More on the Phoenix Coyotes

I wonder if anyone else is confused. This sounds almost like the Montreal Expos situation where the league owned them and then they moved to Washington, D.C. The Coyotes have been a drain on their owners since they plucked the team out of Winnipeg. It would also be a shame if the Coyotes Jobing.com Arena was left just hanging.

After months of espousing its commitment to keep the Phoenix Coyotes in Glendale, Ariz., the NHL appears unsure hockey can work in the desert after all.

In an about-face, the league's bid to purchase the Coyotes out of bankruptcy court specifically mentions it is open to relocating the team.

"By acquiring the team at this time, the NHL will be able to salvage the team's 2009-10 season and can establish a more constructive timetable in which to solicit acceptable offers from qualified parties, including, if a potential buyer wishing to keep the team in Glendale cannot be found, conducting an organized process to relocate the franchise in another territory," the league states in its bid put before the Arizona bankruptcy court.

The league made its bid late on Tuesday, the same day Chicago sports entrepreneur Jerry Reinsdorf withdrew his offer.

The NHL bid mentions nothing about a commitment or desire to keep the team in Phoenix and casts further doubt on the team's viability in Phoenix by stating: "Despite the continuous efforts to facilitate the sale of the Phoenix hockey club to a qualified owner committed to keeping the team in Glendale, the NHL has reluctantly concluded that it is necessary to submit this bid for the NHL to acquire and operate the team." [Globe and Mail]

Blues will be better this season.

With former Golden Gopher Erik Johnson returning to the Blue's opening night roster after missing the entire 2008-2009 NHL season with an injury, (lost battle with a golf cart in the pre-season) and with the return of former Maine Black Bear star Paul Kariya who also missed all but 11 games with a leg injury, the St. Louis Blues are going to be a much stronger hockey team.

Seriously! How can anyone think that the St. Louis Blues aren’t going to be a major force during the regular season, but also a make a run deep into the Stanley Cup Playoffs?

What makes last year's electric run a potential precursor of even better things is that the Blues accomplished it without Erik Johnson, their most talented defenseman who was out for the season following pre-training camp knee injury, Paul Kariya, a seven-time All-Star who saw his season cut to just 11 games before having surgery on both hips, plus captain/defenseman Eric Brewer, whose surgically repaired back ended his season Dec. 11 after just 28 games.

"When I see Erik Johnson wind up and then rip one into the net now, I realize even more what we were missing last season and what we accomplished without him," Blues President John Davidson said. "You don't just assume that things are going to be better, but how can they not be with us getting Erik, Paul (Kariya) and Eric (Brewer) back this season?"

"I think we're going to see a fired-up Paul Kariya," added Murray. "I'm convinced, with his pride as a player, he's going to come back very determined."

"The way we look at it is adding Kariya, Johnson and Brewer to your lineup is almost like gaining a few free agents," Davidson explained. "Plus, the extension of Andy McDonald's contract was a key, since he would have become a free agent."
[NHL.com]

Wild's new 3rd jersey.

My response is, "YUCK." You have got to be kidding me. [props]

Monday afternoon linkorama.

Bruins RFA Phil Kessel Admits,'this summer has been distracting.'[Slamb Sports]

Here is a good article on former Fighting Sioux coach Dean Blais. [Omaha.com]

Here is another great article on two different players. Unhappy Heatley Could Learn From Kessel's Summer Stability. [NESN.COM]

Fighting Sioux junior defenseman Jake Marto has been profiled by INCH A to Z. Check it out Marto gets some LOVE from Jess Meyers. [INCH]

The coach says that Marto is blessed with tremendous skating ability, and the statistics say he’s a key to the team’s overall success. Marto had all 17 of his points and was a team-best +26 in NoDak’s 24 wins last season. He had no points, and was a team-worst -18 in the 15 Sioux losses.

The WCHA has tweaked it's time out rules. [CHN.COM]

Heatly explains his side.

You can hear former Badger Dany Heatley explain his side of this crazy story, you an also listen to it at this TSN link. I have to scratch my head when I hear these highly paid athletes make these types of comments. Seriously! If anything Dany sounds petty and if your disappointed with your playing time and you don't feel your getting enough playing time you work harder you don't ask for a trade. You complain about it in the media. Now, if the GM from the Sens can't trade him there is a serious distraction in the locker room.

