Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XVIII - Belief in a Better Tomorrow

[Osorojo]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XVIII - Belief in a Better Tomorrow

You missed the point, Almington. You hinted at firing the coach who ran this independent and hugely financially successful hockey program. As you rightly claim, the men's hockey program supports many other athletic programs at UW. Coach Eaves has successfully developed a privatized revenue stream within a state university and contributed to the viability of many different athletic programs.
You must balance the benefit of a "championship" hockey team for a season against the risk of losing a proven administrator and the diversity he has provided for UW athletic programs.
Financial success for men's hockey programs is not a given any more than winning titles. Major Junior CFO's must lick their chops when they see the balance sheet for UW hockey.

 

[Chuck Schwartz]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XVIII - Belief in a Better Tomorrow

You missed the point, Almington. You hinted at firing the coach who ran this independent and hugely financially successful hockey program. As you rightly claim, the men's hockey program supports many other athletic programs at UW. Coach Eaves has successfully developed a privatized revenue stream within a state university and contributed to the viability of many different athletic programs.
You must balance the benefit of a "championship" hockey team for a season against the risk of losing a proven administrator and the diversity he has provided for UW athletic programs.
Financial success for men's hockey programs is not a given any more than winning titles. Major Junior CFO's must lick their chops when they see the balance sheet for UW hockey.

No he didn't. Go away.

 

[burd]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XVIII - Belief in a Better Tomorrow

You missed the point, Almington. You hinted at firing the coach who ran this independent and hugely financially successful hockey program. As you rightly claim, the men's hockey program supports many other athletic programs at UW. Coach Eaves has successfully developed a privatized revenue stream within a state university and contributed to the viability of many different athletic programs.
You must balance the benefit of a "championship" hockey team for a season against the risk of losing a proven administrator and the diversity he has provided for UW athletic programs.
Financial success for men's hockey programs is not a given any more than winning titles. Major Junior CFO's must lick their chops when they see the balance sheet for UW hockey.

No, I think Almington was very much on point when he called you "moronically obtuse." Don't try so hard to seem erudite--it's not working. Have some fun with this wonderful game. Trash the Badgers. Better yet, be like Badger fans on this board--they're all boneheads. Good boneheads. The kind of boneheads you 'd like to talk to in the concourse between periods. But then, you'd have to love the game enough to go to the games before that will happen.

 

[davearm]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XVIII - Belief in a Better Tomorrow

I won't enjoy the BTHC either. I don't get very excited for College Hockey Showcase now, I can't imagine when PSU comes to town how excited I'll be. Yeah Tech sucks, UAA regularly sucks, Mankato often sucks, but I get excited for these series. I suppose that mindset will change over time, but not seeing CC, DU, UND, SCSU and Duluth will be a real downer for me. I'm kinda holding out hope that somehow they can keep the WCHA and CCHA, and schedule a Big 10 championship as part of all that.

In an ideal world, Wisconsin would replace the UAAs, MTUs, Bemidji's, Mankatos and SCSUs on their conference schedule with the traditional B10 rivals, and retain nonconference series against the UNDs, CCs, DUs and UMDs.

Unless it's February or March, it's not conference standings that fuel the intensity of those games. These traditional rivalries could remain largely intact even in a BTHC world, IMO, even playing one series a year instead of two. When you think about it, in the end everyone's playing for pairwise points anyway, so that wouldn't change at all.

Meanwhile a whole new set of rivalries with the CCHA B10 teams would emerge, where now there are none w/ the also-ran WCHA members I mentioned.

Imagine a schedule in which virtually every week's series was against a true rival -- new or old -- without all of the filler we have now.

 

[Almington]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XVIII - Belief in a Better Tomorrow

You missed the point, Almington. You hinted at firing the coach who ran this independent and hugely financially successful hockey program. As you rightly claim, the men's hockey program supports many other athletic programs at UW. Coach Eaves has successfully developed a privatized revenue stream within a state university and contributed to the viability of many different athletic programs.
You must balance the benefit of a "championship" hockey team for a season against the risk of losing a proven administrator and the diversity he has provided for UW athletic programs.
Financial success for men's hockey programs is not a given any more than winning titles. Major Junior CFO's must lick their chops when they see the balance sheet for UW hockey.

I'll cast, this should be fun.

How did I hint at firing Coach Eaves anytime this season? You have, thus far, displayed the reading comprehension of an average 8 year old. Please, show me.

 

[davearm]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XVIII - Belief in a Better Tomorrow

38 game regular season sched:

20 vs. B10 (2h 2a x 5 schools)
12 vs. old WCHA
6 vs. other nonconf teams, icebreaker tourney, etc.

Except for perhaps the 4 PSU games, those first 32 would all be intense. Definitely a denser sched than we have now.

 

[Chuck Schwartz]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XVIII - Belief in a Better Tomorrow

I agree with your thoughts on the schedule but the traditonal schedule includes 34 games not 38. Wisconsin got a 2 game exception for going to Alaska this year and a 2 game exception for playing in the Ice Breaker.

 

[davearm]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XVIII - Belief in a Better Tomorrow

I agree with your thoughts on the schedule but the traditonal schedule includes 34 games not 38. Wisconsin got a 2 game exception for going to Alaska this year and a 2 game exception for playing in the Ice Breaker.

Thanks for the correction. So make it 20, 10 and 4.

