NCHC Hockey: Jim Scherr Accepts COO Position with European Games

Colorado Springs, CO (Friday, May 31, 2013) – The National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) announced today that NCHC Commissioner Jim Scherr has resigned effective immediately in order to accept the position of Chief Operation Officer for the inaugural European Games.

Scherr, who has served as NCHC Commissioner since January 2012, will oversee the operation of the 49-nation Games in Baku, Azerbaijan -- which will feature up to 10,000 athletes -- in June 2015.

“We knew when we hired Jim that there would come a time when there would be competing bids for his services,” said NCHC Chairman of the Board and University of North Dakota Director of Athletics Brian Faison. “We are grateful for what Jim has done in his time with the NCHC and we are very happy that he has the opportunity to return to the Olympic sports world with the European Games in Baku. We know his expertise will greatly benefit their event.”

Prior to his appointment with the NCHC, Scherr served as the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) Chief Executive Officer. During his tenure in that role, he oversaw the U.S. contingent at the 2004 Summer Olympics (Athens), 2006 Winter Olympics (Turin), and the 2008 Summer Olympics (Beijing), while managing a budget in excess of $150 million. Scherr was appointed USOC CEO after having served for 10 years as the Executive Director of USA Wrestling. A former wrestling standout himself, Scherr was a three-time national champion and a 1988 Olympian.

“Jim was presented with what is really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Ken Ralph, NCHC Treasurer and Colorado College Director of Athletics. “While it is difficult to see him go, we understand his decision. With what has already been done with our bylaws, operating manuals, office setup and personnel, officiating program, and championship site, we are in a great position for our inaugural season.”

“Serving as commissioner of the NCHC has been a tremendous experience and it is a difficult position to leave behind,” said Scherr. “I want to express my sincere appreciation to the Board for understanding the opportunity presented to me, and for working with me to make it a reality. I regret that I will not be there to lead the conference through its inaugural season, but I have full confidence in the coaches, administrators and conference staff that the NCHC will set the standard for excellence in college hockey.”

Faison said that a search for a new commissioner would begin immediately.

The NCHC, which begins its inaugural season in 2013-14, includes member institutions Colorado College, Denver, Miami, Minnesota Duluth, Nebraska Omaha, North Dakota, St. Cloud State, and Western Michigan. 

[Link to official press release]

Big story of the afternoon: Jim Scherr might be leaving the NCHC

The "big story" to break this afternoon is that NCHC commissioner Jim Scherr might be leaving the NCHC to take another job. Okay, more power to Commissioner Scherr for possibly getting another opportunity, I have never faulted anyone that has had an opportunity to better themselves and move on.

Brad Schlossman, Grand Forks Herald -- Prior to joining the NCHC, Scherr was the chief executive officer of the U.S. Olympic Committee.

UND athletic director Brian Faison, the chair of the NCHC board of directors, said he’s aware of Scherr’s discussions with “another job opportunity,” but says nothing has been finalized yet.

“The NCHC board of directors is well aware that commissioner Scherr has been approach with another job opportunity,” Faison said in a statement. “The recent published reports that Jim has already accepted a position are erroneous. He has been forthcoming with information regarding a competing bid for his services. Since this is an internal personnel matter, the conference will offer no further comment at this time.”

No matter what the NCHC does, there are going to be the distractors and haters. That is just a fact of life. To these haters, nothing the league does is going to change their opinion. Some of the haters are the foam at the mouth variety. The fact that the University of North Dakota is involved in the NCHC makes their foaming at the mouth a bonus. All it is; is blind hatred and jealousy. That's what this boils down to.

There were a lot of people that are upset with what transpired two summer ago and will always hold a grudge towards the way things were handled. I don't blame them, it could have been handled better. Maybe the optics were that great and there were a few glitches getting the league off of the ground but none of them have marveled the WCHA's questionable tournament marketing scheme.

That being said, there are some that just can't help themselves. I have had a lot of discussion with other fans, bloggers and media types about the formation of the NCHC. It's water over the bridge. None of us were asked for our opinion, so really we're just bystanders.

So how does that affect the average fan that will be watching college hockey this fall and winter. Won't mean a thing. The fans are going to go the game no matter who is running the league office.

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• NCHC Coaching Résumés (thehockeywriters.com)

St. Cloud State Will Rename Hockey Arena After Herb Brook

Alternate St. Cloud State Husky logo. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I think this is an awesome and also a very classy move by Saint Cloud State University. Herb Brooks was a big part of the Huskies move to Division I hockey during the 1986-87 season.

Brooks was also a big part of Minnesota college hockey as well as Olympic hockey.

ASSOCIATED PRESS --- St. Cloud State will rename its hockey arena after Herb Brooks, the coach who guided the United States Olympic team to a gold medal in 1980. He also helped lead the St. Cloud State men’s hockey team’s move to N.C.A.A. Division I. Brooks died in an automobile accident in 2003.

