How would a "Super League" Affect BGSU

[Falcon Fanatic]

Welcome to the new hockey where money now matters far more than history.

And that is EXACTLY what I knew would happen when the big ten started their own league!!!

Geez, I freakin' HATE the effin big ten....

[Flipper]

WMU is hiring former NHL coach Andy Murray and they're paying 275k per year. I think some of you might want to reassess the "optics" on where Western is headed...

[Tricky_Falcon]

WMU is hiring former NHL coach Andy Murray and they're paying 275k per year. I think some of you might want to reassess the "optics" on where Western is headed...

Paying equal to what they pay the football coach and more than what they're paying the hoops coach. I guess this is my question of the day. Where is the money coming from? The hockey program will need all the money it can get. Travel will be expensive in the NCHC.

[Falcon Fanatic]

Good comments from John Wagner in his Falcon Fodder column (from 7-18-11):
http://toledoblade.typepad.com/falconfodder/

[AZIce]

I've read through the 9+ pages of responses here and few thoughts from someone who started going to falcon hockey games in 1975 and missed only a handful of games from '75 through '93 when I graduated from BG.

1) Can we please stop the bickering about what sport should be eliminated. This has been going on since the 70's when many, including my Dad, thought football should have went D1-AA and competed for National Titles instead of MAC titles. Football and basketball are never going anywhere, so hockey has to find a way to exists and pay for itself...end of story.

2)People tend to forget that the CCHA was a "lower tier" conference in the 70's. The WCHA and ECAC were the "super conferences" and didn't give the CCHA the time of day until '77 and still held them in little regard as late as our team in 1983. Playing in this "weaker" conference allowed BG to build their program, win lots and lots of games and eventually take on and beat the big boys from the WCHA and ECAC by the early 80's. BG and NMU had already proved the CCHA was ready for the big time before U of M and MSU joined the league. U of M was horrible when they joined and WCHA bottom feeders. My point is, finishing last in a "Super Conference" does BG no good at this point. Winning games and rebuilding the tradition in a "lesser CCHA" to me is a much better option for the long term health of the program. Once you get to the NCAA's all you need is a hot goalie or one weird bounce(just ask John Samanski) and you win. People filled the Ice Arena back in the day because the team was fun to watch and they WON, not just because the school they were playing had a brand name. I remember sell outs against teams like SUNY and US International. Winning solves almost all problems......and I do realize that there is the PairWise now so you have to play and beat some good teams. I'm just saying we built this program out of "lesser" conference, no reason we can't do it again.

3)The problem with "Super Conferences" is that somebody has to finish last. You look at those 6 tradition rich programs that just formed the NCHC and somebody has to finish last. That means that Denver or CC or Duluth or Miami.....somebody is going to become a last place team. Finish last a few too many years and see what happens to state of your program, just ask Michigan Tech or us for that matter. I agree with some of you and give Miami about 3 years and they'll be back in the CCHA. The travel will kill them and we'll see how well they compete against UND, UMD and the Colorado schools year in and year out. All schools with built in recruiting advantages over UNO and Miami.

[joehockey]

Points 2 and 3 hit the nail right on the head! well said and 100% true!

[Falcon Fanatic]

No decisions made after CCHA meeting with Atlantic Hockey schools

http://www.uscho.com/2011/07/26/no-deci ... y-schools/

[Tricky_Falcon]

No decisions made after CCHA meeting with Atlantic Hockey schools

http://www.uscho.com/2011/07/26/no-deci ... y-schools/

Like you pointed out elsewhere, it is very interesting that Elsasser was the representative for BG and not Christopher.

[Falcon Fanatic]

No decisions made after CCHA meeting with Atlantic Hockey schools

http://www.uscho.com/2011/07/26/no-deci ... y-schools/

Like you pointed out elsewhere, it is very interesting that Elsasser was the representative for BG and not Christopher.

Completely forgot that the FB MAC Media Day was going on at the same time!

[jpfalcon09]

Many top young hockey players in the last few days have bolted collegiate programs for the OHL, seems like the idea of super leagues is scaring away some of the talent.

[Flipper]

This isn't 1977...in the olden days of now ancient history, there wasn't a league twixt the east and the WCHA. You had schools in Michigan and Ohio that wanted to play college hockey. The sport was small time then comapred to what it is becoming now, so the ohio States and Michigans of the world were contnet to play along with the Lake Superiors, Miami and Bolwing Greens of the owrld. That's changed. You're unplugging the guts of the CCHA and replacing it with small time programs outside the conference's traditional footprint. I don't see how that league will have the same opportunity to grow as it will exist within the footprint of one or tow of the bigger conferences. You'll be in the same boat as the MAC...a second tier league that will be viewed as "minor" compared to the bigger conference that surrounds it.