Dany Heatley says that he feels that his role with the Ottawa Senators has been diminished, and that's the biggest reason why he has asked for the team to trade him.

The veteran forward spoke in Kelowna, B.C. on Friday for the first time since he made the request in June. He stated that his wish to be traded has not changed over the summer.

"When I signed in Ottawa two years ago, I felt it was to be an integral part of the team," Heatley said. "Over the last two years and more recently over the past year, I feel my role was diminished. This past season, it diminished a lot more.

"This is a straight hockey decision. I have nothing against the fans of Ottawa, or the city of Ottawa. I would like the opportunity to go somewhere where I can play to the best of my capabilities and be the player that I can be."

Despite his demand to be moved, Heatley confirmed that he will still report to the Senators' training camp next month if he is not dealt.

"I have a contract, and if I'm still a Senator at training camp time, I'll be ready to go. But at the same time, I think we know that there are other teams out there that are interested, and hopefully something can get done," added Heatley.

For his part, Senators executive vice-president and general manager Bryan Murray said on Friday that finding trade partners for a high-priced player like Heatley has not been easy. [TSN] [Props]

Gopher fans don't have to worry.

This article posted over on Sioux sports that said the Canucks want Super Sophmore Jordan Schroeder to leave school and play in the WHL with the Everett Silvertips. That has already been debunked by Schroeder's dad. [Props]

When Vancouver's prospects arrive at camp September 7, don't be surprised if 2009 1st round pick Jordan Schroeder is among them. Word is the Canucks want to sign Schroeder, which would spell the end of his university career at Minnesota.
------(snip)------
So, what options do Mike Gillis and co. have? Well, Schroeder's CHL rights are owned by the Everett Silvertips, so it's a very good bet that if this all goes down, Schroeder will be playing in the "dub" this season. [Sportsnet.com]

Here is the point that sticks out the most with me and this seems to be a reoccurring theme and these implications sound kind of similar to what Garth Snow Said, "Quite frankly, we weren't happy with the program there," Snow said in a telephone interview. "They have a responsibility to coach, to make Kyle a better player, and they were not doing that." [Star Tribune.com]

If you're asking why would Schroeder leave university to play junior hockey, my guess is the Canucks aren't that happy with the Gophers program right now. And if Patrick White is staying in Minny, then that might also tell you how the Canucks feel about him and his progress within the Gophers system.

Frattin out, Corbin Knight in.

One person's loss is another person's gain, Frattin was dismissed from the team and Knight was asked to come this season instead of next, so the Fighting Sioux will bring in the highly touted and was drafted in the fifth round by the Florida Panthers in this summer's draft.

Pack your bags, Corban Knight, you’re moving away to college in less than 24 hours.

That’s the message that the UND men’s hockey recruit received on Friday morning after he quickly made it through the admissions process and was finalized as the replacement for dismissed forward Matt Frattin.

Knight, a High River, Alta., native, planned to spend the 2009-10 season with the Okotoks Oilers in the Alberta Junior Hockey League, but was informed on Wednesday night that plans might be changing.

UND was left with 13 forwards after Frattin was arrested for driving under the influence early Wednesday morning — his second criminal charge in two months. He won’t play for the Sioux this season.

Instead, the Sioux will look to an 18-year-old who committed in January and graduated from high school this spring.

“I’m definitely very excited,” Knight said. “I definitely think I’m ready. I came up to North Dakota about a month ago and got to meet a lot of the guys and be around the campus. I feel like I’ve become a lot stronger and I’ve matured mentally and physically over the summer. I have no doubt I’ll be able to take the step.”

Knight said that after last season — one in which he piled up 72 points in 61 games and was named AJHL rookie of the year — he hoped that he would be headed to UND. It was decided, at that time, that he would go back to Okotoks for one more year though. [Grand Forks Herald]

More Frattin.

There has already been some speculation on who the Sioux will bring in to fill the roster spot void left by Matt Frattin being kicked off the Fighting Sioux hockey team for his DUI arrest earlier this morning.

On early Wednesday morning, he was stopped by a campus police officer on North Columbia Road for speeding, UND police captain Don Rasmuson said. The officer smelled alcohol and a subsequent test put Frattin’s blood-alcohol level at .12 percent, Rasmuson said. The legal limit is .08 percent.

