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Which is the bigger conference title-RS or tournament?

Which is the bigger conference title-RS or tournament?

  • Total voters
    89
H

HumRsky

Hussies & Bullfrogs
There has been some debate on this in other threads, and there seems to be an East-West divide. There is even a divide in what the conferences call each title. The WCHA calls the RS winner the conference champions and the tournament winners are the "playoff Champions." In ECAC and Hockey East, the RS winner in the "Regular Season Champion" or "winner" and the tournament champion is the conference champion. I don't know about the CCHA. I also know BU lists RS titles, but has individual banners for playoff titles. North Dakota has individual banners for RS titles and doesn't even bother hanging banners for playoff title.

I say the RS title is bigger at the conference level. It takes a whole year of great play to win it, not just getting hot for a couple of weeks.
 
Re: Which is the bigger conference title-RS or tournament?

I would agree that,in theory, the regular season championship is more important. As you stated,it takes the whole season to win it. But as the playoffs determine who gets the respective auto-bids it kind of puts an emphisis on winning the Conference championship.
 
Re: Which is the bigger conference title-RS or tournament?

RPIHOCKEYFAN said:
I would agree that,in theory, the regular season championship is more important. As you stated,it takes the whole season to win it. But as the playoffs determine who gets the respective auto-bids it kind of puts an emphisis on winning the Conference championship.
Click to expand...

Agreed, but when was the last time a RS first-place finisher did not make the NCAAs? Maybe in the AHA or CHA, but it probably doesn't happen often.

That said, I did vote for the playoffs as more important. I will compare it to soccer: In Europe, the regular season standings determine the champion, period. No playoffs. But here, the regular season champion gets something called the "Supporter's Shield," which most casual fans have no idea exists, and then a real champion is determined in the MLS Cup. To me, winning the RS title is great, but it doesn't really matter as long as you make the playoffs. Yes, it proves that you've been the best team all season, but that's not what it takes to determine a national champion. Can you imagine how boring it'd be if the final RPI rating determined the national champion?


...yes, I was sort of taking a shot at the BCS at the end there...
 
Re: Which is the bigger conference title-RS or tournament?

In regards to what is a better accomplishment, it has to be the regular season. With that said, I'd rather come in second and have a team that wins the conference tourney, knowing that they are rolling on all cylinders heading into the NCAA play.
 
Re: Which is the bigger conference title-RS or tournament?

kdiff77 said:
Agreed, but when was the last time a RS first-place finisher did not make the NCAAs? Maybe in the AHA or CHA, but it probably doesn't happen often.
Click to expand...

Colgate/Dartmouth in '05-'06 or to make it a single reg season champion...'Gate in '03-'04
 
Re: Which is the bigger conference title-RS or tournament?

Bigger accomplishment? RS title because it is over the course of a longer time period and thus more difficult and a greater accomplishment. A great RS will get you into the NCAAs regardless of conf tourney performance, possibly even lock up a 1 seed even with a 1st round exit in the conf tourney. So it's very important and a big accomplishment.

What is bigger? The conf tourney. To think otherwise would be a reversal of the overall sports fundamental that postseason > RS. And really, who thinks that outside of New Hampshire? While it is unique in that the first postseason tourney doesn't have a huge effect necessarily on the BIG tournament, it's still postseason/playoffs and the winner is absolutely guaranteed an NCAA invite. In that sense with the autobid, it has different meaning for different teams. It means the world for teams out of the NCAA field to grab the invite. To top teams, it still means a lot as it helps with positioning for higher seeding but isn't absolutely paramount and the season continues despite a trip-up in the conf tourney. The one and done format is a great test for the NCAAs as well. And you want to be playing your best in March.
 
Re: Which is the bigger conference title-RS or tournament?

Regular Season championships carry the same weight as having dining privileges at Wendy's. They don't have autobids and the only reward for finishing first is the top seed in the tournament.

The conference tournament is more important because after a five-six month campaign, you have to enter a playoff tournament and, in many cases, have to succeed if you want a shot at a NCAA tournament bid.
 
Re: Which is the bigger conference title-RS or tournament?

For regular season you get this:
cupFrt01.jpg

For the tournament you get this:
image.php


Regular Season wins

I do think that the conference RS title is more prestigious, however I will admit that winner the conference tournament is a better indication of success in the NCAA tournament.
 
Re: Which is the bigger conference title-RS or tournament?

Regular season is definately more difficult to win, you need to be consistently better than everyone else for five months, in some conference tourney's teams only have to win four games.
 
Re: Which is the bigger conference title-RS or tournament?

Quick: Who had the best regular-season record in the NFL in 2000? How about MLB? NHL? NBA?

