UMD: Also in the Super League mix…

Image via WikipediaIt would seem that the plot is thickening. UMD beat writer Kevin Pates from the Duluth News Tribune has informed us that the defending national champions the UMD Bulldogs are also in the mix for the Super Conference as well. We could say that UMD is also being proactive; they are trying to do what is best for their University going forward.

Rink and Run --- Minnesota Duluth has been asked to join a discussion of a proposed seven- or eight-team Division I men’s conference, which would likely start in 2013-14, sources indicate.

The conference: UMD, North Dakota, Denver, Colorado College and Nebraska-Omaha of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, and Miami University of Oxford, Ohio and Notre Dame of South Bend, Ind., and possibly Western Michigan of Kalamazoo, Mich., all of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.

There’s talk that a resolution on a new Super League could come in July or by Labor Day. The current 12-team WCHA already has schedules for the next two seasons.

The restructuring of Division I conferences is being investigated by a number of schools in reaction to the formation of the Big Ten Conference, announced in March. Starting in 2013-14, Wisconsin and Minnesota will leave the WCHA, while Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State will leave the CCHA, and join Penn State in the six-team Big Ten Conference.

While it’s unknown who is leading the charge to form an eight-team Super Conference, Denver and North Dakota are likely candidates. While UMD athletic director Bob Nielson wouldn’t talk specifically Tuesday about a Super Conference, he said his school isn’t standing still.

If you read between the lines there seems to be a lot of stuff being said here and I wonder if any of this is being received by the league office of the WCHA. Let’s not kid ourselves, it’s going to be hard to put the genie back in the bottle once all of these things have been said and done as well. There seems to be a schism developing here.

Here is what I also think is key and driving this realignment chatter and one of the major reasons for the proposed talk about a move to a “Super Conference.” There are schools like UND, UMD, UNO, DU, and C.C. that see the writing on the wall or they probably don't like the direction the WCHA and college hockey is currently going but also more likely than not have questions about the WCHA leadership and direction of where they think the league is going. I think many fans do as well.

Since the announcement of the Big Ten Hockey Conference all we have heard from the Commissioner's office is that he wants to have a scheduling agreement with the schools that are leaving for the Big Ten, that’s about it.

I also believe that the schools in the mix for this Super Conference are trying to be proactive and want to align themselves with other schools that have similar philosophies like their own when it comes to college hockey… Also, it would appear that these schools might be upset with the current leadership in their conferences as well. If you look at what UMD athletic director Bob Nielson said, “His views mirror comments made by North Dakota athletic director Brian Faison…”

While it’s unknown who is leading the charge to form an eight-team Super Conference, Denver and North Dakota are likely candidates. While UMD athletic director Bob Nielson wouldn’t talk specifically Tuesday about a Super Conference, he said his school isn’t standing still.

“We’re concerned about the college hockey landscape. We’re looking at all the options of what could happen,” said Nielson. “Our hockey program is very important to our school and we want to be proactive.

“Our approach is to be active and examine potential opportunities, and have conversations about the future of Division I. Our intent is to be a member of the WCHA, but we’re considering options.”

Speculation about a Super Conference started in April and intensified last week when the Grand Forks Herald reported that North Dakota was weighing options about leaving the WCHA.

Nielson said his views mirror comments made by North Dakota athletic director Brian Faison in the Grand Forks Herald:

This is what UND Athletic Director Brian Faison said as well...

Faison told the Herald that he has concerns with “the administrative side of the WCHA.” So perhaps this is all a big power play.

Finally -> As you can see from the comment above, another question that is starting to emerge as well; is this a big power play? Here is the latest tweet from College Hockey News.

All the new "super conference" talk is likely a power play to get a management change in the WCHA ... CHN has more forthcoming

Edit: Just for the record I would gladly take a WCHA without Bruce McLeod at the helm and with Miami and Notre Dame added to the Mix… All I can say is stay tuned....

Redwing77 DI Conference Commentary

Image via WikipediaThere has been the "Crap storm" as Goon stated earlier regarding realignment, but it isn't UND that's caused it. It was Penn State. Remember, none of this would have come to fruition had the BTHC not been formed.

I know, I'm blaming the BTHC, but what it has or is coming to is the following: The "For the good of college hockey" is no longer the mantra. College Hockey, Inc. might want to believe it. McLeod might want to believe it. But it would be an idealistic lie. What it is coming to is: "Every program must align itself with other programs that will make their programs more attractive and the division they are in more competitive and strong." So, in essence, it is every school for themselves.

The benefactors of this will be HEA and perhaps even the terrible ECACHL. The losers will be the CCHA and the WCHA. The "who cares" will end up being the BTHC and AHA (who are largely irrelevant anyways).

NOBODY wants to see a conference, large or small, with very little power from top to bottom. Case in point? The AHA. Yeah, there are some decent schools there, but nothing that's going to make any real noise... at least for the foreseeable future. The AHA is full of "God bless them they try" teams and Cinderella teams and nobodies (Like Bentley and AIC). Is this what is good for College hockey?

No.

What I fear is that the "bigger" schools will team up and leave the "weaker" or "littler" schools hanging in the breeze.

You bet I'd love to see the "new" WCHA consist of: UND, DU, CC, Notre Dame, Miami, UMD, and perhaps two other teams like WMU and SCSU

But what would that leave? A conference with UAA, UAF, LSSU, NMU, MTU, BGSU, MSUM, BSU, UAH (giving them the benefit of not remaining independent), and UNO. (There's a chance I'm leaving a few schools out).

