Ryan S. Clark of Slightly Chilled and beat writer for the
Fargo Forum has an interesting perspective to consider, I have seen a lot of gloom and doom scenarios out there and Ryan's perspective goes more to the silver lining...If you haven't seen this blog post it's worth a look.
Ryan S. Clark; Slightly Chilled --- That’s something these schools, the ones not in the “Super League”, have to start doing. A buddy of mine on Sunday made a valid point. He pointed out that Nebraska-Omaha has never been one of the traditional hockey powers but that program made the steps to compete and now they’re at the cool kids table while everyone else is wondering what they have to do to get invited.
This next point might hit a nerve but it needs to be said. Hockey fans are arguably the greatest guardians of its game. They have to be. They’re constantly sticking up for a sport that’s often ridiculed. These are the same fans that tout pride, honor, tradition, et. al. They are fans that want more people to love the game regardless of race, socioeconomics, you name it.
But just mention the idea of a new team in a “non-traditional’ market or any kind of change and World War III has just started. It is that attitude and that mentality is what will keep hockey a niche sport. Frederick Douglass once said, “Without struggle there is no progress.” It feels like at times hockey’s struggle has been progress.
Let go of the idea that things need to stay the same. Let go of it so that way the bigger schools can all beat the crap out of one another and that way those smaller programs, which might not have had a tournament chance, play in a separate conference, make the tournament and come into the tournament with a chance at making a run.
