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skolbrother
03-21-2011, 07:31 PM
I would be interested in peoples serious thoughts on how this will re-shape the landscape of college hockey.

If you are unaware, the Big Ten will be starting a hockey conference in I believe 2013-14. Minnesota and Wisconsin will be leaving the WCHA which dramatically impacts the remaining schools negatively. The WCHA imo, would need to replace/recruit some dynamic programs to get back some luster.

While I have stated several times I am a Bison fan, I have become a Sioux hockey fan, this hurts for them. What will happen to the WCHA ...? Could we avoid the hockey sucks stuff, I think people get it, some people simply are not interested in hockey.

lakesbison
03-21-2011, 07:32 PM
OMG A N Ot Her Thra D About D1 La C Rosse>

skolbrother
03-21-2011, 07:57 PM
OMG A N Ot Her Thra D About D1 La C Rosse>

Dude, the big ten adding hockey is kind of big deal to hockey fans, if there is no one on the board who is interested, cool. I will go elsewhere to discuss it.

tjbison
03-21-2011, 07:59 PM
Dude, the big ten adding hockey is kind of big deal to hockey fans, if there is no one on the board who is interested, cool. I will go elsewhere to discuss it.



http://www.bisonville.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23356

Try this;)

skolbrother
03-21-2011, 08:08 PM
http://www.bisonville.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23356

Try this;)

Got it. I looked under other sports & saw nothing - Im silly.

siouxdgj
03-22-2011, 03:06 PM
I would be interested in peoples serious thoughts on how this will re-shape the landscape of college hockey.

If you are unaware, the Big Ten will be starting a hockey conference in I believe 2013-14. Minnesota and Wisconsin will be leaving the WCHA which dramatically impacts the remaining schools negatively. The WCHA imo, would need to replace/recruit some dynamic programs to get back some luster.

While I have stated several times I am a Bison fan, I have become a Sioux hockey fan, this hurts for them. What will happen to the WCHA ...? Could we avoid the hockey sucks stuff, I think people get it, some people simply are not interested in hockey.

As a Sioux fan I am most interested in what happens to college hockey overall. Without a doubt the loss of both Minnesota and Wisconsin is going to affect the WCHA. Just as the loss of Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State is going to affect the CCHA. The loss might be minimized in the event the Big Ten schools adopt somewhat of a cross-scheduling with the other schools. Schools that depend on the increased gate revenues that Big Ten schools bring to the table might be severely affected. In the event that happens, the formation of the Big Ten hockey conference will not be good for hockey overall. It's possible a number of schools may have to drop hockey if attendance suffers too much. Hopefully, that won't happen, but it is a possibility.

HandoEX
03-22-2011, 04:46 PM
Got it. I looked under other sports & saw nothing - Im silly.

Other Sports are NDSU sports that do not have their own sub-forum.

bisonmike2
03-22-2011, 07:28 PM
Got it. I looked under other sports & saw nothing - Im silly.

I put it in the smack forum because no matter where it was going to get started, it was going to end up there anyway.

turbo700
03-24-2011, 04:24 AM
IF hockey wasn't growing I don't think Big Ten would bring it in. Penn state would of never started a team. Maybe it's time! get it done and do it! Have Scheels pay for it all :hide:

duluthbison
03-24-2011, 11:31 PM
IF hockey wasn't growing I don't think Big Ten would bring it in. Penn state would of never started a team. Maybe it's time! get it done and do it! Have Scheels pay for it all :hide:

Or, they are getting greedy and just want a larger slice of the pie.

scbison91
03-25-2011, 03:04 PM
IF hockey wasn't growing I don't think Big Ten would bring it in. Penn state would of never started a team. Maybe it's time! get it done and do it! Have Scheels pay for it all :hide:

Agree, Hockey is growing.. I live here in South Carolina where there is actually high school hockey.. It isn't varsity sport yet but it is slowly growing and hopefully in a few more years it maybe...

