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Big 10 Changing Playoff Format?

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Eric the Red	Big 10 Changing Playoff Format?		Lead	[-]
Posts: 8838 January 25, 2012 9:41 AM	Remove this ad Hopefully. Follow me on Twitter.
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blockski		#1	[url]	[-]
Posts: 9561 January 25, 2012 9:56 AM	Eric the Red wrote: Hopefully. Maybe, but it's not like UW's proposal of a single site tournament is actually good. The Final Five works because so many of the participating schools are within a short drive, including several schools that are essentially within that very market (Minnesota, SCSU, Mankato). UMD, UND, UW, all not far off. There's no similar place for Big Ten hockey. Any of the big markets would rely on the 'home' team drawing well, and none would have the advantage of having half the league within a short drive. St Paul gets the Gophers and maybe the Badgers, but would suck for everyone else. Milwaukee might not even draw well for Badgers alone. Detroit works for Michigan and MSU, but it's a haul for the old WCHA teams, etc etc etc. I think the Big Ten's proposed format was actually quite nice from a competition perspective, but the drawback of teams having to hold their arenas for two weekends is a bit much to ask. I would imagine a hybrid, where you still have a two-week tournament with the first weekend being 3-6 and 4-5 playing best 2 of 3, then a straight bracket at a predetermined neutral site would be possible. I'd also imagine that of all the neutral site options, UW's proposal of all 6 teams in one site for one weekend might be the most attractive to arenas since you can guarantee that all teams will be there, which would hopefully drive attendance - but I'm still skeptical. Someplace like Chicago would be a logical place to host, but doing so without a local team to draw support seems iffy.
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uwmark		#2	[url]	[-]
Posts: 519 January 25, 2012 11:05 AM	Hold it for one weekend at the "host" school's choice of venue. This should enable the event to generate a reasonable attendance figure. Rotate the "host" school between the six conference schools on a pre-determined basis. This way everybody knows years in advance where the games will be held and scheduling becomes easier. If UW wants the games to be played at the Bradley Center instead of the Kohl Center for their year, let them do it. If Yost is too small a venue, let Mich pick an arena for their year, etc. Under the two weekend format, seeds #1 and #2 are sitting home with byes doing nothing for a weekend - those two teams should be playing hockey and generating revenue!
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blockski		#3	[url]	[-]
Posts: 9561 January 25, 2012 11:13 AM	uwmark wrote: Hold it for one weekend at the "host" school's choice of venue. This should enable the event to generate a reasonable attendance figure. Rotate the "host" school between the six conference schools on a pre-determined basis. This way everybody knows years in advance where the games will be held and scheduling becomes easier. If UW wants the games to be played at the Bradley Center instead of the Kohl Center for their year, let them do it. If Yost is too small a venue, let Mich pick an arena for their year, etc. Under the two weekend format, seeds #1 and #2 are sitting home with byes doing nothing for a weekend - those two teams should be playing hockey and generating revenue! I don't think that's workable. If you hold it at a single venue with six teams, the smaller places like Yost won't be able to host a game like that. You either have it hosted or you have it at a neutral site. Don't waffle between the two. It's either at home for every potential host (including the limitations therein) or it's at neutral sites for every host. The financial element is big, too - the WCHA rotated the Final Five at first, including some trips to the Bradley Center. Attendance there was never as strong as it was in St Paul. The other attraction of the two-week format is the best two-of-three series at home venues. With the home host, that ensures a solid crowd. The format means multiple games, and the financial agreements were such that the conference got most of the gate, as they were part of the conference championship.
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badgerrepublic		#4	[url]	[-]
Posts: 1511 January 26, 2012 1:05 PM	I think as of right now Detroit is probably the best venue in terms of location for the league schools as half of them are the close (MSU, UM, OSU) as compared to St. Paul, Pittsburgh or Milwaukee for a four-team final four. Although how about this, maybe the Xcel Energy Center could host several tourney finals for the WCHA, NCHA and the Big Ten on the same weekend. Make it like a Minnesota state tournament with all those team. It would bring in a ton of fans to greatest hockey venue in North America.