So somebody has to finish last? WTF? I thought this was Bowling Green...home to so many NHL stars, the national champions and Olympic gold medalists...such a storied program and you're afraid to compete with the big boys? You don't have to worry about them calling you bush league...you're doing that now...

[Siborg]

We all know the Big 10 can't count but isn't an 8 team league better than a 6 team league? Who would fill the extra two slots until a couple more Big 10 schools pony up to a hockey program?

[redhawkforlife]

We all know the Big 10 can't count but isn't an 8 team league better than a 6 team league? Who would fill the extra two slots until a couple more Big 10 schools pony up to a hockey program?

8 teams probably is better than 6 (many reasons) but one of those isn't an automatic bid. Penn State was all that the current Big Ten hockey schools needed to create a conference of 6 to get that all-important auto bid. It could have been IU, NW, Iowa, etc. Didn't matter. The writing was on the wall as soon as Penn State farted and it smelled like a hockey program. Everyone knew it would happen...those of us in the CCHA crossed our fingers they would become the 12th CCHA team, but that was a pipe dream.

Now we've got what is going on, whether or not it will be good for all. I'm really torn on this and what my school has done.

[joehockey]

"This isn't 1977...in the olden days of now ancient history, there wasn't a league twixt the east and the WCHA. You had schools in Michigan and Ohio that wanted to play college hockey. The sport was small time then comapred to what it is becoming now, so the ohio States and Michigans of the world were contnet to play along with the Lake Superiors, Miami and Bolwing Greens of the owrld. That's changed. You're unplugging the guts of the CCHA and replacing it with small time programs outside the conference's traditional footprint. I don't see how that league will have the same opportunity to grow as it will exist within the footprint of one or tow of the bigger conferences. You'll be in the same boat as the MAC...a second tier league that will be viewed as "minor" compared to the bigger conference that surrounds it.

So somebody has to finish last? WTF? I thought this was Bowling Green...home to so many NHL stars, the national champions and Olympic gold medalists...such a storied program and you're afraid to compete with the big boys? You don't have to worry about them calling you bush league...you're doing that now..."


Check mate.

[Sub-Zero]

I've read through the 9+ pages of responses here and few thoughts from someone who started going to falcon hockey games in 1975 and missed only a handful of games from '75 through '93 when I graduated from BG.

1) Can we please stop the bickering about what sport should be eliminated. This has been going on since the 70's when many, including my Dad, thought football should have went D1-AA and competed for National Titles instead of MAC titles. Football and basketball are never going anywhere, so hockey has to find a way to exists and pay for itself...end of story.

2)People tend to forget that the CCHA was a "lower tier" conference in the 70's. The WCHA and ECAC were the "super conferences" and didn't give the CCHA the time of day until '77 and still held them in little regard as late as our team in 1983. Playing in this "weaker" conference allowed BG to build their program, win lots and lots of games and eventually take on and beat the big boys from the WCHA and ECAC by the early 80's. BG and NMU had already proved the CCHA was ready for the big time before U of M and MSU joined the league. U of M was horrible when they joined and WCHA bottom feeders. My point is, finishing last in a "Super Conference" does BG no good at this point. Winning games and rebuilding the tradition in a "lesser CCHA" to me is a much better option for the long term health of the program. Once you get to the NCAA's all you need is a hot goalie or one weird bounce(just ask John Samanski) and you win. People filled the Ice Arena back in the day because the team was fun to watch and they WON, not just because the school they were playing had a brand name. I remember sell outs against teams like SUNY and US International. Winning solves almost all problems......and I do realize that there is the PairWise now so you have to play and beat some good teams. I'm just saying we built this program out of "lesser" conference, no reason we can't do it again.

3)The problem with "Super Conferences" is that somebody has to finish last. You look at those 6 tradition rich programs that just formed the NCHC and somebody has to finish last. That means that Denver or CC or Duluth or Miami.....somebody is going to become a last place team. Finish last a few too many years and see what happens to state of your program, just ask Michigan Tech or us for that matter. I agree with some of you and give Miami about 3 years and they'll be back in the CCHA. The travel will kill them and we'll see how well they compete against UND, UMD and the Colorado schools year in and year out. All schools with built in recruiting advantages over UNO and Miami.

This may hurt to hear but the CCHA is dead. Denial ain't no river in Egypt.