New Conference and Redwing77's Musings Part Two

Conference Teams Musings

When this was announced with Miami in the mix, I thought "Well, all eyes are now on Notre Dame." And then Coach Blashill left WMU. So, we're back to six looking at eight. I'm no longer certain that WMU is in the mix. Blashill would have made it a shoe in, and yeah, it's saying a lot that a coach can make a break a team's chances at conference alignment. So, where do we go?

I was thinking go get Notre Dame for #7 and perhaps SCSU or BSU for #8. Now, scratch SCSU out. I'm not sure why SCSU attracts so many weirdos in high administrative positions but Potter channeled Saigo and voila, welcome to Weirdoville. What's mystifying is that Gino Gasparini is advising SCSU. I would have thought that a positive towards inclusion. Guess Not. Giving the benefit of the doubt, perhaps SCSU wanted to be the big fish in the small pond instead of being maligned at times of being Minnesota's Jan Brady. SCSU fans will not be heard saying "Marsha Marsha Marsha!" in 2013-2014, that's for sure.

As for BSU, look at the intangibles: They've been very competitive as of late. They have a HIGH quality head coach in Serratore. They have brand new state of the art facilities. They have a positive rapport with the current Super League members (except Miami, of which BSU has a neutral stance). Also, without BSU, they only have one Minnesota school: tUMD.

I'd love to see Notre Dame and BSU round out the eight. I don't see going up to ten, which I'd think the next two teams would be WMU and... who? I'd say SCSU but... well...

League Name

Please please please please please please (how many more pleases can I say?) dump the name "College Hockey Super League." I hate it. It's too pretentious and arrogant. It's too bad the MCHA is taken (it's a DIII league) because the Midwest College Hockey Association would be a great name. Perhaps go back in time and call us the Western Collegiate Hockey League (WCHL)?

I keep up coming up with already existing hockey leagues. What do you all suggest?

League Leadership

I know Goon seems to think Gino Gasparini would be a shoe in for the new commissioner but I'm not so sure he'd take the job even if he was offered. He walked away from the USHL when the USHL was willing to give him whatever he wanted. He'd be a good candidate for sure, but I just don't see him taking it. I'm not connected enough with Hockey Administration to know who would be a good candidate to run this league.

I just hope they don't hire a politician to run the league like they did with McLeod. I guess if I wanted to be completely unrealistic, the person I'd love to have is Lou Lamoriello. He has been a DI head coach and he was the HEA Commissioner for a while before bolting for the NHL. However, Lou is as likely to leave New Jersey for this job as I am likely to leave Omaha to buy the LA Dodgers. I'll give McCourt $1000 for the team but otherwise I'm broke.

But on the side of Director of League Officiating.... I'd love the CHSL to adopt a pro style of officiating. Using NCAA and USA Hockey guidelines, the CHSL should be officiated as close to the NHL style as is realistically feasible. It is true that this would cause certain problems, namely compatibility with how other leagues call the game, but it still would be nice to be known as a league that competes with MJ, Europe, and the USHL when it comes to developing NHL caliber officiating talent. To do that, I think we should make a big splash... and go after arguably the most respected name in officiating: Bill McCreary. He may be Canadian, but that's hardly a drawback. He's available (he just retired). He knows hockey and how games SHOULD be called. The whole thing with USA Hockey is something that can be developed, especially since USA hockey is on the upswing and there are resources such as College Hockey, Inc. available to help. The bottom line, no one knows what an NHL style called game looks like and what good officiating talent looks like better than a guy who has been around the top tier of hockey for 20+ years.

It's Official: New League Starting 2013-14 + Redwing77's Musings Part One (Updated)

Countdown to 2013-2014

Brad Schlossman confirmed what he essentially broke: There is the new conference going to go down the first year the BTHC is in existence. Here's the story:

The full statement:

We are pleased to announce that six top NCAA Division I ice hockey programs will become founding members of a newly formed hockey conference, which will begin competition for the 2013-14 season. The six institutions are Colorado College, University of Denver, Miami University, University of Minnesota Duluth, University of Nebraska Omaha and University of North Dakota.

We understand and appreciate the widespread interest in developments relating to the formation of the new hockey conference. More information will be provided about the initiatives that have been undertaken, as well as the next steps involved, at a news conference in Colorado Springs this Wednesday, July 13. Our programs look forward to continued associations with our current leagues, the WCHA and CCHA, for the next two seasons.

Additional information about Wednesday’s news conference will be forthcoming in the next few days. There will be no further comment from athletic directors, coaches or other officials from any of the institutions until Wednesday’s news conference.

