When Will The BHHC start up?

[uaafanblog]

Re: When Will The BHHC start up?

So what you're saying is that I'm right and Donald is wrong? Not a surprise.

Well then congrats on that. The Soo is indeed a better choice than Zephyr(s). I don't think it has the cachet per se but you guys can still use that cool train logo "fighting" it's way against the unceasing winds and all.

 

[dggoddard]

Re: When Will The BHHC start up?

Any truth to the rumor that UAA is going to hand out 115,000 tickets to the military for the Minnesota State game and try and break the college hockey attendance record that Michigan & Ohio State are going to set later in the season?

http://community.adn.com/adn/node/153586

.

 

[uaafanblog]

Re: When Will The BHHC start up?

Any truth to the rumor that UAA is going to hand out 115,000 tickets to the military for the Minnesota State game and try and break the college hockey attendance record that Michigan & Ohio State are going to set later in the season?

http://community.adn.com/adn/node/153586

Unlike DU, UAA actively markets it's program to attempt to address it's less than desirable attendance.

Why do you hate the troops?

 

[Puck Swami]

Re: When Will The BHHC start up?

I don't disagree that may be a factor, but I've seen this part of the argument before and primarily the concern from the DU side has been filling the empty seats that are the difference between when UofM shows up at Magness and a "lesser" team. Generally, the DU folks overstate the impact (IMnotsoHO). Over a three year period the average difference between the two has been shown previously to be in the low hundreds. And sure, replacing the revenue loss that say 500 less fans over 8 or 12 games (a high maximum number) is a concern for DU. No doubt. Just not the difference between being (as they promote) and elite and a mid-major.

The average sports fan in Denver pays zero attention to DU. The average hockey fan in Denver doesn't have much more of a clue. DU's marketing is worse than UAA's.

Mr. Pickett summed up my feelings about elite hockey perceptions very well. The drop in brand perception would be very big for DU, who competes in an oversaturated sports market as a private school. Most Denverites aren't attached to DU because there are many other sports diversions here, the school is private and they likely moved here from somewhere else. This is a bandwagon kind of town where most people didn't really grow up with college hockey, so they might buy tickets if they've heard of your opponent.

The big impact of losing Minnesota and Wisconsin from the WCHA would come from the DU season ticket base, which I believe would drop close to 20% if those schools left. This is a casual, transient hockey market, where brand names of opponents matter. If DU is not playing in a league with some big name schools, DU will be percieved as a small school and not worthy of the small amount attention they get now.

 

[mookie1995]

Re: When Will The BHHC start up?

a BHHC needs the uaa's of the world as cannon fodder. the only thing that makes the BTHC work is bringing in tOSU so everyone gets those 4 wins a year and as long as they play decent hockey they will have close to a winning conf record and with their home-heavy ooc schedule they have a shot at pwr and ncaa tourney play. BHHC will need that too. a league with all the leftover top teams (DU/CC/UND/MOH/UND/UMD-stretching it now) would need to entice loser teams to come join them as well.

 

[uaafanblog]

Re: When Will The BHHC start up?

The big impact of losing Minnesota and Wisconsin from the WCHA would come from the DU season ticket base, which I believe would drop close to 20% if those schools left. This is a casual, transient hockey market, where brand names of opponents matter. If DU is not playing in a league with some big name schools, DU will be percieved as a small school and not worthy of the small amount attention they get now.

Go back over the last 5 years or so (longer if you want a better sample) and compare the attendance numbers at DU for "brand name" opponents vs. "generic" and I think you'll find that your arbitrary guess at 20% is high.

I did exactly that last year (for DU) and the average loss in seats was below 400. It wasn't a pefectly designed exercise when I did it so that 400 could easily be +/- 100 folks (minimum).

In any case, it certainly isn't as high as 1200 people.

