At 02:30 PM 4/29/98 -0600, you wrote:
>I got my hopes up that the ECAC had scrapped the [ptu!] Final Five and
>gone to an eight-team playoff format, but looking further those hopes
>dissipated:
>
 
During the ECAC tournament, the Clarkson radio announcers interviewed
the ECAC commissioner. During that interview, he stated that
they were almost assured of renewing the tourney for Lake Placid
(which they did about a week later) and that they were committed
to the 5 team format. That could always change by 1999-2000
but it was unlikely to change after only one year.
Besides, a lot of the arguments were based on the fact that the
Thursday night teams were at such a disadvantage that they could
never win. Princeton took the wind out of that argument in the
very first year it was tried.
 
I agree that the final five was no better than (and maybe worse than)
the Tuesday night playdown round but it looks like the only way we'll
get rid of it is if it proves to be bad financially.
 
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