I do think that college hockey should be getting more recognition and publicity
than it is receiving presently.  But, we have to remember that the *other*
hockey organization, the NHL, started off slowly.  It wasn't but a few years
ago that we were newly exposed to Gary Thorne and Bill Clement doing National
Hockey Night on ESPN.  For the past few years, NHN has been only on friday
nights.  This year, it is on just about any day of the week. (once a week still
though).  ESPN's sister channel, the deuce, has also picked up telecasting
games a minimum of three times a week.
 
What I am getting at is that I think we should let college hockey mold itself
into a national sport enjoyed by many fans and not just "regional" fan support.
I used the example of the NHL because it has made progress in attempting
to increase the national recognition.  I say give college hockey a few more
years and maybe with more telecasts next year, it can expand a little bit.
 
I also think one of the major problems facing college hockey is that the
majority of the teams are centered to the east of the Mississippi River.  This
accounts for LESS THAN half of the United States as a whole.  One of the
biggest reasons college hockey only has regional interest is perfectly
displayed in this year's championship game.  While the final four featured
Minnesota and Michigan, a fraction of the country, Maine and Boston faced off.
This is almost like the Minnesota Twins vs. Milwaukee Brewers.  While most of
us respect the power of Maine and Boston, people who are new to college hockey
may not be able to relate to such a small portion of the country.
 
Overall, regional interest has to be removed and just give college hockey a
while and people all across the country will enjoy it.