Image via WikipediaIt would appear that Fighting Sioux hockey beat writer Brad Schlossman with his article written July 1st, 2011 titled; COLLEGE HOCKEY: UND weighing hockey league options, has started the proverbial crap storm… With these potential changes there seems to be a lot of uncertainty and uneasiness surrounding the college hockey world right now and there are a lot of college hockey fans that are worried about future state of the WCHA and the Division I college hockey as well. I have to admit that I am one of those people that are feeling uneasy about the future as well. Lots of finger pointing
That being said, there has been a lot of finger pointing since Brad’s revelations were made public and I don’t think it’s fair for WCHA fans to put all of the blame on the shoulders of the University of North Dakota, the Big Ten also shares some of the blame as well. First we don’t know yet what is driving this bus nor do we know for sure that UND is the sole driving force behind the realignment talk, I think it's still to early to tell. According to Brad's article, there are also seven other Division I college hockey teams involved in this process.
From reading the college hockey message boards like USCHO and reading the various beat writer’s responses to Brad’s article; it would almost appear this is shaking out to be a battle between "the haves" and "the have nots" of college hockey, just like the other major Division I college sports, the big schools do for the most part drive college hockey… I guess college hockey finally has come full circle like the rest of the college sports. This is what the Shane Frederick of the Mankato Free Press had to say, I think you’re going to find this interesting.
Other WCHA schools mentioned in the article include Nebraska-Omaha and Colorado College, along with Central Collegiate Hockey Association members Notre Dame, Miami and Western Michigan (the CCHA is losing Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State to the Big Ten, which will also have Penn State).Brad Schlossman also expounds on his July 1st article with another blog post today… Brad’s blog post covers a lot of the same topics as Shane Fredericks said in his newspaper article today…
Denver was not listed in the article but is often mentioned any time a rumor of a new power conference comes up.
“Several institutions have been looking at the college hockey landscape and different possibilities that might be out there,” North Dakota athletic director Brian Faison told the Herald. “At the end of the day we have to do what’s in the best interest of UND hockey, and that’s what we’re going to do. It’s an emotional decision. It’s a business decision.”
Killing the golden goose that is the WCHA sure doesn’t seem to be in the best interest of any school in the league — or of college hockey, for that matter.
Such a move would fragment the fan base of a sport that is still pretty niche, especially compared to Division I football and basketball. And those fans pay the freight.
Puck-crazy Minnesota — the self-proclaimed State of Hockey — would be thrown out of the mix completely, and there’s a reason why the successful, money-making WCHA Final Five has been played in the Twin Cities each year since 1999.
At this time, most of the answers have been vague, being that this possible new conference is not a done deal. But in searching for answers, I thought back to something that one person — who has an affiliation with the league — told me last summer after the Big 10 became inevitable.You've probably noticed an emerging and reoccurring theme here, the WCHA has a leadership problem in the commissioner’s office. I think one might ask if it’s time for Bruce McLeod to step down as commissioner of the WCHA? The WCHA is going to need strong leadership going forward with two of the big schools leaving the WCHA (Wisconsin and Minnesota)... Personally I don't have a lot of confidence i McLeod as commissioner and I believe with McLeod the league office is suffering a leadership void, that needs to be filled. This was also from Frederick's article today.
This person said that when business was conducted in the WCHA, often times, there was a distinct divide in the voting. The larger schools wanted to invest and spend money to make improvements and try new things in the league. The smaller schools had budget concerns and wanted to/needed to save money.
However, there were enough big schools in the league that they held the power and, more often than not, got their way with these issues. Without Minnesota and Wisconsin, the dynamics of the league will change. No longer do the large schools hold the power. Now, the small schools will gain control of the voting block.
It’s entirely possible that the CCHA is going through a similar type of process after the losses of Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State.
If this is true, the remaining schools that are used to voting to spend, invest and make new improvements have to be concerned about the future of the league. What will it become if schools that are more financially strapped become the decision-makers in the league?
What would remain of the WCHA would essentially be the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference — Minnesota State, St. Cloud State, Minnesota Duluth (the defending national champions) and Bemidji State — plus Michigan Tech and Alaska Anchorage.
The leaders of the WCHA, including and especially commissioner Bruce McLeod, can’t allow this — essentially the demise of a great and historic hockey conference — to happen on their watch.
Faison told the Herald that he has concerns with “the administrative side of the WCHA.” So perhaps this is all a big power play.
But this has gone beyond the spring rumors of a “Super Six” conference. The Herald reported that, because of scheduling, all of this might have to play out by late summer or early fall.
Could it be the end of the WCHA as we know it?
If so, it would not feel fine.
