What's new
By:
USCHO Fan Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • The USCHO Fan Forum has migrated to a new plaform, xenForo. Most of the function of the forum should work in familiar ways. Please note that you can switch between light and dark modes by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right of the main menu bar. We are hoping that this new platform will prove to be faster and more reliable. Please feel free to explore its features.

WCHA armchair expansion

Re: WCHA armchair expansion

Wreckincrew said:
Also, UND played at both Alaska teams in the Kendell Hockey Classic.
OOC = 2 @ Maine, host Notre Dame twice, 1 @ UMD (to open Amsoil), host Robert Morris twice for a grand total of 4 home & 3 away.
Click to expand...

Don't know how I missed that, but note that all 3 away games were "exempt," as the USHHOF game is exempt from the 34 game limit too...
 
Re: WCHA armchair expansion

moose97 said:
Technically, you are both correct. Red Cow remembers the first part (late '90's) correctly, but the "CCHA or WCHA" drama I can see a BSU guy paying more attention to than even a UNO guy. I mean, if the coach and AD of my school all said, "no way," I'd kind of forget about it. BSU fans (and also UAF fans since that whole Forrest Karr article about wanting to move popped up) were glued to the internets all of the summer of '09 combing for info, so it really shouldn't be surprising that a UNO fan missed it.
Click to expand...

What I was referring to in my post was the situation when UNO first went D-1 in '97 and was sending out feelers about conference affiliation, which were first and foremost made to the WCHA back then. UNO as much as begged. It was the first and most logical choice for UNO. I then described what subsequently transpired in my post. I know that Coach Kemp made the comments posted above in 2009; it was in the paper here in Omaha, even. That was 12 years after UNO made it's initial attemmpt to join the WCHA. By the time he made this comment, at least in his mind, I am sure this was true, we weren't interested in switching to the WCHA. We, at that point, had a lot invested in being in the CCHA. I would bet that was his thought process when he said that.

However, please take note of that fact that:

A. Coach Kemp is no longer "Coach Kemp".

............and

B. We now are in the WCHA.

The reason the Coach Kemp is no longer Coach Kemp has several facets, but this comment may have also played a role in this. I submit that that is pure speculation on my part. Trev Alberts hired a new Head Coach for a reason and that is a topic that really deserves a thread all it's own. Suffice to say that I am one UNO fan that is extremely happy Mike Kemp is no longer the Head Coach and that has nothing to do with the fact that Trev Alberts hired Dean Blais to replace him, either.
 
Re: WCHA armchair expansion

Red Cows said:
What I was referring to in my post was the situation when UNO first went D-1 in '97 and was sending out feelers about conference affiliation, which were first and foremost made to the WCHA back then. UNO as much as begged. It was the first and most logical choice for UNO. I then described what subsequently transpired in my post. I know that Coach Kemp made the comments posted above in 2009; it was in the paper here in Omaha, even. That was 12 years after UNO made it's initial attemmpt to join the WCHA. By the time he made this comment, at least in his mind, I am sure this was true, we weren't interested in switching to the WCHA. We, at that point, had a lot invested in being in the CCHA. I would bet that was his thought process when he said that.

However, please take note of that fact that:

A. Coach Kemp is no longer "Coach Kemp".

............and

B. We now are in the WCHA.

The reason the Coach Kemp is no longer Coach Kemp has several facets, but this comment may have also played a role in this. I submit that that is pure speculation on my part. Trev Alberts hired a new Head Coach for a reason and that is a topic that really deserves a thread all it's own. Suffice to say that I am one UNO fan that is extremely happy Mike Kemp is no longer the Head Coach and that has nothing to do with the fact that Trev Alberts hired Dean Blais to replace him, either.
Click to expand...

I heard this from a reliable source. Blais was Alberts first choice but the orginal hang up was wanted more money than UNO was offering. So Alberts went with his second choice Mark Osiecki he was all ready to sign up but at the last second Blais changed his mind and accepted the position. Osiecki was really bummed but like the source said you go bumped for one of the greatest college hockey coaches in the last 20 years. UNO was pretty close to not having Blais as their coach.

EDIT
 
Last edited:
Re: WCHA armchair expansion

MinnesotaNorthStar said:
The Maine games were not exempt. Both games against the AK schools were non-conference...

That's 4 home and 5 road games.
Click to expand...

*headsmack* give me an F for reading comprehension on that one. I simply skipped over the Maine series, and I have no idea why...
 
Re: WCHA armchair expansion

Red Cows said:
This is totally untrue.

UNO wanted into the WCHA from the get-go in 1997. They tried, too.

The WCHA wanted us and they wanted us to wait two full seasons for full membership! UNO got huffy and said, fine, we'll take our 6,389 season ticket holders and sellouts, so far, of every game we have played so far in our (then) 8,314 seat arena and go to the CCHA, who will admit us right away, and, that's what they did. This was a "we're trying to establish our program" decision more than anything else, and, a little bit of ego. I don't know where you got the notion that you did that this had anything to with UNO wanting to be in the CCHA because of it's ties to big football schools. That's just utter nonsense and doesn't make an iota of sense, anyway.There is no way UNO could benefit from it even if it WERE true. What does Nebraska being a "football heavy state" have to do with this on any level? UNO plays Division 2 football.
Click to expand...

