After a great time visiting my Alma Mater this weekend and getting to see a lot of friends that make me miss the city of Columbus so much. I had to sit down this morning and read about the terrible situation going on with the program down in Huntsville Alabama. In case you don't know. The University of Alabama at Huntsville had recently become an independent in hockey and was desperately looking for a new conference to call home. Recently the threat to end the hockey program has become near certain.
In a last ditch effort, many former players have started to raise money for the program and looked to have $600,000 to be given to the program over the next 3 years. A large amount but not half of what the program needs to survive. They are looking to the community of Huntsville for support to try and bridge the gap even further. From what I read on USCHO.com, the University is just looking for a reason to end the program in main part because of their going independent last year. Many people saw a ray of light and a hope for joining a conference when Penn State went Division I and caused all the realignment. This is where I again demand a little urgency from certain programs.
Recently I gave some criticism to Notre Dame for dragging out their decision making process and causing a lot of stress to the college hockey world. This is just another example of why a decision needs to be made. The college hockey world does not need to be losing programs. Everyday the Irish wait to decide where they will move, the closer UAH comes to distinction. Let me be clear, I am not putting the fate of UAH on Notre Dame. Notre Dame could make a decision tomorrow and it may workout that no conference wants to add UAH, but if it doesn't happen soon. UAH may never even get the chance to find out if they could land a conference and survive.
It has been months since the ball has been in Notre Dame's court. I understand that they want to do their do diligence to find the best spot for their program but it is time to make that decision. College hockey needs to expand not detract and time is running out!
Speaking of expansion, and I know I am getting a little ahead of myself but hey, it's never to early to think forward. I was mulling about the new Big Ten Conference and who would be a good fit to expand the conference from the starting 6 teams to either 8 or even 10. But lets just say we are looking for the two best candidates for now. For me, the number one candidate is the newest member of the Big Ten, Nebraska. I know some people might see that and say huh? But those people, for one don't realize the passion for hockey in the state of Nebraska and two that they already have facilities ready to house a team.
I played 3 years of junior hockey in Omaha Nebraska and played in front of 6,000 plus fans a night every game. Down the road in Lincoln, their junior team has sold out almost every game since they became a franchise in 1996. The fans are there and that's without figuring in the student body support.
Probably the biggest reason why I say Nebraska would be the best fit is that they have an arena available to them. The Lincoln Stars arena seats just over 5,000 people a game, which is an ideal size for college hockey. It would be easy to share the building with the junior team and buy the University time before they possibly build a facility for the basketball and hockey teams to share. So that is my number one candidate for expansion, so who will be number 2? I am going to say the University of Illinois.
I have a couple of reasons why I think they are a good candidate and they are completely different from why Nebraska would succeed. The first is that they already have a great hockey program in Champiagn. I know, I know it's not a Division I program but it is one of the most successful club programs in the country, much like Penn State was before they made the jump. They already have a great following from their fellow students and draw crowds in the thousands for club hockey, imagine if they were Division I and the Wolverines were coming to town.
The second reason would be the ability to recruit home grown hockey players from the state of Illinois. The talent level in the Chicago land area has never been higher and the University of Illinois would be able to land top level talent who would rather stay close to home for their college careers. It wouldn't take long for them to build a winner in Champaign. The only obstacle for them and why I chose Nebraska as the top candidate is the need for a facility. While what they have is good enough for a club hockey team, it falls short of what it would need to carry a Division I team. I see that as a major obstacle for many of the Big Ten schools of which hope to land a hockey program. What may help, and I have heard some rumors, is that some schools are looking to build new basketball arenas and would possibly consider sharing it with a hockey team Ala Ohio State and Wisconsin. Definitely a lot of wait and see when you talk about that idea.
Well, I have said enough. Good nite ya'll!!!
