new super conference (NCHC)

[gopheritall]

How long until UND leaves the NACHO? It would be a pure pleasure if they left the NACHO to remain in the WCHA before the NACHO even starts. (It get that they are probably legally obligated at this point and this should be impossible but I can still dream.)

What did UND get out of this whole deal again? Some shiny beads? They seem to be negotiating fiends.

[SkiUMahLaw]

Not sure how it's a "screw-up." Only UND is on a "national" network right now. The other 7 are only on local or regionally (Denver) and those agreements remain in place. Really only a potential negative for UND, but for all others, a major plus. CBS sports does a great job with college hockey - much better than NBC Sports or BTN currently.

I would imagine this is similar to BTN's contract with its schools?

BTN is owned 51% by the B1G and 49% by Fox. That is scheduled to flip in a few years, but I don't see a lot changing on the flip, and then I think it flips back later too. Basically, however, the difference is that the B1G is on primary cable tiers in markets located within B1G states-- which encompasses 5 out of the top 17 media markets, and adjoins the NYC and Washington DC markets as well-- meaning that the network has visibility.

In contrast, CBS College Sports is usually on an add-on sports pack, so it doesn't have anywhere near the same visibility. It's like comparing ESPN2 to FSNorth-- one has national eyes, the other is purely regional.

I don't think UND had much of a choice. They were likely not presented with many options: ESPN/ABC has shown little interest on showing hockey, so they probably didn't bid; NBC/Versus has already hitched their horse to the Hockey East, and Fox/BTN already has hockey. So it was CBS or nothing, and CBS knew that and raked them over the coals for rights.

[beersong]

My question was do all Big Ten schools give up having a national television contract outside of BTN? (nobody has a national TV contract so this is hypothetical). The two UNDs are the only college hockey teams with a TV contract nationally correct? North Dakota with FCS and Notre Dame in the future with NBC Sports.

I agree with Hammy that college hockey is not a ratings bonanza. The same folks who watch UND around the country on FCS will still find their non-NCHC games on the internet and watch (much like I do now with UMD games). Obviously the goal with these TV deals is to grow.

[Hammy]

I don't think UND had much of a choice. They were likely not presented with many options: ESPN/ABC has shown little interest on showing hockey, so they probably didn't bid; NBC/Versus has already hitched their horse to the Hockey East, and Fox/BTN already has hockey. So it was CBS or nothing, and CBS knew that and raked them over the coals for rights.

Sounds like the NCHC also has to foot the bill on production costs. Man... did they drop their shorts and bend over or what?

[Orion]

I don't think UND had much of a choice. They were likely not presented with many options: ESPN/ABC has shown little interest on showing hockey, so they probably didn't bid; NBC/Versus has already hitched their horse to the Hockey East, and Fox/BTN already has hockey. So it was CBS or nothing, and CBS knew that and raked them over the coals for rights.

Sounds like the NCHC also has to foot the bill on production costs. Man... did they drop their shorts and bend over or what?

Any idea what the $ terms are?

[thinkbui]

It also helps that Fox own 49% of BTN.

It doesn't affect me at all since I rarely watch UNDSN, but I'm curious if this means that they can't broadcast out of the region at all or if they now have to broadcast with another network owned by CBS or one of its partners. I've always had the impression that UND was in the driver's seat with the NCHC, so it seems surprising to me that they'd jump into the CBS Sports thing with such a huge sacrifice. Back to ESPNU?

This deal isn't so hot for UND. They are sacrificing the FCS deal which airs all of UND's home games nationally for a deal that'll get them maybe 5 games that'll be aired nationally. Only small plus is they televise in HD.

But as it is now, outside of the home games that CBS College Sports will air nationally, no other sports network that can be seen nationally can air UND home games. Only way to watch the other homes games will be relying on Midcontinent/UNDSN which is only available in ND, SD, and parts of Minnesota. Though people can pick up the channel if they have FTA satellite. I'm assuming that'll still be the case.

So for UND fans outside of Midcontinent/UNDSN's regional...gonna have to go back to webcasts or purchase an FTA satellite if they wanna watch UND home games that aren't aired on CBS College Sports.

On a tangent out of curiosity, what is UNDSN's history for national contracts? I know they currently are with FCS, but I thought I saw somewhere that it used to be ESPNU several years ago, which I assumed was why ESPN graphics were used for some of the games back then and Fox graphics used in recent years.

[brianvf]

It sounds like UND might have a secondary plan for televising more games when the FCS contract ends:

The bad news is that the FCS contract is up after the 2012-13 season and will not be renewed. CBS will have exclusive rights for national broadcasts for the conference.

UND will retain rights to broadcast games locally and regionally.

UND spokesperson Jayson Hajdu says that the school also is “working on a plan for the day when the FCS contract expires,” but didn’t detail what that involves.

[Hammy]

Yeah... the plan is let's fire up the internet webcast.

[Armadillo]

Yeah... the plan is let's fire up the internet webcast.

...complete with commercials for snow machines and good food.

[SkiUMahLaw]

Yeah... the plan is let's fire up the internet webcast.