I guess it has been pretty hashed out. But here's the major themes I've been seeing in comment sections:

1. BTHC started the dominoes falling. The Big Ten Hockey conference, in my opinion, did set all of this up by completely changing the landscape of college hockey from the traditional league and divisional mindset to more of a modern business perspective where TV deals and $$$ mean more than tradition and balance. Yes, there are aspects involved that make sense for the conference, but it seems like the pros don't outweigh the cons unless you are a supporter of a Big 10 team.

2. The WCHA disintegration is largely due to the WCHA leadership (or lack thereof). Goon and many others seem pretty dead set on this, but I'm STILL not sold (even after Goon called me to tell me that my perspective on this is wrong!). McLeod didn't come across as being very strong in the face of apparent crisis. I agree. He hasn't looked good many times in the past as well (I seem to recall the member schools basically bludgeoning him into admitting BSU and UNO). Greg Shepherd is just a stooge and meaningless in this case but I throw his name into this because he's a buffoon just like McLeod. In any case, my view is this: If the member schools really didn't like McLeod, they could have simply canned him. They didn't even after a bunch of bad things happened. My view is this: UND, CC, UMD, and DU didn't care much for McLeod and essentially wanted him gone. The other schools, especially the smaller schools like UAA and MTU, disagreed with the other schools. So... "the big four" couldn't garner the votes or whatnot to give McLeod the boot. So they walked and took UNO with them.

But I maintain that the WCHA administration is just one nail in the coffin. The major issue is, of course, money. The BTHC (I prefer the Big Ten Conference of Hockey so I can call it the BTCH.. lovin' that) teams are looking out for themselves and that forces other teams to do the same or flounder in mediocrity. These teams bolted for the same thing. Unfortunately, I'm not so sure it is going to be as lucrative as they expect. Likewise, sticking around wouldn't have been any better. So, it was a lose lose situation.

3. It's all UND's fault. I think it is going to be UND's fault because UND is the biggest name (despite DU being just as notable in the DI college hockey world) in the collegiate niche sport associated with the "Super League." No one will blame Miami or UNO or CC or UMD. They're all relatively small fish. That leaves DU and UND. I always thought DU and McLeod got along famously. After all, Gwoz or the DU AD had VERY easy access to McLeod. DU is a small school in a big city. That doesn't mean alot in this issue but it's all I can dream up. I'm not quite certain why, despite all of the schools that are splitting being pivotal in this process, DU isn't given the share of scrutiny that UND is being given.

4. This is the end to some of the programs. I can't much argue with this. I think most will survive but I still can't help but believe that financially strapped programs such as BGSU, LSSU, and perhaps Ferris State and Northern Michigan may end up in hot water over this. Hot water on ice usually produces a sinking feeling... And unless there's a lot of under the table secrecy that is unheard of in the days of information freedom, there's not a whole lot of schools looking to add DI Hockey. I feel that, if we're still at 59 DI hockey teams in 2016, it will be a miracle. If we increase, then Paul Kelly and College Hockey, Inc. should be deified.

5. There is going to be some mighty hard feelings even without the blame game. This is going to be the reality. I'd love to blame the BTCH (I'm rolling with it. Sue me) for this, but when Penn State announced they were going DI, I don't think anyone was surprised at the formation of the BTHC so it is a sad departure and one fraught with some bitterness, but not all that much animosity. Everyone knows what the Big 10 stands for so this is par for the course, even though the scale was a bit bigger. However, the CHSL's formation comes with a lot of mystery behind the closed doors of the WCHA meetings, some apparent built up angst certainly between some schools and the league office and perhaps even between the schools themselves... It's just not an amicable split. It's simply going to be a rough 2 years ahead of us with unknowns galore. With McLeod being rather untrustworthy to begin with, does he act professionally towards the 5 departing teams or does he throw bones to those who chose to stay? As terrifying as these conspiracy theories may be to those who believe in them, the best way to find out is to watch how the officials treat UND, DU, UMD, UNO, and CC this next two years. If any other WCHA teams, such as BSU, get the invite, throw their name into that hat as well.

Minnesota Wild get more local talent: Sign Apple Valley/Burnsville product

Ok, he's no Brent Burns. In fact, he's not even a top pair defenseman, but the Minnesota addressed their hole in defense by adding Burnsville product and Apple Valley High School graduate (not to mention UMaine alum) Mike Lundin.

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Wild have signed defenseman and Minnesota native Mike Lundin to a one-year deal.
The 26-year-old Lundin had one goal and 11 assists in 69 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning last season. He averaged more than 20 minutes per game and blocked 106 shots and will be counted on to bolster the blue line after the Wild traded top defenseman Brent Burns to San Jose on draft night.
The signing brings Lundin home. He is a native of the Minneapolis suburb of Burnsville and played high school hockey at Apple Valley, where he was a finalist for the state's prestigious Mr. Hockey award in 2003.
He played in college at Maine and was a fourth-round pick of the Lightning in 2004.

