I want to remind college hockey fans; when the NCAA pulls an auto bid or two you can blame the CCHA and their commissioner Tom Anastos. Way to stand firm Tom. When your favorite team stays home from the NCAA tourney when they would have went under the old 16 team NCAA tourney you can blame the elites in the CCHA.
Meanwhile, the Chargers would have been a good fit for the league, which now has an odd number of teams (11).
It's also interesting that Commissioner Tom Anastos earlier (pre-UNO leaving) said scheduling for a league with an odd number of teams is not feasible and, while making a visit to UAH this summer, said the CCHA has a firm, solid commitment to having a program in Huntsville.
In an e-mail, Anastos said major issues of concern for the CCHA Council included economics, facilities and location. That may be just a smoke screen.
The economics are a non-factor compared to other colleges.
The facilities (6,600-seat Von Braun Center) argument is a non-issue. The VBC administration went out of its way to accommodate CCHA scheduling demands during a visit here last month. [Slap Shots blog]
I am not surprised by the CCHA denying UAH. You are 100% correct about the rest of the CCHA. Anastos is just afraid of of UAH coming in and giving all of his beloved Michigan schools a run for the money. I have said it before and I will say it again, the CCHA is a crap league. You do not know how hard it is to be excited for a UAF vs LSSU match-up. I go because I love college hockey.
ReplyDeletemaybe you should check the bottom of your own shoes.
ReplyDeletenevermind that no other league would allow them in, either. nor that the wcha, instead of inviting league-less uah, poached uno from the ccha.
there are problems all over this. blaming the ccha for protecting their intrests, which is exactly what the wcha, hea, and ecac did, is hypocritical.
I'm wondering if the CCHA is hedging their bets for either another school starting up a hockey program, or Bowling Green folding. Otherwise, this makes no sense.
ReplyDeleteHow will this cause the NCAA to drop autobids? Please explain.
ReplyDeleteI can understand the CCHA's stand on this. The big bad WCHA swoops in and snags one of their teams and everyone in the college hockey community is expecting the CCHA to clean up the mess. In a nutshell, the CCHA loses UNO and is expected the add UAH. I guess I wouldn't be real happy either. Maybe there's more to the argument and I'm missing something but from what I've read I can't say I blame the CCHA for their decision.
ReplyDeleteAdam if the NCAA loses anymore teams there is a good chance they will start pulling at large bids.
ReplyDeleteIf what I have heard from UAH fans is true, then the travel arguement doesn't hold up. It has been stated that UAH also had a "travel subsidy" in the application amounting to $10,000 for a weekend.
ReplyDeleteClown: So you are okay with CCHA pretty much putting the final nail in UAH's coffin? What did UAH do to deserve that? The WCHA took one of their teams but the CCHA could have stepped up before that and tried something on their own. Instead, they are coming across selfish and everyone will forever remember that the CCHA took down UAH hockey, not that the WCHA took UNO.
ReplyDeleteWhile the WCHA supposedly "took" one of the CCHA's teams, the WCHA also added a CHA team that needed a home and if it didn't find a home it was closing up shop like UAH might have to do now.
ReplyDeleteWhile you can paint the WCHA a villian for "pouching" UNO, they also did the right then and gave BSU a home, something the CCHA was not willing to do for the better of college hockey.
If the CCHA didn't have the "big 4" of michigan, mich state, notre lame and miami (oh) they would be nothing more than Atlantic Hockey for the Great Lakes region.
The WCHA provided an opening and UNO wanted to upgrade their program by joining the best conference. UAH wouldn't make the current CCHA any worse, just another team to feed wins to the teams at the top so they are all locks for the NCAA tourney in the PWR and then can choke against Air Force or Bemidji.
Outside of State's title a few years back, the CCHA hasn't done shit, Michigan won all but two of their "record" number of titles before anyone posting here was likely even born.
Not to pile on Michigan, but didn't they win 7 of their titles before the modern era. Let's see ---'48,'51,'52,'53,'55,'56,'64'96,'98 and it has been 11 yearts since their last title. I wasn't born till 1966 so Gandalf the Red is right.
ReplyDeleteScott, you really need to get out of your mother's basement more often, the darkness or said mother's basement is starting to get to you.
Husker Mike this makes no sense to me what so ever.
ReplyDeleteI would have loved to see UAH in the CCHA. It was going to take 9 out of 11 teams to vote yes to let them in. I don't think that UM, MSU, ND, and Ohio State like to travel to other teams in the CCHA for games let alone travel to AL for a weekend. The smaller schools are having serious financial problems and where probably happy to see UNO leave due to travel costs. So getting the 9 votes was probably impossible to get.
ReplyDeleteI never said that Charlie. All I said was I understand their decision. I didn't say that I agreed with it either....just understand.
ReplyDelete