Thursday, July 07, 2011

Mike Chambers on the new "Super League"

Mike Chambers of the Denver Post has his take on the formation of the new Super League (CHSL). As always Chambers has an interesting take that’s just a little different than the other beat writers from around the league.
Mike Chamber; Denver Post ---- “There is no secret that many institutions, including ours, are looking at the intercollegiate hockey landscape and considering different options and opportunities for the future. It is our intent to continue to be a strong and proud partner with the other members of the WCHA while this process continues. The future of our program and the competitive alternatives for student-athletes attending our school in the future are decisions that need to be investigated, and weighed, and discussed.”

I wrote last winter that DU, CC and North Dakota, among others, should quit complaining about the UM and UW departures and recruit Notre Dame and Miami to the WCHA. The aforementioned stories in the Herald and elsewhere basically said the same thing, although I was surprised to see that a “new” conference would be a start-up league, not a “new-look” WCHA.

Hey, I’m all for an eight-team league that features DU, CC, UND, Notre Dame, Miami, Nebraska-Omaha, Minnesota-Duluth and Western Michigan … but why not keep it under the WCHA banner? If they do go to a start-up league, would St. Cloud State, Minnesota State, Bemidji State, Alaska-Anchorage and Michigan Tech just move to the CCHA, or if they remained in the “skinned” WCHA, who would join to make it a necessary six-team league?

Regardless, any league with DU, CC, UND, ND, Miami, UNO and UMD would be an excellent loop and make a fine non-conference scheduling partner with the Big Ten. Private schools DU and CC would UNDOUBTEDLY LOVE to be a hockey partner with Notre Dame, arguably the most recognized private school in the country.
Yikes!!! I think this is a scarey time in college hockey and there is a lot of uncertainty, like I told a friend of mine today, this makes my chest hurt. I don't think anyone really knows how this is going to play out. I do understand why these 6-8 schools are starting a "Super Conference" and I think that they are trying to do what is best for their universities
Enhanced by Zemanta