The new conference features UMD, North Dakota, Denver, Colorado College, Nebraska-Omaha, Miami (OH) University, Western Michigan, and St. Cloud State. The new league will see its first season in the 2013-14 college hockey calendar.
The agreement calls for a minimum of 18 conference games, including the National’s semifinal and championship contests. Currently six teams that will be in the new conference are currently ranked in the Top 20 poll.
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Per an article in USCHO last week it looks likely that the NCHC final 4 will be held in the Xcel center in Minneapolis each season.
Per Dave Starman all games will be in HD.
I guess since we're taking the X for the conference tourney that the Big 10 will take Joe Louis?
The Big 10 is going to hold their playoffs in on-campus arenas.
In Minneapolis??? What the hell?? Every one of you knows that's Bovine Feces. The NCHC schools, cities and thier sports commissions and tourism committees better go after that. Realisticaly, you're talking about Denver, Omaha, Grand Forks and Colorado Springs. Denver has Pepsi Center and Omaha has thier arena. Arguably the 2 front runners on that list of 4. I'd be pretty pissed to send the revenue and visitor influx to Minneapolis. I hope we here more of this - and I hope someone steps up and challenges this. What the hell is the logic of having it in Minnesota? Shit; why not have it in Atlanta ????? I don't get it.
If the NCHC is a "super" conference, why is it considering hosting its post season play in a Big 10 city? It looks second rate in my mind. Not a good start, you ask me.
If the NCHC is a "super" conference, why is it considering hosting its post season play in a Big 10 city? It looks second rate in my mind. Not a good start, you ask me.
echo,echo,echo
heard ya the first time old pio
Just discovered my cable package dois not include NBCSN so I'm really glad it's CBS
St. Paul (Xcel) can draw 18,000 Sioux fans plus Duluth & St. Cloud fans.
The Twin Cities is an important hockey media market. Every other NCHC city (besides Denver) is too small, especially if the home team doesn't make it.
That leaves Denver, and quite frankly DU fans can't fill the Pepsi Center.
So St Paul likely gets the event until DU proves they can fill the Pepsi Center and would still support the event even if DU lost in the first round.
DU fans filled McNichols Arena for CC back in 1995 (16,000) - still the record to see DU in Colorado.
I think we could fill Pepsi Center for DU, but if DU wasn't in the Final Five, there would be r,000 locally based Sioux fans and a handful of others rattling around in Pepsi Center.
Quite frankly, Minneapolis is still the best choice for a decent showing for the NCHC.
Personally, I'd like to see it bounce between the Xcel and Pepsi Centers. Hosting it at UNO's rink would be a disaster, since they're the only team out there. The big thing about hosting in Minneapolis is the hockey centered community. We're talking about a state that brings in 20,000 people for high school hockey tournaments.
Omaha would be a disaster? Really?
Personally, I think Omaha would be better than Denver. Big games in Omaha routinely draw 10-12,000...big games in Denver MIGHT fill Magness.
Rotating the Final Four in future seasons probably will never be an option because you need to tie up the venue for future seasons.
If the NCHC misses a year at the Xcel another event (Big 10, Minnesota Wild) might slip in there and you'll lose the weekend forever.
Western College Hockey Blog is implying that the NCHC deal with CBS Sports Network will mean that Root Sports Rocky Mountain will no longer televise DU hockey games.
So expect no DU games on local TV starting in 2013.
http://www.westerncollegehockeyblog.com/2012/2/1/2764226/linkorama
Did you see last year's Final 5? It had the lowest attendance figures since 2000 when the event was at the Target Center in Minneapolis. It had close to 30000 less fans that what it had been just three years earlier. Who was missing last year? Minnesota and Wisconsin. Apparently 18000 Sioux fans weren't around last year to save attendance.
Playing at Xcel for the NCHC is not going to be a major attendance success. I'm betting a Final 4 for the NCHC at Xcel will be fortunate to reach an attendance of 30000 for the two semifinals and championship game.
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