From UND's standpoint, they would LOVE to get FSNorth to buy into their program and broadcast games throughout MN and the Dakotas, but that is just not likely to happen given the demographics and potential draw (or lack thereof) that UND could pull.

While a Charter or Mediacom may do it, don't expect it to be 1.) in HD, or 2.) anything more than a SCSU-type production. If it is broadcast in the Twin Cities, it would be on a Comcast overflow station-- so its reach is still very limited.

The online version is the way to go, since you control the production and make all the revenue from it directly, and you can easily distribute it to your target audience in an easy-to-find format. But nobody will deny that its quality usually lags even standard def TV. That is probably the best available option for UND; still, it doesn't really compare to a network with true national reach like the BTN and backed up by a regional network like FSN with decent national availability.

But perhaps the better question is what could be visible to a Canadian audience? Can UND get on the TV air in Winnipeg?

[gopheritall]

Yeah... the plan is let's fire up the internet webcast.

From UND's standpoint, they would LOVE to get FSNorth to buy into their program and broadcast games throughout MN and the Dakotas, but that is just not likely to happen given the demographics and potential draw (or lack thereof) that UND could pull.

While a Charter or Mediacom may do it, don't expect it to be 1.) in HD, or 2.) anything more than a SCSU-type production. If it is broadcast in the Twin Cities, it would be on a Comcast overflow station-- so its reach is still very limited.

The online version is the way to go, since you control the production and make all the revenue from it directly, and you can easily distribute it to your target audience in an easy-to-find format. But nobody will deny that its quality usually lags even standard def TV. That is probably the best available option for UND; still, it doesn't really compare to a network with true national reach like the BTN and backed up by a regional network like FSN with decent national availability.

But perhaps the better question is what could be visible to a Canadian audience? Can UND get on the TV air in Winnipeg?

If they get on TSN weekly just because they are almost all Canadians I will want to hang myself.

[brianvf]

If they get on TSN weekly just because they are almost all Canadians I will want to hang myself.

As a Gopher fan, wouldn't you always want to hang yourself?

[Chris Eckes]

If they get on TSN weekly just because they are almost all Canadians I will want to hang myself.

As a Gopher fan, wouldn't you always want to hang yourself?

Nah, all we need to do when we despair is look out a window - if we see either a tree or a hill, we'll realize that at least we don't live in North Dakota!

[gopherguy13]

Not sure how it's a "screw-up." Only UND is on a "national" network right now. The other 7 are only on local or regionally (Denver) and those agreements remain in place. Really only a potential negative for UND, but for all others, a major plus. CBS sports does a great job with college hockey - much better than NBC Sports or BTN currently.

I would imagine this is similar to BTN's contract with its schools?

Really? I think NBC does a great job with their hockey broadcasts.

[GrandForksGopher]

Not sure how it's a "screw-up." Only UND is on a "national" network right now. The other 7 are only on local or regionally (Denver) and those agreements remain in place. Really only a potential negative for UND, but for all others, a major plus. CBS sports does a great job with college hockey - much better than NBC Sports or BTN currently.

I would imagine this is similar to BTN's contract with its schools?

Really? I think NBC does a great job with their hockey broadcasts.

Gotta agree, NBC does a very good job with their broadcasts. As of right now the BTN is far behind everybody in broadcast quality. Basically just commentating I guess.

[dryfly]

If they get on TSN weekly just because they are almost all Canadians I will want to hang myself.

As a Gopher fan, wouldn't you always want to hang yourself?

Nah, all we need to do when we despair is look out a window - if we see either a tree or a hill, we'll realize that at least we don't live in North Dakota!

The frac rig is the new 'State Tree' in No Dak.

[MhdGopher]

Does it make sense to change the name of this thread to (new super conference (realigned WCHA/CCHA))?

If you assumed the top 14 teams per the pairwise made it in to the tourney, as of right now the merged WCHA/CCHA would have two teams in and the NACHO conference would have one....and that one is in a pairwise freefall right now.

Baa Haaaa Haaaa Haaaaa Haaa!

Incidentally, the Big "Mistake?" would have 4 teams in. We only have 5 teams right now right?

The pendulum will swing back and forth many times over the next 10 years, but as of right now all of the "Will always be the Greatest Conference in College Hockey" rhetoric looks pretty silly doesn't it. Were only 6 months in and it's already looking like the Big 10 may not have been the true Big Mistake.

[beersong]

Does it make sense to change the name of this thread to (new super conference (realigned WCHA/CCHA))?

If you assumed the top 14 teams per the pairwise made it in to the tourney, as of right now the merged WCHA/CCHA would have two teams in and the NACHO conference would have one....and that one is in a pairwise freefall right now.

Baa Haaaa Haaaa Haaaaa Haaa!

Incidentally, the Big "Mistake?" would have 4 teams in. We only have 5 teams right now right?

The pendulum will swing back and forth many times over the next 10 years, but as of right now all of the "Will always be the Greatest Conference in College Hockey" rhetoric looks pretty silly doesn't it. Were only 6 months in and it's already looking like the Big 10 may not have been the true Big Mistake.

The bolded part is always true. The high and mighty current WCHA would place two teams in the tourney if it ended today.

Interestingly, the first five (5!) teams out at this point in time are all NCHC teams.

