From: Big Ten WebsiteThe directors of athletics of Big Ten institutions which sponsor men's ice hockey unanimously announced intention today to recommend to the Big Ten Council of Presidents in June the establishment of men's ice hockey as an official conference sport for the 2013-14 academic year with participation by Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin.
The recommendation includes both the establishment of the inaugural Big Ten Men's Ice Hockey Tournament in March of 2014, with the winner earning the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship, and a 20-game conference schedule with each team playing the other five schools four times (two home games and two away games). In addition, the Big Ten's men's ice hockey programs will continue to proactively work to maintain a strong schedule of non-conference competition with the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) and Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA).
In September of 2010, Penn State announced the establishment of men's and women's ice hockey programs set to begin competition in the 2012-13 academic year, giving the Big Ten six institutions sponsoring men's ice hockey. Big Ten rules allow for a conference championship when six institutions sponsor a program in any given sport.
Since Penn State's announcement, the conference has researched and investigated the establishment of men's ice hockey as a conference sport. The conference has sought input and communicated both internally with conference chancellors, presidents, administrators and coaches, and externally with members of the hockey community, including the CCHA and WCHA.
45 comments:
Two more seasons of WCHA & CCHA hockey before they leave. Let the meetings & negotiations begin with the 19 jilted schools begin.
This was certainly the big topic discussed this weekend in St. Paul.
It's been THE TOPIC all year long, so no surprise that, at an affected conference's championship tourney, it was a major topic.
I hope you had fun in St Paul. I know I always have. It's pretty cool to see the WCHA be THE event in town.
Go DU!!
Who're the odds-on favorites to move into the WCHA? We only lose the Gophers and Badgers, right?
Star-Tribune article about the move and reader comments.
http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/blogs/118373629.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiUo8cyaiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aU7DYaGEP7Ur
We all just have to hope the WCHA can land Miami and Notred Dame.
I do think DU and Miami will end up together, just maybe not in the WCHA (and, no, I don't think DU is headed to the CCHA...)
When this all comes to fruition, I could see Minnesota and Wisconsin traveling out to Colorado on the same weekend with, say, the Gophers playing DU on Friday while the Badgers would play CC the same night then flip for Saturday. It would maintain rivalries amongst all 4 schools while not costing 2 OOC games against only the Badgers or only the Gophers -- and the fans would get to see games against both Bucky and Goldy the same weekend; I know I wouldn't mind.
Out of Conference teams usually don't like to play DU & CC on the same weekend because there's too much chance of being swept and hurting the Pairwise Ranking.
Teams usually will play Air Force & DU or Air Force & CC.
If we endedup with a 6 team conference of
D.U
C.C.
Neb.O
Mia.
N.Dame
N Dak.
It would clearly be the most powerful conference in college hockey, superior to the Big Ten and the Boston area conf. that houses B.C, B.U. Northeastern and others.
I saw something somewhere that Miami wants to trim some money on their hockey budget, that would likely make it trickier for them to join up with DU, CC, and UND for a conference. Their travel costs must not be too bad in the CCHA playing all the ohio and michigan schools, and bussing.
Well, actually, for years, teams have been coming out and playing one each against DU and CC. The AFA games for both DU and CC are generally scheduled the same weekend, whereas if (like in '05-06), say, Notre Dame comes out and DU is scheduled to play AFA on Friday, Notre Dame plays CC that Friday and then DU plays Notre Dame on Saturday while CC plays AFA. It's been this way for a while. This season was just an anomaly because DU scheduled AFA into the Denver Cup.
I wonder if they will split the BTHC in half into Legends and Leaders divisions that would be funny. They could put up legend/leader division championship banners and everything. Woohoo my team is better than 2 other teams this year.
Unfortunately, moving into a six team league of our own would only further jeopardize the overall success of college hockey. I can't imagine schools continuing to sponsor a non-revenue sport (at most schools) with no big-name opponents in their league.
The BTHC is a stupid and selfish idea that will surely lead to some programs being cut (especially the smaller Michigan schools in the CCHA).
I dunno; look at Alumm's post - and Mike Chambers wrote something similar not too long ago. If that was to be the new WCHA, there's still some pretty damn good teams on that list - a few of which are far superior than those forming the Big 10. I think the bigger impact might be seen in about 10-15 years down the road when the recruiting/coaching changes hit the Big 10.... MAYBE. Until then - the proposed new WCHA will still kick the butt of the Big 10
IMO there are just too many teams in the WCHA that have zero name recognition in a major league sports market like Denver.
A fresh league with fewer teams would be easier for Denver fans to recognize.
We are probably entering the most important offseason in the history of the program. Sure would be more fun to have an 8th banner to help pass the time.
i'm not trying to suggest that the new Big 10 would be better than the WCHA (with or without Miami and ND), but the teams that aren't in the Big 10 or WCHA would have a rough time attracting fans and recruiting with no big-name teams coming to play.
Western Michigan, Ferris State, Bowling Green, Northern Michigan, and Lake Superior State would have a rough time being profitable or successful with the Big 10 and a WCHA with Miami and ND.
