Seems to me this has become a rather limited discussion. Since it is a
college hockey discussion group, I guess we are talking about only college
hockey and not opening it up to all ice hockey played around the world in
many different ways of organizing play. It seems that the focus on
contemporary Division 1 USA hockey leads to the some of the posted
comments.. If it is all college hockey, we might want to move it a bit
further North, eh!
If the emphasis is on the history instead of the contemporary setting,
there is quite a well established lore or, in today's terms, "branding" of
Minnesota hockey. Seems much of this has to do with the availability of
outdoor ice. And possibly the characteristics of the early inhabitants of
the area due to their migrating and living in the climate that made for the
availability of ice.. If we go beyond the USA, it seems that Canada has
quite strongly the established lore of "made in Canada" hockey.
We might well expect the sport's participation to change as ice time is more
readily accessible to others in the USA and elsewhere. We all know how
hockey dominates other sports in terms of participant interest including the
7th person on the team - the fans. If we found a center in one of many
ways possible what would it mean? There are times that a computed average
or "expected value" is extremely unlikely and may even be impossible to
exist. It sounds strange but true. Of interest to me is what explains
where D1 hockey sprouts and stays alive.
Seems that more local participation and interest in ice hockey do not
necessarily imply more demand for D1 hockey.. Participation in hockey at
the youth level may well not explain why folks would pay to attend/watch
college hockey games thus helping to support the games. The increased
involvement in youth hockey means less available free time and money due to
the nature of youth hockey. On this level there is also often increased
interest in participation at all levels with adult men's and women's leagues
along with open hockey at private/community rinks throughout the area that
means less time and money to watch others. So, it seems that a rising
interest and participation in local hockey does not necessarily mean an
increased demand for D1 College Hockey.
College and professional hockey provide a good showcase for local youth
hockey and precision skating between periods. This brings a second item
into view, the availability of other hockey to watch/attend. There are more
options now with the general expansion of hockey at all levels including
club hockey at the collegiate level. More high school hockey at a higher
level of play than before in many places. Lots of local non-NHL
professional and juniors hockey. So, what is it that makes D1 college
hockey more likely to sprout a new team member. After all, it seems there
has been more growth in men's ice hockey at the D1 level as a percentage of
past membership than other men's D1 major sports in the recent decade..
Seems to me the sport is driven much by the availability of a rink on campus
which is controlled by the university. Funds are generated by intramural
sports such as broomball and ice hockey to cover expenses. Intramural
sports serve the wider university community and the rink is available for
physical education classes. Other intercollegiate sports such as precision
skating and town availability for youth hockey, hockey leagues, open
skating, etc.are possible and help fund the operations. In areas where the
hockey has begun and grown in non-university rinks or in university rinks
with little fan space there is strong disincentive to build a D1 program.
Of course, this is only a tendency and not a necessary condition for a D1
program.
A question more interesting to me than why Syracuse has joined the ranks is
why so many others have not? The Illinois setting brings up both
Northwestern U and the U of Illinois as prime candidates in many ways.
Also, what stops programs like Ohio U., Penn State, Indiana and others that
have had strong club hockey programs for years to stay club when colleges
with similar characteristics have D1 ice hockey? It just seems to make
sense to have a program when it does so much for the town, gown and alumni
community by having a full use arena. In terms of full access it supports
sports like women's ice hockey, women's precision ice skating, club hockey,
etc.
Seems I recall a posting thread a few years back when Notre Dame was
thinking of joining the Big Ten for football that there is a big 10 rule
that would mean if more than x=5 teams play the sport, they must play as the
Big Ten, now consisting of 11 schools. If true in many conferences, that
would explain a lot. Much has been invested in the rather independent
hockey conferences and it seems they have lots to lose by expansion to
beyond x to include a member of a powerful conference such as the Big Ten.
Bob Hamilton
-----Original Message-----
From: Rowe, Thomas
To: [log in to unmask]
Date: Wednesday, January 10, 2007 9:44 AM
Subject: Re: CHN News Alert: SYRACUSE GETS SERIOUS
>Lets not confuse mode with average. MA and NY may have the most, but
>when you look for the geographic center of hockey its going to be well
>west of there. Alaska will exert undue influence because of distance,
>but even a minority of teams out West can shift the balance point. I
>haven't done the math, but I would wager the hockey center of the US is
>probably somewhere between Western PA and Eastern MI (conceivably even
>in Canada someplace). In the meantime, with all due respect to places
>like Boston, for my money, the center of college hockey is still
>Minnesota (even though as a Wisconsinite the social rules of engagement
>mandate that I hate them :-)).
>
>Tom Rowe
>Stuck in Div III hell in Stevens Point, WI
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