(Article made by the Associated Press and can be found here)

I am no Wild fan, Goon is. I don't think Lundin is anything to write home about. He's not going to blow it out there on the ice, but he's not Brent Burns either.

Should you be excited?

I guess. The sad truth is: Mike Richards was the big name. And there is so little other notable names floating out there that Jaromir Jagr is coming back to the NHL to try again and that made almost as big of a splash as Richards' signing with the Rangers.

I expect that the major moves are done with the offseason already, which will make the NHL fan stir crazy for the season to begin. I do not foresee many big trades being made and there is certainly, in my opinion, nothing going on of note with free agency.

I do not foresee the Wild being much better this next season, but unlike in previous years, there wasn't many names they could go after to make the team much better than it is. Sure, losing Burns will hurt, but they gained Dany Heatley and Devon Setoguchi. That being said, the Wild aren't going to amount to much for a long time because of the state of affairs Risebrough left in regards to the Wild's minor league and prospect talent depth (that being fairly solid defensively and grit-wise but almost completely bereft of finishers and playmakers).

All in all, Wild fans should be happy that the Wild are active and seem to be trying to address some of what they need. But in the end, I fear that the Wild are still 2-4 years away from making any sort of noise. And how much noise that may be is still very much uncertain.

Related articles

• Wild sign defenceman and Minnesota native Mike Lundin to a one-year contract (thehockeynews.com)
• Wild sign former Lightning defenseman Mike Lundin to one-year, $1M deal (prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com)

SCSU won't join hockey super league

This just in... Honestly I haven't seen a scenario where they were included in the new conference plans but It doesn't make sense to shoot themselves in the foot if they "were" asked.

SC Times ---- St. Cloud State University won’t join a rumored “Super Conference” in college hockey that could include up to five WCHA teams, but will stay in the WCHA and try to secure the conference’s long-term future.

President Earl H. Potter III said today that Gino Gasparini, who has been hired as a special adviser to Potter for athletics, will attend a meeting next week of representatives of the remaining WCHA schools to continue discussions about the conference’s future. Published news reports have said that meeting will be sometime next week in Minnesota.

The Anchorage Daily News today quoted University of Alaska-Anchorage athletic director Steve Cobb as saying the meeting was called because there was enough certainty about the formation of the “Super Conference” that the WCHA appears to be breaking up.

Previous published news reports have said that the five teams leaving the WCHA would be North Dakota, Colorado College, Denver, Minnesota-Duluth and Nebraska-Omaha. Miami (Ohio) would join them from the CCHA.

That exodus would follow the news earlier this year that Minnesota and Wisconsin are leaving the WCHA after the 2012-13 season to join a newly formed Big Ten hockey conference.

“We expected to be in conversations about being in a new league,” Potter said today “But as we looked at it ... we intended to say ‘no.’ ”

Related articles

• Another WCHA breakup imminent blog post :) (ndgoon.blogspot.com)
• SCSU won't join hockey super league (ndgoon.blogspot.com)
• UMD: Also in the Super League mix... (ndgoon.blogspot.com)

Don't blame the B1G?

Just like everyone else my head is spinning with the announcement of the College Hockey Super League, for now we will just call it the CHSL until they come up with a name for it, someone over on USCHO gave it the Super 8 Hotel Logo. Why are we nervous about the changes coming in college hockey? I think it’s because most of us are afraid of the unknown, no one knows how this is going to play out. I think we all might want to take a deep breath, exhale and see how the dominos fall.

It's all UND's Fault...

When the B1G Mistake was first announced last September, I was on record as saying that his will drastically change college hockey, I don’t think any of us thought the B1G would effect college hockey this much, one could say that this is Tsunami that might be barreling out of control… There were many that said this would have no effect on college hockey and that the WCHA would still be a strong conference even without the Gophers and the Badgers…. Fast forward to the present, there is a huge fire storm swarming over college hockey. Many college hockey fans are now blaming UND for blowing up the WCHA, it's all their fault, I guess the other 5 teams in the WCHA don't hold any responsibility what-so-ever… Also, the BTHC some how holds no responsibility either? As usual “college hockey guru” Ryan Cardinal of GPL is the voice of reason with this post…

So it's okay for the Gophers and Badgers to chase the money because they "had no choice," but for UND and others to do it is wrong and that makes them punks? Please. They are doing the same thing the Big 10 teams did, and that is following the lead of their school's administration. Guarantee you Lucia and Eaves would have rather stayed in the WCHA, and same goes for Hakstol, Gwoz, etc. They just don't have the convenient cover of the Big 10.

All of these programs are positioning themselves better financially, no more, no less.