[Golden FE Ranger]

Does it make sense to change the name of this thread to (new super conference (realigned WCHA/CCHA))?

If you assumed the top 14 teams per the pairwise made it in to the tourney, as of right now the merged WCHA/CCHA would have two teams in and the NACHO conference would have one....and that one is in a pairwise freefall right now.

Baa Haaaa Haaaa Haaaaa Haaa!

Incidentally, the Big "Mistake?" would have 4 teams in. We only have 5 teams right now right?

The pendulum will swing back and forth many times over the next 10 years, but as of right now all of the "Will always be the Greatest Conference in College Hockey" rhetoric looks pretty silly doesn't it. Were only 6 months in and it's already looking like the Big 10 may not have been the true Big Mistake.

The bolded part is always true. The high and mighty current WCHA would place two teams in the tourney if it ended today.

Interestingly, the first five (5!) teams out at this point in time are all NCHC teams.

I thought that should be in bold. Carry on.

[MhdGopher]

Well played GE. St. Cloud will be in the league. Maybe the NACHO will give banners for being close to making the tourney!

[beersong]

I wasn't tooting a NCHC horn over it, I just thought it was interesting to have 5 teams in a row from the same conference no matter where they are in the PWR.

The PWR is so volatile even now, there is not much reason to look at it. For instance, tUMD fell 4 spots in one night due to a variety of factors.

[The Rube]

I wasn't tooting a NCHC horn over it, I just thought it was interesting to have 5 teams in a row from the same conference no matter where they are in the PWR.

The PWR is so volatile even now, there is not much reason to look at it. For instance, tUMD fell 4 spots in one night due to a variety of factors.

And Tech cannot decide whether they want to be a TUC or not.

[Golden FE Ranger]

I wasn't tooting a NCHC horn over it, I just thought it was interesting to have 5 teams in a row from the same conference no matter where they are in the PWR.

The PWR is so volatile even now, there is not much reason to look at it. For instance, tUMD fell 4 spots in one night due to a variety of factors.

I know, I was just No harm meant. I will save that fore the meeting at the X .

[beersong]

The PWR is so volatile even now, there is not much reason to look at it. For instance, tUMD fell 4 spots in one night due to a variety of factors.

And Tech cannot decide whether they want to be a TUC or not.

And Bucky decided they don't want to be one either.

[brianvf]

Were only 6 months in and it's already looking like the Big 10 may not have been the true Big Mistake.

6 months in? We're still over a season away!

I didn't realize the teams were already playing under their "new" conferences.
We'll see how close this is in 2 years.

[Hammy]

Were only 6 months in and it's already looking like the Big 10 may not have been the true Big Mistake.

6 months in? We're still over a season away!

I didn't realize the teams were already playing under their "new" conferences.
We'll see how close this is in 2 years.

Let be honest though... a lot of the big talk in the off-season last summer came from future NCHC member fans due to the post-season last year and how many of its "members" were in the post-season (one big mouthed DU fan was the worst but he wasn't alone). Hence the "super conference" talk.

Fast forward to now as its not quite as "super" as it once appeared.

I agree it will all play out and it will likely fluctuate to some extent (especially early on). But it was really the fans of a couple NCHC teams that were talking big earliest.

[brianvf]

Let be honest though... a lot of the big talk in the off-season last summer came from future NCHC member fans due to the post-season last year and how many of its "members" were in the post-season (one big mouthed DU fan was the worst but he wasn't alone). Hence the "super conference" talk.

I was never a fan of all the "big talk" coming from some of the NCHC team fans. Personally, I feel it will be a bit harder for some schools to make the NCAA's than it was before once the new conference alignment takes place. And that goes for both the NCHC and B10 schools. The number of "bottom feeders" is much smaller than before with the new conferences...and those teams were normally good for boosting the W/L column and the PWR rank.

Which is why, I suppose, I'm glad that SCSU was admitted to the NCHC.

[monty]

The NCHC will probably be a the 3rd best conference in the realigned college hockey. The Big Ten and Hockey East will compete for the top conference. NCHC teams will lose midwest players to the Big Ten due and Hockey East will get the best east coast players. Players are going to choose Penn State, Michigan State, and Ohio State over NCHC schools. The NCHC is going to become the conference of Canadian junior rejects.

[SkiUMahLaw]

The NCHC will probably be a the 3rd best conference in the realigned college hockey. The Big Ten and Hockey East will compete for the top conference. NCHC teams will lose midwest players to the Big Ten due and Hockey East will get the best east coast players. Players are going to choose Penn State, Michigan State, and Ohio State over NCHC schools. The NCHC is going to become the conference of Canadian junior rejects.

I don't disagree that the B1G and HE will generally get the top choices of recruits; however, the worry I have is getting too many one-and-done or two-and-done players. As experience has taught us, such gives you great talent but not always the best teams. The NCHC could benefit from that fact-- as if the one-and-dones go to MN/WI/MI/MSU, the four-year good players go to DU, and then we hear about it from the JBSU contingent.

[Hammy]

The NCHC will probably be a the 3rd best conference in the realigned college hockey. The Big Ten and Hockey East will compete for the top conference. NCHC teams will lose midwest players to the Big Ten due and Hockey East will get the best east coast players. Players are going to choose Penn State, Michigan State, and Ohio State over NCHC schools. The NCHC is going to become the conference of Canadian junior rejects.