UND Fighting Sioux hockey team beat writer Brad Schlossman seems to think it will be Corbin Knight, which would make sense after the eye popping numbers he put up in juniors. Corban Knight is one kid I am really excited about seeing in a UND Fighting Sioux uniform. Unfortunately this isn't the way I thought it would happen.

I'd expect that Corban Knight will get the call, though. Here are a few reasons:

*NHL draft status isn't much of a factor. But for what it's worth, Knight is the highest-drafted, committed forward in juniors. The Florida Panthers took him in the fifth round in June.

Knight played against a high level of competition last season in the Alberta Junior Hockey League and was outstanding. He was the leading rookie scorer in the league and the seventh overall scorer in the AJHL. All six guys who had more points than him -- including UND's Carter Rowney -- will be in college in 2009-10.

Knight is physically ready. His testing results at the NHL Combine prove that. He ranked second in pushups, third in endurance, fourth in upper-body power and ninth in pull strength among the top 100-plus draft-eligible players.

Being a human being in a way I can kind of feel some empathy for this kid, however, the other part of me says you’re an adult and when you make bad choices you pay the consequences for these horrible decisions. That life and human are imperfect and make bad decision, well all do, but how many chances does a person need?

The University of North Dakota did the right thing by kicking Frattin off of the team and will move on from this incident. I hope this sends a message to the other players that might be thinking about making bad life choices. Nothing good happens late at night. It’s also not a birth right to play for the Fighting Sioux it’s a privilege and the University doesn’t need anymore bad press. If you screw up you might lose that privilege.

Let’s face facts; UND is a high profile hockey program and playing for UND can open up many life opportunities for the hockey players that do what it takes to get to the next level, it takes hard work and dedication. If your screwing around late at night you might want to question your dedication.

I understand these are young college students but you’re twenty one years old is considered an adult age, in Canada and the USA you can vote and you can serve in your countries military, most of us would pay severe consequences if we had done the same thing Mr. Frattin did this summer. I know I would lose my job. Like coach Hakstol said after the first incident earlier this summer, ‘most of our guys are working hard for the upcoming season.’

Frattin kicked off the team.

This is not good. I can only hope that Frattin turns his act around and gets it right. I also think that coach Hakstol made the right decision. This is Frattins second alcohol related incident of the summer.

UND forward Matt Frattin has been dismissed from the team following an arrest for driving under the influence.

"This decision was made with the best interests of our program in mind, specifically the responsibilities to the program and what is expected of the members of our team," UND coach Dave Hakstol said. "But we also care about Matt Frattin and would like to put him in position to be able to live a healthy lifestyle and resume his hockey career."

Hakstol said that Frattin's status with the team may be revisited prior to next season. [UND Hockey Blog]

Zach Parise interview

Zach Parise addresses the media at USA Hockey Camp in Woodridge, IL. Zach is a well spoken and a good interview to listen to. I am excited for the Olympics this season. Here is the link to Zach Parise wearing the new Olympic hockey jersey.

Time frame narrows for Standing Rock nickname referendum

This does not appear to be a good thing. Actually this could mean the Fighting Sioux nickname is on life support. We will see what happens. It will be interesting to see how the tribal elections go this fall.

Another effort to get the Fighting Sioux nickname on the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe ballot in September has failed to work out, giving nickname supporters much less time to meet their goals.

Archie Fool Bear, a tribal member who supports the nickname, said he was going to ask a Tribal Council member to put a nickname referendum up for a vote Tuesday, but the council finished its meeting too early, and he was at work.

An earlier council had narrowly voted down a similar referendum, and he’d hoped to have better luck.

Next week, he said, he’ll try to go through the committee process.

The committee process takes longer, and he thought he could bypass it by going directly to the council itself. Now, it doesn’t appear the council will meet again until early September, he said.

That could be cutting it perilously close. The election is Sept. 30, and it takes a few weeks to advertise sample ballots and print ballots.

Fool Bear said he’ll keep working, but he wished UND would confront the Tribal Council with evidence that, in 1969, some tribal elders had performed a sacred pipe ceremony granting the university use of the nickname.

This is unlikely to happen because UND no longer has control of the nickname issue. The State Board of Higher Education does and it has indicated the ball is in the tribe’s court.