Nice to see a solid Gopher fan like Ryan Cardinal calling out others for blaming UND for all of this, Goon's World tap of the stick to Ryan Cardinal. Of course over on Twitter Hammy is less than charitable, I guess he see it differently.

First off let me say that I have nothing personally against Hammy, I don’t know the guy personally and that I have never met him, seems like a nice guy to sit down and drink a beer with; none-the-less it's seems odd for Hammy to sit there and criticize others schools for wanting to do what’s best for their school when his school is doing the same thing. Why shouldn’t the 5 WCHA schools in question be able to do what best for their schools? Were these schools just supposed to sit there and wait for Bruce McLeod to come up with a solution that works for their institutions? I hardly think so since Bruce McLeod didn’t have a plan “B” and not a very good plan “A” either…

“I’m not sure why or whatever; I’m not privy to those conversations. I’ve never had a conversation with North Dakota or Denver about their plans that they’re pushing,” McLeod said. “At this point, I haven’t thought about Plan B at all. I’m still working on the assumption that we’re together as 10 [teams after Minnesota and Wisconsin leave for the Big Ten] and, as unanimously directed by the group in Florida [at league meetings in April], can consider extending an invitation to anybody that could strengthen the league. And that’s our plan.”

Are we to believe that Bruce McLeod didn’t hear about the Super Six 6/8 conference rumors that floated around all spring? I have a hard time believing that Bruce McLeod couldn’t have picked up the phone and called any of the member schools that were rumored to be in this deal.

Do Gopher fans have the Moral High Ground?

Hammy and other like minded Gopher fans think they hold the moral high ground because they can say that their school had no choice in this matter and that they had to go BTHC. While Minnesota AD Joel Maturi might have been against the BTHC, I didn’t see him really objecting to it very hard. I am sure someone showed Maturi the financial statements and he saluted like a good soldier and marched on. Now one of the revelations to come out all of this is according to UMD beat writer Kevin Pates is that; "The Versus network is said to be a possible Super League media outlet." If that revelation comes to fruition this could end up being a lucrative deal for the CHSL.

Hey don’t blame us even though our AD was driving the bus of the BTHC

Also, another interesting piece came out today as well; Wisconsin Badgers beat writer Andy Baggot gives the media side of the argument from the Wisconsin Badgers perspective, Baggot is saying, 'don't blame the B1G on this matter.' I am sorry but I think the BTHC does share some of the blame in this matter. Not being a hater, just giving you the facts as I see them. If anything Wisconsin Athletic Director Barry Alvarez was one of the major driving forces behind this mess. I also hold Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany responsible as well...No matter how is to blame there are going to be some hurt feelings in this realignment debate.

Andy Baggot; Madison.com --- But hasn’t the idea of a Big Ten affiliation been floating out there for years? All that was needed was a sixth member, which came to life last fall when a billionaire donor decided to bankroll the sport at Penn State. When that gave way to an announcement in March that the new league was a go, it was as though thousands of heads simultaneously popped out of the sand.

Those insisting that the Big Ten doesn’t care about the greater good of college hockey are many of the same folks who stood mute in the summer of 2009 when the WCHA, needing a 12th team, yanked Nebraska-Omaha out of the CCHA and the CCHA, despite needing a replacement, told Alabama-Huntsville to swim by itself as an independent.

Word that a renegade faction is now trying to start its own eight-team league sends many messages, but one is deafening. The idea that Denver, Colorado College, North Dakota and defending NCAA champion Minnesota-Duluth would prefer to start their own brand instead of sticking with one that’s been around since 1959 — claiming 37 national titles in the process — is a clear indictment of the WCHA and the suspect management style of its commissioner, Bruce McLeod.

It also suggests that if you must assign blame in this summer of volcanic activity in men’s college hockey, you best keep your options open.

Something to consider on the changing landscape of college hockey

Here is something to consider; maybe we're looking at this all wrong. I did actually have this conversation with a few of my friends as well in the past week. With the powers that be leaving the CCHA and the WCHA, there is going to be more opportunities for other college hockey teams that haven’t won a conference tourney and or made the NCAA tourney for a very long time. Minus those teams; all of a sudden you have teams that will get a chance to compete for a conference tourney and or an at large bid to go to the NCAA tourney.

Think about this; all of a sudden other teams that haven't had a sniff are going to finally get a chance for an at large bid and a chance to compete for a conference title without having to go through traditional power house teams like UND, DU, C.C., Miami, UW, UMN, MSU and UMICH. I think you could take a positive out of a negative. I am not a negative person by nature and I am not trying to sugar coat hell but this is one positive out of a plethora of negatives.

Brad Schlossman; Grand Forks Herald --- The shifting will leave five squads behind in each the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and Central Collegiate Hockey Association, some of which hit the panic button Thursday afternoon.