johnson
03-25-2011, 03:59 PM
Agree, Hockey is growing.. I live here in South Carolina where there is actually high school hockey.. It isn't varsity sport yet but it is slowly growing and hopefully in a few more years it maybe...
It is true the sport is growing in the south but it will never reach the level it is in the midwest. I talk to a lot of parents who have kids in hockey down south and they tell me that the costs are what keep the sport limited on growth. A group from North Carolina came to Fargo this year for the Flyer International Squirt tournament and they were telling me that they have to pay $350/hr. for ice. The lack of facilities force them to travel all over the country for games. This year alone they had already been to Maryland, Georgia, Florida and North Dakota. Their local government won't listen to their proposal for a small facility because they feel it would be too large of a drain on their budget and the private rinks can barely keep afloat because of high energy costs. They tell me you either need to know someone to get your kid on a team or hope they have natural talent that gets noticed during try-outs. Some of the parents went as far as saying that most of the youth rinks they had been to in Fargo are better run and have nicer equipment than what the Carolina Hurricanes have at their arena. I also heard a similar story from a group of California parents last year. The growth is apparent but I feel that it will still be an after thought to most communities in the south.

scbison91
03-26-2011, 02:28 AM
It is true the sport is growing in the south but it will never reach the level it is in the midwest. I talk to a lot of parents who have kids in hockey down south and they tell me that the costs are what keep the sport limited on growth. A group from North Carolina came to Fargo this year for the Flyer International Squirt tournament and they were telling me that they have to pay $350/hr. for ice. The lack of facilities force them to travel all over the country for games. This year alone they had already been to Maryland, Georgia, Florida and North Dakota. Their local government won't listen to their proposal for a small facility because they feel it would be too large of a drain on their budget and the private rinks can barely keep afloat because of high energy costs. They tell me you either need to know someone to get your kid on a team or hope they have natural talent that gets noticed during try-outs. Some of the parents went as far as saying that most of the youth rinks they had been to in Fargo are better run and have nicer equipment than what the Carolina Hurricanes have at their arena. I also heard a similar story from a group of California parents last year. The growth is apparent but I feel that it will still be an after thought to most communities in the south.


It will never be big and only a niche market but there is interest and will grow slowly as ice is expenseive ($200/hr here in Charleston).. My son had some games outside of Chapel Hill NC a few weeks ago and UNC Tarheels had a club game against Georgetown same day as his game.. I started to read about their goals of the ACC confernce (Club) they had posted and their ultimate goal is to field division I hockey someday..Probably highly unlikely goal but at least somebody is dreaming and can only be good for the sport.

Another thing that is happening is if you have any talent in hockey, kids are applying for prep schools up north and playing hockey there...

344Johnson
04-07-2011, 04:13 AM
I hope this really hurts the WCHA, the more it hurts UND the better. I enjoy hockey, its fun to watch. Just very irritating when they pretend its important.

Big Ten Hockey, I can dig that. Maybe they'll invite Notre Dame, fits in geographically and into their mindset of sports.

KC Bison
04-13-2011, 01:02 PM
First of all, why isn't this thread under News about Other Schools???
I think there are a couple of ice rinks in KC and so maybe there is some slight up-tick in interest in hockey. However, I would say there are at least 1,000 kids playing soccer for every kid playing hockey in this area so I don't see hockey ever being anything but a niche sport.

lakesbison
04-13-2011, 04:00 PM
Because as a big ten.fan.....I wouldn't be able to contribute to thread if it was on that section. My bro has season tix for gophs. and cousin has them for badgers..they HATED HATED HATED playing D2 schools, they are ecstatic!!

Their hope is this schedule:

16-20 games vs each other
8 games vs.Boston college, Notre Dame
6 games vs Duluth, st cloud, mankato

Gilley
04-20-2011, 03:01 PM
Being a Sioux/CC fan I think this is gonna hurt the WCHA but with the way the gophers have been playing lately it could be an "out" for them to try another division. With Denver, UND, UMD, and these schools keeping up and passing the gophers could have been the last straw. Just my thoughts, not saying any truth behind it. Hopefully WCHA can keep the teams coming in and maybe now they will let MSUM get a team here so we have a local team to cheer for.