According to the Saint Cloud Times, the National Hockey Center will be renamed the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.

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• Sports Briefing | College Hockey: St. Cloud State Will Rename Hockey Arena After Herb Brooks (nytimes.com)

NCHC selects more of their staff

According to Joe Paisley of USCHO the NCHC picked more of their staff yesterday - it will be interesting to see who else is added to the NCHC staff as the year progresses.

Joe Paisley, USCHO.COM --- The administration for the National Collegiate Hockey Conference continues to develop this summer with new additions to the league office staff.

Verna Toller was hired recently as business operations manager while Mike Moran, a former longtime spokesman for the United States Olympic Committee, signed a short-term contract as a media relations consultant, commissioner Jim Scherr said on Wednesday.

“We’re real excited to bring Verna on board,” Scherr said. “Mike’s a good friend who is just down the hall and has extensive experience in media relations.”

Toller was hired in July after spending nine months with the City of Colorado Springs in the real estate services division. From May 2008 to December 2010, she worked for CB Richard Ellis, an international commercial real estate company, first as the real estate services administrator and later as the assistant real estate manager.

Before taking seven years off to raise her three children, she helped start the Grubb and Ellis/Quantum Commercial Group, a Colorado Springs-based affiliate of Grubb & Ellis Company. In her 10 years there, she advanced from receptionist to office manager and to business operations manager.

Video; NCHC Introduces Commissioner

Here is the video for the press conference that was held to announce the first commissioner of the NCHC Jim Scherr, the press conference was held Wednesday at the Penrose House in Colorado Springs, CO. According to Brian Gomez of the Colorado Springs Gazette, the NCHC is going to have an 24games schedule which will mean that the schedule will be an un-blananced schedule. Also on the plate will be 10 non-conference games.

Former U.S. Olympic Committee chief executive officer Jim Scherr was named the first commissioner of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference on Wednesday, and he likes the proposal of a 24-game league schedule and 10 non-conference dates for the Colorado Springs-based league that starts in 2013-14 with eight teams, including Colorado College. [Gazette.com]

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It's official Jim Scherr to lead NCHC.

Here is the press release that was released on the NCHC's first commissioner. 

Former U.S. Olympic Committee chief executive officer Jim Scherr has been selected as the first commissioner of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, which will house Colorado College starting in the 2013-14 season and will be based in Colorado Springs.

North Dakota athletic director Brian Faison will introduce Scherr during a Wednesday morning news conference at the Penrose House, a person with knowledge of the hire told The Gazette. The person requested anonymity because an official announcement has not yet been made by the NCHC. Scherr did not return phone and email messages. [Gazette.com]

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NCHC picks conference HQ...

Here is the official statement regarding the NCHC's selection of a headquarters office in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

COLORADO SPRINGS - The new National Collegiate Hockey Conference, which will begin competition in the 2013-14 season, announced today that it will locate its headquarters office in Colorado Springs.

The athletic directors of the Conference's six founding institutions accepted an invitation from El Pomar Foundation and determined the Conference's first commissioner and staff will operate all functions of league administration from the Colorado Springs office in the Copper Building (1631 Mesa Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO, 80906), adjacent to the grounds of the world-famous Broadmoor Hotel. The conference's six founding members are Colorado College, University of Denver, Miami University, 2011 NCAA champion University of Minnesota Duluth, University of Nebraska Omaha and University of North Dakota.

"El Pomar founders Spencer and Julie Penrose were enthusiastic supporters of college hockey in Colorado Springs and the trustees of El Pomar are pleased to honor that legacy by supporting the National Collegiate Hockey Conference as it establishes a headquarters here," said William J. Hybl, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of El Pomar Foundation. "Colorado Springs benefits greatly from the presence of numerous sports-related organizations and we believe this new endeavor will add to an already important economic component of our city."

"We are very grateful to Bill Hybl and El Pomar Foundation for their enthusiastic interest in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference," said Brian Faison, Director of Athletics at North Dakota. "The Foundation's track record of support for higher education, nonprofits and amateur sports has been exemplary, and we are proud to be working with them to provide the best collegiate hockey competition in the country. It's an ideal setting with unmatched advantages that will create a perfect environment for everything we hope to achieve and to represent."

Colorado Springs is a popular location for sports organization headquarters including the United States Olympic Committee, U.S. Paralympics, the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association and 21 national sports governing bodies.

"We're very happy that the National Collegiate Hockey Conference has chosen to join USA Hockey and the entire amateur sports community by headquartering in Colorado Springs," said Dave Ogrean, Executive Director of USA Hockey. "We look forward to working with the Conference office and the six outstanding founding school progams that continue to develop the game at the college level."

The Conference has a number of other organizational initiatives that are underway including the national search for the Conference's first Commissioner, a process for identifying and evaluating prospective additional members and evaluating possible venues for the Conference's championship tournament.

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• New hockey conference to base in Colorado Springs (denverpost.com)
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