 

[Gurtholfin]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XVIII - Belief in a Better Tomorrow

I agree with your thoughts on the schedule but the traditonal schedule includes 34 games not 38. Wisconsin got a 2 game exception for going to Alaska this year and a 2 game exception for playing in the Ice Breaker.

I agree with hoping that we'd get that schedule but using hoops and football as SOP, expect lots of home games against the Mercyhursts of the world.

No way we play more than one series a season against Denver, UND or Duluth who will demand return engagements. Alvare$ will never allow that.

Count on this.

 

[Gurtholfin]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XVIII - Belief in a Better Tomorrow

I seem to recall one of the WSJ writers quoting Blais or Sauer saying they exchanged looks before the puckdrop Friday night, acknowledging that they were witnessing something special.

Then the refs proceeded to screw the Sioux both nights, giving both games away on late calls, early calls, missed calls, and bad calls. But then Sioux fans are good at rising above excuses.

I don't remember that at all.

But I'm sure there were numerous spearings, boardings and beheadings that the Sioux committed, but weren't whistled for.

 

[Almington]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XVIII - Belief in a Better Tomorrow

I agree with hoping that we'd get that schedule but using hoops and football as SOP, expect lots of home games against the Mercyhursts of the world.

No way we play more than one series a season against Denver, UND or Duluth who will demand return engagements. Alvare$ will never allow that.

Count on this.

I would love to do a home-and-home with UND every year, but I doubt that they would want it particularly if the WCHA remains with a 28 game schedule.

 

[cross cheque]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XVIII - Belief in a Better Tomorrow

I would love to do a home-and-home with UND every year, but I doubt that they would want it particularly if the WCHA remains with a 28 game schedule.

I think UND would want to schedule UW every year just to keep a strong strength of schedule. Although I wonder if the UND staff has considered scheduling Colgate, QU, Harvard, and St. Lawrence so they could hold on to a pwr spot and make the NCAA tournament every year.

 

[ecbrevik]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XVIII - Belief in a Better Tomorrow

I would love to do a home-and-home with UND every year, but I doubt that they would want it particularly if the WCHA remains with a 28 game schedule.

I think an alternating year schedule is probably the best we'll get. Two games in Grand Forks one year, two in Madison the next.

 

[bucky15]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XVIII - Belief in a Better Tomorrow

Ben Street has been doing very well for the Pen's farm team.

22GP 10G 5A +8

 

[davearm]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XVIII - Belief in a Better Tomorrow

I agree with hoping that we'd get that schedule but using hoops and football as SOP, expect lots of home games against the Mercyhursts of the world.

No way we play more than one series a season against Denver, UND or Duluth who will demand return engagements. Alvare$ will never allow that.

Count on this.

A major difference is that hoops and football sell out regardless of opponent.

The gate for hockey fluctuates based on opponent. As we all know the 3rd level can be anywhere from full to empty.

Now that said, it still may be more profitable to host two home series against Mercyhurst-type opponents than playing a home series vs. DU and a road series at UND, for example. There are too many variables to make a guess.

 

[Timothy A]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XVIII - Belief in a Better Tomorrow

The gate for hockey fluctuates based on opponent. As we all know the 3rd level can be anywhere from full to empty.

I pretty much only go to non-marque games @ the KC and the 3rd deck is never "empty"; half full at the worst case.

 

[BlueDevilRadio]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XVIII - Belief in a Better Tomorrow

I'll be honest saying I've only read the third page of this thread, however, has anyone hinted at firing Eaves? I feel he's a great coach and everyone knows Wisconsin produces solid NHL prospects on the blue line thanks to his staff.

I concur with some WCHA coaches that NHL franchises need to stop poaching kids after only 1 or 2 years in college. Perhaps a 2 year minimum requirement if a player decides to go the NCAA route versus the OHL, WHL or QMJHL. Do you think that'd send some of our best talent to Canada?

When you have a graduating senior class plus a handful of your best underclassmen bounce to the pros... Makes recruiting and player development a pain in the a**

 

[badgerhawk]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XVIII - Belief in a Better Tomorrow

I think the nWCHA needs to go with REA and the payday. Their just isn't a good 10-12k areana in the west/midwest to act as neutral site.

UNO seats over 16,000 and is as centrally located as anyone. I'm not sure how nice the arena is or how well it would be supported there.

 

[ecbrevik]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XVIII - Belief in a Better Tomorrow

UNO seats over 16,000 and is as centrally located as anyone. I'm not sure how nice the arena is or how well it would be supported there.

The question of fan support is the big one with Omaha. I'm not saying they wouldn't turn out for the tourny, I really don't know. It might be possible to rotate the tourny between schools/towns that have a certain minimal seating capacity.

 

[Almington]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Vol. XVIII - Belief in a Better Tomorrow

UNO seats over 16,000 and is as centrally located as anyone. I'm not sure how nice the arena is or how well it would be supported there.

Omaha is NOT centrally located for any of the remaining teams in the new WCHA. None are within a 5 hour drive, most are looking at at least a 7 hour drive. For Grand Forks: St. Cloud, Bemidji, Duluth are all withing about 4 hours, Mankato is about 6, UNO and MTU are about 8.

Honestly, I wouldn't have a problem with letting the #1 overall team host the tournament every year. Then, at least, they have earned the home ice advantage.