More hockey realignment?

[DarthGrumpy]

honestly, a very legitimate question. they must be banking on the ASU brand name drawing the crowds, because the sport has not been a success in Phoenix.

FYI, looks like ASU will split games between where it's club team currently plays - Oceanside arena which looks to be a small, (capacity 1,000) private rink that is adjacent to campus, and Coyotes' Gila River Arena way off campus in Glendale that holds 17,000 for hockey. Sun Devil hockey will have to draw alumni as I can't see too many students driving the 25 miles to a hockey game. Basically, the city of Glendale and the State of Arizona is hope that the big, nearby state U can save it's $220 million investment in an arena that no one wants with a team that has never been accepted by the locals. Doesn't this sound familiar except its 26 miles between Storrs and the XL center? This would also explain why ASU is not looking at the Phoenix Sun's arena in downtown Phoenix that holds 16K for hockey and is just 10 miles away from campus with a transit (trolley) line connecting the two. Down the road, ASU is looking for a 5K to 6K arena near campus.

http://www.houseofsparky.com/2015/1...ver-arena-arizona-coyotes-oceanside-ice-arena

 

[B1GOSU]

I would love to see North Dakota Hockey in the B1G given the winning tradition of their program. While North Dakota would be a great geographic fit for the B1G, it does not bring in any new markets for TV, so I wonder if they would ever realistically be considered as an affiliate or not? On the plus side, they do have women's ice hockey. The B1G is only 2 schools away from having six members to form women's ice hockey as a conference sport. Having a season sport of women's ice hockey would be additional live coverage BTN could provide.

 

[Kolumbo]

I would love to see North Dakota Hockey in the B1G given the winning tradition of their program. While North Dakota would be a great geographic fit for the B1G, it does not bring in any new markets for TV, so I wonder if they would ever realistically be considered as an affiliate or not? On the plus side, they do have women's ice hockey. The B1G is only 2 schools away from having six members to form women's ice hockey as a conference sport. Having a season sport of women's ice hockey would be additional live coverage BTN could provide.

UCONN: Women's Ice Hockey and the best women's basketball program in the country. Delaney, open your eyes!!!

 

[dayooper]

Maybe this is because we are essentially cooped up inside for threes months during the winter, but if I lived in AZ, I'd spend as much leisure time outside as possible, not going to hockey games. Especially when the summers are unbearably hot.
I am sure the B1G fans in Phoenix would love to see their schools play, but beating up on a brand new ASU program? Doesn't seem all that exciting.

If the only close by game is beating up a lesser team, Big10 alumni will go, at least at first.

 

[frankthetank]

Maybe this is because we are essentially cooped up inside for threes months during the winter, but if I lived in AZ, I'd spend as much leisure time outside as possible, not going to hockey games. Especially when the summers are unbearably hot.
I am sure the B1G fans in Phoenix would love to see their schools play, but beating up on a brand new ASU program? Doesn't seem all that exciting.

What are you comparing it to? Obviously, football is on a different plane. However, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota and Wisconsin fans will absolutely buy tickets in large numbers. The extra tickets sold for 8 home games per year against those 4 teams alone could be the difference between the ASU hockey program being profitable or operating at a loss. (Ohio State's hockey support is "meh". Penn State has great hockey support, but they don't have nearly the same alumni presence in the Phoenix area as the Midwestern Big Ten schools.)

To put it in perspective, Minnesota and Wisconsin average 10,000 to 11,000 in attendance for each hockey game, which is what UConn has been averaging for men's basketball over the past several years. Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State are all around 5,000 to 6,000 per game in hockey attendance, but that represents 90%-100% capacity in their smaller hockey arenas. Those don't even count the outdoor hockey games that the Big Ten schools have been playing where they draw football-sized crowds. (There have been years where Michigan hockey brought in more ticket revenue than men's basketball because of those outdoor games.) So, hockey is very much a high profile sport at the Big Ten schools that sponsor it.