I don't disagree that the B1G and HE will generally get the top choices of recruits; however, the worry I have is getting too many one-and-done or two-and-done players. As experience has taught us, such gives you great talent but not always the best teams. The NCHC could benefit from that fact-- as if the one-and-dones go to MN/WI/MI/MSU, the four-year good players go to DU, and then we hear about it from the JBSU contingent.

I can assure you the days of overloading on guys that are one and done risks are over. All you need to do is glance at future classes to see they've altered their approach. They won't totally ignore those types but they've definitely taken out a page out of BC's book and recruited more guys that aren't prototypical NHL size guys up front.

[Golden FE Ranger]

The NCHC will probably be a the 3rd best conference in the realigned college hockey. The Big Ten and Hockey East will compete for the top conference. NCHC teams will lose midwest players to the Big Ten due and Hockey East will get the best east coast players. Players are going to choose Penn State, Michigan State, and Ohio State over NCHC schools. The NCHC is going to become the conference of Canadian junior rejects.

I don't disagree that the B1G and HE will generally get the top choices of recruits; however, the worry I have is getting too many one-and-done or two-and-done players. As experience has taught us, such gives you great talent but not always the best teams. The NCHC could benefit from that fact-- as if the one-and-dones go to MN/WI/MI/MSU, the four-year good players go to DU, and then we hear about it from the JBSU contingent.

I can assure you the days of overloading on guys that are one and done risks are over. All you need to do is glance at future classes to see they've altered their approach. They won't totally ignore those types but they've definitely taken out a page out of BC's book and recruited more guys that aren't prototypical NHL size guys up front.

PROVE IT! I say the content of my posts over the last several years are much more accessable than the "BC book." That is my story, and I am sticking to it.

[dailyfbo]

In a note in the SPPP today, the BSU AD says four different schools have shown interest in joining the WCHA. Those four are Minnesota State - Moorhead, Wisconsin-Green Bay, Iowa State and Alabama-Huntsville. If I'm not mistaken, only one of those schools currently fields an intercollegiate hockey team.

[thinkbui]

In a note in the SPPP today, the BSU AD says four different schools have shown interest in joining the WCHA. Those four are Minnesota State - Moorhead, Wisconsin-Green Bay, Iowa State and Alabama-Huntsville. If I'm not mistaken, only one of those schools currently fields an intercollegiate hockey team.

Hopefully the WCHA accepts UAH. It's depressing to seem them struggle to find a home and their season effectively ends this coming weekend with their final regular season games at Miami and only 2 wins in 29 games.

[dryfly]

In a note in the SPPP today, the BSU AD says four different schools have shown interest in joining the WCHA. Those four are Minnesota State - Moorhead, Wisconsin-Green Bay, Iowa State and Alabama-Huntsville. If I'm not mistaken, only one of those schools currently fields an intercollegiate hockey team.

Hopefully the WCHA accepts UAH. It's depressing to seem them struggle to find a home and their season effectively ends this coming weekend with their final regular season games at Miami and only 2 wins in 29 games.

ISU has a pretty good club program - not unlike Illinois or PSU. They could make the jump if they wanted to.

[brianvf]

Players are going to choose Penn State, Michigan State, and Ohio State over NCHC schools. The NCHC is going to become the conference of Canadian junior rejects.

While I think that might happen to some extent, I don't think you'll see it as much with the established programs like DU, CC, UND, etc that will be in the NCHC. Those programs will still get their fair share of the great recruits due to their tradition, coaching staff, history of putting great players in the NHL, facilities, etc.

[LeoPohl]

Players are going to choose Penn State, Michigan State, and Ohio State over NCHC schools. The NCHC is going to become the conference of Canadian junior rejects.

While I think that might happen to some extent, I don't think you'll see it as much with the established programs like DU, CC, UND, etc that will be in the NCHC. Those programs will still get their fair share of the great recruits due to their tradition, coaching staff, history of putting great players in the NHL, facilities, etc.

I agree with UND and DU. I'm not sold as much on CC or the others. North Dakota and Denver are going to keep recruiting from the same places--Canada for both and Minnesota for North Dakota--and keep getting the high-end recruits from both. Colorado College has relied on "Gopher rejects" for much of their recent success. Whether those continue to go to CC over a Big10 program like OSU or PSU is yet to be seen. Also, don't forget that until Lucia arrived in '93, CC was going through a three decade-plus stretch of Anchorage type losing. I'm not sold that CC maintains its elite status without maintaining its Minnesota recruiting inroads. Duluth has a nice little niche in the NE part of the state that it should be able to keep recruiting from. Omaha's too new for me to comment on. Miami's probably not going to suffer too much.

[dryfly]

Players are going to choose Penn State, Michigan State, and Ohio State over NCHC schools. The NCHC is going to become the conference of Canadian junior rejects.

While I think that might happen to some extent, I don't think you'll see it as much with the established programs like DU, CC, UND, etc that will be in the NCHC. Those programs will still get their fair share of the great recruits due to their tradition, coaching staff, history of putting great players in the NHL, facilities, etc.

