USCHO: Notre Dame Hockey to B1G in 2017
Have to think this means someone else in the conference is starting a program?
http://www.uscho.com/2016/03/22/sources-notre-dame-leaving-hockey-east-…
This is huge news in hockey terms.
And I think it's a good move. Yeah, I'm a bit annoyed at Notre Dame overall for stiffing the B1G, but I'm kinda over it. Let them fizzle as associate ACC members.
The precedent has been set, with Hopkins as an associate member in Lacrosse. The B1G will look at particular sports with unique cultures and admit associate members. Under the hockey lens, this makes complete sense. It makes sense geographically, academically, and in school athletic profile. It makes sense for the not-quite-big-enough B1G, and it makes sense for a Notre Dame program that is steadily competitive.
Alton is right (and this has been speculated on twitter by at least CHN), Arizona State is a logical next step. That's a looooong flight, but on the upside it guarantees northern schools a "recruit-friendly" trip to the sun in the dead of winter.
The Big Ten is allowing ND to manipulate all the conferences to their benefit. Picking and choosing for all their sports, with few concessions. If this brought an annual basketball matchup, perhaps OK. Disappointed Hackett let this happen. Didn't we always blame Brandon for this conference stuff?
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Hopkins is D3 in just about every sport except lacrosse.
This is just revanchist reasoning. We're mad that Notre Dame didn't join the B1G, so we'll cut off our own nose in hockey to show them.
I mean, I get it. Their "associate membership" with the ACC is a joke. They are way, way too full of themselves.
But this is not about all sports, it is about hockey. Hockey is important to us and to other schools, but not in any way near the way football is. Notre Dame's application to be a hockey-only member is not a bargaining chip that is somehow going to tip the scales in their athletic department to influence them to join the B1G as a full member.
This is a hockey-specific decision. The Big Ten, which has been sharply criticized here and throughout the conference for its hockey management, sees that there is improvement in the conference needed. Notre Dame, as a hockey program, is a perfect fit geographically and culturally. So they pulled the trigger.
This has absolutely no effect on Notre Dame's relationship with the Big Ten in any other sport. Rejecting them would not have an effect, and accepting them does not somehow put the Big Ten in a bad position. What happens in football will or will not happen regardless.
It would be valid (though I personally think incorrect) to argue that the Big Ten should not have this kind of relationship at all, regardless of the school. But if one accepts that an associate membership in a pricey niche sport like hockey makes sense, the only reason to reject Notre Dame middle-school level bad feelings.
March 23rd, 2016 at 10:49 AM ^
It's not Notre Dame that's picking and choosing, it's the B1G.
This conference doesn't need football and basketball help. Those leagues are fine. The hockey conference is a mess and needs help immediately.
This is absolutely a hockey-specific decision. It has to be. The B1G can't let the hockey league flounder because they want to continue some pissing match over Fighting Irish football. And we can't wait 3-5 years for another B1G program to approve hockey, build facilities and organize a transition to D-1.
B1G Hockey needs more schools. They have one right in their backyard. A good program. A tournament program. A natural rival with our existing teams.
And you want to kill that because they won't play football with us? That seems the exact opposite of "To Hell With Notre Dame". That sounds like "Please, Notre Dame! Please join our conference! If you don't we're going to pout about it and screw ourselves in the process so maybe you feel bad - because we're angry that you won't play football with us."
F*** Notre Dame. They can eat shit and play basketball in the WAC for all I care. Meanwhile, our hockey conference could really use their program. Bring 'em in ASAP.
WE are the ones picking and choosing.
March 23rd, 2016 at 10:57 AM ^
we were in the CCHA with Notre Dame for decades. Now they're back in the same league with us and we're all concern-trolling that this in any way affects any sport outside of hockey? This is a terrific move for the Big Ten.
I'd just like to see someone explain how locking ND out of the BTHC is 'the best thing to do overall'. College football and basketball fans who don't follow college hockey will not even notice this change. College hockey is a different world because of the small number of teams in D1 (and the extremely small number of teams that fit in with the Big Ten). Because of that, major clubs (like FBS level) have been in odd leagues for the duration of their existence. This makes a lot of sense on many levels.
March 22nd, 2016 at 10:43 PM ^
Penn State? They do not have the same tradition that Michigan, Ohio, Nebraska and ND do
F Notre Dame!
I hope we beat them by 6+ goals this weekend, and make them rethink their decision to join our conference.
Overall it seems odd unless there is another shoe to drop.
Obviously the Ivies won't move and neither will RPI or Colgate (because the academic focus of ECAC is more to their taste) or Clarkson or St Lawrence (because they won't want to be split up). That leaves Union and Quinnipiac, and Union isn't exactly Hockey East material.
I suppose the only 3 possibilities are (a) Quinnipiac, (b) Holy Cross, or (c) nobody--they keep it at 11. I think Holy Cross would even prefer Quinnipiac move to Hockey East so they can join the ECAC.
Wasn't HEA stuck at 11 for a while before?
For one year: 2013/14. Notre Dame joined in 2013 to become #11 and Connecticut joined in 2014 to become #12. I think they invited Connecticut only to make it an even number, though, so I would assume it's a safe bet that they will start looking for another #12.
On the other hand, they went years and years with 9 schools until Vermont left the ECAC to join them in 2005.
I may have had that rattling around in my mind, too. You can play a three-games-per-opponent round robin with 9, though. It would be harder to balance a schedule with 11.
One more thing to keep in mind here. I don't think Union can offer schollies. That's got to be problematic for a move to HEA, correct?
I can't imagine that's true. There's always been confusion about IVY schools offering s'ships, but why wouldn't Union?
March 23rd, 2016 at 10:41 AM ^
they are allow s/ships for the D1 program IIRC
A number of commenters at BCInterruption seem to be thinking Holy Cross is about as likely as Quinnipiac. I wouldn't think Hockey East would dig Holy Cross but what do I know
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The only associate membership I really care about is UMD. I want UMD to join the B1G. It needs to happen.
There's no rational basis for this in academics or school culture or athletic department size. It is entirely a function of where I live. Two games where my own team comes to Duluth? Yes please.
Plus, and this cannot be undervalued, I would get to go to the Michigan State games and lustily cheer against them every year, too.
March 22nd, 2016 at 10:16 PM ^
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March 23rd, 2016 at 12:13 PM ^
I just can't agree with screwing over your league in a sport in dire need of a boost based on little more than petty pride. Its not feasible for every conference in every sport to shut them out. It just isn't going to happen. Someone will be desperate enough to make an associate deal with them.
You're not going to force Notre Dame's hand by giving them the cold shoulder. If they want to enter a mutually beneficial agreement with your conference, do it.
Telling them to piss off is only going to hurt member institutions who are looking to schedule them or get their cooperation in other sports.
March 22nd, 2016 at 11:48 PM ^
Great move for Big Ten Hockey,that hopefully indicates further expansion to an eight team conference.
I'm still having trouble picturing Northwestern joining the fold considering they play basketball in a high school gym equivalent.
I'd think the schools most likely to are probably Iowa, Nebraska, and Illinois.
March 22nd, 2016 at 10:30 PM ^
Iowa aaaaannnddd....
I heard MSU wants to return to D1 pretty soon...