Interesting read on Eaves' take on future scheduling. Affects the Gophers in that it sounds like Eaves wants to pull Ohio State in to the College Hockey Showcase, presumably in an effort to continue to water-down UW's non-conference competition.
It's all but certain this will be the final year UW stages the Badger Showdown holiday tournament. What began in 1989 as a high-risk endeavor and evolved into a wildly popular attraction at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee is seen as a scheduling headache and a costly investment at the Kohl Center.
Also on its last legs, apparently, is the annual College Hockey Showcase, which began in 1993 as a way for four longtime Big Ten Conference entries to meet every year. UW and Minnesota, from the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, play Michigan and Michigan State, from the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, over the Thanksgiving holiday.
UW is looking to incorporate CCHA member Ohio State, the fifth hockey-playing entity from the Big Ten, into the rotation. That could result in a series with the Buckeyes one year, followed by one with Michigan and Michigan State the next.
The scheduling changes are predicated on approval from the UW Athletic Board.