Monday, September 12, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Sidney Crosby, Notre Dame and Bad Uniforms
Ok, So I am sitting on the couch watching football Saturday night and I look at the t.v and just shake my head. What do I see but the lime green jerseys being worn by the Oregon Ducks, just absolutely horrible looking. Then I flip the channel because I can't take looking at them, and what do I see but the bright orange shoe's and large white pony's on the helmets of Boise State. And if that wasn't enough the Georgia Bulldogs had a glitter shine to their jersey's and their helmets were sectioned into part gray and part red.
Instead of watching the games in enjoyment, I couldn't help but keep looking at the horrible gear and wonder what these schools were thinking. I wasn't going to waste my time and write about it. But then last night came along and the Maryland Terapins strolled onto the field. I mean talk about disaster. I really don't know how to describe what they looked like, other than something out of the circus. The bumble bee like yellow and black checkers on one side and the hot red and white on the other. It made me immediately root for Miami...It was that bad!
Please excuse me here, but I am going to get on a little bit of a soap box here. What are these Universities thinking? They think because they are going to be in the national spotlight they have to make a fashion statement. It seems to me that some of these coaching staffs and who ever else runs the asylum cares more about what new look they can show the country, rather than show how good of a football team they have. It sends the wrong message about what college sports are about and to me, makes the schools look foolish.
Ok, enough nonsense, lets talk about some hockey. I have read all over the place that Sidney Crosby is to meet with the press tomorrow and address his health status. I think this is a good move. All summer long we have been hearing how he has been working out and getting ready for the season. Only to have reports come in that he has had a set back and that his status for the season is unclear. Well finally we will get it from the horses mouth. Whether it's good news or not, it will be positive to see him addressing people and putting his face out there for the fans. The game desperately needs Sid the Kid. He needs to take every precaution before he steps back on the ice for another game. The last thing the NHL wants is another Eric Lindros case. We all know how fast he went from the best player in the world, to just another big guy out there one hit away from his career being over.
Concussions, what can you say, in every sport they have become the most dangerous injury to a player. They are so unpredictable. I can go back to my playing days and recall having two concussions, with two totally different outcomes. The first came from a blind sided check in open ice, an elbow to the head. I completely blacked out and don't recall anything until I woke up in a hospital bed the next day. The amazing thing about it was that I felt back to normal in days and a week and a half later I was back playing in a playoff game.
The other instance came a year later. I had just got into my one annual fight per season and my helmet had come off. As we tumbled to the ice I smacked the back of my head against the ice. That didn't feel great and I had a bad headache but felt much better right after the incident than the year before when I blacked out on the ice. I figured that since it wasn't as bad a hit that I would be back in days. Well as it turned out, it ended up taking me over a month to get back to 100%. The headaches would just kind of hang around and I couldn't pass all the tests to get cleared.
So that's what makes it such a scary injury. There isn't any physical therapy for a concussion. You really cannot set a timetable for recovery. You just wake up everyday hoping that you feel better and that you can turn the corner. Sidney Crosby is waking up everyday now hoping that today is better than yesterday. That's all he can do and the NHL and the fans wait at the edge of their seats to hope for the best. That's all anyone can do.
I want to close things out with a little college hockey and a school that kind of gets on my nerves. There football program does as well but I will stick with the hockey team and that is Notre Dame. Since Jeff Jackson was hired, the program has done phenomenally well and it is a credit to them for turning that corner and becoming an elite program. But why do they feel as if they have a right to hold a couple of conferences hostage. The new NCHC and Hockey East seem to both covet having the Irish and they know it.
What is the hold up? Make a decision already. Everyone is waiting for that ball to drop so that teams like Western Michigan and Bowling Green can make a move. It's like they are waiting to see who will drop to their knee's first and beg the most. They are being bullies and if they could only remember where they were 10 years ago, a middle of the pack, underachieving program. They would realize that it's in the best interest for all of college hockey for them to make a move and allow all of the pieces to fall for the '13-'14 season. Nobody is larger than the game itself!
