Wall Street Journal Article About College Hockey

[scsutommyboy]

Re: Wall Street Journal Article About College Hockey

But what about Miami and (to a lesser extent) Notre Dame? They would have a considerable jump in travel costs. Would that be enough for them, as opposed to taking lesser, but pretty good, teams such as Niagara and RIT where travel costs are much less. I don't know if any loss in attendance by wanting to get those kind of teams in their conference if they were to keep a CCHA alive.

Also Swami is assuming DU is a draw for a team like ND. I have a feeling ND fans could careless about a no name school like DU......

 

[Koho]

Re: Wall Street Journal Article About College Hockey

None of these schools have announced intentions to have D-I hockey. Until they do, it's kind of useless to plan conference scenarios that include them..

With your intelligence and years of experience posting here, you still question the use of wild speculation on the boards? Without wild speculation, insults and non-hockey banter, many of the threads wouldn't exist. And those that remained would be pretty short and wouldn't surface until Thursday or Friday....

So I will speculate that Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Oregon, Hawaii and Georgia will form the "Hurricane Alley Hockey Conference" within 5 years.

 

[Fighting Sioux 23]

Re: Wall Street Journal Article About College Hockey

Also Swami is assuming DU is a draw for a team like ND. I have a feeling ND fans could careless about a no name school like DU......

As opposed to being in a conference with big name schools like....??

I will agree with you in the sense that Notre Dame would be a bigger draw for DU than vice versa.

If there would be an anti-BTHC, it would make sense that those schools with the most $$ invested in it would group together. In that regard, I think a conference of DU, CC, North Dakota, Notre Dame, Miami and Duluth would make the most sense. You could make a case for SCSU to replace Duluth in that sixth spot, or maybe even be a 7th team (which logic would think an 8th team would then be involved...UNO?).

 

[bigblue_dl]

Re: Wall Street Journal Article About College Hockey

With your intelligence and years of experience posting here, you still question the use of wild speculation on the boards? Without wild speculation, insults and non-hockey banter, many of the threads wouldn't exist. And those that remained would be pretty short and wouldn't surface until Thursday or Friday....

So I will speculate that Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Oregon, Hawaii and Georgia will form the "Hurricane Alley Hockey Conference" within 5 years.

I suppose Oregon in "Hurricane Alley" makes as much sense as TCU in the "Big East"

 

[dggoddard]

Re: Wall Street Journal Article About College Hockey

As opposed to being in a conference with big name schools like....??

I will agree with you in the sense that Notre Dame would be a bigger draw for DU than vice versa.

If there would be an anti-BTHC, it would make sense that those schools with the most $$ invested in it would group together. In that regard, I think a conference of DU, CC, North Dakota, Notre Dame, Miami and Duluth would make the most sense. You could make a case for SCSU to replace Duluth in that sixth spot, or maybe even be a 7th team (which logic would think an 8th team would then be involved...UNO?).

Duluth's appeal is its name recognition, history and new arena.

The future growth of Notre Dame hockey is tied to the building their new Arena.

Part of Notre Dame's mission in sports has always been to travel around the country and build awareness of the school and the religion.

 

[Fighting Sioux 23]

Re: Wall Street Journal Article About College Hockey

Duluth's appeal is its name recognition, history and new arena.

The future growth of Notre Dame hockey is tied to the building their new Arena.

Part of Notre Dame's mission in sports has always been to travel around the country and build awareness of the school and the religion.