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blockski		#5	[url]	[-]
Posts: 9561 January 26, 2012 1:42 PM	badgerrepublic wrote: Although how about this, maybe the Xcel Energy Center could host several tourney finals for the WCHA, NCHA and the Big Ten on the same weekend. Make it like a Minnesota state tournament with all those team. It would bring in a ton of fans to greatest hockey venue in North America. Ok, the X is nice, but it's not the greatest hockey venue in North America. Let's take it down a notch. And you'd never be able to combine those tournaments. The realistic limit is 4 games in a day, and that's pushing it. How do you determine who gets the crappy thursday mid-morning games? Not gonna happen. Never.
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chuck schwartz 9		#6	[url]	[-]
Posts: 685 January 26, 2012 1:51 PM	blockski wrote: badgerrepublic wrote: Although how about this, maybe the Xcel Energy Center could host several tourney finals for the WCHA, NCHA and the Big Ten on the same weekend. Make it like a Minnesota state tournament with all those team. It would bring in a ton of fans to greatest hockey venue in North America. Ok, the X is nice, but it's not the greatest hockey venue in North America. Let's take it down a notch. And you'd never be able to combine those tournaments. The realistic limit is 4 games in a day, and that's pushing it. How do you determine who gets the crappy thursday mid-morning games? Not gonna happen. Never. Was throwing ideas around on twitter yesterday with Bruce Ciskie the radio guy from Duluth. The idea of both the NCHC tournament and the B1G tournament at the X came up. We basically came to the conclusion it would have to be a two week event. First weekend: B1G 3 vs 6 at the home rink of #3. (Best of 3) B1G 4 vs 5 at the home rink of #4. (Best of 3) #1 & #2 overall seeds get a bye NCHC 1 vs 8 at the home rink of #1. (Best of 3) NCHC 2 vs 7 at the home rink of #2. (Best of 3) and so on and so forth... Second weekend (At the X): Thursday.... B1G games @ 2 and 7 Friday... NCHC games @ 2 and 7 Saturday--Championship Saturday NCHC Final at 2 B1G Final at 7 The next year NCHC plays on Thursday, B1G on Friday, with the NCHC getting the prime time final at 7 on Saturday night. No third place game. You could sell ticket packages for just NCHC games, just B1G games, or a whole weekend (as well as individual games). Biggest problem is it doesn't alleviate pissing off the Michigan schools who don't want to play every year in Minnesota. @AndyJohnsonB5Q Wisconsin Men's Hockey coverage at Bucky's 5th Quarter
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DoorCountyBadgers		#7	[url]	[-]
Posts: 3425 January 26, 2012 5:39 PM HOCKEYMANIAC	chuck schwartz 9 wrote: blockski wrote: badgerrepublic wrote: Although how about this, maybe the Xcel Energy Center could host several tourney finals for the WCHA, NCHA and the Big Ten on the same weekend. Make it like a Minnesota state tournament with all those team. It would bring in a ton of fans to greatest hockey venue in North America. Ok, the X is nice, but it's not the greatest hockey venue in North America. Let's take it down a notch. And you'd never be able to combine those tournaments. The realistic limit is 4 games in a day, and that's pushing it. How do you determine who gets the crappy thursday mid-morning games? Not gonna happen. Never. Was throwing ideas around on twitter yesterday with Bruce Ciskie the radio guy from Duluth. The idea of both the NCHC tournament and the B1G tournament at the X came up. We basically came to the conclusion it would have to be a two week event. First weekend: B1G 3 vs 6 at the home rink of #3. (Best of 3) B1G 4 vs 5 at the home rink of #4. (Best of 3) #1 & #2 overall seeds get a bye NCHC 1 vs 8 at the home rink of #1. (Best of 3) NCHC 2 vs 7 at the home rink of #2. (Best of 3) and so on and so forth... Second weekend (At the X): Thursday.... B1G games @ 2 and 7 Friday... NCHC games @ 2 and 7 Saturday--Championship Saturday NCHC Final at 2 B1G Final at 7 The next year NCHC plays on Thursday, B1G on Friday, with the NCHC getting the prime time final at 7 on Saturday night. No third place game. You could sell ticket packages for just NCHC games, just B1G games, or a whole weekend (as well as individual games). Biggest problem is it doesn't alleviate pissing off the Michigan schools who don't want to play every year in Minnesota. and if its a two weekend tournament in neuteral sight the buiding will be empty two weekends in a row...what a horrible idea...if you want big crowds games need to be on campus ITS A GREAT DAY FOR HOCKEY â��Support Hockey. Any Location, Any Time, Any Level, Any Gender. For some it's a game, for others a sport - for me, it's something moreâ�? "Be original, be different, be passionate, be selfless and be free. Be a hockey fan." â��Wisconsin Badger Hockey: NCAA Champions 1973, 1977, 1981, 1983, 1990, 2006â�?