Instead of watching the games in enjoyment, I couldn't help but keep looking at the horrible gear and wonder what these schools were thinking. I wasn't going to waste my time and write about it. But then last night came along and the Maryland Terapins strolled onto the field. I mean talk about disaster. I really don't know how to describe what they looked like, other than something out of the circus. The bumble bee like yellow and black checkers on one side and the hot red and white on the other. It made me immediately root for Miami...It was that bad!
Please excuse me here, but I am going to get on a little bit of a soap box here. What are these Universities thinking? They think because they are going to be in the national spotlight they have to make a fashion statement. It seems to me that some of these coaching staffs and who ever else runs the asylum cares more about what new look they can show the country, rather than show how good of a football team they have. It sends the wrong message about what college sports are about and to me, makes the schools look foolish.
Ok, enough nonsense, lets talk about some hockey. I have read all over the place that Sidney Crosby is to meet with the press tomorrow and address his health status. I think this is a good move. All summer long we have been hearing how he has been working out and getting ready for the season. Only to have reports come in that he has had a set back and that his status for the season is unclear. Well finally we will get it from the horses mouth. Whether it's good news or not, it will be positive to see him addressing people and putting his face out there for the fans. The game desperately needs Sid the Kid. He needs to take every precaution before he steps back on the ice for another game. The last thing the NHL wants is another Eric Lindros case. We all know how fast he went from the best player in the world, to just another big guy out there one hit away from his career being over.
Concussions, what can you say, in every sport they have become the most dangerous injury to a player. They are so unpredictable. I can go back to my playing days and recall having two concussions, with two totally different outcomes. The first came from a blind sided check in open ice, an elbow to the head. I completely blacked out and don't recall anything until I woke up in a hospital bed the next day. The amazing thing about it was that I felt back to normal in days and a week and a half later I was back playing in a playoff game.
The other instance came a year later. I had just got into my one annual fight per season and my helmet had come off. As we tumbled to the ice I smacked the back of my head against the ice. That didn't feel great and I had a bad headache but felt much better right after the incident than the year before when I blacked out on the ice. I figured that since it wasn't as bad a hit that I would be back in days. Well as it turned out, it ended up taking me over a month to get back to 100%. The headaches would just kind of hang around and I couldn't pass all the tests to get cleared.
So that's what makes it such a scary injury. There isn't any physical therapy for a concussion. You really cannot set a timetable for recovery. You just wake up everyday hoping that you feel better and that you can turn the corner. Sidney Crosby is waking up everyday now hoping that today is better than yesterday. That's all he can do and the NHL and the fans wait at the edge of their seats to hope for the best. That's all anyone can do.
I want to close things out with a little college hockey and a school that kind of gets on my nerves. There football program does as well but I will stick with the hockey team and that is Notre Dame. Since Jeff Jackson was hired, the program has done phenomenally well and it is a credit to them for turning that corner and becoming an elite program. But why do they feel as if they have a right to hold a couple of conferences hostage. The new NCHC and Hockey East seem to both covet having the Irish and they know it.
What is the hold up? Make a decision already. Everyone is waiting for that ball to drop so that teams like Western Michigan and Bowling Green can make a move. It's like they are waiting to see who will drop to their knee's first and beg the most. They are being bullies and if they could only remember where they were 10 years ago, a middle of the pack, underachieving program. They would realize that it's in the best interest for all of college hockey for them to make a move and allow all of the pieces to fall for the '13-'14 season. Nobody is larger than the game itself!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Big Ten Hockey...Positives all around
Well I'm back from a great trip to the Cape and what can I say, those Boston area people know how to party! But even through all the fun I still kept one eye on what was going on back in the Midwest and in particular watching another team from the CCHA jump to the WCHA. Ferris State became the third team to do so. It really is a no brainer and evidence to that is how quickly they made the decision.
The WCHA now has 9 teams and with Western Michigan and Bowling Green still out there, look destined to have a solid 10 team conference. Yes they are all small schools, but instead of looking at it as poor us, this should be looked at as on opportunity. An opportunity to win championships, make NCAA tournaments and bring banners and trophy's back to their universities. Aside from St. Cloud, none of the other 8 members has made strides to become a premier team in college hockey. With this door opening, it gives these schools a chance to start fresh and build a new legacy.