 

[Kolumbo]

What are you comparing it to? Obviously, football is on a different plane. However, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota and Wisconsin fans will absolutely buy tickets in large numbers. The extra tickets sold for 8 home games per year against those 4 teams alone could be the difference between the ASU hockey program being profitable or operating at a loss. (Ohio State's hockey support is "meh". Penn State has great hockey support, but they don't have nearly the same alumni presence in the Phoenix area as the Midwestern Big Ten schools.)

To put it in perspective, Minnesota and Wisconsin average 10,000 to 11,000 in attendance for each hockey game, which is what UConn has been averaging for men's basketball over the past several years. Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State are all around 5,000 to 6,000 per game in hockey attendance, but that represents 90%-100% capacity in their smaller hockey arenas. Those don't even count the outdoor hockey games that the Big Ten schools have been playing where they draw football-sized crowds. (There have been years where Michigan hockey brought in more ticket revenue than men's basketball because of those outdoor games.) So, hockey is very much a high profile sport at the Big Ten schools that sponsor it.

I will buy into all that. I know that we love our basketball but we aren't all lining up to see UCONN vs. Marathon Oil. I am probably wrong, but if I lived in Florida and a local Florida school just began a D1 basketball program, I don't think I'd be very excited to go see a 100-40 basketball game. Actually, I know I wouldn't be that excited.
Best of luck to ASU hockey.

 

[kingdobbs]

FYI, looks like ASU will split games between where it's club team currently plays - Oceanside arena which looks to be a small, (capacity 1,000) private rink that is adjacent to campus, and Coyotes' Gila River Arena way off campus in Glendale that holds 17,000 for hockey. Sun Devil hockey will have to draw alumni as I can't see too many students driving the 25 miles to a hockey game. Basically, the city of Glendale and the State of Arizona is hope that the big, nearby state U can save it's $220 million investment in an arena that no one wants with a team that has never been accepted by the locals. Doesn't this sound familiar except its 26 miles between Storrs and the XL center? This would also explain why ASU is not looking at the Phoenix Sun's arena in downtown Phoenix that holds 16K for hockey and is just 10 miles away from campus with a transit (trolley) line connecting the two. Down the road, ASU is looking for a 5K to 6K arena near campus.

http://www.houseofsparky.com/2015/1...ver-arena-arizona-coyotes-oceanside-ice-arena

By all accounts, the hockey sight lines in the Phoenix arena are terrible and should feel bad.

It was built for hoops and it shows.

 

[dayooper]

Frank The Tanks slant on ASU hockey to the Big10

 

[Drew]

http://www.landgrantholyland.com/2015/3/18/8250631/big-ten-conference-hockey-expansion-arizona-state

 

[Kolumbo]

The travel costs alone would seem to make ASU to the B1G a bad idea. There must be a lot of cash involved to make it worth the trips. Hmmm, if only there were another highly ranked flagship research multiple national championship university which happened to have a rising hockey program available....

 

[Kolumbo]

http://www.landgrantholyland.com/2015/3/18/8250631/big-ten-conference-hockey-expansion-arizona-state

Gotta love Alec.

 

[kingdobbs]

The travel costs alone would seem to make ASU to the B1G a bad idea.

Everyone is basically flying to everyone else anyway. A flight is a flight.

Not to mention that it was within a number of years countable on a steel workers' hand that everyone in the B1G not currently named "Penn State" was making a trip to Alaska at least once every two years, if not more frequently.

They won't be shy about a once a year trip to Phoenix.

 

[Kolumbo]

Everyone is basically flying to everyone else anyway. A flight is a flight.

Not to mention that it was within a number of years countable on a steel workers' hand that everyone in the B1G not currently named "Penn State" was making a trip to Alaska at least once every two years, if not more frequently.

They won't be shy about a once a year trip to Phoenix.

I'm sure they will look forward to a trip to Phoenix and the weather. I was looking at it more from ASU's standpoint and the amount of time they will spend away from campus. Unless ASU is opening a satellite branch in Michigan.