The regular season is just a warmup for primetime.
 
Re: Which is the bigger conference title-RS or tournament?

LynahFan said:
Quick: Who had the best regular-season record in the NFL in 2000? How about MLB? NHL? NBA?

The regular season is just a warmup for primetime.
Click to expand...

The playoffs in professional sports are on par with the NCAA tournament. The conference tournament is a whole different animal that doesn't have a professional equivilent, which is why this is up for debate. I could name more WCHA Champions the past 15 years than WCHA Playoff Champions.
 
Re: Which is the bigger conference title-RS or tournament?

The Regular Season is where you earn your spot in the primetime. The conference tournaments are just a second chance for teams that don't deserve it.:)
 
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Re: Which is the bigger conference title-RS or tournament?

I'm surprised at the number of people who care about the regular season. It's all about the conference tournament (and continued onto the NCAA tournament).

Playoff hockey is playoff hockey. Playoff hocky >>> regular season hockey. It's more intense, the battles down low are more intense, teams play harder, and goals are harder to come by.
 
Re: Which is the bigger conference title-RS or tournament?

For a good discussion of this topic (and hilarious) check any UNH - BC thread.
 
Re: Which is the bigger conference title-RS or tournament?

An interesting thing I've noted from this, is that despite the fact the WCHA clearly values the regular season title the most of any conference, and the vast majority of WCHA fans that have voted so far have chosen the MacNaughten over the Broadmoor (and I don't see any North Dakota fans on the least, you know they value the MacNaughten more than the Nat'l title ;) ), the attendance at our conference tournament is significantly higher than any other conference even when Minnesota isn't there.

From a thread back in March:
Speaking of empty seats, it looks to me like Friday attendance at the WCHA Final Five was equal or better than the other tournaments combined, again.

WCHA 27,300 (13 in the afternoon and 14 in the evening)

CCHA: 9,800 (single ticket)
HEA: 12,500 (single ticket)
AHA: 1,800 (single ticket)
ECACHL: not published - a bad sign in itself.
Total: 24,100 plus ECACHL.
 
Re: Which is the bigger conference title-RS or tournament?

HumRsky said:
An interesting thing I've noted from this, is that despite the fact the WCHA clearly values the regular season title the most of any conference, and the vast majority of WCHA fans that have voted so far have chosen the MacNaughten over the Broadmoor (and I don't see any North Dakota fans on the least, you know they value the MacNaughten more than the Nat'l title ;) ), the attendance at our conference tournament is significantly higher than any other conference even when Minnesota isn't there.

From a thread back in March:
Speaking of empty seats, it looks to me like Friday attendance at the WCHA Final Five was equal or better than the other tournaments combined, again.

WCHA 27,300 (13 in the afternoon and 14 in the evening)

CCHA: 9,800 (single ticket)
HEA: 12,500 (single ticket)
AHA: 1,800 (single ticket)
ECACHL: not published - a bad sign in itself.
Total: 24,100 plus ECACHL.
Click to expand...

Before I continue, I will repeat the regular season title is more important. However, the conference tourney is more fun. :)

That's because MN does hockey right. Look at the converts we've started getting. :D

GLM flew in from NY. NEW. YORK. On a recommendation. And he didn't wanna go back. 'diva was in the same boat, skipping her own team's conference tourney for the F5.

GLM's review of the F5, for those that don't know about, or don't follow his blog:

http://grossmisconducthockey.com/2010/04/16/minnesota-is-the-state-of-hockey/
 
Re: Which is the bigger conference title-RS or tournament?

hockeyenthusiast said:
Colgate/Dartmouth in '05-'06 or to make it a single reg season champion...'Gate in '03-'04
Click to expand...

Exactly. It's been 5 years. And the ECAC has improved since then to the point where a RS winner would probably never be left out of the tournament, barring an odd year. In the ECAC, the RS actually doesn't matter. All 12 teams make the playoffs, and, if you go on a hot streak like 11-seeded Brown did this year, you can make it to the Final Four and win the 3rd-place game. Sure, it sucks that we had to play on the road for 8 straight games, but it's still possible to pull it off. Thus, the Regular Season is largely irrelevant in our league, unless you compile an exceptional record and then crash out early in the league playoffs (like Yale this year).
 
Re: Which is the bigger conference title-RS or tournament?

Conference tournament is what matters. The tournament is where the pressure and intensity is cranked up to the max.
The regular season is nothing more than a warmup for the tournament.
 
Re: Which is the bigger conference title-RS or tournament?

The New York Yankees won the 2004 American League Eastern Division Championship. I wonder if Yankee fans remember who won the World Series that year?

Regular Season crown means jack $hit.
 
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