 

[uaafanblog]

Re: When Will The BHHC start up?

a BHHC needs the uaa's of the world as cannon fodder. the only thing that makes the BTHC work is bringing in tOSU so everyone gets those 4 wins a year and as long as they play decent hockey they will have close to a winning conf record and with their home-heavy ooc schedule they have a shot at pwr and ncaa tourney play. BHHC will need that too. a league with all the leftover top teams (DU/CC/UND/MOH/UND/UMD-stretching it now) would need to entice loser teams to come join them as well.

If and when some sort of conference realignment happens, I can promise that neither UAA or UAF will be interested in being a member of the BHHC. In fact, UAA and UAF will partner together and probably bring more than a couple of those proposed BHHC teams into "THEIR" conference.

DU's supercilious attitude regarding a Minnesota/Wisconsin departure is tiresome.

 

[DenverGoldJersey]

Re: When Will The BHHC start up?

If I was the all powerful commissioner of the BHHC the following schools would get invited. Reasons will be given. Also organization will be addressed.

9 teams invited
3 pods of teams. each pod will play each other 4 times throughout the season. Teams in other pods will be played at least twice a year, with a rotating series of 4 with one team every three years.

West Pod
Denver (my school)
CC (want to assure 4 games a year with them)
NorDak (want to assure 4 games a year with them)

Central Pod
Miami (Solid Program, on rise)
Notre Dame (name recognition, solid program on rise)
Nebraska-Omaha (Program on the rise)

Superior Pod
Minnesota-Duluth (solid program)
Northern Michigan (solid program)
Michigan Tech (they bring the MacNaughton Cup, also massive history)

24 league games
Rotating championship weekend between pods, Chicago, Denver/the Ralph, Bradley center? (don't know where superior pod would hold 4 team championship weekend)

8 team playoff
last place team is eliminated from conference playoff

that should leave 10 games or so nonconference to be filled by the universities
NorDak could play Minny and other Minny schools
Denver and CC could still play a home and home w/ airforce along with minny and wisco
Superior Pod and central pod would have enough games with other rivals as well.

 

[Pump It Up]

Re: When Will The BHHC start up?

If I was the all powerful commissioner of the BHHC the following schools would get invited. Reasons will be given. Also organization will be addressed.

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[DenverGoldJersey]

Re: When Will The BHHC start up?

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touche
well played sir
there could easily be a minnesota pod instead of the superior pod including UMD St. Cloud and Mankato

 

[mookie1995]

Re: When Will The BHHC start up?

I don't read a "crap pod" in there? Who is going to supply the easy victories to everyone else?!?

 

[uaafanblog]

Re: When Will The BHHC start up?

Since there is simply no way the DU led BHHC lures all those haughty mid-majors with no real inducement besides geography. And the AFWHC offers tangible $$$ ... this is one way the realignment might look.

BHHC:
DU
Miami
UNO
Bemidji
Mankato
Notre Dame
Lake St.
Ferris
Western Mich

AFWHC:
UAA
UAF
UND
CC
SCSU
UMD
NMU
MTU
UAH

SCSU, UMD, MTU and CC all know the real value that the exemptions playing in Alaska gives them .. so they'll jump right aboard without too much sell. UND comes aboard because the league agrees to permanently host it's conference tournament at the Ralph. NMU is already a bit sorrowful they missed out on the WCHA Final Five revenue pie by not applying to it last year. The last best hope for extra cash is to hitch their wagon to the UAA/UAF led conference and bag those exemptions every year. The conference invites UAH in order to do the right thing for college hockey. Of course they accept ... who wouldn't want to be in the EXTRA HOME GAMES Hockey Conference?

 

[Dirty]

Re: When Will The BHHC start up?

Whatever ends up happening, the phrase "UAA/UAF led conference" may be the funniest thing I've ever read on this message board.

 

[aparch]

Re: When Will The BHHC start up?

If we're left with the remaining lifeboats that means the Big Ten took the first ones. And we know who goes to the life boats first: women and children.

And the rich men who get into the lifeboats first...