Alaska-Anch, Alaska-Fair, Minnesota State, Michigan Tech, St. Cloud, Ferris State, Lake Superior State, Northern Michigan, and Bemidji State. Any of those jump off the page at you when you think of consistent championship contenders? It's not to say that many of them haven't had there moments. Ferris State won a CCHA Championship behind Chris Kunitz in the early 2000's. Northern Michigan won a national championship in the early 90's. But to say that any of these Universities has put any kind of consistent run together is reaching way outside the box.
That is why I go back to the word opportunity. Michigan, Michigan State, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and many others our no longer in your way to compete for a championship. You are on a level playing field with all the teams in your conference. Recruiting, facilities and money are all pretty much on a flat line when it come to these 9 schools. They should all be salivating at the prospect of when they go out to recruit a kid that they can sell the fact that they will be competing for a championship year in and year out. It would seem to me as a former player and competitor, that having a chance to win would be a good selling point. Yes it's college and you want to have fun and enjoy the whole experience. But for any hockey player playing high school or junior hockey and is battling for a scholarship. Your hunger is to win and compete at a high level and these schools will have an opportunity to sell that without any hesitation.
I have been reading a lot of people's comments over the change to the Big Ten Conference and how it would be a negative and how it hurts the overall landscape of college hockey. I have already made the point about how it gives these schools more opportunities to win championships. But those people would also argue that not playing against the BIG name schools would hurt their revenue and in that case hurt building the program. To those people I say, do the math. The Big Ten will only consist of 6 teams in which they will play 20 conference games per season, leaving 12 to 14 non conference games.
That leaves the likes of Minnesota wanting to make long term non conference deals with Minnesota State and St. Cloud. Michigan State wanting to lock up non conference match ups with Ferris State and Northern Michigan. While the Big Ten is excited to create new rivalries within the conference. They don't want to lose the great rivalries they have built over the years. Having played in the great rivalry between Ohio State and Miami, I know the importance the schools hold to that and will make sure it stays intact.
So, everybody take a deep breath, sit back and relax. College hockey is on the rise. Big schools, small schools and everybody in between. New rivalries, new conferences and a whole lot of excitement. Are you people still having doubts?
The WCHA now has 9 teams and with Western Michigan and Bowling Green still out there, look destined to have a solid 10 team conference. Yes they are all small schools, but instead of looking at it as poor us, this should be looked at as on opportunity. An opportunity to win championships, make NCAA tournaments and bring banners and trophy's back to their universities. Aside from St. Cloud, none of the other 8 members has made strides to become a premier team in college hockey. With this door opening, it gives these schools a chance to start fresh and build a new legacy.
Alaska-Anch, Alaska-Fair, Minnesota State, Michigan Tech, St. Cloud, Ferris State, Lake Superior State, Northern Michigan, and Bemidji State. Any of those jump off the page at you when you think of consistent championship contenders? It's not to say that many of them haven't had there moments. Ferris State won a CCHA Championship behind Chris Kunitz in the early 2000's. Northern Michigan won a national championship in the early 90's. But to say that any of these Universities has put any kind of consistent run together is reaching way outside the box.
That is why I go back to the word opportunity. Michigan, Michigan State, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and many others our no longer in your way to compete for a championship. You are on a level playing field with all the teams in your conference. Recruiting, facilities and money are all pretty much on a flat line when it come to these 9 schools. They should all be salivating at the prospect of when they go out to recruit a kid that they can sell the fact that they will be competing for a championship year in and year out. It would seem to me as a former player and competitor, that having a chance to win would be a good selling point. Yes it's college and you want to have fun and enjoy the whole experience. But for any hockey player playing high school or junior hockey and is battling for a scholarship. Your hunger is to win and compete at a high level and these schools will have an opportunity to sell that without any hesitation.