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chuck schwartz 9		#8	[url]	[-]
Posts: 685 January 26, 2012 5:43 PM	DoorCountyBadgers wrote: chuck schwartz 9 wrote: blockski wrote: badgerrepublic wrote: Although how about this, maybe the Xcel Energy Center could host several tourney finals for the WCHA, NCHA and the Big Ten on the same weekend. Make it like a Minnesota state tournament with all those team. It would bring in a ton of fans to greatest hockey venue in North America. Ok, the X is nice, but it's not the greatest hockey venue in North America. Let's take it down a notch. And you'd never be able to combine those tournaments. The realistic limit is 4 games in a day, and that's pushing it. How do you determine who gets the crappy thursday mid-morning games? Not gonna happen. Never. Was throwing ideas around on twitter yesterday with Bruce Ciskie the radio guy from Duluth. The idea of both the NCHC tournament and the B1G tournament at the X came up. We basically came to the conclusion it would have to be a two week event. First weekend: B1G 3 vs 6 at the home rink of #3. (Best of 3) B1G 4 vs 5 at the home rink of #4. (Best of 3) #1 & #2 overall seeds get a bye NCHC 1 vs 8 at the home rink of #1. (Best of 3) NCHC 2 vs 7 at the home rink of #2. (Best of 3) and so on and so forth... Second weekend (At the X): Thursday.... B1G games @ 2 and 7 Friday... NCHC games @ 2 and 7 Saturday--Championship Saturday NCHC Final at 2 B1G Final at 7 The next year NCHC plays on Thursday, B1G on Friday, with the NCHC getting the prime time final at 7 on Saturday night. No third place game. You could sell ticket packages for just NCHC games, just B1G games, or a whole weekend (as well as individual games). Biggest problem is it doesn't alleviate pissing off the Michigan schools who don't want to play every year in Minnesota. and if its a two weekend tournament in neuteral sight the buiding will be empty two weekends in a row...what a horrible idea...if you want big crowds games need to be on campus If you read the post you would see that the first weekend's games would be at the site of the higher seed with the second weekend being played at the X. And you think the X will be empty if the top 4 teams from the NCHC and top 4 teams from the B1G are going to be playing? I doubt it, that place will be bumpin'. @AndyJohnsonB5Q Wisconsin Men's Hockey coverage at Bucky's 5th Quarter
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DoorCountyBadgers		#9	[url]	[-]
Posts: 3425 January 26, 2012 7:03 PM HOCKEYMANIAC	chuck schwartz 9 wrote: DoorCountyBadgers wrote: chuck schwartz 9 wrote: blockski wrote: badgerrepublic wrote: Although how about this, maybe the Xcel Energy Center could host several tourney finals for the WCHA, NCHA and the Big Ten on the same weekend. Make it like a Minnesota state tournament with all those team. It would bring in a ton of fans to greatest hockey venue in North America. Ok, the X is nice, but it's not the greatest hockey venue in North America. Let's take it down a notch. And you'd never be able to combine those tournaments. The realistic limit is 4 games in a day, and that's pushing it. How do you determine who gets the crappy thursday mid-morning games? Not gonna happen. Never. Was throwing ideas around on twitter yesterday with Bruce Ciskie the radio guy from Duluth. The idea of both the NCHC tournament and the B1G tournament at the X came up. We basically came to the conclusion it would have to be a two week event. First weekend: B1G 3 vs 6 at the home rink of #3. (Best of 3) B1G 4 vs 5 at the home rink of #4. (Best of 