EndZoneQB
04-20-2011, 04:08 PM
Being a Sioux/CC fan I think this is gonna hurt the WCHA but with the way the gophers have been playing lately it could be an "out" for them to try another division. With Denver, UND, UMD, and these schools keeping up and passing the gophers could have been the last straw. Just my thoughts, not saying any truth behind it. Hopefully WCHA can keep the teams coming in and maybe now they will let MSUM get a team here so we have a local team to cheer for.

WTF! Thought you were a Michigan fan?

Gilley
04-20-2011, 05:21 PM
WTF! Thought you were a Michigan fan?

WCHA newb, but yeah I am a Wolverine fan and I was pissed when they lost lol

bisonaudit
04-20-2011, 05:49 PM
If/when Minnesota goes to the Big 10 for hockey they won't be scheduling UND anymore if they stick to their policy regarding the nickname.

EndZoneQB
04-20-2011, 07:24 PM
WCHA newb, but yeah I am a Wolverine fan and I was pissed when they lost lol

OHHHH, so you're a UND/CC/Michigan fan? Fail ;)

Buthockey
04-21-2011, 03:26 AM
WCHA newb, but yeah I am a Wolverine fan and I was pissed when they lost lol

Do you know me?

NorthernBison
04-22-2011, 12:41 AM
Let me start this post by stating that I am not drunk, not under the influence of any illegal drugs, and have not received any blows to my cranium.

I went over to SS.com to see what they were talking about. As usual, there was plenty of ridiculous talk going around and the whole nickname discussion is not worth reading.

They have a thread about the Big 10 Hockey conference. Yes, there is some smack talk and pointless blathering but the thread is generally quite enlightening and some of the posts were downright spot on.

Two posts that struck me as very insightfull and deep were done by ....... wait for it....... DaveK and Star2City. I darn near fell out of my chair.

They get why the Big 10 schools are doing it and they both talked about why Notre Dame would never choose to Associate with the small time schools in the WCHA. I think it was DaveK who opined that the move might be good for hockey in the long run. I didn't think I could ever be this surprised but I'm stunned.

EndZoneQB
04-22-2011, 01:52 AM
Let me start this post by stating that I am not drunk, not under the influence of any illegal drugs, and have not received any blows to my cranium.

I went over to SS.com to see what they were talking about. As usual, there was plenty of ridiculous talk going around and the whole nickname discussion is not worth reading.

They have a thread about the Big 10 Hockey conference. Yes, there is some smack talk and pointless blathering but the thread is generally quite enlightening and some of the posts were downright spot on.

Two posts that struck me as very insightfull and deep were done by ....... wait for it....... DaveK and Star2City. I darn near fell out of my chair.

They get why the Big 10 schools are doing it and they both talked about why Notre Dame would never choose to Associate with the small time schools in the WCHA. I think it was DaveK who opined that the move might be good for hockey in the long run. I didn't think I could ever be this surprised but I'm stunned.

I personally also think it is good for teh hockies as a whole. Having a big time recognizable conference sponsor the sport will do wonders IMO.

BISON1434er
04-24-2011, 03:55 AM
I have become a fan of the WCHA over the last few years. The conference deliveries great games every weekend. The almighty dollar has lured Minnesota and Wisconsin to agreeing to the Big Ten Conference. I guess if the Gophers cannot compete with the WCHA teams, they can take their puck and go play in a weaker division. There are 4 better teams from Minnesota anyway, well except Mankato, their just in Minnesota.

NorthernBison
04-25-2011, 01:48 PM
I have become a fan of the WCHA over the last few years. The conference deliveries great games every weekend. The almighty dollar has lured Minnesota and Wisconsin to agreeing to the Big Ten Conference. I guess if the Gophers cannot compete with the WCHA teams, they can take their puck and go play in a weaker division. There are 4 better teams from Minnesota anyway, well except Mankato, their just in Minnesota.

That's nice smack but only partly right. Think that way if you want but the Big 10 teams are NOT leaving because they can't compete. What a stupid thing to say.

Money is an issue as well as Conference requirements to sponsor a sport if 6 programs have the sport.

Another HUGE issue is that BCS Conference schools are ELITIST to the extreme. They feel that they are above the rest of the WCHA schools in almost every imaginable way.