Agreed. Like I said, the schools that have the most $$ invested would be more likely to group together. SCSU is planning on doing some major renovations and UNO is looking at building a new arena of their own. You could throw those two schools into the mix as well. I'm not sure that they would want an 8 team conference though, as it would limit some of the non-conference opportunities. Although, you could be creative and have an east/west split. Play the 3 teams in your division home/away, and play the other four teams in the other division either home/away. That would be 20 conference games. Also, that would ease the travel expenses for Miami and Notre Dame somewhat. Put the Conference Tournament in Grand Forks and we call it a day

 

[dggoddard]

Re: Wall Street Journal Article About College Hockey

Agreed. Like I said, the schools that have the most $$ invested would be more likely to group together. SCSU is planning on doing some major renovations and UNO is looking at building a new arena of their own. You could throw those two schools into the mix as well. I'm not sure that they would want an 8 team conference though, as it would limit some of the non-conference opportunities. Although, you could be creative and have an east/west split. Play the 3 teams in your division home/away, and play the other four teams in the other division either home/away. That would be 20 conference games. Also, that would ease the travel expenses for Miami and Notre Dame somewhat. Put the Conference Tournament in Grand Forks and we call it a day

I think most people agree that 28 conference games are the way to go because its very difficult to try and find nonconference opponents that are willing to travel.

I still think the college hockey community should be pushing for a 24 team conference with four divisions. Otherwise a high stakes game of musicial chairs will follow with many programs left out in the cold.

 

[Fighting Sioux 23]

Re: Wall Street Journal Article About College Hockey

I think most people agree that 28 conference games are the way to go because its very difficult to try and find nonconference opponents that are willing to travel.

I still think the college hockey community should be pushing for a 24 team conference with four divisions. Otherwise a high stakes game of musicial chairs will follow with many programs left out in the cold.

While the 24 team conference might be the best solution, I also think it has almost 0 chance at happening.

As for the 28 conference games, in today's landscape it's important. In a future landscape, especially in the West, where you might have 4 different conferences with 20-24 conference games, it's not that big of a deal for most schools. Denver and CC are probably two of the schools that could be "out in the cold" in that kind of scenairo though, so I understand the concern.

 

[dggoddard]

Re: Wall Street Journal Article About College Hockey

A 24 team conference is the best "compromise" solution.

Schools like Tech, the two Alaskas (even with exemptions), small Minnesota schools & non-name brand Michigan schools that would have problems finding non-conference opponents willing to visit. With major airports and cheap airfares CC & DU would be OK.

 

[SJHovey]

Re: Wall Street Journal Article About College Hockey

I think most people agree that 28 conference games are the way to go because its very difficult to try and find nonconference opponents that are willing to travel.

I still think the college hockey community should be pushing for a 24 team conference with four divisions. Otherwise a high stakes game of musicial chairs will follow with many programs left out in the cold.

When has the WCHA been proactive about anything? I don't disagree that a 24 team conference is intriguing, and still gives schools like DU, UND and the much smaller programs the ability to claim they are still in the same conference as Minnesota, Michigan, et al, but I agree with FS23 that it has very little chance of occurring. The easy, default solution for the WCHA is just to go back to a 10 team league. Everyone knows how that works, and how to schedule. I would be willing to make a small wager that will be where we find ourselves a handful of years from now.

 

[dggoddard]

Re: Wall Street Journal Article About College Hockey

No way of knowing how it will all shake out, but a ten team league of UAA, MTU, DU, CC, BSU, UNO, UND, UMD, MSU-M, SCSU doesn't sound like a very good conference to me. I could see it lasting for a season or two, but that's about it.

 

[Fighting Sioux 23]

Re: Wall Street Journal Article About College Hockey

A 24 team conference is the best "compromise" solution.

Schools like Tech, the two Alaskas (even with exemptions), small Minnesota schools & non-name brand Michigan schools that would have problems finding non-conference opponents willing to visit. With major airports and cheap airfares CC & DU would be OK.

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. The Alaska schools would easily get non-conference games with the exemptions. As for CC and DU, a bus trip is always going to be cheaper than a flight, that's where I think small Minnesota and Michigan schools would get visits before DU and CC. At the end of the day, Minnesota and Michigan can't play 60 home games a season. Teams will find non-conference games. Certainly teams like Duluth and SCSU would schedule home/home series with teams like Bemidji and Mankato. North Dakota, DU and CC have long histories of traveling for non-conference series. While it may not be Minnesota and Michigan, those smaller schools would be able to find non-conference home series. Whether or not they'd be able to survive financially is a completely different ballgame.