3) #1 & #2 overall seeds get a bye NCHC 1 vs 8 at the home rink of #1. (Best of 3) NCHC 2 vs 7 at the home rink of #2. (Best of 3) and so on and so forth... Second weekend (At the X): Thursday.... B1G games @ 2 and 7 Friday... NCHC games @ 2 and 7 Saturday--Championship Saturday NCHC Final at 2 B1G Final at 7 The next year NCHC plays on Thursday, B1G on Friday, with the NCHC getting the prime time final at 7 on Saturday night. No third place game. You could sell ticket packages for just NCHC games, just B1G games, or a whole weekend (as well as individual games). Biggest problem is it doesn't alleviate pissing off the Michigan schools who don't want to play every year in Minnesota. and if its a two weekend tournament in neuteral sight the buiding will be empty two weekends in a row...what a horrible idea...if you want big crowds games need to be on campus If you read the post you would see that the first weekend's games would be at the site of the higher seed with the second weekend being played at the X. And you think the X will be empty if the top 4 teams from the NCHC and top 4 teams from the B1G are going to be playing? I doubt it, that place will be bumpin'. this year will mark my 26th wcha f5 appearance.....and the top 4 teams in those divisions may or may not fill the building once again it depends who there.....you take Minnesota out and you'll get about a 12,000 avg attendance if nyour lucky.....Wisconsin wont fill the building not even close, Mich and MSU wont, OSU and PSU thier bands will be their biggest attendance...The X is a great facility for hockey but if the NCAA or big ten wants to generate any revenue off these tourneys they had better keep on teams campus rinks ITS A GREAT DAY FOR HOCKEY â��Support Hockey. Any Location, Any Time, Any Level, Any Gender. For some it's a game, for others a sport - for me, it's something moreâ�? "Be original, be different, be passionate, be selfless and be free. Be a hockey fan." â��Wisconsin Badger Hockey: NCAA Champions 1973, 1977, 1981, 1983, 1990, 2006â�?
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chuck schwartz 9		#10	[url]	[-]
Posts: 685 January 26, 2012 7:22 PM	Remove this ad DoorCountyBadgers wrote: this year will mark my 26th wcha f5 appearance.....and the top 4 teams in those divisions may or may not fill the building once again it depends who there.....you take Minnesota out and you'll get about a 12,000 avg attendance if nyour lucky.....Wisconsin wont fill the building not even close, Mich and MSU wont, OSU and PSU thier bands will be their biggest attendance...The X is a great facility for hockey but if the NCAA or big ten wants to generate any revenue off these tourneys they had better keep on teams campus rinks What's wrong with 12,000 in the building average for a conference tournament game? You don't think that's a better idea than playing it at places like Yost (Michigan) who can seat 6,600...or Munn (Michigan State) that can seat 6,400...or at Ohio State that plays in a gigantic rink but doesn't draw dick for attendance? The B1G will be praying that Wisconsin and Minnesota host games if they play all the games at on campus sites. The proposed on campus conference tournament basically screws traveling fans. You can't plan for it, you have to get hotels last minute, it's just a pain in the ass. I'm surprised for someone that has enjoyed the Final Five for as many years as you have, you aren't a proponent of a neutral site tournament. @AndyJohnsonB5Q Wisconsin Men's Hockey coverage at Bucky's 5th Quarter Edited 1 time by chuck schwartz 9 January 26, 2012 7:25 PM.
