Brian Morris writes:
>I will try to obtain some background on the story. But I would put the rumor
>in the same category as all the rumors regarding re-alignment between Hockey
>East and the ECAC.
Agreed. I have heard at various times that a whole bunch of schools
were "rumored" to be close to entering Hockey East. I have no inside
information, but I do believe from talking to different people that
there is a lot of support within HE for RPI to join - more so than any
other non-HE school except perhaps UConn (it may be about equal there).
In fact, I would also say that IMO, were RPI to express an interest in
joining, they would be admitted. So there may be some truth to this
"standing invitation" idea.
Another team mentioned quite a bit has been Vermont. The concept is
that HE would unite, eventually, the major state schools from all six
New England states.
>I believe Jason
>broke the story of RPI being refused permission to participate in the Alaska
>tournament last year by the ECAC, supposedly at the behest of the Ivies, since
>it would exceed the 30 game maximum. And thereupon Yale seized the opportunity
>and traveled up to the 49th state to participate.
I think it was actually Tony Hejna who passed on the story. If I
recall correctly, after RPI was denied exceeding its limit, with the
Ivies unanimously or close to unanimously opposing it, Yale was
allowed to exceed its limit with the Ivies swinging the other way.
>And the other contextual
>event is Hockey East's public statement that it was looking to expand after
>U Mass Amherst begins play. Geographically RPI represents the best fit for
>any ECAC team looking to migrate over to the other Eastern league.
Earlier in the season, acting HE commish Bob DeGregorio said in an
interview (with moi) that the league was pursuing a (specific) 10th team.
Sometime afterward, I heard elsewhere that UConn was going to build a
new rink. I haven't heard the status of that rink lately (anyone?),
but putting 2 + 2 together...
>First I don't think the administration would
>like RPI to increase the number of games it plays to that of Hockey East.
I don't see where this is a factor. The ECAC plays 22 league games;
HE does and will play 24 with UMass. HE teams are allowed to play the
maximum 34 games overall (plus exceptions), but RPI wouldn't have to
play more than its current 30 if it didn't want to. Like Union and
its 25. I also am not sure where the HE schedule would place an
academic hardship on the RPI players, since RPI already spends so much
time traveling to play ECAC opponents anyway. They'd travel a little
farther, but they already make two trips to New England a season plus
HE opps as it is.
>Like
>the other old ECAC teams, e.g. Colgate, I think RPI is more comfortable with
>the Ivies' idea of sports, with competition taking a back seat to the academic
>image of the university.
Well, I believe this is the heart of the reason why RPI won't leave
the ECAC for HE. Despite what is IMO a desire by the hockey program
itself to enter HE, the administration itself, like the other ECAC
non-Ivies, enjoys the current association with the Ivies and the image
you mention. Thus, it would be very difficult indeed to push through
such a switch of leagues.
Geographically, it probably also makes sense for RPI to stay in the
ECAC in its current makeup. 5 of the 6 non-Ivies are from NY, and
Vermont is just across the lake.
>An interesting scenario would have the ECAC
>establishing an Eastern Division to include the old ECAC teams, and possibly
>UVM.
It is an interesting idea, but I feel safe in saying that there won't
ever be a merger of HE and the ECAC. For one thing, HE is too
established and headed down a path it probably considers to be
different from that of the ECAC. And for another, it is to the
advantage of HE to remain separate from the ECAC - balancing out the
number of conferences in the East and West.
>Forming an Eastern Division might also soothe any complaints by the original
>Hockey East members, read BC and BU. As I recall one of the main reasons that
>Hockey East was formed was that BU and BC didn't want to travel to the
>Adirondacks anymore, and to a lesser extent Central New York, (although they
>had no problem flying out to the midwest to play the WCHA.)
There are almost as many reasons given for the split as there are
stars in the sky :-), but this one (BU & BC not wanting to travel to
the North Country) seems very questionable, especially when you
consider that BU & BC had a run of several straight years playing a NC
series with Clarkson & SLU. Granted, they didn't make the trip every
year any more, but they didn't shy away from making the trip either.
Even if it was a minor consideration (HE being more geographically
centralized), I believe the philosophical differences were the main
factor. In fact, there were very, very few HE-ECAC contests for the
first few years that the league existed. My memories of the time I
spent at RPI and then at Northeastern are that at that time, it was
almost a state of war between the two conferences.
>But, having gazed into my crystal ball, I don't think any of this will happen,
>for my first reason, and, finally, a fundamental question--what would RPI gain
>by joining Hockey East?
That's the big question. I think as far as hockey itself goes, many
RPI people think the team has been hurt in attempts to secure an NC$$
bid recently by playing in the ECAC. Before some ECAC people get
upset, I have heard this said by RPI followers themselves.
But even if we assumed this to be true, I am not sure the rest of the
factors (and the ones likely to be taken more seriously by RPI's
administration) outweigh this. I personally would like to see games
with RPI count in the HE standings and have the good rivalries RPI has
with many HE teams become that much more important and heated. But I
don't know that it's in the school's best interest.
I would be interested in reading what the ATU article said, though.
Since this rumor has been going around for years and years, we've
almost become deaf to it, but it strikes me that the ATU, knowing
this, wouldn't bother to mention it unless there were something to it.
BTW, RPI will play BU, Merrimack, UNH, Maine, and possibly Mass Lowell
this season - 5 of the 8 HE teams. And they have played the other 3
(PC, NU, BC) in the last year or two.
--- ---
Mike Machnik [log in to unmask]
Cabletron Systems, Inc. *HMM* 11/13/93
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