That's why it is such a hoot that WCHA rubes think Notre Dame would opt to join the WCHA over a potential Big 10 invite. Really? They might leave the CCHA because their PEERS are gone. Anybody who thinks that Notre Dame would consider Bemidji State, Alaska Anchorage, Mankato, etc. to be their peers must have had a lobotomy.

And yes, the Big 10 schools look down their noses at UND and NDSU and the South Dakota schools. They don't consider us much more than embarrassing cousins. Certainly not peers. Ever.

rockybison
04-25-2011, 06:31 PM
This northernbison guy got one right. Notre Dame is not joining the WCHA, imagine them going to Bemidji, St Cloud, Mankato, and Duluth or elforko grande. Its not in their GPS. But they could pick one up with Crookston.

Gilley
04-26-2011, 01:30 PM
That's nice smack but only partly right. Think that way if you want but the Big 10 teams are NOT leaving because they can't compete. What a stupid thing to say.

Money is an issue as well as Conference requirements to sponsor a sport if 6 programs have the sport.

Another HUGE issue is that BCS Conference schools are ELITIST to the extreme. They feel that they are above the rest of the WCHA schools in almost every imaginable way.

That's why it is such a hoot that WCHA rubes think Notre Dame would opt to join the WCHA over a potential Big 10 invite. Really? They might leave the CCHA because their PEERS are gone. Anybody who thinks that Notre Dame would consider Bemidji State, Alaska Anchorage, Mankato, etc. to be their peers must have had a lobotomy.

And yes, the Big 10 schools look down their noses at UND and NDSU and the South Dakota schools. They don't consider us much more than embarrassing cousins. Certainly not peers. Ever.

Cause Notre Dame is such a power house who has won how many championships?? Oh wait... None, I can see because they are no where near the rest of the schools but not because they are "superior" to them. Alaska Anchorage yeah, Mankato use to be decent not UND/Gophers but until the past couple years UMD hasn't done anything. Bemidji State made a run a couple years back and beat Notre Dame in the first round.

onbison09
04-26-2011, 02:36 PM
Cause Notre Dame is such a power house who has won how many championships?? Oh wait... None, I can see because they are no where near the rest of the schools but not because they are "superior" to them. Alaska Anchorage yeah, Mankato use to be decent not UND/Gophers but until the past couple years UMD hasn't done anything. Bemidji State made a run a couple years back and beat Notre Dame in the first round.

Doesn't matter. The attitude down there will prevail.

344Johnson
04-26-2011, 05:21 PM
Doesn't matter. The attitude down there will prevail.

Yep, Notre Dame would never.....ever put themselves in a stupid situation when the Big Ten loves them.

Gilley
04-26-2011, 05:24 PM
Doesn't matter. The attitude down there will prevail.

Yeah I agree, I'm just saying that I think WCHA will still be the best conference in D1 hockey hands down. Only one else that is close is Hockey East with BC/Maine/New Hampshire/Boston U

Facts
04-26-2011, 08:51 PM
Cause Notre Dame is such a power house who has won how many championships?? Oh wait... None, I can see because they are no where near the rest of the schools but not because they are "superior" to them. Alaska Anchorage yeah, Mankato use to be decent not UND/Gophers but until the past couple years UMD hasn't done anything. Bemidji State made a run a couple years back and beat Notre Dame in the first round.

What you need to understand about Notre Dame is that their current coach (Jeff Jackson) was most recently the head coach for the US Junior National Team... so he's got a pretty good recruiting pipeline going there for many of THE best players in the US. Aside from being a really good coach (see LSSU success), he now has really good recruits to boot. Notre Dame will be a premier PROGRAM in hockey as long as he's around.

PS: If your definition of a "powerhouse" in "D1" hockey is National titles, you should really reevaluate that statement based on the NCAA tournament format that is currently used. It's hard for a "powerhouse" consistently dominate in a one and done format... especially in hockey with hot and cold goaltending.

onbison09
04-27-2011, 12:24 AM
Wow's there's actually some good discussion on this thread. Good stuff!

abc123
04-27-2011, 01:10 AM
Yep, Notre Dame would never.....ever put themselves in a stupid situation when the Big Ten loves them.

