Wisconsin Hockey XXXVII: Waiting for the axe to fall

[Pirateasaur]

I care about the Michigan and MSU games, and also find PSU to be a breath of fresh air. Yes, I do really miss North Dakota, Denver, CC, and Duluth. And even Tech. But, I don't miss Bemidji, Mankato, St Cloud, Anchorage or Omaha at all. Yeah, the B1G sucks for now; but, I still have hopes that it will be better in a few years, and the rivalries will pick up.

I am more intrigued and also concerned about the comments in the article saying that they are looking at options regarding the tournament and scheduling agreements with other conferences. The tournament is always going to be a problem given how spread out we are. I would try to put it in Chicago, as it's more centrally located and hopefully with the alumni base you could start to build it as an annual event/place to go to.

A scheduling agreement could be good or bad. If it brings back more games against Denver, North Dakota and Duluth - good. If we only get a few against them, at the cost of having to schedule say Western Michigan and Miami - no thanks.

I do NOT want to see them make ASU a hockey only member. I would be fine with a scheduling arrangement with them, so that everyone gives them a series and it helps break up the schedule later in the year (January and February).

I will add that I do enjoy the much more robust non-con schedule that the B1G has caused.

I agree about ASU. They are complete dog **** and I would anticipate it being a slow build for them. I think ASU folks overestimate the willingness of many hockey players to play in the desert and it adds a long road trip each year when travel is already routinely long.

 

[solovsfett]

When teams bolt for greener pastures in football, they're also doing it in all their other sports...unless you are suggesting that Minnesota might leave the Big Ten all because of hockey.

Ugh, you're right. I had Marquette and Notre dame in my mind. Apples and oranges

 

[WiscDC]

Agreed. And this really makes very little sense to me. I know many will say that the broadcasts are too expensive to produce vs the ratings they get, and that college hockey is a niche sport. But, if that's really the case, how come NBCSports shows games virtually every Friday and Saturday night, as well as CBSsports, and the Fox regionals? Those arguments just don't seem to hold up. And it really made no sense not to show the Badger-Buckeye game Saturday night. They already had a crew there for Friday night, and they didn't show any live sports instead - nothing but recaps/new was on all night. I am questioning the competence/decision making of the people running the network.

I definitely saw articles and quotes about how televising games would be treated as an investment for the future, knowing they wouldn't pull big ratings right off the bat. By making college hockey a more regular TV event for the participating Big Ten schools, it could pay off in the long run. I guess they changed their minds.

 

[manurespreader]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVII: Waiting for the axe to fall

Not to butt in, but the networks college hockey coverage is much less this year than the last two or three. Apparently the ratings have been continuously bad.

 

[Timothy A]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVII: Waiting for the axe to fall

Nope, never.

I don't know, I just watched the Friday game and on the game tying goal, Hughes and Kunin were right next to the shooter and neither bothered to harrass him, lift his stick, tie him up or deck him. I know that's a micro point in the game, but the top line guys need to know how to play solid D in the D zone with the lead and seconds left in the game. That's a picture of the most talented guys not well coached.

Wasn't Rancid around when they recruited Wittchow and Schulz?

 

[BuB]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVII: Waiting for the axe to fall

Mike eaves will always be remembered as one of the greatest badgers......

Not sure if this is meant as sarcasm, but I hope not. I think he will, and should be, remembered as a great player at UW. That he certainly deserves. I can separate the player Mike Eaves from Coach MM. I don't think any less of anyone that can't, but maybe they could consider the case of Bart Starr. While his tenure as GBP coach did not end as poorly as MM's tenure appears it will, I think the fact that Starr is back to beloved status in GB says a lot about separating the player and coach tenures.

 

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVII: Waiting for the axe to fall

Not sure if this is meant as sarcasm, but I hope not. I think he will, and should be, remembered as a great player at UW. That he certainly deserves. I can separate the player Mike Eaves from Coach MM. I don't think any less of anyone that can't, but maybe they could consider the case of Bart Starr. While his tenure as GBP coach did not end as poorly as MM's tenure appears it will, I think the fact that Starr is back to beloved status in GB says a lot about separating the player and coach tenures.