Its that school in Lincoln that brings to bear the point about the ties to the big football powers. Hell, I've heard it from a relieable source that more than once at a UNO football game, the crowd has gone wild when the other team scores a touchdown because at the exact same time, Nebraska just scored a touchdown as well and they've all been listing to it on the radio.

And lets be honest about Alberts there in Omaha. He's gunning for the top spot at Nebraska as soon as Osbourne retires.
 
Re: WCHA armchair expansion

dggoddard said:
Mike Chambers of the Denver Post seems to imply that Miami & Notre Dame will be joining DU, CC, UNO & UND in a new conference. Hard to say if he got any of this info off the record from the DU coaching staff, is just shooting from the hip or a combo of both. Chambers talks to the coaches several times a week.

http://blogs.denverpost.com/sports/2011/03/08/big-10-hockey-conference-ok-by-me/16229/
Click to expand...
except it doesn't jive with what the CC AD said, on the record of course.
 
Re: WCHA armchair expansion

And it's the exact same recycled "mid-major" idea that DG and Swami were advocating last summer as a good way forward for DU. The (BHHC) Butt-Hurt Hockey Conference. I wonder how Mike Chambers came to that party?

This is the idea that made me realize exactly how much power UAA and UAF have when working together. I thought to myself, hmmm; how exactly would such a conference come into being? Then I recognized that the only thing those schools banding together would accomplish from them would be the banding together as alleged "mid-majors" based on nothing other than their historical placements in the standings just below the Big Ten schools.

So I'll join Chambers (as he said) hypothetical ... "If" presented with a NWHA option rife with exemption opportunities or the "glamour" of being in the "mid-major" confernce do you really think schools with rink sizes big enough to rack up serious dough are choosing the BHHC? Chamber, Swami and DG may not appreciate the $250,000 a year average return that an NWHA could bring to DU ... but the DU administration will.
 
Last edited:
Re: WCHA armchair expansion

Once Minnesota & Wisconsin announce their intentions the game of Musical Chairs begins.

Now that UNO has upgraded their program in a big way, there's a lot more options on the table. But at the end of the day the key players will be Notre Dame & UND.

We all know what happened with football and basketball conference realignment, but take a look at lacrosse and some other sports where schools jumped around to different leagues.
 
Last edited:
Re: WCHA armchair expansion

dggoddard said:
We all know what happened with football and basketball conference realignment, but take a look at lacrosse and some other sports where schools jumped around to different leagues.
Click to expand...

Make it easy on us: give us a breakdown or a link. I do enough independent research to back-up hockey posts, I don't need to venture off in to the wilds of lacrosse websites.
 
Re: WCHA armchair expansion

dggoddard said:
http://collegesportsinfo.com/blog/2008/06/ncaa-lacrosse-conference-shakeup-coming.html
Click to expand...

Interesting, but there's a certain lack of context. Is the only comparison being made noting that single-sport conferences are volatile? True, but I don't see anything directly related to the current hockey situation. Those conferences were so small that, without considerable shifting, multiple conferences would have dropped below the minimum when the all-sports Big East & Northeast asserted themselves. In hockey, there doesn't have to be any realignment, since the CCHA & WCHA will retain healthy numbers.

Lacrosse = realignment out of necessity
Hockey = potential realignment out of opportunity

Or am I missing something?
 
Re: WCHA armchair expansion

Rhett said:
Interesting, but there's a certain lack of context. Is the only comparison being made noting that single-sport conferences are volatile? True, but I don't see anything directly related to the current hockey situation. Those conferences were so small that, without considerable shifting, multiple conferences would have dropped below the minimum when the all-sports Big East & Northeast asserted themselves. In hockey, there doesn't have to be any realignment, since the CCHA & WCHA will retain healthy numbers.

Lacrosse = realignment out of necessity
Hockey = potential realignment out of opportunity

Or am I missing something?
Click to expand...
You're on the right track.

Regardless of how schools spin NCAA conference affiliation in football, basketball, lacrosse or hockey. Everybody wants to be in the best conference possible. Call it opportunity or necessity.

Perhaps another analogy would be Libia, Iraq, USSR, Yugoslavia or Czechoslovakia. Take out the glue thats holding the alliances together and everyone splits off. In this case the glue was Michigan, MSU, Sconnie & Minnesota.

Or perhaps Seinfeld...Minnesota and Wisconsin are leaving with the top of the muffins. Even homeless people won't eat the muffin stumps. :-)

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0eipl17WpOo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
Last edited:
Re: WCHA armchair expansion

dggoddard said:
Air Force can't recruit Canadians, doesn't have to worry about bugetary/travel costs and loves winning in the AHA. They aren't going anywhere.

The WCHA has hired a consulting company to help them through the transition, but there's just too much dead wood in the remnants of the WHCA for it to survive long term.

Four 6 team divisions. Play teams in your division four times each. Play four other teams in other divisions twice.

WIS
MN
PSU
MSU
MI
OSU

UAA
UNO
CC
DU
Notre Dame
Miami

UMD
MSU-M
SCSU
MSU
UND
AK

WMU
FSU
Tech
LSSU
NMU
BG
Click to expand...

Couple things
1. That 4th division sounds the opposite of brutal. It has a great travel schedule though. I can see numerous home and home series coming out of that.
2. Isn't one of the main points for the BTHC some form of revenue sharing, this could make that tricky. 24>6
3. Great for attendance all the way around.
4. DU loses UND every year
5. Could make for a wild and excellent tournament, would you rotate the host site between the divisions?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top