A few years ago one of the D-I conference commissioners got the idea
that the 4 conference champions should get together in an early season
showdown.  This was meant to be a media event and a TV event ...  to not
only increase interconference play and fan awareness, but to showcase
college hockey on national TV.
 
The commissioners get together a few times each year and at one of these
meetings this idea was raised and heartily endorsed.
 
Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving weekend was thought to be a good time, as
the players could travel with little or no class-time lost, but the
commissioners wanted to remain flexible.  National TV was the key, they
felt, to really promoting the sport.
 
Discussions, on the telephone, with ESPN proceeded, but ESPN was not
very interested.  The commissioners arranged a face-to-face meeting with
relatively high-level ESPN officials.  They knew they had a good plan
and a good product.  Here was the chance to sell it to ESPN and bring
the college game to a national audience.
 
The meeting was rather short and, as you might have guessed since we
don't have such a tournament, ESPN had no interest.  College hockey,
ESPN said, is just a regional sport with just local team interest. (1)
After some discussion, ESPN did informally agree to look into a mid-week
game for $60,000.  Lest you think this *might* be a good idea to get
started ...  could they live with a mid-week game?  Attendance would be
poor compared to a weekend event, but with $60,000 to pay expenses ...
HOLD ON ...
 
ESPN wanted $60,000 *from* college hockey to do each game.  Needless to
say, the commissioners came away from that meeting with a new perspective.
 
Yours in college hockey,
 
Wayne Smith
The College Hockey Discussion List administrator
Systems Group - CAPS              BITNET/CREN:  wts@maine
University of Maine System        internet:     [log in to unmask]
 
(1) I agree with ESPN.  It's too bad, but college hockey *IS* a regional
    sport with just local fan interest.  New NHL franchises are helping,
    but we've a long way to go.  I'd guess that the vast majority of
    people that subscribe to HOCKEY-L have an experience and are fans of
    ONE TEAM.  Those that don't care to get past that leave quickly.
    But a significant number of all of us gain an appreciation and
    interest in our league and in other teams and other leagues.  Is
    HOCKEY-L simply a collection of hockey nuts or does the game have an
    appeal that can transcend the local team if we somehow market it
    properly?