Under a settlement with the NCAA, which considers Indian nicknames offensive, UND and the state needs the support of the state’s two Sioux tribes. The Spirit Lake tribe had earlier voted to support the nickname, so now the decision falls to Standing Rock, whose tribal council has not been supportive.

The state board has imposed an Oct. 1 deadline for tribal councils to issue resolutions of support and approve a 30-year agreement on UND’s use of the nickname or the university will begin transitioning to a new one.
[Grand Forks Herald]

Yahoo Power Rankings.

Here is the Yahoo.com Power Rankings. I thought this would be interesting to pass along I know it is a little old. The Blues are not getting any love. I still think St Louis and Toronto aren't ranked high enough and are definitely going to be heard from by the end of the season.
1. Pittsburgh Penguins
2. Chicago Blackhawks
3. Boston Bruins –
4. Vancouver Canucks
5. Philadelphia Flyers
6. Detroit Red Wings
7. Washington Capitals
8. Calgary Flames
9. Anaheim Ducks
10. San Jose Sharks
11. New Jersey Devils
12. New York Rangers
13. Carolina Hurricanes
14. Edmonton Oilers
15. St. Louis Blues
16. Montreal Canadiens
17. Columbus Blue Jackets
18. Los Angeles Kings
19. Minnesota Wild – The big question: What kind of system will new coach Todd Richards run? The Wild have known nothing beyond what Jacques Lemaire favored, but with the first change behind the bench in franchise history comes plenty of speculation that the team will be more offensive-minded going forward if they have the right personnel.
20. Buffalo Sabres
21. Toronto Maple Leafs
22. Ottawa Senators
23. Florida Panthers
24. Dallas Stars
25. Tampa Bay Lightning
26. New York Islanders
27. Atlanta Thrashers
28. Colorado Avalanche
29. Nashville Predators
30. Phoenix Coyotes – That the team lost Darren Pang because the television analyst didn’t know with whom to negotiate a new contract tells you all you need to know about how upside-down things are in the desert.

USA's two headed monster in net.

I think this could be historically one of the best goaltending tandems for team USA in the history of the Olympic hockey. Both Tim Thomas (Boston Bruins and UVM) and Ryan Miller (Buffalo and MSU) are solid all pro NHL goalies and either one should prove to be a solid back stop for team USA.

International hockey is stocked with quality goaltending, so the Americans are simply putting themselves on equal footing this time around with the excellent Thomas/Miller duo. From this vantage point, it's the best netminding the U.S. will have since Mike Richter's heyday.

Team USA coach Ron Wilson said not to count out impressive youngster Jonathan Quick, or the injured and rehabbing DiPietro. But let's be realistic: It's going to be the Thomas/Miller show in Vancouver, in more than ways than one. For a team that -- on paper, at least -- appears to have less natural scoring ability than the Canadas and Russias and Swedens of the world, Miller and Thomas will be heavily leaned on come February.

''The goaltending position is very important in the Olympics because it's short term and it's one-game, head-to-head elimination," Thomas said Tuesday after Day 2 of the U.S. Olympic camp. "A goalie can make a huge difference. In a seven-game series, a goalie can still make a difference, but it's more team-dependent. But in one game, a goalie can make or break the game for you.'' [ESPN]

KPD on Kessel.

When ever I read an article from Kevin Paul Dupont I almost have to wonder what is his agenda is? If I was Kessel I would think twice about what I say to this guy. It would be interesting to know if he actually said that or was his quote taken out of context. From everything I have read Phil sounds like he is happy to be in Boston. In a way it almost seems that KPD is trying to push their young star player out of town.

Kessel underwent surgery to repair a torn left rotator cuff some 12-1/2 weeks ago. He said he has some 95 percent of the joint's range of motion back and is now working on recovering strength in the shoulder and his entire upper body. He also said he is about a month away from getting back on skates, which would peg his return to the ice at about when NHL
camps open. The Bruins open up their camp Sept. 12 at the Garden.

Meanwhile, Kessel still has not come to contract terms on a new deal with the Bruins. He remains a restricted free agent, calling his current talks between his agent, Wade Arnott, and Boston GM Peter Chiarelli "a stalemate.''

''I don't know what is going to happen, to tell you the truth,'' he said. ''It will be interesting, I think. I am not disappointed or anything because, obviously, it's is a business for [the Bruins]. It is kind of like we are at a standstill, and I think it can go either way at this point.''

