HOCKEY: A Big 10 Conference For Hockey? Hmm...

BIG RAPIDS - In this region, it's difficult to have a discussion of college hockey for a long time and not have a discussion of the Big 10 Conference sponsoring the sport.

For many Big 10 fans, the prospect of having Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Minnesota and Wisconsin all in the same league fires some people up. This rather popular topic of discussion is hardly a new one. In fact, the topic frequently comes up on a variety of message boards and in some blogs as Big 10 fans ponder the possibilities of these rivalries on full display, but with league championships potentially hanging in the balance.

But, this is not football nor is it men's basketball (high-profile, big-budget sports).

Here is a quote from former Miami University coach Mark Mazzoleni, who once said, "College hockey is a very close fraternity. It has survived and elevated itself in status because it has not taken an elitist attitude."

That is quite an intriguing statement.

College hockey is a different animal and part of the backbone of college hockey is the presence of the smaller Division II-type schools that sponsor Division I hockey programs that are part of the foundation of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

In college hockey, the tale David vs. Goliath frequently is played out in rinks all over the United States of America as the sport has carved a unique position in the landscape of intercollegiate athletics. Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Minnesota and Wisconsin are among the Goliaths. The Davids are Ferris State University, Lake Superior State University, Northern Michigan University, St. Cloud State University, Colorado College Bemidji State University, Mercyhurst College and others.

On the http://www.spartantailgate.com/ message board the topic has fired back up.

Here is one comment as an example:

Why would the Big Ten teams even consider this???? Great, let's put together a 6 team conference where at best 2 teams would make the NCAA tournament as they would beat the crap out of each other all season long. The current way of seeding and filling the NCAA hockey tournament makes this a terrible idea. Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, and Michigan State all regularly make the NCAA tournament because they are able to control their conferences.

In the CCHA, Michigan and Michigan State are the Big 2. Everyone else in the league feeds off them and there's no denying that. While the other schools in the league pop up with good seasons here and there (or multiple good seasons in a row), no one has is consistently as good as these two schools. Leaving a league like that would be dumb for both of them. Also, the travels costs for both teams are relatively cheap. Playing in a conference where all the schools are contained within a 3 start area (except for Alaska, which the team benefits from by being able to schedule two more games if they make the trip to Alaska) is a huge bonus for a sport that struggles to break even every year. Multiple trips to places like Wisconsin and Minnesota (and Penn State or Iowa or Illinois if any or all were to make the jump to Division 1) would put a large financial damper on the sport.

In the WCHA, Wisconsin and Minnesota do have significantly more travel requirements as they go to Colorado College and Denver. They also travel to North Dakota and Alaska (and soon Nebraska as UNO moves to the WCHA). Also, while Michigan and Michigan State have had major control over the CCHA, Wisconsin and Minnesota have faced stiffer competition in the WCHA as North Dakota is a perennial power and both Colorado College and Denver have been extremely competitive in recent years (with Denver winning 2 NCAA championships in the last 5 years) Wisconsin and Minnesota, while two of the top programs in NCAA history, they also feed off the lower competition in the WCHA. Schools like Michigan Tech, Minnesota-Duluth, St. Cloud State, etc are capable of having great teams and great seasons, but are not annually top teams in the country.

I still don't see a problem with the Big Ten Network showing games between Big Ten teams and non-Big Ten teams. They do it all the time for football early in the season. What's wrong with showing MSU vs. Northern Michigan? Minnesota vs. North Dakota? Wisconsin vs. Michigan Tech? Michigan vs. Notre Dame?

All and all, Unless some other teams jump up to division 1 so we could have a 8-10 team conference, I think a Big Ten Conference would hurt the Big Ten programs a lot more than it would help.

This poster offers interesting comments (thought provoking to say the very least). The Division I college-hockey ranks simply are too small (fewer than 60 schools) to sustain such a league. And, a Big 10 Conference for hockey could prove devastating to smaller schools who are part of the lifeblood of college hockey today.

WARNING: Be careful visiting this site as it contains some small-college bashing and snobbish talk of academic standards while belittling schools some posters feel are beneath them.