See also: Coach Alvarez v. Barry The Administrator

 

[solovsfett]

Agreed.

I enjoyed the non-con games against the Michigans, but B1G hockey sucks so hard.

Had people over last night and we had the SCSU/UMD game on in the background and everyone there was lamenting the old conference too.


I believe that most Badger fans feel this way.


From that article:

"The Big Ten tournament returns to Xcel this season, with little apparent buzz. Tickets are not being sold for the upper deck, indicating limited interest."

Not surprising, but... Ouch.

Wow. No tickets sold in the upper deck? Money (or lack thereof) may yet convince the various admins how terrible this idea was.

Eliminating historic and/or regional rivalries was a huge mistake.

A couple of other thoughts
...The idea of moving the tourney to Chicago might work for the tournament or it might fail terribly. That wouldn't address the problem of fan apathy towards the other schools though...

I honestly cared more about Michigan and MSU when the college hockey showcase was around. I wanted UW and Minnesota to thrash the ccha'ers

 

[RedStripes]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVII: Waiting for the axe to fall

Wow. No tickets sold in the upper deck? Money (or lack thereof) may yet convince the various admins how terrible this idea was.

Eliminating historic and/or regional rivalries was a huge mistake.

A couple of other thoughts
...The idea of moving the tourney to Chicago might work for the tournament or it might fail terribly. That wouldn't address the problem of fan apathy towards the other schools though...

I honestly cared more about Michigan and MSU when the college hockey showcase was around. I wanted UW and Minnesota to thrash the ccha'ers

I'm getting the sense that the people in charge of the Big Ten tourney are getting nervous. I've attended the Final Five/Big Ten Tourney every year since 1999 (except last year in Detroit). Last week, I got a personal call with a follow up email from someone in the ticket office asking if I had thought about renewing my tickets. The email showed they were only selling lower bowl seats. Seats in the club level were limited to neutral ice. What a huge change from the magic of the Final Five.

 

[icebadger]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVII: Waiting for the axe to fall

Didn't Barry, et al. promise us more coverage on BTN? I can count on one hand the number of games that I have been able to watch on TV (since I can't get the PBS substation). At present, the BTHC is sad all around. Teams aren't getting into the tournament. Ratings are bad. Attendance is bad, save for PSU. As has been noted, the Final Five used to be an event and now they can't even open the upper deck. I'll chime in another vote for the old rivalries. Yeah, they diluted it quite a bit when they added UNO and Bemidji, but I felt more of an interest in most of the other teams than the current crop. PSU, OSU? Meh. Just about every action taken by the conference, by the administration, and by TV is telling me they don't want me as a fan.

 

[Almington]

Wow. No tickets sold in the upper deck? Money (or lack thereof) may yet convince the various admins how terrible this idea was.

Eliminating historic and/or regional rivalries was a huge mistake.

A couple of other thoughts
...The idea of moving the tourney to Chicago might work for the tournament or it might fail terribly. That wouldn't address the problem of fan apathy towards the other schools though...

I honestly cared more about Michigan and MSU when the college hockey showcase was around. I wanted UW and Minnesota to thrash the ccha'ers

Based on geography alone, even if every team was highly nationally ranked the conference tournament was going to be down. UMN and UW accounted for about half the tickets in the WCHA days, the other programs accounted for the other half.

I think that given the niche nature of the hockey programs fan base, the geography involved, and the costs of renting a NHL arena; I would not be surprised if the conference once again pushes to have the tournament hosted in on-campus sites. This is very similar to the issue with the NCAA regionals in the West.

if they can build the conference tournament up into a must-attend much-anticipated event, things might change, but personally I don't see that happening for many years.

 

[RedStripes]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVII: Waiting for the axe to fall

Based on geography alone, even if every team was highly nationally ranked the conference tournament was going to be down. UMN and UW accounted for about half the tickets in the WCHA days, the other programs accounted for the other half.