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blockski		#11	[url]	[-]
Posts: 9561 January 27, 2012 9:56 AM	chuck schwartz 9 wrote: DoorCountyBadgers wrote: this year will mark my 26th wcha f5 appearance.....and the top 4 teams in those divisions may or may not fill the building once again it depends who there.....you take Minnesota out and you'll get about a 12,000 avg attendance if nyour lucky.....Wisconsin wont fill the building not even close, Mich and MSU wont, OSU and PSU thier bands will be their biggest attendance...The X is a great facility for hockey but if the NCAA or big ten wants to generate any revenue off these tourneys they had better keep on teams campus rinks What's wrong with 12,000 in the building average for a conference tournament game? You don't think that's a better idea than playing it at places like Yost (Michigan) who can seat 6,600...or Munn (Michigan State) that can seat 6,400...or at Ohio State that plays in a gigantic rink but doesn't draw dick for attendance? The B1G will be praying that Wisconsin and Minnesota host games if they play all the games at on campus sites. The proposed on campus conference tournament basically screws traveling fans. You can't plan for it, you have to get hotels last minute, it's just a pain in the ass. I'm surprised for someone that has enjoyed the Final Five for as many years as you have, you aren't a proponent of a neutral site tournament. Neutral site is fine, but that doesn't change geography. The X is not the center of the Big Ten as it is of the WCHA. If it happens, put your money on Joe Louis.
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chuck schwartz 9		#12	[url]	[-]
Posts: 685 January 27, 2012 10:43 AM	blockski wrote: chuck schwartz 9 wrote: DoorCountyBadgers wrote: this year will mark my 26th wcha f5 appearance.....and the top 4 teams in those divisions may or may not fill the building once again it depends who there.....you take Minnesota out and you'll get about a 12,000 avg attendance if nyour lucky.....Wisconsin wont fill the building not even close, Mich and MSU wont, OSU and PSU thier bands will be their biggest attendance...The X is a great facility for hockey but if the NCAA or big ten wants to generate any revenue off these tourneys they had better keep on teams campus rinks What's wrong with 12,000 in the building average for a conference tournament game? You don't think that's a better idea than playing it at places like Yost (Michigan) who can seat 6,600...or Munn (Michigan State) that can seat 6,400...or at Ohio State that plays in a gigantic rink but doesn't draw dick for attendance? The B1G will be praying that Wisconsin and Minnesota host games if they play all the games at on campus sites. The proposed on campus conference tournament basically screws traveling fans. You can't plan for it, you have to get hotels last minute, it's just a pain in the ass. I'm surprised for someone that has enjoyed the Final Five for as many years as you have, you aren't a proponent of a neutral site tournament. Neutral site is fine, but that doesn't change geography. The X is not the center of the Big Ten as it is of the WCHA. If it happens, put your money on Joe Louis. Yeah, and I mean I said that earlier...there is no way that the Michigan schools allow it to be in St. Paul every year. Most likely scenario I see a rotation between the Joe and the X. That makes the most sense right? @AndyJohnsonB5Q Wisconsin Men's Hockey coverage at Bucky's 5th Quarter
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Eric the Red		#13	[url]	[-]
Posts: 8838 January 27, 2012 11:06 AM	To be honest, none of it makes any sense. It's just "fan talk", not reality. The Big Ten schools pulled out to strengthen their brand and gets away from these no-names. They would never agree to de-valuing their brand like this. Your idea is more of the same from the past... the little guys sucking from the tit of the big guys. I know you can pull out stats about number of Final Fours and whatever else. Nobody cares. The big guys are the big guys and then there's "all the rest". Follow me on Twitter.
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blockski		#14	[url]	[-]
Posts: 9561 January 27, 2012 11:22 AM	chuck schwartz 9 wrote: Yeah, and I mean I said that earlier...there is no way that the Michigan schools allow it to be in St. Paul every year. Most likely scenario I see a rotation between the Joe and the X. That makes the most sense right? No, I don't think that makes sense at all. I don't think a Big Ten event at the X would be all that successful. There's nothing special about the X, it's an NHL arena. What made it work well for the WCHA was the very close proximity of half of the conference to the arena. Do the same analysis for the Big Ten hockey schools, and the clear winner in locations are similar to the Big Ten basketball tournament - just using Detroit instead of Indy. Chicago would be good, but the risk is no 'local' team there. Joe Louis has three schools within an easy drive (UM, MSU, OSU) and two within a long-ish drive (UW and PSU). Michigan and Michigan State regularly play games at the Joe, Detroit has decent Big Ten alum representation in the metro area, good hockey fans there, etc. And ETR is right - if the BTHC had a single site event at the X, they would never combine it with the remnants of the conferences they just left. The more interesting discussion would be if they opt for a two-week format, or just go with a straight single weekend neutral site, single elimination tourney. The advantages of the two-week format are that you get more 'free' games that don't count against your NCAA limit. Home sites means good crowds. The advantage of all six teams at one neutral site is that there's no uncertainty - you know your team will make the tournament, thus fans can set up travel in advance.