Could you clarifty your never...ever comment? As in never ever be part of the WCHA?

And the Big Ten loves Notre Dame, Notre Dame does not love the Big Ten. I don't see Notre Dame being invited/accepting an invite without some other sports tied in and I don't see Notre Dame being interested in that.

344Johnson
04-27-2011, 02:03 AM
Could you clarifty your never...ever comment? As in never ever be part of the WCHA?

And the Big Ten loves Notre Dame, Notre Dame does not love the Big Ten. I don't see Notre Dame being invited/accepting an invite without some other sports tied in and I don't see Notre Dame being interested in that.

Hockey is a sport notre dame would love to join just for one sport. They are Big East in other sports if I am correct with the exception of football. It would probably be good for them specially with the CCHA losing Michigan and Michigan St.

abc123
04-27-2011, 02:22 AM
Yep, Notre Dame would never.....ever put themselves in a stupid situation when the Big Ten loves them.

My question was what did you mean by that?

And yes, Notre Dame is in the Big East for all sports except football, hockey and one or two minor sports. I doubt that Notre Dame would drop their contract with NBC plus whatever TV revenue they get from the Big East for what they could get from the Big Ten Network.

MN_BISON
04-27-2011, 03:39 AM
Someone wake me up when the Big Ten gets curling. I would be standing in line for Big Ten bonspiel tickets, I get goosebumps just thinking about it. If they add curling, you can bet the Irish would be begging for an invite. :D

NorthernBison
04-28-2011, 01:04 AM
My question was what did you mean by that?

And yes, Notre Dame is in the Big East for all sports except football, hockey and one or two minor sports. I doubt that Notre Dame would drop their contract with NBC plus whatever TV revenue they get from the Big East for what they could get from the Big Ten Network.

I'm not sure what he meant by that. I'm also sure that you are well aware of the speculation about what might happen to conference alignments now that the Big 10 made their move. Star2City might be one of your BFF's for all I know and he alone has made about a bazillion predictions and one of them eventually has to be reasonably correct so he can say "aha, I was right."

A. It is reasonable to assume that Notre Dame is not overjoyed at the makeup of the CCHA now that their "Peer" institutions are gone and might consider making a move of their own.

B. If schools like Miami and Bowling Green are not their peers, I highly doubt that they would consider the WCHA schools to be anything other than trailer trash. No offense intended but it isn't exactly a murder's row of big time athletic programs and it is pretty spread out geographically. No matter how good the WCHA is considered as a hockey conference, Notre Dame would look like a Supermodel at a Jenny Craig Convention in that list of schools.

C. Nobody knows if the Big 10 would offer a hockey only membership but that might be something Notre Dame might find appealing. Not much chance of them bringing any other sports with though.

D. Maybe Notre Dame and some of the Eastern schools that they see more as peers form a new conference. That could happen.

E. Maybe they stay put in the CCHA, add a couple schools, and make the best of the situation.

Facts
04-28-2011, 02:58 PM
I'm not sure what he meant by that. I'm also sure that you are well aware of the speculation about what might happen to conference alignments now that the Big 10 made their move. Star2City might be one of your BFF's for all I know and he alone has made about a bazillion predictions and one of them eventually has to be reasonably correct so he can say "aha, I was right."

A. It is reasonable to assume that Notre Dame is not overjoyed at the makeup of the CCHA now that their "Peer" institutions are gone and might consider making a move of their own.

B. If schools like Miami and Bowling Green are not their peers, I highly doubt that they would consider the WCHA schools to be anything other than trailer trash. No offense intended but it isn't exactly a murder's row of big time athletic programs and it is pretty spread out geographically. No matter how good the WCHA is considered as a hockey conference, Notre Dame would look like a Supermodel at a Jenny Craig Convention in that list of schools.

C. Nobody knows if the Big 10 would offer a hockey only membership but that might be something Notre Dame might find appealing. Not much chance of them bringing any other sports with though.

D. Maybe Notre Dame and some of the Eastern schools that they see more as peers form a new conference. That could happen.