 

[Osorojo]

Re: Wall Street Journal Article About College Hockey

I suppose Oregon in "Hurricane Alley" makes as much sense as TCU in the "Big East"

In a truly capitalist nation if it makes money it makes sense. That's why frenzied opposition to a working agreement between NCAA DI hockey, major juniors, and the NHL makes no sense. Nothing trumps the profit motive.

 

[bigblue_dl]

Re: Wall Street Journal Article About College Hockey

In a truly capitalist nation if it makes money it makes sense. That's why frenzied opposition to a working agreement between NCAA DI hockey, major juniors, and the NHL makes no sense. Nothing trumps the profit motive.

And what does that have to do with poorly named conferences?

 

[komey1]

Re: Wall Street Journal Article About College Hockey

At the end of the day, Minnesota and Michigan can't play 60 home games a season.

If/when there is a BTHC, I would be surprised if these teams play more than 2 road non-conference games. I also don't think they will have a problem filling those games, either.

 

[se41]

Re: Wall Street Journal Article About College Hockey

No way of knowing how it will all shake out, but a ten team league of UAA, MTU, DU, CC, BSU, UNO, UND, UMD, MSU-M, SCSU doesn't sound like a very good conference to me. I could see it lasting for a season or two, but that's about it.

A ten team league with 5 members ranked and 4 of them in the top 10 doesn't sound good? As of right now the Big Ten league would only have 3 teams ranked in the top 20. You could add 4 more ranked teams to the WCHA if you added Notre Dame, Miami, Ferris State and Alaska. Doesn't seem like the worst deal ever.

 

[Puck Swami]

Re: Wall Street Journal Article About College Hockey

Also Swami is assuming DU is a draw for a team like ND. I have a feeling ND fans could careless about a no name school like DU......

Notre Dame is making a big investment in a new arena. Methinks they'd rather play in an league with other high level programs to excite potential recruits rather than playing in a weakened CCHA just to save money. The Irish will draw well no matter who they play.

 

[Fighting Sioux 23]

Re: Wall Street Journal Article About College Hockey

If/when there is a BTHC, I would be surprised if these teams play more than 2 road non-conference games. I also don't think they will have a problem filling those games, either.

Oh, I completely agree. My point was that teams will have to play other teams besides being non-conference home games for the Big Ten.

 

[komey1]

Re: Wall Street Journal Article About College Hockey

Notre Dame is making a big investment in a new arena. Methinks they'd rather play in an league with other high level programs to excite potential recruits rather than playing in a weakened CCHA just to save money. The Irish will draw well no matter who they play.

That last sentence is pretty important as well - they will draw well. Will they want to be a big fish in a smaller and weaker CCHA? I think they are the key player - not a more prominent hockey-wise Miami. Notre Dame has resources with their football money from NBC. Miami does not have that kind of resources outside of hockey. If the Irish go - Miami will have to either go and commit more resources to travel for hockey, or stay in a fairly weak CCHA. At best, I can see them try and entice Niagara, who generally was good in the CHA, and/or RIT who has been very strong in the AHA and made last year's Frozen Four.

 

[RaceBoarder]

Re: Wall Street Journal Article About College Hockey

Notre Dame is making a big investment in a new arena. Methinks they'd rather play in an league with other high level programs to excite potential recruits rather than playing in a weakened CCHA just to save money. The Irish will draw well no matter who they play.

After their seeing the Sat. night game against NMU, I don't know if this is the case.... I know it's just a single game, but many of the fans there seemed to be relatively new to the hockey thing... Yea, they were at the game, but they seemed somewhat uninterested... Right now they draw 2700, according to USCHO... Is there really that much more growth out there for a team that might not stay on a national level?

I understand the "Football" name, but I really don't know if there is much more room for hockey to grow if ND stumbles on the national level in the next few years... I don't see them suddenly drawing 6,000 people per game just because a new arena is built... I really feel that there is still a lot of bandwagon type of fans following ND, and if they don't produce on a national level, those fans are gone...