I agree - look at baseball a similar situation with ACC, SEC and PAC12 - they get the bulk of the talent but plenty of pretty good players end up at Rice TCU CSF - etc. The NACHOs will get some decent talent too.

[gopher6]

So major announcements coming next week
http://www.uscho.com/2012/04/24/nchc-pl ... ming-week/

you think they might have inter conference games tied to included the B$n confrence

[team22tank]

So major announcements coming next week
http://www.uscho.com/2012/04/24/nchc-pl ... ming-week/

you think they might have inter conference games tided to included the B$n confrence

I'm going to say one of the two announcements is going to be tournament venue and I will guess further that the will play at the X during non-B10 years. Not sure where they will play when the B10 is at the X? Maybe the Target Center? Wouldn't that be crazy two college hockey tournaments going on the same weekend one in St. Paul the other in Minneapolis. This would probably be a stretch though.

They will probably also introduce their format as well for the tournament.

And commissioner.

[Hammy]

Let's be honest... anything the NCHC has tried to build up ahead of time has fallen woefully short of the hype they tried to create. Whether it was the initial press conference, their TV contract that doesn't measure up to others, etc... it has been empty hype.

We already know all the speculation on conference tourney stuff so that's not going to be earth shattering for anybody. Whether it is Xcel every other year, Target Center, Omaha, Denver... is anybody going to be all that surprised over a "major announcement" over that? No because all the possibilities have been thrown around for months.

[team22tank]

Let's be honest... anything the NCHC has tried to build up ahead of time has fallen woefully short of the hype they tried to create. Whether it was the initial press conference, their TV contract that doesn't measure up to others, etc... it has been empty hype.

We already know all the speculation on conference tourney stuff so that's not going to be earth shattering for anybody. Whether it is Xcel every other year, Target Center, Omaha, Denver... is anybody going to be all that surprised over a "major announcement" over that? No because all the possibilities have been thrown around for months.

Just because they say "two pretty big announcements" doesn't mean you have to get excited or anyone else. Do you think they are going to have a press release that says "two mediocre announcements coming?"

[dryfly]

Let's be honest... anything the NCHC has tried to build up ahead of time has fallen woefully short of the hype they tried to create. Whether it was the initial press conference, their TV contract that doesn't measure up to others, etc... it has been empty hype.

We already know all the speculation on conference tourney stuff so that's not going to be earth shattering for anybody. Whether it is Xcel every other year, Target Center, Omaha, Denver... is anybody going to be all that surprised over a "major announcement" over that? No because all the possibilities have been thrown around for months.

Just because they say "two pretty big announcements" doesn't mean you have to get excited or anyone else. Do you think they are going to have a press release that says "two mediocre announcements coming?"

it would give their future announcements more credibility if they did.

[Hammy]

Do you think they are going to have a press release that says "two mediocre announcements coming?"

No, I don't. But the way they try to hype their situation has been laughable from the start and has made them look a little idiotic. You'd think they'd learn.

[Handyman]

Just because they say "two pretty big announcements" doesn't mean you have to get excited or anyone else. Do you think they are going to have a press release that says "two mediocre announcements coming?"

They could just shut up and let the announcements speak for themselves. Beyond the UND fans (so they know who to blame when things go wrong) and the 6 people who pretend to be Denver fans no one is on pins and needles waiting to hear who they named commissioner

I am still waiting to hear when Notre Dame is joining and when they are signing that huge exclusive contract to show all their games on NBC Where is dubbie anyways did he get fired for being an idiot...he was like the Sid Hartman of the Noone Cares Hockey Conference

[thinkbui]

So...anyone heard anything about the 2 "important announcements"?

[Handyman]

The Minnesota Golden Gophers Hockey Examiner had this to say on facebook:

"Just wait until you hear who is in the running to host the NCHC tournament finals. #CringeWorthy"

That screams Target Center to me

[Gopherguy05]

The Minnesota Golden Gophers Hockey Examiner had this to say on facebook:

"Just wait until you hear who is in the running to host the NCHC tournament finals. #CringeWorthy"

That screams Target Center to me

Schlossman tweeted that about 2 hours ago that the Target Center is the leading and probable candidate for the tourney...

[Handyman]

Reading fans of the Noone Cares Hockey Conference teams on USCHO mocking the league because they never made their announcement and their twitter feed has been blank since January is pretty funny.

I could have sworn though that a super conference with UND and Denver's five fans could do better than the Target Center. I mean come on, they have a super duper national contract and the Holy Cross cheerleaders they should be playing at Madison Square Garden or at worst Xcel. Target Center though, even the Girls Hockey Tournament is too good for that place

[Hammy]

Target Center is pretty weak for a hockey. I do like the area but given the TC's history (bad ice, etc), I wouldn't want it there.

Everything the NCHC does screams "we're an OK option behind the BTHC and Hockey East!"

[Armadillo]

"NCHC: We're not that bad!"

[Handyman]

I think they are finally starting to realize how much having two Big Ten schools really did help them. When a bunch of beetfarmers are your big draw in a niche sport that has issues drawing anyways big name places are not going to be falling all over themselves to keep you on their schedule. The Xcel would rather have the Big Ten every other year and have a better March home schedule for the Wild the other year than risk having a tourny there with no local or big name cache school buying up lots of tickets.