One way or the other, added Kessel, he will have a new contract by the Oct. 1 start of the 2009-10 NHL season. He is not sure it will be with the Bruins.

''Rumors happen all the time,'' said Kessel, asked about the late-June trade talks between the Bruins and Maple Leafs, in which the Bruins believed they had a deal consummated to ship him to Toronto for Tomas Kaberle. ''You hear rumors about a lot of guys. I wasn't too worried. If you get traded, you go to that team and do what you can for them -- it's a
business.'' [Boston Globe Sports]

Giddy?!?

Number "4" to the Vikes, I was disappointed when it I thought all chances of Favre coming to the Vikings had gone up in smoke, however, yesterday I was given a glimmer of hope as I listened to KFAN and P.A. on the shows podcast.

Since there isn't much for hockey news going on right now and hockey season is still about 47 days away this great news kind of fills the void that is college and NHL hockey right now. This is almost as good of news as Duncan returning to the Sioux for his senior year or Martin Havlat to the Wild.

Now I am hoping as a Vikings fans that we finally can be done with the Tarvaris Jackson experiment that hasn't worked. Word to the Vikings management, if you can trade Jackson for a duffel bag of footballs and a couple of Nike cleats go ahead and make the deal, he isn't the answer to our problems and keeping T-Jac on the roster does nothing positive for the Vikes. T-Jac is an awesome physical specimen with a two cent brain and talks like he has a box of rocks in his mouth.

Let me break this down further; I think the final straw that broke the camels back was last year during the NFL playoff game against the Eagles where Jackson was exposed, he couldn't react to the Eagles pressure blitzes and when a team puts 8 in the box and you can't find an open receiver or your team can't run the ball your not going to win a big game or possibly any football games. That all changes with Favre under center for the Vikings because that means that Adrian "All Day Peterson" baring injury could run for 2000 yards because you have the Vikings now have multiple threats to throw at your opposition. Hey! Go ahead and blitz because someone is open in the defensive back field.

*Booty wearing #9 on practice field. Skol Vikes

It's Official Favre's A Viking, By Mark Memmott ------- "Brett Favre is on the field ... it's official," KARE-TV's sports writer Dave Schwartz just tweeted.

That would be future Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre and the field would be at the practice facility of the Minnesota Vikings, where the former Packer (and, for one year, a New York Jet) is joining a team that his old fans in Green Bay will just hate to see him with.

According to the Star Tribune, the guy who was wearing No. 4 (Favre's number) has already given it up. Backup quarterback John David Booty probably wasn't going to be seeing much action anyway, so No. 9 will be fine for him.

Kessel will probably be an Olympian. But will be he a Bruin?

Here is an interesting article from the USA Today that talks about Phil Kessel's surgery/rehabilitation, also the article mentions where Kessel is at in the contract negotiations, they are kind of still at a stalemate. On the positive note it seems like the rehab is going better than the contract negotiations. Kessel is saying he will be back in November some time. I get kind of giddy especially when I have read that he might not be back till December. Of course if Kessel ends up in anything other than a Wild or Bruins jersey I won't be all that giddy. Personally I think Kessel would be smart to take 3.75-4 Million in the form of a one year contract and go from there. If Kessel has a strong year then he can get himself a decent raise.

WOODRIDGE, Il. -- It seemed appropriate that injured Phil Kessel modeled one of Team USA's new sweaters Monday because it might be more likely that he will wear that jersey than his Boston Bruins garb next season. Given his speed and skill, Kessel is close to being a sure bet for the Olympic team, but he is not close to a new deal with the Bruins. "It's at a stalemate and I don't know what's going to happen," Kessel said. "…I think it could go either way at this point." Kessel, 21, said he would like to stay in Boston, but he certainly understands that the Bruins might deal him because of the contract issue. The Bruins did discuss trading Kessel to Toronto during the NHL draft in June. He would like to know sooner rather than later about his future. "There is no date," Kessel said. "…either way it will get done before the season for sure." Kessel is coming off shoulder surgery, but he believes he will be ready to play in early or mid-November. His range of motion is now at about 95% on the repaired shoulder. "I'm in the strength phase now," Kessel said.

