(snip)
> He claims that if one more Big Ten te
>am starts a Division I hockey program, (both Penn State and Illinois have made r
>umblings about this), then by Big Ten Conference rules, they would have to form
>a Big Ten conference for hockey since the majority of members of the conference
>play that sport (6 out of 11).
(snip)
> I would think this must be a concern when ther
>e is consideration of major, long term, realignment in the West, which would be
>seriously jolted if the Big Ten team!
>s all leave to form their own conf
>erence.
>
>                                        -Wayne Hickenbottom
 
I can't answer to what the Big Ten rules might be in this regard, but I do have
to point out that Ivy League teams do have a conference so to speak, and play
each other for an Ivy League Hockey Title, but are still in the ECAC.
Given that the current hockey playing Big 10 teams are not all in the same
conference, WCHA or CCHA games plus Big 10 games would probably come to more
that the NCAA limit.  But if it came to that, I think the WCHA and CCHA would
reduce their # of league games to keep from losing big draws like Minnesota,
Wisconsin, and Michigan altogether.
 
Lisa Sweeney
CWRU '88, Cornell U. '93
 
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