[Rtn2GoldCountry]

Let's be honest... anything the NCHC has tried to build up ahead of time has fallen woefully short of the hype they tried to create. Whether it was the initial press conference, their TV contract that doesn't measure up to others, etc... it has been empty hype.

We already know all the speculation on conference tourney stuff so that's not going to be earth shattering for anybody. Whether it is Xcel every other year, Target Center, Omaha, Denver... is anybody going to be all that surprised over a "major announcement" over that? No because all the possibilities have been thrown around for months.

Target Center is pretty weak for a hockey. I do like the area but given the TC's history (bad ice, etc), I wouldn't want it there.

Everything the NCHC does screams "we're an OK option behind the BTHC and Hockey East!"

The NCHC is trying to create interest in their league and they rightfully should be doing so. However I agree that they seem to be going about it the wrong way by creating unnecessary hype. They should have just kept their mouths shut until they had something to say. The B1G TEN did not make an announcement preceding their release about where they would play their post-season tournament, the news came out once there was something to report. Also I do not know if the B1G TEN has hired any hockey specific personnel as of yet, but if they have not, they will not try and create a buzz about the hiring before it happens. Now I know that the upcoming shift in the college hockey landscape has many people split over if this will be a positive or negative. And I think that creation of the B1G TEN Hockey Conference is a risk for all of the teams leaving their conferences that they are longstanding members of, but I think the NCHC teams are taking more of a risk. The B1G TEN has taken is time and gone about the decision to create a hockey conference in the right way. For instance, I may be wrong, but if I remember correctly Penn State announced their move to Division 1 hockey in the Fall of 2010, then in March of 2011 the 5 members with Division 1 hockey and Penn State announced that in they would propose a hockey conference to the B1G TEN in June of 2011 based on the rule stating that a sport could be formed if 6 schools had teams in that sport. I am sure that the B1G TEN realizes the risk of forming a hockey conference and seems to have gone through a well thought out process before announcing their formation. The NCHC on the other hand seems to be a very rushed answer to try and compete with/be better than the B1G TEN. I believe the NCHC announced the formation of their league in July 2011 only a month after the B1G TEN. I think the schools in the NCHC are taking a much bigger risk than the schools in the B1G TEN.

[thinkbui]

I don't think very many folks in the NCHC have delusions that the formation of the new conference is without risk, especially after Notre Dame said "screw you" and took their more lucrative TV contract eastward. Sure you have some loudmouth idiots who believe anyone and everyone will shower them with all kinds of money from the get-go, but most understand that the coming few years aren't going to be smooth until the new conference truly establishes itself.

That said, they desperately need a new media team even more than they need a director of hockey operations. What's hurting them, as you said, is the way they are going about these announcements and it's showing in how some of the media are reporting on them. Right now USCHO still has highlighted the 'preannouncement' headline from 2 weeks ago that 2 somethings were going to happen last week while the headline for the first of them, which finally came today, is on the sidebar as kind of an "oh by the way, this happened...".

[SkiUMahLaw]

I don't think very many folks in the NCHC have delusions that the formation of the new conference is without risk, especially after Notre Dame said "screw you" and took their more lucrative TV contract eastward. Sure you have some loudmouth idiots who believe anyone and everyone will shower them with all kinds of money from the get-go, but most understand that the coming few years aren't going to be smooth until the new conference truly establishes itself.

That said, they desperately need a new media team even more than they need a director of hockey operations. What's hurting them, as you said, is the way they are going about these announcements and it's showing in how some of the media are reporting on them. Right now USCHO still has highlighted the 'preannouncement' headline from 2 weeks ago that 2 somethings were going to happen last week while the headline for the first of them, which finally came today, is on the sidebar as kind of an "oh by the way, this happened...".

Weren't the UND faithful boasting that a chief reason behind the NCHC was because Bruce McLeod and the WCHA were behind the times on media issues? I didn't believe that then either.

[dryfly]

The NCHC is trying to create interest in their league and they rightfully should be doing so. However I agree that they seem to be going about it the wrong way by creating unnecessary hype. They should have just kept their mouths shut until they had something to say. The B1G TEN did not make an announcement preceding their release about where they would play their post-season tournament, the news came out once there was something to report. Also I do not know if the B1G TEN has hired any hockey specific personnel as of yet, but if they have not, they will not try and create a buzz about the hiring before it happens. Now I know that the upcoming shift in the college hockey landscape has many people split over if this will be a positive or negative. And I think that creation of the B1G TEN Hockey Conference is a risk for all of the teams leaving their conferences that they are longstanding members of, but I think the NCHC teams are taking more of a risk. The B1G TEN has taken is time and gone about the decision to create a hockey conference in the right way. For instance, I may be wrong, but if I remember correctly Penn State announced their move to Division 1 hockey in the Fall of 2010, then in March of 2011 the 5 members with Division 1 hockey and Penn State announced that in they would propose a hockey conference to the B1G TEN in June of 2011 based on the rule stating that a sport could be formed if 6 schools had teams in that sport. I am sure that the B1G TEN realizes the risk of forming a hockey conference and seems to have gone through a well thought out process before announcing their formation. The NCHC on the other hand seems to be a very rushed answer to try and compete with/be better than the B1G TEN. I believe the NCHC announced the formation of their league in July 2011 only a month after the B1G TEN. I think the schools in the NCHC are taking a much bigger risk than the schools in the B1G TEN.