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Strange Brew eh		#15	[url]	[-]
Posts: 5944 January 27, 2012 1:17 PM	Do you even have to have a conference tourney? If a neutral site location doesn't sell and you have to lease it why not just play an extra week of the season? Conference champ gets the autobid.
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blockski		#16	[url]	[-]
Posts: 9561 January 27, 2012 1:31 PM	Strange Brew eh wrote: Do you even have to have a conference tourney? If a neutral site location doesn't sell and you have to lease it why not just play an extra week of the season? Conference champ gets the autobid. You can't just play an extra week of the season. Just like in football, the Big Ten couldn't just schedule an extra week of games when they didn't have a conference championship game. Conference tournaments are exempt from the NCAA's caps on the length of the season. Plus, there's no reason not to host a conference tournament. The nice thing about hockey is that all of the conferences use their tournaments to hand out autobids, therefore essentially every team in the nation has a chance to play their way into a tournament slot regardless of their regular season performance (there are a few exceptions).
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chuck schwartz 9		#17	[url]	[-]
Posts: 685 January 27, 2012 5:30 PM	blockski wrote: chuck schwartz 9 wrote: Yeah, and I mean I said that earlier...there is no way that the Michigan schools allow it to be in St. Paul every year. Most likely scenario I see a rotation between the Joe and the X. That makes the most sense right? No, I don't think that makes sense at all. I don't think a Big Ten event at the X would be all that successful. There's nothing special about the X, it's an NHL arena. What made it work well for the WCHA was the very close proximity of half of the conference to the arena. Do the same analysis for the Big Ten hockey schools, and the clear winner in locations are similar to the Big Ten basketball tournament - just using Detroit instead of Indy. Chicago would be good, but the risk is no 'local' team there. Joe Louis has three schools within an easy drive (UM, MSU, OSU) and two within a long-ish drive (UW and PSU). Michigan and Michigan State regularly play games at the Joe, Detroit has decent Big Ten alum representation in the metro area, good hockey fans there, etc. And ETR is right - if the BTHC had a single site event at the X, they would never combine it with the remnants of the conferences they just left. The more interesting discussion would be if they opt for a two-week format, or just go with a straight single weekend neutral site, single elimination tourney. The advantages of the two-week format are that you get more 'free' games that don't count against your NCAA limit. Home sites means good crowds. The advantage of all six teams at one neutral site is that there's no uncertainty - you know your team will make the tournament, thus fans can set up travel in advance. I agree with some things, and disagree with some things. First of all, the combined NCHC/B1G tournament was hypothetical, I know it's not happening. I personally think the X is special, and anyone who's been there loves the place. It's one of the nicest buildings in the NHL. The Final Five works because of fan bases like Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Dakota making the trip every year, not because of local schools like St. Cloud and Mankato. Those teams don't bring in much for attendance at all. Obviously you lose UND, and that hurts. I personally think that St. Paul would draw just as well, if not better than Detroit. Ohio State fans (they have any?) don't travel. No one knows if Penn State fans will travel. Have you ever been to a Final Five game at Xcel when the Gophers are playing? Wisconsin and Minnesota are going to want to play at the X, Michigan and Michigan State are going to want to play at Joe Louis. Why not appease both and make a rotation? @AndyJohnsonB5Q Wisconsin Men's Hockey coverage at Bucky's 5th Quarter
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Eric the Red		#18	[url]	[-]
Posts: 8838 January 27, 2012 8:53 PM	For the record, Jeff Potrykus tweeted today (from the UW Athletic Board Meeting) that the single-weekend at a neutral site format seems to be gaining momentum. Follow me on Twitter.