St. Cloud State posted on its official Twitter account: “Dark clouds, indeed, over college hockey.”

Instead of seeing this as a catastrophe, the schools left behind should be looking at the opportunity.

No, they won’t be getting a weekend boon in attendance when traditional powers such as UND, Minnesota and Wisconsin come into their buildings annually.

But the door is opening for these teams to annually compete for league championships and NCAA tournament berths.

Since moving to Division I, Alaska Anchorage, St. Cloud State and Minnesota State-Mankato have combined for zero conference titles and one NCAA tournament victory. Michigan Tech hasn’t won a conference title since 1976 and hasn’t made the NCAA tournament since 1981.

The teams left back in the CCHA have traditionally been bottom-feeders, too.

Northern Michigan’s last conference title came in 1991. Lake Superior State’s last conference title and NCAA appearance came in 1996. Ferris State has one conference title since it joined Division I in 1979. Bowling Green hasn’t been to the NCAA tournament in 21 years and Alaska (Fairbanks) has one NCAA trip in program history.

Excitement for fans of these squads has been reduced to hoping for an upset over a college hockey powerhouse — and watching future NHL players up close on those teams.

If these “leftover” schools get together, somebody is going to start winning conference titles. Someone is going to start getting bids to the NCAA tournament annually.

WMU head coach Blashill Resigns For Red Wings Position

WMU head hocky coach Jeff Blashill is leaving Western Michigan and joining the coaching staff of the Detroit Redwings.

WMU Athletics ---- position with Western Michigan University on Friday morning, effective immediately, to take an assistant coaching position with the Detroit Red Wings of the NHL.

“We really want to thank coach Blashill for his dedicated and passionate leadership with our student-athletes and his coaching staff. We wish him nothing but the best as he moves on to a new chapter in his professional career,” said director of athletics Kathy Beauregard. “The success we experienced and his multiple National Coach of the Year honors speaks volumes to his talent as a coach and it also speaks volumes to the hockey program we have here at Western Michigan University. We are positioned perfectly for a high profile coaching search. There has never been a better time to become our next new Bronco hockey coach.”

“We believe we have one of the top ten programs in the country and we made a decision as an institution to make our head coaching position one of the ten highest paid in college hockey,” continued Beauregard. “The hockey community is well aware of our investment in our program and we know we’re going to attract the absolute best coaching candidates throughout North America. As a director of athletics you’re always building a bench of potential coaching candidates to prepare for days like this when a head coach departs. I am already receiving inquiries, have assembled a small advisory committee and a comprehensive national search will begin immediately.”

More from McLeod...

Image via Wikipedia

s/t to USCHO's Todd Milewski as he interviewed WCHA Commissoner Bruce McLeod on Tuesday, it's kind of becoming more clear isn't it? Seriously, look at some of the stuff he is saying...  I think it's time for Bruce McLeod to go.

Todd D. Milewski USCHO ; --- But in the course of a phone interview with WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod on Tuesday, one in which he said he hoped to be able to keep the league at 10 teams after the departure of Minnesota and Wisconsin in 2013, I asked whether there would need to be some fence mending done for that to even be possible.

As it turns out, it’s a moot point, but McLeod’s response might give some more insight into the behind-the-scenes climate of college hockey today.

“I’ve always believed that we were going to end up staying together as 10 and building from there,” McLeod said. “My tack was to keep the erosion of what we have to a minimum. We’ve had a couple of [athletic director] calls where the calls have been to some degree contentious, and I’ve always tried to mitigate that tension that’s going on with the hope that in the long run that erosion of what’s taken so long to build would be kept to a minimum.

“As time goes on and circumstances like this arise and it’s clear that the impetus is coming from a couple of schools in the WCHA — they seem to be driving this train and pushing it down the track — the erosion of what we’ve had, the erosion of the relationships that we’ve had and the erosion in the trust that we’ve had in one another gets to be more apparent. That is one of the concerns in the long run, even if we don’t stay together.

“There’s going to be some awful, awful hard feelings, and that will be reflected in scheduling prerogatives for all of the institutions involved, et cetera. So it’s not going to be an easy road here for the next couple of years, that’s for sure.”

Mike Chambers on the new "Super League"

Mike Chambers of the Denver Post has his take on the formation of the new Super League (CHSL). As always Chambers has an interesting take that’s just a little different than the other beat writers from around the league.

Mike Chamber; Denver Post ---- “There is no secret that many institutions, including ours, are looking at the intercollegiate hockey landscape and considering different options and opportunities for the future. It is our intent to continue to be a strong and proud partner with the other members of the WCHA while this process continues. The future of our program and the competitive alternatives for student-athletes attending our school in the future are decisions that need to be investigated, and weighed, and discussed.”