I think that given the niche nature of the hockey programs fan base, the geography involved, and the costs of renting a NHL arena; I would not be surprised if the conference once again pushes to have the tournament hosted in on-campus sites. This is very similar to the issue with the NCAA regionals in the West.

if they can build the conference tournament up into a must-attend much-anticipated event, things might change, but personally I don't see that happening for many years.

I think you're right and it really ticks me off. The annual pilgrimage to the Final Five was one of my favorite annual rituals. Like hunting camp, without the frostbite.

 

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVII: Waiting for the axe to fall

In alumni news, Justin Schultz' disappointing season in Edmonton has ended with a trade to Pittsburgh.

 

[TalonsUpPuckDown]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVII: Waiting for the axe to fall

Wow. No tickets sold in the upper deck? Money (or lack thereof) may yet convince the various admins how terrible this idea was.

Eliminating historic and/or regional rivalries was a huge mistake.

A couple of other thoughts
...The idea of moving the tourney to Chicago might work for the tournament or it might fail terribly. That wouldn't address the problem of fan apathy towards the other schools though...

I honestly cared more about Michigan and MSU when the college hockey showcase was around. I wanted UW and Minnesota to thrash the ccha'ers

OK, so I'm a lowly Bowling Green guy trolling your thread and I know no one cares about my opinion, but our barn is packed when OSU, Miami State, or Western roll into town. You can shoot a cannon off in the place without hitting anyone when Bemidji shows up. And while the Beaver fans are good people, I'm not looking to make a 15+ hour road trip to the middle of Nowheresville, MN to cheer my team on.

You folks aren't the only fans longing for the old days...

 

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVII: Waiting for the axe to fall

Just about the only good thing to come out of the realignment is Penn State enjoying themselves/paving the way for other schools (with $100 million to burn) to join the party, and I guess putting MTU and NMU back into a conference together (even if they played each other regularly regardless).

Sucked for almost everyone else. Unless there's a NCHC team or two that're happy to be rid of the western "minnows".

 

[WiscDC]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVII: Waiting for the axe to fall

Just about the only good thing to come out of the realignment is Penn State enjoying themselves/paving the way for other schools (with $100 million to burn) to join the party, and I guess putting MTU and NMU back into a conference together (even if they played each other regularly regardless).

Sucked for almost everyone else. Unless there's a NCHC team or two that're happy to be rid of the western "minnows".

The Nanooks and Seawolves also get an extra series with one another, similar to the reuniting of the UP. (And in no way should this comment be seen as a comprehensive look at the "pros" list.)

 

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

The Nanooks and Seawolves also get an extra series with one another, similar to the reuniting of the UP. (And in no way should this comment be seen as a comprehensive look at the "pros" list.)

What would a comprehensive look even yield? At least on the first look for all the fans of western teams here on this board, I'm not even sure which ones even have a majority that feel good about the shakeup.

 

[baalbrec]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVII: Waiting for the axe to fall

I'm getting the sense that the people in charge of the Big Ten tourney are getting nervous. I've attended the Final Five/Big Ten Tourney every year since 1999 (except last year in Detroit). Last week, I got a personal call with a follow up email from someone in the ticket office asking if I had thought about renewing my tickets. The email showed they were only selling lower bowl seats. Seats in the club level were limited to neutral ice. What a huge change from the magic of the Final Five.

I got one of those emails also. It's not just a bulk email deal either, I changed phones in 2015 and the email mentioned they were unable to reach me on the phone. Lucky for them, they don't want to hear what I have to say about the B1GMistake tourny.

 

[fr. joe]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVII: Waiting for the axe to fall

Gwoz watch... here or Sparty?

 

[BuB]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVII: Waiting for the axe to fall

Gwoz watch... here or Sparty?

Gwoz is 62. I wonder how much he would want to be a part of a rebuilding effort. Don't get me wrong, I respect the heck out of the guy. Great coach. I just wonder if that "ship has sailed".