Nice first posting. Kudos.

Personally - I think all the remnants of the CCHA and WCHA [less BTHC teams] ought to form one REAL super conference... It would be large so have an east division and a west division. Have each division play off [home ice multi-weekend] down to two teams each then have all four meet somewhere like Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver, Detroit. Move it around. That would be a counterweight to BTHC and Hockey East IMHO. Anything else not so much.

[dxmnkd316]

I had zero issues with Target Center when the Gophers played there a few years ago. It wasn't bad at all.

[dryfly]

I had zero issues with Target Center when the Gophers played there a few years ago. It wasn't bad at all.

Up high its okay - view near the ice was awful. We were right behind the benches center ice and couldn't see a damned thing - moved higher up and it was fine.

[dxmnkd316]

I had zero issues with Target Center when the Gophers played there a few years ago. It wasn't bad at all.

Up high its okay - view near the ice was awful. We were right behind the benches center ice and couldn't see a damned thing - moved higher up and it was fine.

Ah, could have been. I was in the upper third of the lower deck.

[Armadillo]

I had zero issues with Target Center when the Gophers played there a few years ago. It wasn't bad at all.

I often say to myself, "self, there is nothing dx can say on GPL that would cause you to shake your head in dumbfounded shock and make you question life itself."

And yet here we are.

[dxmnkd316]

here is nothing dx can say on GPL that would cause you to shake your head in dumbfounded shock and make you question life itself

How long have we known each other?

ALso, it's not as bad as most people make it out to be. It's going to be better than what Soldier Field could provide, yet everyone's all megaboner for that.

[Greyeagle]

here is nothing dx can say on GPL that would cause you to shake your head in dumbfounded shock and make you question life itself

How long have we known each other?

ALso, it's not as bad as most people make it out to be. It's going to be better than what Soldier Field could provide, yet everyone's all megaboner for that.

It's also better than Drake Arena.....but that ain't saying much.

[Armadillo]

here is nothing dx can say on GPL that would cause you to shake your head in dumbfounded shock and make you question life itself

How long have we known each other?

ALso, it's not as bad as most people make it out to be. It's going to be better than what Soldier Field could provide, yet everyone's all megaboner for that.

First off, it's more of a superboner than anything. No need to exaggerate. Secondly, Soldier Field is a one-off novelty, not the presumed permanent site for the BEST COLLEGE HOCKEY CONFERENCE EVER's tournament.

[gopherguy13]

"NCHC: We're not that bad!"

"The NCHC: We're better than the new WCHA!"

[The Rube]

I had zero issues with Target Center when the Gophers played there a few years ago. It wasn't bad at all.

Target Center sucks. Period.

[Melvin]

"NCHC: We're not that bad!"

"The NCHC: We're better than the new WCHA!"

To be honest with you, that comment is true, regardless where the conference tourney is, the NCHC is going to be a good conference and the nWCHA is going to be like AHA West.

[Five-HoleFrenzy]

You can rationalize that the Target Center isn't all that bad but lets be honest, the NotSoHotCho is settling for a second rate facility.

But on the positive side, the Flickertail fans whoiux have their Holy Cross jerseys with them, can head across town every other year and attend the big boy tournament to root against the Gophers.

[gopher6]

You can rationalize that the Target Center isn't all that bad but lets be honest, the NotSoHotCho is settling for a second rate facility.

But on the positive side, the Flickertail fans whoiux have their Holy Cross jerseys with them, can head
across town every other year and attend the big boy tournament to root against the Gophers.

so how can the NCHC play there Tourney at a Neutral site? why not play it in Denver in there NHL Arena?

[Five-HoleFrenzy]

You can rationalize that the Target Center isn't all that bad but lets be honest, the NotSoHotCho is settling for a second rate facility.

But on the positive side, the Flickertail fans whoiux have their Holy Cross jerseys with them, can head
across town every other year and attend the big boy tournament to root against the Gophers.

so how can the NCHC play there Tourney at a Neutral site? why not play it in Denver in there NHL Arena?

Good questions...Omaha and Kansas CIty have merits as well.

[Rtn2GoldCountry]

Personally - I think all the remnants of the CCHA and WCHA [less BTHC teams] ought to form one REAL super conference... It would be large so have an east division and a west division. Have each division play off [home ice multi-weekend] down to two teams each then have all four meet somewhere like Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver, Detroit. Move it around. That would be a counterweight to BTHC and Hockey East IMHO. Anything else not so much.