Neither side is revealing where the negotiations are at, but the Bruins signed David Krejci, 21, for an average of $3.75 million over three seasons. Meanwhile, another 21-year-old, Anze Kopitar, received an average of $6.8 million from the Los Angeles Kings. At 23, Paul Stastny in Colorado is making $6.6 million per season. The compromise is probably in the middle of that range, but the Bruins likely would want to be closer to the Krejci number, closer to an average salary of $4 million. [props]

Can UAH hockey survive?

Here is the latest from Budd McLaughlin the UAH beat writer from the Huntsville Times. Props to [saveUAHhockey.com]

The Chargers had applied to the CCHA because College Hockey America, which UAH helped form in 1999, is folding at the end of the upcoming season. Of the CHA's four members - UAH, Bemidji State, Robert Morris and Niagara - only UAH hasn't found a new home after this season.

And UAH has received overwhelming support from all corners of the college hockey world. Athletic Director Jim Harris said he had calls and e-mails from his peers and coaches.

"Overall, I'm disappointed and disappointed for Huntsville," said Niagara athletic director Ed McLaughlin, who also serves as commissioner of the CHA. "There's a lot of hockey tradition there. We were hopeful all four teams would find a home."

"It bums me out," said coach Tom Serratore of Bemidji (Minn.) State, UAH's top rival.

The vote by the CCHA Council was by acclamation, and bylaws prevent the final tally from being revealed. To be accepted, an applicant must receive at least 9 votes to join the 12-team league. Each school has one representative on the council, but the University of Nebraska-Omaha representative did not vote because that school is leaving the league to join the Western Collegiate Hockey Association at the end of the 2009-10 season.

"I can't discuss how the vote went," said Alaska-Fairbanks Athletic Director Forrest Karr, a member of the council. "But, I've been a main advocate for Huntsville throughout this process."

What next? [al.com]

There does seem to be a glimmer of hope or a life line from the LSSU coach. You can actually listen to the interview right here. I also think that it is a load of crap that we can't read how the vote went. What is the CCHA hiding?

The Chargers would be battling scheduling and recruiting difficulties and would be the only Dvision I independent team among the NCAA's 58 D-I programs.

"It's not what we want," Cole has said. "It would be a year-to-year existence."

College hockey scheduling is like college basketball: The October-December games are mostly non-conference while January and February are conference games. If a team is not in a conference, it's difficult to schedule games in January and February - especially at home, which brings in revenue for the team. An option some schools use is scheduling games on Wednesdays or Thursdays, but, that wouldn't work here.

"Since Huntsville is so far away (from other programs), it would be hard to schedule midweek games," said Serratore.

But Karr, the CCHA council member from Alaska-Fairbanks, said there would be a chance some CCHA teams could help an independent UAH schedule games. With just 11 teams in the league next season - Nebraska-Omaha is leaving to join the Western Collegiate Hockey Association - there should be dates available in January and February 2011.

"We have to fill out our schedule with non-conference games to reach our 34 games," he said. "Hopefully, we can work Huntsville in there.

College hockey trips itself again...

Here is another great article by Tim Schmitt of the Niagara Gazette. I think there are some really good points to this article. It’s funny that after almost one week we still really have only have on record UAF A.D. Forrest Karr comments about ‘some of the CCHA schools having concerns about UAH’s lack of commitment, location and wanting to shore up the other CCHA schools first’ Yeah! A week later it still sounds pretty weak to me and I know I am not alone.

Finally, I am not sure that college hockey is to this point though, when Schmitt says that "the NCAA needs to step in and reorganize the sport’s governing board and insist that the game is bigger than any one school’s financial well-being." While I do agree with that philosophy, I doubt the NCAA would ever step in and do that. For the most part the NC$$ kind of takes a laissez-faire approach when dealing with member schools. Nor would I want the NCAA to step in.

Soon after the Purple Eagles reluctantly jumped to Atlantic Hockey — a league that offers fewer scholarships and plays in significantly smaller buildings — the WCHA admitted two new members in longtime Niagara rival Bemidji State and Nebraska-Omaha.

Both made perfect sense — Bemidji has committed to building a new rink, and it essentially told the WCHA if it didn’t get in, the facility wouldn’t get built and the program could die. Omaha, meanwhile, plays in the 16,000-seat Qwest Center and fits in geographically.

That left one College Hockey America team to be spoken for — Alabama-Huntsville — and the CCHA with an odd number of teams.

Perfect, right? UAH could slide into the CCHA, evening things up for scheduling purposes.

