Christmas arrived a week early for the University of North Dakota this year.
At a press conference Thursday at 4:30pm long time UND hockey supporter
Ralph Engelstad announced that he will give the University of North Dakota a
$100 million gift.  $40-50 million of which is to go to build a
state-of-the-art hockey arena.  The rink will be built on campus and will
reportedly seat 12,000.  The rink is scheduled to be completed by the start
of the 2001 season.  See The Grand Forks Herald article at:
www.gfherald.com/news/docs/1218/1218rink.htm.
 
For the last couple of years there has been rumors of Coach Dean Blais
leaving UND for the greener ($$$) pastures of the University of Minnesota.
I would think that this new facility will guarantee that coach Blais remain
a Sioux of the rest of his college coaching career.  During the press
conference Blais commented how this new facility will help the Sioux compete
with fellow WCHA schools (CC, U of MN, U of W, St. Cloud, and Denver all
have fairly new rinks or rinks under construction).  He also noted that this
arena will help bring in big-time non-conference opponents. The school is
also anxious to host a Regional  or Final in the next millenium.
 
I would like to pose a question to the list.  It looks as if a new rink has
become a necessity for success, at least in the WCHA.  Does anybody see
college hockey developing into a two tier league of big-time schools who can
afford to build these new rinks and those who cannot?  It is obvious that
these new facilities can draw big-time recruits.
 
Is this a trend in other conferences?  My knowledge of hockey facilities is
limited to the WCHA.
 
Thanks.
 
 
Matt Sullivan   [log in to unmask]
University of Minnesota, Duluth  1998
 
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