E. Maybe they stay put in the CCHA, add a couple schools, and make the best of the situation.

Ya know, all this talk about peer institutions might be a reach. It's NCAA "d1" hockey: There's like 5 upper echelon "peer" schools. It might be possible that Notre Dame could care less about this extremely minor sport... a sport that I love.

onbison09
04-28-2011, 03:02 PM
Ya know, all this talk about peer institutions might be a reach. It's NCAA "d1" hockey: There's like 5 upper echelon "peer" schools. It might be possible that Notre Dame could care less about this extremely minor sport... a sport that I love.

Well Notre Dame used to be in the WCHA. And also they're building a new rink so I don't think they could care less.

Facts
04-28-2011, 03:16 PM
Well Notre Dame used to be in the WCHA. And also they're building a new rink so I don't think they could care less.

Point taken. I should clarify... it's difficult to put so much emphasis on "peer" institutions when there are so few of them. That's what I meant by the "don't care" remark.

344Johnson
04-28-2011, 05:00 PM
Well Notre Dame used to be in the WCHA. And also they're building a new rink so I don't think they could care less.

It is a pretty small rink. like 6,000 people I believe. They care about Football, Basketball, then hockey/lacrosse. I love Notre Dame but I would never use their hockey team as an example of why I cheer for them.

NorthernBison
04-28-2011, 05:27 PM
Point taken. I should clarify... it's difficult to put so much emphasis on "peer" institutions when there are so few of them. That's what I meant by the "don't care" remark.

If you care about college hockey and want to expand its visibility to people who aren't fans now, you need "names". That draws interest. Notre Dame vs Michigan gets much more attention than Notre Dame vs. Bemidji State.

For years, I've heard over and over from the El Forko Grande crowd that they are a true Division 1 program because they play with the BIG BOYS. Minnesota and Wisconsin are in the same conference. That supposedly legitimized the status of the hockey program. The Fossil (Virg Foss) even repeated this recently in a column.

Given a choice, Notre Dame is far more likely to want to associate itself with schools like Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Penn State, and Michigan State than the current list of WCHA schools or CCHA schools.

siouxdgj
04-28-2011, 06:47 PM
Could you clarifty your never...ever comment? As in never ever be part of the WCHA?

And the Big Ten loves Notre Dame, Notre Dame does not love the Big Ten. I don't see Notre Dame being invited/accepting an invite without some other sports tied in and I don't see Notre Dame being interested in that.

Many moons ago Notre Dame wanted to join the Big Ten, but as I understand it Michigan did not want Notre Dame in the Big Ten. Notre Dame hasn't forgotten that rebuff, and I can't say I really blame them. The Big Ten would love to have Notre Dame as a fully-fledged member. That appears at this point to be highly unlikely. However, believe Notre Dame would like to be a part of Big Ten men's hockey. Considering the fact the Big Ten would like to have Notre Dame for all sports instead of just a select few, Notre Dame being a member of Big Ten for hockey only is also unlikely at this point in time. But, who knows? The landscape can change in a hurry.

NorthernBison
04-28-2011, 07:09 PM
Many moons ago Notre Dame wanted to join the Big Ten, but as I understand it Michigan did not want Notre Dame in the Big Ten. Notre Dame hasn't forgotten that rebuff, and I can't say I really blame them. The Big Ten would love to have Notre Dame as a fully-fledged member. That appears at this point to be highly unlikely. However, believe Notre Dame would like to be a part of Big Ten men's hockey. Considering the fact the Big Ten would like to have Notre Dame for all sports instead of just a select few, Notre Dame being a member of Big Ten for hockey only is also unlikely at this point in time. But, who knows? The landscape can change in a hurry.

That's a pretty good summary of the hockey situation regarding Notre Dame and the Big 10. Somebody has to blink.

JMB
04-28-2011, 10:56 PM
If/when Minnesota goes to the Big 10 for hockey they won't be scheduling UND anymore if they stick to their policy regarding the nickname.

I have been thinking about the whole Minnesota and Wisconsin not scheduling the Sioux issue and I wonder if they are working on a loophole. If the Big 10 agrees to a scheduling alliance with the WCHA, will that give the Gophers an "out" by saying they are contractually obligated to play the Sioux?