The Grand Forks Herald & Duluth News Tribune are confirming that the University of Denver hockey program will formally leave the WCHA and join Colorado College, Nebraska-Omaha, Minnesota-Duluth, North Dakota & Miami in a yet to be named conference.
Notre Dame and an eighth school, could be added to this group by the end of the summer. Western Michigan of Kalamazoo, Mich., was said to be considered but apparently is no longer in the picture.
Reportedly an official announcement about the proposed new league will be made next Wednesday in Colorado Springs. The WCHA was formed in 1951 with Colorado College, Denver, Michigan, Minnesota, Michigan State and Michigan Tech.
USCHO.com mentioned that the remaining members of the WCHA, Alaska-Anchorage, Bemidji State, Michigan Tech, Minnesota State and St. Cloud State, were meeting via teleconference Thursday to discuss matters.
USCHO.com mentioned that the remaining members of the WCHA, Alaska-Anchorage, Bemidji State, Michigan Tech, Minnesota State and St. Cloud State, were meeting via teleconference Thursday to discuss matters.
25 comments:
Ok guys and gals, it's time to play "Name that Conference"!
College Hockey Super League [CHSL]. Gives it that cool euro soccer feel.
Don't name after geography or America, as it may need to accomodate Eastern or Canadian teams at some point.
Star
Select
Elite
Zenith
Apex
Pinnacle
Legend
Top Shelf
I say, keep WCHA and let the remnants keep CCHA, makes life easier on everyone.
Pioneer Conference. Saves money on engraving the Championship trophy every year.
Donald, oh Donald. What do you suggest we name the conference?
The butthurt coming from his blog is going to be EPIC
Anon @ 3:23pm,
I may be a Sioux fan but I actually got a chuckle out of your comment.
I was going to retort with saying it should be called the Sioux Conference but then I'm guessing the NCAA would put all the teams in the conference on the hostile & abusive list!
I suppose Boone Conference would be rejected immediately
Call me cynical but I don’t think losing the likes of Minnesota and Wisconsin makes for a better conference. This just feels like a watered down WCHA; how about calling it WCHA-lite? Oh, and for the record I hate change.
Go Pioneers!
If we get both Miami and Notre Dame involved, this will be a very solid conference. Why not invite Air Force as well? Three Colorado Schools would be a blast.
Air Force likes their niche. Don't bother asking them.
What niche is that? Beat up cupcake opponents all year, and make the NCAA tourney virtually ever year because of it? Sounds cushy to me.
Air Force is happy where they are. Plus, they like being in the same conference as Army.
Anon 6:57 You have it exactly right.
Program Killer
Hope you all go belly up, led by they king hypoctie dg himself...
How about "Shepherd's Regret"?
LOL good one; which brings up a good point... this is a chance to clean house and get rid of some of the dipshit Refs the wcha is reknowned for being a haven to
Keep crying those fake tears dg, and thanks for the screw job DU and UND!
Sincerely,
Fans of the "other half" of the WCHA
DG is no program killer, but a truth-sayer,
DG (and Puck Swami- RIP) were just smart enough to read into the WCHA tealeaves long before other fans did, and they they wrote about it on message boards because it made logical sense in the big picture of college athletics.
DG and Swami didn't fall off a turnip truck - they have been around DU and the WCHA for a long while and they obvioulsy know how college sports and business come together.
The fact that it's happening in real life would have likely happened without DG and Swami, but I don't doubt that others in positions of power do read what they say, but I am sure the people in power were already thinking similarly...
To the AFA point...
Given the nature of an academy education, Air Force cannot rely on recruiting "blue chip" players that are ready to contribute at a high level right out of high school or juniors.
It must, instead, rely on player development over an athlete's entire four year college career and a heavy dose of upperclass leadership to have any sort of success.
Unfortunately, such a blueprint does not often translate to regular season success in a league composed of early round NHL draft picks.
Air Force should stay where it is...
I've been following the WCHA since 1983 when I was a Freshman at DU.
The biggest mistake the WCHA and college hockey made was diluting the product by continuing to expand conferences time after time.
Unbalanced schedules, wacky standings that didn't make sense or fit neatly into newspapers, shootouts in one conference but not in the others, using Pairwise to determine playoff teams were just some examples that caused fan confusion.
Hundreds of events and ultimately poor decisions led to the destruction of the WCHA. Now its time to move forward.
Luckily DU had people like Gwozdecky, Miller, Lalonde, Tenzer, Grahame, Bradley-Doppes and I'm sure countless others to guide them through this mine field.
Welcome to a new era of DU hockey. For our fans it will mean more exciting opponents in Magness Arena, fun travel opportunities to away games and exciting recruits that will wear our school colors with pride.
As a Sioux fan I'm excited about this newly-formed conference and the reality that UND and DU will get to play at least four times a season. I am miffed why Notre Dame is not on board just yet. Are the Irish still weighing its option to join Hockey East? I can't see why they would turn down playing in a smaller, but strong conference, and give up the chance to play more home games against non-conference foes which will generate added revenue. Plus, this new conference would enable a tie to two former CCHA foes in Miami and Western Michigan. Perhaps they will get in the boat by next week when the formal announcement of the new conference is made.
Great news for college hockey in general. The landscape is changing--lots of new opportunities will open up with this change. I'm excited about the new schedule possibilities for DU. I agree that AF is better off in the AHC--both DU and CC will still have them on their schedules. I also hope that they have a clause that sends Todd Anderson off with the five remaining WCHA teams for eternity. RIP you self inflated jerk! :-)
There's some speculation online that Notre Dame may need to get some approval from the ND Board of Trustees or perhaps Pope Benedict XIV before they switch conferences.
Seems to me that the Super League would be a better fit for Notre Dame than joining an 11 or 12 team Hockey East that has many of the same issues that plagued the former WCHA.
If Notre Dame needs an additional sweetener, DU would be willing convert to Catholicism.
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