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DoorCountyBadgers		#19	[url]	[-]
Posts: 3425 January 27, 2012 11:46 PM HOCKEYMANIAC	chuck schwartz 9 wrote: blockski wrote: chuck schwartz 9 wrote: Yeah, and I mean I said that earlier...there is no way that the Michigan schools allow it to be in St. Paul every year. Most likely scenario I see a rotation between the Joe and the X. That makes the most sense right? No, I don't think that makes sense at all. I don't think a Big Ten event at the X would be all that successful. There's nothing special about the X, it's an NHL arena. What made it work well for the WCHA was the very close proximity of half of the conference to the arena. Do the same analysis for the Big Ten hockey schools, and the clear winner in locations are similar to the Big Ten basketball tournament - just using Detroit instead of Indy. Chicago would be good, but the risk is no 'local' team there. Joe Louis has three schools within an easy drive (UM, MSU, OSU) and two within a long-ish drive (UW and PSU). Michigan and Michigan State regularly play games at the Joe, Detroit has decent Big Ten alum representation in the metro area, good hockey fans there, etc. And ETR is right - if the BTHC had a single site event at the X, they would never combine it with the remnants of the conferences they just left. The more interesting discussion would be if they opt for a two-week format, or just go with a straight single weekend neutral site, single elimination tourney. The advantages of the two-week format are that you get more 'free' games that don't count against your NCAA limit. Home sites means good crowds. The advantage of all six teams at one neutral site is that there's no uncertainty - you know your team will make the tournament, thus fans can set up travel in advance. I agree with some things, and disagree with some things. First of all, the combined NCHC/B1G tournament was hypothetical, I know it's not happening. I personally think the X is special, and anyone who's been there loves the place. It's one of the nicest buildings in the NHL. The Final Five works because of fan bases like Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Dakota making the trip every year, not because of local schools like St. Cloud and Mankato. Those teams don't bring in much for attendance at all. Obviously you lose UND, and that hurts. I personally think that St. Paul would draw just as well, if not better than Detroit. Ohio State fans (they have any?) don't travel. No one knows if Penn State fans will travel. Have you ever been to a Final Five game at Xcel when the Gophers are playing? Wisconsin and Minnesota are going to want to play at the X, Michigan and Michigan State are going to want to play at Joe Louis. Why not appease both and make a rotation? and for the record Wisconsin does not bring many to the wcha F5 anymore and they haven't for over 10 yrs now...that traveling bandwagon is gone...and the Kohl center fan base is starting to empty out ITS A GREAT DAY FOR HOCKEY â��Support Hockey. Any Location, Any Time, Any Level, Any Gender. For some it's a game, for others a sport - for me, it's something moreâ�? "Be original, be different, be passionate, be selfless and be free. Be a hockey fan." â��Wisconsin Badger Hockey: NCAA Champions 1973, 1977, 1981, 1983, 1990, 2006â�?
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BadgerRoy	Missing element	#20	[url]	[-]
Posts: 2269 January 28, 2012 9:03 AM	Remove this ad One thing that happened over time is that hockey went from being the #1 most successful sport for the Badgers to a distant 3rd. The success in football and basketball have certainly thinned out the hockey fan base (which is not necessarily bad) But one element that I have not seen discussed is the "stale" nature of the rivalries in the WCHA. To me, it gets a bit monotonous only having the league focused on the Twin Cities. I personally welcome the change to the Big Ten though I miss the UND/CC/Den rivalries. The Minnesota St/Mankato/etc do little to add to the profile of Badger hockey Whether the "level" of hockey is actually worse we will find out. But the national perception and exposure of schools like Michigan, MSU, OSU and PSU will certainly elevate the exposure for the sport. I would love to see the tournament here at the United Center. Would be great to see Northwestern, Illinois and Iowa add hockey. They all have club teams but not facilities that would hold hockey ___________________ SPORTS LAW BLOG: www.FromTheBench.us
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