I wrote last winter that DU, CC and North Dakota, among others, should quit complaining about the UM and UW departures and recruit Notre Dame and Miami to the WCHA. The aforementioned stories in the Herald and elsewhere basically said the same thing, although I was surprised to see that a “new” conference would be a start-up league, not a “new-look” WCHA.

Hey, I’m all for an eight-team league that features DU, CC, UND, Notre Dame, Miami, Nebraska-Omaha, Minnesota-Duluth and Western Michigan … but why not keep it under the WCHA banner? If they do go to a start-up league, would St. Cloud State, Minnesota State, Bemidji State, Alaska-Anchorage and Michigan Tech just move to the CCHA, or if they remained in the “skinned” WCHA, who would join to make it a necessary six-team league?

Regardless, any league with DU, CC, UND, ND, Miami, UNO and UMD would be an excellent loop and make a fine non-conference scheduling partner with the Big Ten. Private schools DU and CC would UNDOUBTEDLY LOVE to be a hockey partner with Notre Dame, arguably the most recognized private school in the country.

Yikes!!! I think this is a scarey time in college hockey and there is a lot of uncertainty, like I told a friend of mine today, this makes my chest hurt. I don't think anyone really knows how this is going to play out. I do understand why these 6-8 schools are starting a "Super Conference" and I think that they are trying to do what is best for their universities

The day the WCHA died... UND to join "Super League"

Image via Wikipedia

Well it happened the Super League that everyone has talking about since the NCAA Frozen Four has finally come to fruition as Brad Schlossman and Kevin Pates are both reporting that five teams (UNO, UND UMD, DU, C.C.) are going to break away from the WCHA and Miami is going to break away from the CCHA to form a new "super league" it has been rumored in the past that Notre Dame and Western Michigan might also join the CHSL at a later date.

Brad Schlossman; Grand Forks Herald --- UND will soon announce it is leaving the men’s Western Collegiate Hockey Association for a new, startup conference in 2013-14, the Herald has learned from multiple sources.

An official announcement is expected Wednesday in Colorado Springs, Colo.At least five other teams will join UND in this league: Denver, Colorado College, Nebraska-Omaha, Minnesota-Duluth and Miami (Ohio).Notre Dame and an eighth school -- possibly Western Michigan -- also could be added to this group by the end of the summer.When reached today, UND athletic director Brian Faison declined comment.

Related articles

• Report: University of Denver, Colorado College hockey leaving WCHA in 2013 (denverpost.com)

Another WCHA breakup imminent blog post :)

WCHA

Roman Augustoviz beat writer for the Star Trib (Formerly Goal Gophers) has a blog post that talks about the possible impending doom facing the WCHA/CCHA, there has been about a 100 of them as of late... Looking at this blog post does anyone see anything that sticks out or makes them scratch their head?

When the Big Ten Conference announced it was going to form its own hockey league last March, rumblings started about what the aftershocks might be.

The BTC will start play in 2013-14, with the Gophers and Wisconsin leaving the WCHA and Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State leaving the CCHA to join newcomer Penn State in a six-team league.

At the time, WCHA commission Bruce McLeod said his 10-team league would be fine if everybody stuck together. He is probably looking for some super glue right about now.

North Dakota, UMD and Nebraska Omaha are all hinting they are looking for what is best for them. Notre Dame and Miami (Ohio) of the CCHA also could be looking for a stronger league to be part of when the Big Ten Conference starts up.

Those five schools, plus maybe Denver and Colorado College of the WCHA, and maybe Western Michigan of the CCHA, are the teams most often mentioned for a new "super conference".

This could be a summer of big changes in college hockey if it happens.

Doh! Or is it Duh?!? Wow!!! Looking at some of the puzzling comments that have come out of Bruce McLeod’s mouth as of late; make me want to scratch my head and wonder what the hell is going on in this guy’s mind right now? I have to ask other college hockey fans if McLeod’s comments as of late give you a any reason to believe that maybe the is the wrong person to be sitting in the WCHA Commissioner’s chair? I do! It's time to strike while the iron it hot and get rid of this clown.

Why WCHA fans should be concerned...

Image via WikipediaUSCHO has an excellent article today on the proposed CHSL {click to read article)... According to the blog post this new league could be announced in the next two weeks. What should concern my fellow WCHA fans is the comments made by WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod.

WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod said his league has studied different scenarios that have been floated in an offseason full of speculation about college hockey’s future. But he said this proposal seems to have more momentum.

“I’m not sure why or whatever; I’m not privy to those conversations. I’ve never had a conversation with North Dakota or Denver about their plans that they’re pushing,” McLeod said. “At this point, I haven’t thought about Plan B at all. I’m still working on the assumption that we’re together as 10 [teams after Minnesota and Wisconsin leave for the Big Ten] and, as unanimously directed by the group in Florida [at league meetings in April], can consider extending an invitation to anybody that could strengthen the league. And that’s our plan.”