I have been reading a lot of people's comments over the change to the Big Ten Conference and how it would be a negative and how it hurts the overall landscape of college hockey. I have already made the point about how it gives these schools more opportunities to win championships. But those people would also argue that not playing against the BIG name schools would hurt their revenue and in that case hurt building the program. To those people I say, do the math. The Big Ten will only consist of 6 teams in which they will play 20 conference games per season, leaving 12 to 14 non conference games.
That leaves the likes of Minnesota wanting to make long term non conference deals with Minnesota State and St. Cloud. Michigan State wanting to lock up non conference match ups with Ferris State and Northern Michigan. While the Big Ten is excited to create new rivalries within the conference. They don't want to lose the great rivalries they have built over the years. Having played in the great rivalry between Ohio State and Miami, I know the importance the schools hold to that and will make sure it stays intact.
So, everybody take a deep breath, sit back and relax. College hockey is on the rise. Big schools, small schools and everybody in between. New rivalries, new conferences and a whole lot of excitement. Are you people still having doubts?
Friday, August 26, 2011
Cappy's Blog: Big Ten Hockey...A no brainer
Cappy's Blog: Big Ten Hockey...A no brainer: There has been a lot of talk over the years about a Big Ten hockey conference. To be honest, I thought it would have taken a longer time for...
Big Ten Hockey...A no brainer
There has been a lot of talk over the years about a Big Ten hockey conference. To be honest, I thought it would have taken a longer time for it to become a reality. But thanks to a generous donation to Penn State University, hockey is in the mix, thus leading to having the minimum amount of teams (six) to comply with Big Ten rules for a conference to be created. Oh happy day in the eyes of this former Buckeye!
Where do I begin? When it comes to positives for this move. On name recognition alone this will be a great boost for the game. I can't even remember how many times I have had to explain to casual sports fans or even casual hockey fans for that matter, why we, as in Ohio State, don't play in the Big Ten Conference. The puzzled looks I would get from people and the repetition of explaining why we don't play in the Big Ten and who we play instead and what the CCHA actually is, all would take someone who was interested in talking to me about my experience of playing college hockey and make them slowly lose interest. Just too much to explain!!!
Having a name conference brings credibility to the sport immediately. To bring in the casual hockey fan or what a lot of people call fringe fans, you need to have a name that is familiar to them. People go to and follow things they they are familiar with. Take for example, a casual Michigan State fan is reading the paper on a Saturday morning and see's that the Spartans are playing Wisconsin tonight and thinks to themselves, I want to see my Spartans whoop on those Badgers tonight and heads to the game. Do you think if that same casual fan reading that they were playing Ferris State would jump at it the same way? Not a chance. Remember we are talking about the borderline fans, not the great college hockey fans that would know that Ferris state is a good opponent for the Spartans. We are talking about the important people. The important people if you want this great game of college hockey to grow. The ones that end up going to that Michigan St. vs Wisconsin game and say to themselves, I really enjoyed that, when is the next home game?
Tv. Tv. Tv!!!! How do you get a sport to grow? very simple, you get more people to watch it. How do you get more people to watch it? You make it more available to be seen. About 4 years ago the Big Ten Network was created. Largely and obviously it was be built around football and basketball. The number of hockey games it has televised is in the 8 to 10 range per season. That number is low because of the schools affiliations with the CCHA and WCHA. Because these teams don't play in the Big Ten Conference, the rights to these games have to be bought by the Big Ten, causing them to spend more money. The other issue in the past has been the problem of match ups. With these teams split into different conferences, there are just simply not enough games that match up two Big Ten schools against each other. Thus making less sense for a network to want to pay extra for rights to a game that doesn't feature two of it's schools.
Well that problem has been solved. Now that the conference has been established. The Big Ten network can be more open and creative in expanding it's hockey coverage. Let me throw out a couple of ideas for you.
Friday night becomes Big Ten hockey night. You could even have the possibility of having a double header if the schedule lines up right. You have a 7pm eastern start followed by a 930pm game. You make the back end game located on either the Wisconsin or Minnesota campus and its a 830 local start. I'm not going to compare it to Monday night football in its enormity but it would be using the same regularity feature that would draw fans based on it's reliability.
