CCHA is shopping for a new Commish...

[Flipper]

Tom Anastos is the new HC at Meeechigan State....

[Tricky_Falcon]

It looks like the CCHA really was ready for the announcement of Big Ten Hockey.

[bgpuckster]

Looks like Anastos was really looking hard to make sure the CCHA comes out OK in all of this now doesn't it. Hope he's trounced by Penn State on a regular basis. I hope the new commissioner tosses the Big Ten teams out early and replaces them with other teams that want to be part of our league. No need to help them by being in the CCHA anymore.

[rood]

This is just a bizarre move. According to hockeydb.com the guy has one year of assistant coaching experience. He's been an administrator for the last 16 years. Maybe the guy they really want can't get out of his contract and they're too cheap to buy it out for him?

[Falcon Fanatic]

This is just a bizarre move. According to hockeydb.com the guy has one year of assistant coaching experience. He's been an administrator for the last 16 years. Maybe the guy they really want can't get out of his contract and they're too cheap to buy it out for him?

Not according to USCHO. He was head coach at Michigan-Dearborn from '87 to '90, then became Mason's assistant for two years.

http://www.uscho.com/2011/03/23/anastos ... ate-coach/

I found this interesting:

Associate commissioner Fred Pletsch will serve as the CCHA’s interim commissioner while the league finalizes plans for a search, said Greg Christopher, the Bowling Green athletic director and chair of the CCHA Council.

I didn't realize that GC held this position.
Also of note, Fred Pletsch's son, Ted Pletsch is one of our incoming recruits next year.

[Falcon Fanatic]

Interview with Anastos:
http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2 ... nastos.php

I didn't realize he reported to Greg Christopher!
This day has been full of surprises...

[Drago]

There is no question Anastos jumped a sinking ship...which he has every right to do. The CCHA is in trouble....I doubt the league will be around after the Big Ten starts. There is talks of a "Super Conference" being formed with teams from the WCHA and CCHA.....North Dakota, CC, Nebraska-Omaha, Denver, Miami, Western Michigan, and one more team. Ferris, Bowling Green, or one of the Minnesota schools are rumored to be the last team.

I highly doubt we would be invited, my guess is if they did form this conference, Minnesota Duluth would get the invite.

If this Conference did happen, the leftover Northern schools would form a league. Ferris, LSSU, NMU, Michigan Tech, Minnesota State, St. Cloud, Bemidji State, Alaska, and Anchorage.

BG could probably join that league if they wanted, but I doubt they would want to. That would force us to join the ECAC most likely. These are all just rumors....but I don't know that we are very high on the list of teams in demand if new conferences are to form.

[Redwingtom]

First off...while the CCHA might go away, I would expect it to be in name only. BG will still be in a conference with most of the same members that are remaining now.

Lastly, the MSU coaching gig would be the dream job for a guy like Anastos at this point in his career. His only better option might be some type of executive job with the NHL, but I can in no way fault him for taking that prize.

Interesting is that the word was that Danton Cole was going be hired and voila...it's Anastos.

[Puckhead]

Go Green Go White Go suck an Egg

You idiots hired a paper pusher rather than an a proven great guy and great coach like Danton Cole.
MSU you get what you deserve.
I wonder about Anastos recruiting contacts at this point.
What is Tom Newton's status?

[rally]

Interesting. I really expected MSU to go after a name coach or coveted assistant. Not sure what the method is behind their madness. Anastos has some coaching experience, but nothing for quite awhile. I'm surprised that at this point in his life he wants to live on a bus and put himself through the recruiting grind.

Don't cross the CCHA off too soon. The talk of "super conferences" has been around for decades. None were formed during the good times and in the current economy don't expect any movement now. I see the CCHA becoming more like the ECAC .... smaller schools with lower profile athletic programs and correspondingly smaller budgets. The split that formed Hockey East almost 30 years ago didn't lead to the end of the ECAC. Certainly, things will look different, but the demise of the CCHA and related programs is not inevitable.

[Drago]

I just think it is a really bad sign for the league...Anastos wouldn't have taken the MSU job if the CCHA was going to stay intact. Losing 3 of the premier programs immediately downgrades the conference. Which makes no difference to me because I think we'd be more competitive. However, having the commish bolt 2 days after the Big 10 conference forms is a sign to me that things aren't looking real promising for the conference.

If the conference realignment happens as I posted above, I just think we may have more trouble finding a home than people think. I know people think we'll be national champs again in the next couple years, but we've finished in last place like 5 out of the past 8 seasons. We aren't exactly a big player in the college hockey world. If we were Miami I wouldn't worry.

[BGFalconfromCincy]

I know people think we'll be national champs again in the next couple years

Really now, who would these people be, as they sure don't seem to be posting on this here message board

For all these realignment rumors (death of the CCHA, super conference between the best CCHA & WCHA teams, Norte Dame and BC to the Big Ten) I stick to one of my favorite says, I'll believe it when I see it.

I admit, I love realignment/expansion talk, for some reason it just fascinates me, hell one of my favorite websites out there now is http://www.collegesportsinfo.com/ which deals mostly with realignment/expansion talk (granted its most on the football and basketball sides), and while I love all this talk, I won't be believe anything I hear until I know its official

[Redwingtom]

Anastos wouldn't have taken the MSU job if the CCHA was going to stay intact.

You don't think he got a large pay increase to move from the CCHA office to one of the premier coaching gigs in college hockey?

[Drago]

No I don't think it was much of a pay raise....I think he maneuvered behind the scenes to cover himself. I'm sure he has the ear of some major MSU donors...I don't believe for a second that MSU just called him out of the blue.

[factman]

I happen to work with some people that are VERY well connected to the MSU hockey program and they are pretty upset with the choice for the new coach. I too, think they could have done much better, but then again, why should I care?