Athletic directors at Denver and North Dakota could not be reached for comment

Wow! Those comments by McLeod doesn't give me a lot of confidence in his leadership, a good commissioner would have been more forward thinking and would have been in contact with their member schools, trying to gauge what the other remaining schools were thinking. It's time for McLeod to go

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.

Remaking college hockey, what’s driving the bus?

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).

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.

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…

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.

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?

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.

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.

More on former Wild Benoit Pouliot

Here is an interesting perspective from the Upper Canadian from Kuklas Korner on former Wild first round bust Benoit Pouliot. In my opinion Benoit Pouliot is the “poster boy” of the failed days of former Wild GM Doug Risebrough. To this very day the Minnesota Wild are still suffering from Risebroughs days when he was the GM of the Wild… I can’t for the life of me figure out why Boston Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli, fresh off winning the Stanley Cup would pick up this stiff?

Benny moves on

A small mention here of Benoit Pouliot, who goes to Boston on a one year contract. This is where the businessman inside me goes ballistic. How can a team deal an asset like Guillaume Latendresse, that cost a 2nd round draft pick, not to mention many hours of development on, for one as talented as promising as Pouliot, play him less and less over two years until his value is nil, and then let him go? If he didn’t fit, why not trade him last offseason, or this fall after a good few weeks? Surely they could have dangled him for a draft pick, or as part of a package at the deadline.

It’s not often you see a team take an asset once as valuable as Pouliot and turn it into dust, but the Habs did here, and it’s a real shame. Not only do I suspect he’ll do well in Boston and ply his trade as a solid NHLer, I hope he does. The Canadiens give up on players far too often, and that’s one thing, but acquiring an asset at a reasonably high value and letting it go for absolutely nothing is not only hockey, it’s bad business. Shame on Pierre Gauthier, Jacques Martin, and the Habs for letting this kid go for zilch.

Related articles

• Bruins say goodbye to Michael Ryder (theglobeandmail.com)
• NHL Signing Tracker (theglobeandmail.com)

Wild Trade Martin Havlat for Ex-Badger Dany Heatley

Image via WikipediaWe don't need no stinking Badgers... I have to say that I am still in a state of shock, the Minnesota Wild pull off their second major block buster trade of the offseason in less than two weeks. Just 9 days ago the Minnesota Wild traded defenseman Brent Burns to the Sharks for forward Devin Setoguchi.

The Minnesota Wild have traded for ex-Wisconsin Badgers star and San Jose Shark Dany Heatley in exchange the Sharks get much injured and soft Martin Havlat. This could be a great trade because the Wild get their much need offensive threat after losing Marian Gaborik to the New York Rangers.

Carly Peters - Digital Media Coordinator “We are excited to add Dany Heatley, one of the top goal scorers in the NHL, to our team,” said Fletcher. “He is a quality player who has averaged more than a point a game in his nine-year career.”

Heatley recorded 64 points (26-38=64) in 80 games last season with the Sharks. The 30-year-old native of Freiburg, Germany ranked tied for 12th in the NHL with 11 power-play goals and added five game-winning goals. Heatley added nine points (3-6=9) in 18 playoff games. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound winger ranks first in the NHL in power-play goals (128) and game-winning goals (58), third in goals and fifth in points since he entered the league in 2001. He has has collected 689 points (325-364=689) in 669 career contests in nine seasons with Atlanta, Ottawa and San Jose. He was the winner of the 2002 Calder Memorial Trophy, named to the 2006 NHL Second All-Star Team, the 2007 First All-Star Team and has been named to the NHL All-Star Game four times.

Heatley is familiar with the midwest, having played two seasons (1999-2001) at the University of Wisconsin, where he notched 113 points (52-61=113) in 77 games and was named the 2000 WCHA Rookie of the Year and to the 2001 NCAA West First All-American Team. He was originally selected by the Thrashers with the second overall pick in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.

Havlat tallied 116 points (40-76=116) in 151 games in two seasons with Minnesota. The 30-year-old has recorded 512 points (209-303=512) in 621 career NHL games with Ottawa, Chicago and the Wild.

You have to wonder if the Wild are done making moves? This could turn out being a very exciting summer. The Wild have some exciting young talent waiting in the wings as well in Zucker, Larsson, and Granlund.

Fire breaks out in REA, causing up to $1.5 million in damage

Image via WikipediaWhen I first saw this on Kris Holm's twitter page I thought it was a joke. I will let you know if we get anymore information on the fire.