 

[pj]

I'm sure they will look forward to a trip to Phoenix and the weather. I was looking at it more from ASU's standpoint and the amount of time they will spend away from campus. Unless ASU is opening a satellite branch in Michigan.

If you want to have a hockey program in Arizona ... you're going to travel.

 

[kingdobbs]

I'm sure they will look forward to a trip to Phoenix and the weather. I was looking at it more from ASU's standpoint and the amount of time they will spend away from campus. Unless ASU is opening a satellite branch in Michigan.

ASU would be doing that regardless of what conference they join. EVEN in the NCHC, their closest opponents would be Denver and Colorado College (the former 12-14 hours away by road, the latter 10-12).

Every "Western"* conference has at least one team in Minnesota, one team in Michigan, and one team in Ohio, places that are at least 24 hours by road from Tempe (meaning, flights).

Arizona State WILL have to fly everywhere they play until universities like NAU, the U of Arizona, UNLV or anyone in SoCal decides to start playing hockey.

*For the purposes of NCAA hockey, the West essentially begins in Ohio.

 

[B1GOSU]

I love the thought of a broader B1G - ASU partnership. Non conference games every year in football, basketball, baseball, etc. Phoenix has a lot of B1G alumni. The broader partnership would give The B1G direct access to Phoenix.

MIT womens rowing to the B1G and then MIT (and Hopkins) to the CIC!

 

[BUHusky]

The BU administration has tipped its hand! My alma mater is going to the Big 10!

http://bu.bncollege.com/webapp/wcs/...ePage?storeId=13555&catalogId=10001&langId=-1

 

[upstater]

The BU administration has tipped its hand! My alma mater is going to the Big 10!

http://bu.bncollege.com/webapp/wcs/...ePage?storeId=13555&catalogId=10001&langId=-1

What the hell is that?

 

[upstater]

I've been on the record here as saying that the whole ice hockey upgrade at UConn never made any sense to me except with respect to someone in the B1G offices telling them to do it.

UConn needs to maintain basketball and football over the next several years while it is cash-starved in the AAC. To then begin to compete in anotehr revenue sport, with a need for millions in facilities, just goes against UConn's #1 priorities. It makes no sense--unless...

That BU mistake above makes me think craziness is at hand.

BU has absolutely nothing to do with the B1G.

What the hell??!??!??!??!??!??!??!

 

[upstater]

This is deserving of a 3rd post.

Are Boston College, Notre Dame, Providence, UConn and Boston University joining the B1G for hockey?

Because if they are, all players are going to gravitate to that conference and it's going to be must-see TV on the BTN for ages.

Maybe they drop Providence.

Maybe they keep Providence and then consider which of UMass, Northeastern, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine join with them. Maybe they keep Providence and talk to Rutgers.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

The BU administration has tipped its hand! My alma mater is going to the Big 10!

http://bu.bncollege.com/webapp/wcs/...ePage?storeId=13555&catalogId=10001&langId=-1

WTF????

 

[Kolumbo]

The BU administration has tipped its hand! My alma mater is going to the Big 10!

http://bu.bncollege.com/webapp/wcs/...ePage?storeId=13555&catalogId=10001&langId=-1

My take is the "2015 Championship Tournament Champions" is the standard writing. The Conference name and school name can be swapped out depending on the conference and the winner. Someone got lazy.

 

[BUHusky]

The BU Big 10 champions shirt is just someone at BU messing up (not shocking if you actually attended the school and dealt with the administration). I wouldn't read in to it all. (BU is not leaving Hockey East for any reasons short of a full Big 10 invite which of course is impossible.)

Even less shocking is that the BU bookstore still has it up on their website. BU gonna BU... (sigh)

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

BU, much less BU's B&N, is not that prescient. Not even close. It's a form shirt that someone forgot to finish Photoshopping.

 

[junglehusky]

BU, much less BU's B&N, is not that prescient. Not even close. It's a form shirt that someone forgot to finish Photoshopping.

Would have been funnier if it was a BXII logo.