Isn't it safe to say that Ferris, Western, Northern, LSSU have no future in college hockey? I bet we have something like 40 teams left after this conference reliagnment.
Air Force is a example of a program that is playing in a league that it can be competitive in and having tremendous success.
Michigan Tech is in over its head in the WCHA. Smaller more nimble leagues that gives programs a more equitable chance of winning during the regular season may be the answer.
If the Big Ten teams are going to hit the road then it "might" work.
Western, Northern, LSSU & Ferris have not built new arenas and I'm sure that's part of the problem.
I would agree that not every small school or lesser known program is totally screwed, but this has got to be scary for those other CCHA teams (esp if Miami and ND jump ship to the WCHA or a smaller power conference). AHA and ECAC teams are successful in their own way, but it becomes harder to be a david with more and more goliaths.
its just a matter of whether DU, UND, CC, etc are willing to help the heavily depleted CCHA by not taking Miami and ND or if we are going to pull a Big 10 and do what is best for us.
A stronger conference or stronger overall college hockey?
Lengthened schedules... More ticket revenue to help sustain smaller programs or just added travel cost with no measurable upside?
In revenue sports at the D-I level it's every man for himself. The Big 10 sets off a domino chain of self-interest. I can't see DU sitting around to play in a deplceted WCHA, and trying to
fill Magness with a steady diet of Bemidji's, Mankato's and St. Clouds.
To compete at the top of the sport, DU needs to team with other powerhouse programs to keep top
recruits coming and that DU remains viable in the fickle Denver market with more brand name opponents to help fill the seats.
I would imagine that DU must be talking with a variety of powerhouses about a Big 10 competitor conferece with
Notre Dame, Miami, North Dakota, CC, UNO or UMD. I wouldn't rule out interlocking with top Eastern schools, too.
One factor which has in the last few years become a firm requirment is that a team has a first class modern facility.That has become of paramount importance. Since U.Minn. Duluth is building one maybe we should add them to the previous 6 that i listed above. They have had good representative teams in the past few years.
I would not be suprised to see an offer to A.F.A. to join the WCHA sometime in the near future. And I bet they would be more than happy to say yes.
I would not support that (as if my support mattered) because their team doesn't measure up to the caliber of play that we would have in the above mentioned conference. We want all good solid teams. We want to be the elite league.
Thinking outside the box: does Canada have a solid college hockey program? From what we have seen in out typical opening games they don't. But if they did have one and hopefully it was in the southern part of canada that would be a game changer -a real P.R. Koo.(I have no idea how to spell it but that is it's sound). I'm an engineer and get a pass on spelling plus I'm on my third glass of wine after a nice dinner.
Aluum,
Consider this.
AFA vs. Michigan Tech. Who would be more competitive in the WCHA right now?
Easy answer anon. --NEITHER, with all due respect of course.
Notre Dame is the key player. Whatever they decide makes the rest of the decisions easy for everyone else.
I don't know, I can't see AFA leaving Atlantic Hockey unless the conference folds.
they will want to maintain their rivalry with Army more than they would want to join the WCHA. Outside of DU and CC (who they already play annually) there isn't much history between the WCHA and AFA.
Does Canada have a solid hockey program? Wasn't it University of Lethbridge who beat Denver in Magness Arena back in the 1st week of October ?
Canadian teams can play exhibitions against NCAA teams but not in a league, since Canadian teams are allowed to have major junior and ex-pros on their team and NCAA teams don't.
In the future, Canadian schools may play in the NCAA, but only if they play by NCAA rules and give up the ex-MJ and ex-pro players.
Simon Fraser University from Vancouver is a member of the NCAA.
Simon Fraser is not D-I and does not have a varsity hockey team.
They play NCAA D-II.
Aluuum you can't type hammered or sober. Are you an aluuuuuuum of the short bus or what?
Alaska Teams.
Discuss.
Alaska is just too far. These kids spend all day just flying up there.Plus those two teams don't measure up to the caliber of play that this new conference will have.
You mean the conference that hasn't been determined yet? Please put down the bottle!
The "conference" is 80% in the bag!
Just like you eh?
Significant discussions have already been held between the decision makers at D.U.,Miami and Notre Dame. They are continuing. Nothing will surface for quite some time but ,aside from many details, it's a done neal.
ddg states: ""Michigan Tech is in over its head in the WCHA. Smaller more nimble leagues that gives programs a more equitable chance of winning during the regular season may be the answer."
Sounds like Minnesota. Perhaps that's why the BTHC is formed, a smaller more nimble league. WI & MN can take turns beating up on the rec league College Station team... And one of them might even get a free pass to the big event.
Somebody's definitely full of themselves.
The Penn State Athletic Director used the phase we've all been hearing a lot lately...
"Now that the BTHC has formed, the dominoes will fall into place."
Which I take to mean smaller conferences will be forming.
Can we PLEASE send the Shepherds and Anderson to the Big 10 with Minnesota and Wisconsin??!!!
"Can we PLEASE send the Shepherds and Anderson to the Big 10 with Minnesota and Wisconsin??!!!"
Best. Comment. Ever.
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