Brandi Jewett, Grand Forks Herald ---- A fire broke out Sunday in Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, causing significant damage to electronic equipment and arena ice. Smoke damage also occurred throughout the building.

"From a venue perspective, we're assessing the damage and attempting to determine the cause of the fire. Nobody was hurt and the fire was exhausted quickly," said Chris Semrau, director of events and marketing at Ralph Engelstad Arena.

Grand Forks Fire Department Bruce Weymier said damage to the sound system and building is estimated to total between $1 million to 1.5 million.

“”This was a significant fire,” he said.

The fire was located in the catwalk area of the building, making putting it out a tricky task.

“”We had to go up stairwell and go through the press box to get to the catwalk,” said Captain Weymier. “We had to stretch a lot of hose.””

About 600 feet of hose was used to reach the fire and 150 gallons of water was used to extinguish it.

Bruce Weymier said the department was dispatched to the call shortly before 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon.

Big Mike Signs with the Red Wings (RW77)

OOOOooooooooh YEAH!!!!!!

Big Mike Commodore is back with a winning team! The guy known as "Commy" (probably spelled wrong but I refuse to spell it such that I would be confused with calling him a communist) all 6'5" of him (not counting the 3'6" of red hair) is coming to Motown!

He signed a 1 year, $1 million contract, which is about what I expected him to sign after having two disappointing years in Columbus (of 3.. his first year was pretty good with the Jackets).

Here is a nice perspective by Bill Roose.

Big Mike won a National Championship with UND in 2000 and has won a Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2006. He was drafted in the 2nd round by New Jersey. The Wings are his sixth team.

Notable in useless trivia: He was traded to Ottawa for current Wing Patrick Eaves (then to Carolina).

This now gives the Wings a forest of a D line, with 4 of 6 defensemen over 6'4" tall.

What does this mean? I hope it means that the Wings will have a crushing defense. However, what I hope it doesn't mean that the Wings defense will be pylons. Then again, with 41 year old Nicklas Lidstrom still playing effectively (Suck it Chelios) it may not matter. I'm still going to be excited about Kronwall (the best open ice hitting defenseman in the NHL... He reminds me a LOT of Konstantinov but Kronwall is taller), Stuart (meh), Kindl (younger version of meh), and Ericsson (jury's still out) playing with Commodore. Commodore isn't going to score any goals or be as great a puck mover as Stuart, Lidstrom, and perhaps Kindl and Ericsson. Commodore brings grit on the blue line, something I feel Detroit has lacked a bit in recent years.

I hope his career takes off.

Here's Mike Commodore vs. Matt Greene:




Here's Mike Commodore leveling Bruins' forward PJ Axelsson a few years back.

COLLEGE HOCKEY: UND weighing hockey league options

Brad Schlossman the beat writer for the Fighting Sioux hockey team has a very interesting article in today's Grand Forks Herald. It would seem as if the dominos are beginning to fall as the formation of the Big Ten Hockey Conference approaches… I think a lot of fans are wondering what is going to happen to the college hockey landscape especially in the CCHA and the WCHA minus the B1G teams… Stay tuned.

Brad Schlossman; Grand Forks Herald --- UND is having formal discussions about pulling out of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and joining several other schools in creating a new power hockey league, multiple sources have told the Herald.

The move would blow up two of college hockey’s major conferences and vastly change the landscape of the sport for the 2013-14 season.

That’s when the Big Ten Hockey Conference will form, plucking Minnesota and Wisconsin from the WCHA and Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State from the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. The possible new conference would combine remaining powers from the WCHA and CCHA.

The new league is not a done deal, but sources say that the talks have progressed beyond preliminary stages.

“Several institutions have been looking at the college hockey landscape and different possibilities that might be out there,” said UND athletic director Brian Faison, who declined to name other institutions. “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.”

The reason for the move would be for UND to align itself with schools that have similar philosophies about their hockey programs and are willing to invest in them and create new media opportunities.

It is believed that eight teams are involved in the talks to some degree. Nebraska-Omaha, which recently dropped its football program and will put its focus on hockey, is likely one. Omaha athletic director Trev Alberts didn’t return a phone message.

Colorado College athletic director Ken Ralph said his school is examining its current status.

“It’s pretty clear that the formation of the Big 10 is causing folks to look closer at alignment,” Ralph said. “We’re in the same boat. We’re really being thoughtful at how we’re looking at our league. We’ve done a tremendous amount of researching over the last three months. We’re trying to figure out what that research is telling us.”

CCHA members that fit the bill include Notre Dame, Miami and Western Michigan. League commissioner Fred Pletsch didn’t return a phone call.

Though rumors persist about a Hockey East team also being involved in the talks, league commissioner Joe Bertagna said he has “no reason to believe those reports.”

WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod said he’s aware of the ongoing discussion about the new conference.