Couple Friday night in with either a Sunday night or Monday night game and you are looking at a schedule of 18-20 games on the Big Ten network every season. That is a 100% increase on exposure of the great game of college hockey and a 100% chance of growing the games popularity.
That's enough for now, I'm off to a good friends wedding in Cape Cod. Here's to surviving the weather and enjoying a great weekend.
Where do I begin? When it comes to positives for this move. On name recognition alone this will be a great boost for the game. I can't even remember how many times I have had to explain to casual sports fans or even casual hockey fans for that matter, why we, as in Ohio State, don't play in the Big Ten Conference. The puzzled looks I would get from people and the repetition of explaining why we don't play in the Big Ten and who we play instead and what the CCHA actually is, all would take someone who was interested in talking to me about my experience of playing college hockey and make them slowly lose interest. Just too much to explain!!!
Having a name conference brings credibility to the sport immediately. To bring in the casual hockey fan or what a lot of people call fringe fans, you need to have a name that is familiar to them. People go to and follow things they they are familiar with. Take for example, a casual Michigan State fan is reading the paper on a Saturday morning and see's that the Spartans are playing Wisconsin tonight and thinks to themselves, I want to see my Spartans whoop on those Badgers tonight and heads to the game. Do you think if that same casual fan reading that they were playing Ferris State would jump at it the same way? Not a chance. Remember we are talking about the borderline fans, not the great college hockey fans that would know that Ferris state is a good opponent for the Spartans. We are talking about the important people. The important people if you want this great game of college hockey to grow. The ones that end up going to that Michigan St. vs Wisconsin game and say to themselves, I really enjoyed that, when is the next home game?
Tv. Tv. Tv!!!! How do you get a sport to grow? very simple, you get more people to watch it. How do you get more people to watch it? You make it more available to be seen. About 4 years ago the Big Ten Network was created. Largely and obviously it was be built around football and basketball. The number of hockey games it has televised is in the 8 to 10 range per season. That number is low because of the schools affiliations with the CCHA and WCHA. Because these teams don't play in the Big Ten Conference, the rights to these games have to be bought by the Big Ten, causing them to spend more money. The other issue in the past has been the problem of match ups. With these teams split into different conferences, there are just simply not enough games that match up two Big Ten schools against each other. Thus making less sense for a network to want to pay extra for rights to a game that doesn't feature two of it's schools.
Well that problem has been solved. Now that the conference has been established. The Big Ten network can be more open and creative in expanding it's hockey coverage. Let me throw out a couple of ideas for you.
Friday night becomes Big Ten hockey night. You could even have the possibility of having a double header if the schedule lines up right. You have a 7pm eastern start followed by a 930pm game. You make the back end game located on either the Wisconsin or Minnesota campus and its a 830 local start. I'm not going to compare it to Monday night football in its enormity but it would be using the same regularity feature that would draw fans based on it's reliability.
Couple Friday night in with either a Sunday night or Monday night game and you are looking at a schedule of 18-20 games on the Big Ten network every season. That is a 100% increase on exposure of the great game of college hockey and a 100% chance of growing the games popularity.
That's enough for now, I'm off to a good friends wedding in Cape Cod. Here's to surviving the weather and enjoying a great weekend.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Big Ten Hockey
The creation of the Big Ten Hockey conference has shook up the College Hockey world. There are the haters and the players. Everyone has an opinion about it. Let me know what you think. Does it help the sport grow? Does it hurt it? Will the small schools fade away? Will the Big Ten Expand? So many things to discuss and all opinions are welcomed. I will give mine shortly.
*A bonus discussion, My former college teammate and now Vancouver Canuck star Ryan Kesler had off season hip surgery. Will he be ready to start the season? Can he overcome the injury and have another brilliant season?
*A bonus discussion, My former college teammate and now Vancouver Canuck star Ryan Kesler had off season hip surgery. Will he be ready to start the season? Can he overcome the injury and have another brilliant season?
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