I think that forming a 'super conference' as you said would be the best options as that would keep NCAA Division 1 hockey at 5 conferences meaning that there would still be 11 at large tournament bids every year as we have come to expect. Now I know that the B1G TEN is responsible for the potential loss of an at large bid as they formed the potential 6th conference first, but I think the forming of the NCHC and the resulting newWCHA at the cost of the CCHA and the oldWCHA is unnecessary and much too risky. The B1G TEN will be fine if their hockey conference does not make money right out of the gate, although many of us expect that it will based on the hockey programs that will enter the league. The B1G TEN currently has 25 conferences (12 Men’s and 13 Women’s) and I would be surprised if 10 of those were revenue creating sports. Ohio St. and Penn St. will be just fine if their hockey programs do not make money as long as they are getting 100,000 football fans every fall Saturday. In addition, I believe that the revenues for the bowl games are spread out among conference members so with the B1G TEN getting 1-2 BCS bowl bids every year, in addition to 5-6 other big name bowls, they can certainly afford this risk of hockey. The schools in the B1G TEN have many other revenue creating athletic resources and the conference itself it equipped to oversee none revenue creating conference sports. How much money does the NCHC get from other sports such as football and men’s and women’s basketball? Finally if the NCHC does turn a profit, once the 8 member schools get their cut are they forced to fork over half the money to the women’s team because of TITLE IX?

[Handyman]

so how can the NCHC play there Tourney at a Neutral site? why not play it in Denver in there NHL Arena?

I am guessing Denver wants no part of it. CC and Denver arent guaranteed to bring fans even if they make the tourny (remember these arenas are gonna want ticket sales guarantees) and minus UND none of the other schools have massive fanbases either that travel well historically.

Target Center makes sense from the stand point that SCCC, UMD and UND are all very close and have lots of local fans. Since TC would only have to worry about moving Wolves games (not much else really goes on there) the extra games are welcome for that place. It is still a crappy venue for anything minus basketball and is atrocious for hockey unless you are in the upper half of the arena.

If it doesnt sell well though...Parise only knows where it will go after that.

[SkiUMahLaw]

so how can the NCHC play there Tourney at a Neutral site? why not play it in Denver in there NHL Arena?

I am guessing Denver wants no part of it. CC and Denver arent guaranteed to bring fans even if they make the tourny (remember these arenas are gonna want ticket sales guarantees) and minus UND none of the other schools have massive fanbases either that travel well historically.

Target Center makes sense from the stand point that SCCC, UMD and UND are all very close and have lots of local fans. Since TC would only have to worry about moving Wolves games (not much else really goes on there) the extra games are welcome for that place. It is still a crappy venue for anything minus basketball and is atrocious for hockey unless you are in the upper half of the arena.

If it doesnt sell well though...Parise only knows where it will go after that.

I would have to think travel from the NaCHo cities is easy to MSP too, compared to sending people to Duluth, Forks, Omaha, Cincinnati and Kalamazoo from those same cities. Denver would be ok to get to, but certainly not as cheap as to MSP. I still think the CenturyLink Center in Omaha was the best place for the NaCHos, as it could be a big fish in the small, centrally located pond there, but if they'd rather be the third wheel after the NHL and B1G in the Twin Cities and play in a basketball arena, they can do that.

Maybe the NaCHos are thinking they can rotate their tourney between the Target Center and the X in B1G off-years. I can't imagine putting the ice into TC for one weekend per year would be a cheap endeavor, especially when the place is really not a good hockey arena, and the fact that the NaCHO tourney would get almost no visibility in the Twin Cities media when the B1G tourney is taking place at the same time-- especially when the B1G is at the X. But that's ok, I suppose, as we'd rather read the GF Herald anyway, but I digress. But then they can claim they rotate with the B1G for the big boy arenas. Of course, for that to have any validity whatsoever they would have had to make the announcement right at the same time as the B1G, which they obviously did not do. And if that is indeed what they are seeking to do, my guess is that they're trying to lock the X and TC into a long term rotation, which the X would rather keep its options open in case the B1G wants to be there permanently.

[team22tank]

Speaking purely as a hockey fan and putting aside all the jabs about the NCHC and the yippin and yappin about UND I think having their tournament at the TC would be pretty cool for Minnesota. To have two of the big conferences having their tournaments on the same weekend just miles apart would be great for hockey in MN. Putting the quality of the TC aside as a hockey venue I think it makes geographic sense and will generate the best attendance numbers over any other site.

[beersong]

Speaking purely as a hockey fan and putting aside all the jabs about the NCHC and the yippin and yappin about UND I think having their tournament at the TC would be pretty cool for Minnesota. To have two of the big conferences having their tournaments on the same weekend just miles apart would be great for hockey in MN. Putting the quality of the TC aside as a hockey venue I think it makes geographic sense and will generate the best attendance numbers over any other site.

Go away, there's no room for logic here.

[Armadillo]

Omaha would've been perfect. Just like the College World Series, it would've made Omaha a destination for dedicated fans.

[Handyman]

Speaking purely as a hockey fan and putting aside all the jabs about the NCHC and the yippin and yappin about UND I think having their tournament at the TC would be pretty cool for Minnesota. To have two of the big conferences having their tournaments on the same weekend just miles apart would be great for hockey in MN. Putting the quality of the TC aside as a hockey venue I think it makes geographic sense and will generate the best attendance numbers over any other site.

It makes geographic sense, I dont think it will do that great and I dont think most people will care about it besides those affiliated with the schools.