But look at that conference! Sure, UND's conference would survive admirably. But what competitive advantage would the other conference have? In my opinion, that would basically be another AHA. In fact, we might as well call it the CHA, because its conference power ranking would essentially mimic it.

Look, it's not all that exciting to see a powerhouse team play a weak team (sometimes called a "cupcake"), even if it is conference play. However, it is how it should be because it raises the competition across the board. How else did MTU, LSSU, NMU, RPI, and all win National Championships if they were in conferences at the time that weren't strong?

What's "best" for college hockey is for the teams NOT in the BTHC to find ways to strengthen their schedules and their conference makeup without killing off programs. This is NOT going to be easy.

I'm not sure I see too many reasons for schools like LSSU, BGSU, NMU, and UAH to keep their hockey programs afloat in this economy if they don't have decent competition to bring people out to their home arenas. And I don't see the BTHC providing that other than to offer these schools an opportunity to travel to their locations to play them.

Big Ten may mean big issues for hockey...

Image via WikipediaTom Oats has a really good article on Madison.com that has been floating around the internet this past week about the issues surrounding the formation of the Big Ten Hockey Farce Conference. It's a must read if you haven't seen it yet.

I think I have brought up some of the same issues about the Big Ten Hockey Conference and that there was a very good possibility that the BTHC formation would have a  negative effect on the other schools left behind in the CCHA and the WCHA.

It almost appears as if no one from the Big Ten thought about these ramifications until after they went to the NCAA meetings last April and heard from the other conference representatives from the CCHA and the WCHA... In my opinion, this has nothing to do about whats good for college hockey going forward, this is a lot to do about maximizing profits for six teams and they could give a rip about the other conferences and teams they've left behind. You can call me a hater, I don't care, I am calling it as I see it.  

Nationally, however, the perception of the conference is a bit different. Many in the tight-knit hockey community believe the Big Ten, led by UW, has trampled on tradition and jeopardized the future of the sport by barging ahead without regard to potential ramifications for the programs at many smaller, hockey-first schools.

The Big Ten’s announcement definitely put college hockey in a state of flux, with schools and conferences trying to position themselves in the new landscape. But no matter how it all washes out, there will be consequences — some unexpected, some potentially serious — both in Madison and across the country.

• Much like in football and basketball, non-conference schedules will get weaker.

Word is the Big Ten will backload the schedule with conference games, which means the league slate — 20 games per team — won’t begin until the football season is over in December. That would leave each team to find 14 non-conference games in the first two months of the season.

It appears the Big Ten will reach a scheduling agreement with the WCHA that will account for perhaps eight of those games. However, the remaining six dates could be difficult to fill with quality opponents since other conferences will already be involved in league play.

Even if the Big Ten and WCHA do hook up for four non-conference series per year, established rivalries will take a hit because UW’s opponents won’t always be North Dakota, Denver, Colorado College and Minnesota-Duluth.

No one has any idea how the dominos are going to fall after the formation of the Big Ten Hockey Conference. I don't think it's formation is going to be as good for college hockey as some have suggested, there are probably better ways to add college hockey teams without blowing up an existing structure that has worked for a very long time and has been successful.

Fallout from the Big Ten’s move is being discussed in the back rooms as we speak. Will the WCHA be a 10-team league when UW and Minnesota leave? Will it expand back to 12? Or will it form a six or eight-team “superleague” with its highest-profile teams and maybe two from the outside? All have been discussed.

With Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State leaving the CCHA, word is Notre Dame is quietly looking at a move to the WCHA or Hockey East. Should Notre Dame and, say, Miami (Ohio) join the WCHA, the CCHA would be decimated. Without name schools as lucrative draws, its remaining schools could struggle to field competitive teams and some of them eventually could eliminate hockey. That would be a huge hit for the sport, which is low on numbers as it is.

Here is some good advice for the Big Ten as they go into unchartered waters.

No one knows if the Big Ten will be good or bad for college hockey in the long run, but it is clear so far that the conference is stepping on some toes. It would behoove the leaders of the Big Ten — and especially UW — to tread a little more lightly during this process.

No more hockey games with the UW Badgers when the BTHC forms?

Image via WikipediaApparently the University of North Dakota won't be able to play the University of Wisconsin when the formation of the Big Ten Hockey Conference comes to fruition because of their Athletic Department Policy On Native American Logos And Names. I guess the policy didn't matter last season when the Sioux and the Badgers played in basketball last season on November 16th, 2010... Stay tuned.

Andy Baggot; Madison.com ----  Big Ten teams will play 20 league games - home-and-home series against one another - and hope to augment the rest of their schedules with eight games against WCHA and/or CCHA teams. That would leave six non-conference openings to fill in with opponents from Atlantic Hockey, Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference and Hockey East Association.


During the American Hockey Coaches Association convention in Florida last month, Frazier said WCHA and CCHA officials are receptive to having some type of interlocking schedule with the Big Ten.

One complication to the Badgers playing against WCHA opponents is that they wouldn't be able to schedule North Dakota — a major rival and perennial national power — because of its Fighting Sioux nickname and Native American warrior logo.

UW has a policy that prohibits scheduling non-conference opponents with monikers that defy an NCAA mandate against racially insensitive nicknames.
"We'd love to continue our relationship with North Dakota," Frazier said, "but North Dakota has to figure (its nickname issue) out from an NCAA perspective."