That’s when logic stopped in its tracks. The league’s members snubbed the program, very possibly starting a slow walk to the end of the school’s college hockey plank.

And why?

“Some people had concerns about a lack of commitment,” Alaska athletics director Forrest Karr told the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Plans are in the works to renovate the Von Braun Center — a barn that holds almost 7,000 for hockey and draws decent crowds. Danton Cole, a former Michigan State star who played seven seasons in the NHL, is UAH’s high-profile coach. And among those often in attendance are Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn, whose son Wyatt is a goalie for the Chargers.

While the NHL will do anything to keep a hockey team in a non-traditional hockey market (Phoenix) simply on the pretense that it’s “good for the game,” college hockey seems eager to rid itself of a non-traditional market that’s making a concerted effort.

We’ve said this before and it’s worth repeating — college hockey’s self-serving board has made growth impossible. The NCAA needs to step in and reorganize the sport’s governing board and insist that the game is bigger than any one school’s financial well-being. [Niagara Gazette]

A prospective worth checking out.

Check out Dave Starman's article on the Chargers being denied admission to the CCHA. Dave brings up some good points about US college hockey and the possibility of losing opportunities instead of expanding college hockey in the future. Honestly I would rather like to keep the best of the USA hockey playing in the US for a division one college hockey team.

By denying UAH’s application for admission it would almost appear as if college hockey is shooting it's self in the foot, while trying to make it look like it’s something else. Frankly if UAH's program is not saved I can't see any program wanting to add a division one college hockey program any time in the near future. Why should they given the treatment of UAH? NO-ONE has stepped up to help them out.

More than a few former college coaches (now coaching professionally) have mentioned on many occasions that the appearance given by the college hockey world is that there is no urgency to grow Division I college hockey. Yes, there are Web sites and campaigns to keep elite-level American hockey players out of Canadian Major Junior and in U.S. college programs. While we all know there was more to this decision by the CCHA to exclude Alabama-Huntsville than meets the eye, you do have to openly wonder about the growth of the sport at the NCAA Division I level.

Don’t mistake this as an open campaign for the Chargers to be in one of the Big Four conferences. When you take a look at the program you do have cause for optimism as a CCHA team. You have a CCHA alum in Danton Cole as the head coach — a guy who played at Michigan State under college hockey’s all-time wins leader, Ron Mason, and was a member of the 1986 national title team.

The guy has a Stanley Cup ring as a player with the New Jersey Devils. How many college hockey programs boast a bench boss with those credentials? To review for a moment, a national title ring in college, playing for an elite NCAA program, playing in the NHL, winning a Stanley Cup. Say what you want about Massachusetts, but it has an assistant in Red Gendron who also has a Devils Stanley Cup ring, and that just lends credibility to your program, folks.

Not that any of that makes you a good coach, but Cole is currently with USA Hockey coaching the Under-18 select team at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tourney in Slovakia. That lends credibility.

Travel was put out there as a possible reason why UAH was excluded. Jim Connelly, my colleague from Boston, described the travel as being no worse than it was to Omaha and just as demanding as going to Alaska.

You want to ask if Huntsville will draw fans at the arenas of the big CCHA programs?

Michigan would sell out if it was playing St. Norbert. That is just a rabid fan base that loves its team. Notre Dame is turning away people at the doors every night due to its resurgence and it actually has a history with Huntsville from their epic double-overtime win in the NCAA tournament a couple of years ago
[uscho.com]

Let's play three.

While I do actually find the outdoor game to be a yawner, and an over kill, I do however think this would be the venue that I would like to watch an outdoor game in. When I lived in Massachusetts back in the late 1980's early 1990's I did manage to take in 13 games in the hallowed Fenway Park and the place is absolutely an awesome baseball stadium and it might be worth the price of admission to watch a hockey game or two there. I would recommend an hot drink spike with your favorite beverage though.

BOSTON (AP) -- A college hockey doubleheader will follow the NHL's winter classic at Fenway Park.

The Boston College and Boston University men's teams will play outdoors at the ballpark, as will the women's hockey teams from Northeastern and New Hampshire. The Boston Herald first reported on the games Thursday and a person involved in the negotiations confirmed the deal to The Associated Press. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official announcement was scheduled for next week.

The games will be on Jan. 8, a week after the New Year's Day pro game between the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers.