankato, BSU, UAA, etc..., get developed, move from Independents into stable leagues, or move up from DII or DIII. How throwing those programs under the bus helps college hockey, including our own two programs, completely escapes me.
 
Re: The end of leagues as we know?

Well, if this actually happens, I may never spend money on another D1 college hockey ticket again. I can spend my money on better things than supporting any of these disgraceful institutions, and that goes for the B16 Mistake and the other conference full of the whiny *****es with inferiority complexes. I can get plenty of hockey watching NHL, high school and even D3 if I need to.
 
Re: The end of leagues as we know?

Well, if this actually happens, I may never spend money on another D1 college hockey ticket again. I can spend my money on better things than supporting any of these disgraceful institutions, and that goes for the B16 Mistake and the other conference full of the whiny *****es with inferiority complexes. I can get plenty of hockey watching NHL, high school and even D3 if I need to.

Classic!
 
Re: The end of leagues as we know?

Well, if this actually happens, I may never spend money on another D1 college hockey ticket again. I can spend my money on better things than supporting any of these disgraceful institutions, and that goes for the B16 Mistake and the other conference full of the whiny *****es with inferiority complexes. I can get plenty of hockey watching NHL, high school and even D3 if I need to.

Yeah, it would stink for the fans of those schools if program drop, but the real tragedy would be the loss of those spots and the lost opportunities for young men to experience hockey at the D1 level.
 
Re: The end of leagues as we know?

It's important to keep in mind that when Notre Dame chooses to go east (perhaps taking Miami with them to round out HE to 12 teams), the 6 renegade WCHA teams of the so called "super conference" will be left holding their * in their hands, ****ing into the wind. The media frenzy based upon the conjecture that Notre Dame will relentlessly accept an offer to join this new conference idea is comical to say the least.

This is nothing more than UND inviting others to their financial pity party.

Four factors that may influence Notre Dame realigning to Hockey East:

1) The head coach's preference:



2) Division I consistency in all sports:

The WCHA will have 10 remaining schools after Minnesota and Wisconsin depart, but eight are Division II or III in other sports. North Dakota and Denver are the only schools that are Division I in all sports. Eight of Hockey East's 10 teams are Division I across the board. Merrimack and UMass Lowell are Division II in other sports.

3) Historical rivalries and philosophical similarities:

Jackson said they will be looking at being in a conference with like-minded schools and that pertains to academics and other areas in addition to athletics.

Notre Dame is a Catholic institution as are Providence College, Merrimack and Boston College. Notre Dame and Providence are Big East rivals in every sport except football. Boston College used to be in the Big East until it left to join the Atlantic Coast Conference.

4) Media revenue sharing in addition to Notre Dame Network revenue:

"It's not just about the hockey end of it," said Jackson. "And we're also looking at our access to TV rights."

Hockey East is currently negotiating a TV rights deal. It has had a contract with the New England Sports Network, but that expired and league commissioner Joe Bertagna is currently negotiating with NESN. The league has two years left on a three-year deal with the CBS Sports Network, which airs a game of the week on Friday nights although it isn't exclusively linked to Hockey East. Comcast SportsNet New England could be another option and Bertagna said Versus, which carries NHL games, has expressed a desire to branch into college hockey.

And now a message for UND from our sponsors:

<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/viHh2RYj4ko" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Well if the rumor that this is all about getting Bruce mcLeod kicked out is true, then UND/DU is using those facts to get what they want. Of course that is if the rumor is true......
 
Re: The end of leagues as we know?

Follow the money. Large market television coverage dwarfs all other sources of sports income, particularly when you consider the low overhead/high net profit for allowing T.V. coverage. Nowhere is it written that DI men's ice hockey must forever remain a niche sport.

The most plausible motive for forming a "super conference" is increased revenue, particularly from television coverage. As earlier observed, decreasing the chances of getting into the playoffs isn't much of a motive. The key question faced by prospective members of a DI "super conference" is whether it will attract lucrative T.V. contracts or it will fail, like so many T.V. pilot programs. The risk versus rewards assessment is a no-brainer.
 
Re: The end of leagues as we know?

Long bus ride? 227 miles...about 4 hours...not a long bus ride by any stretch of the imagination...now Duluth (737 miles) and Omaha (699) are long bus trips to Oxford.

Bus ride? You guys ride buses?

Pffft! :p
 
Re: The end of leagues as we know?

Follow the money. Large market television coverage dwarfs all other sources of sports income, particularly when you consider the low overhead/high net profit for allowing T.V. coverage. Nowhere is it written that DI men's ice hockey must forever remain a niche sport.

The BTHC will not get "large market television coverage," thinking the Inferiority Complex Hockey Association will is laughable. Yeah, nowhere does it say it must remain a niche sport. Know when it will cease being a niche sport? When I crack open my copy of NCAA Hockey '12 X-Box case, with Jaden Schwartz on the cover.

And has been stated ad naseum is that programs like UNO, Miami and WMU may either be good recently or "up-and-comers," but UND will not get more people into their building to see Miami over tUMD, SCSU or BSU... if anything, they'd get less.
 
Re: The end of leagues as we know?

I think I can state with pretty good certainty most North Dakota fans don't even know that Miami of Ohio is in Oxford.

This whole thing is just a very, very bad idea and it makes me unhappy to think about it.

Also, I don't get your zeal for this proposal. All we ever hear from you and PS is about the glory days of DU hockey in the 60's, a decade by the way in which Wisconsin wasn't in the conference and Minnesota refused to play you. Isn't this a chance for DU to return to those days?

I have been watching college hockey a long time. I can categorically state that the game of college hockey as a whole is substantially better since programs like DU, UND and the Big 10 schools actually helped programs like SCSU, Mankato, BSU, UAA, etc..., get developed, move from Independents into stable leagues, or move up from DII or DIII. How throwing those programs under the bus helps college hockey, including our own two programs, completely escapes me.
There's nothing I can say that will change your mind. If you don't like it, fire off some emails to Hak and the AD.

This new Super Conference merger reminds me of the Southwest Conference / Big Eight merged in 1994 and formed the Big 12. Its great for the schools that got the invite and tragic for the schools left behind. I was a fan of Houston and they got absolutely screwed by Governor Richards who threw her weight behind her alma mater Baylor.

But from the ashes of the SWC arose TCU who went on to become a national powerhouse. Houston has made tremendous strides recently. Baylor on the other hand has languished. Colorado & Nebraska ended up bolting for different reasons altogether.

Clearly UAA, Tech, Ferris & Lake State and the other schools were struggling. With a more level playing field they are far more likely to experience more conference & NCAA Tournament success.
 
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