Once again Mike has stolen my thunder on this issue with his authoritative
post, but I'll add my 2› plus trend factor.  I also agree that the NC$$ is
playing with fire in altering the playoffs to ensure an East vs. West
match-up in the finals.  I would guess (if it's true) this is a reaction to
last year's Albany *bust* where the fans got to see the CCHA playoffs instead
of an interleague scramble.  The word on the street was that Knickerbocker
officials expected Maine to bring in 3000-4000 additional fans to the final
four especially impacting on the Thursday schedule.  However Maine got ambushed
in Providence leaving a lot of unfilled seats at the Knick.
 
But IMHO, the NC$$ "fix" for the problem is superficial and unfair.  Why should
a conference be penalized for having a couple of great teams?  The CCHA again
has a lock on the best teams (3 out of the top 7.)  It would be unjust to keep
out one of those teams just in the interest of geographical parity.  Why
doesn't the NC$$ adopt the system for seeding the basketball tournament?  Both
fans and coaches seem to agree that the basketball system is fair and
equitable, and hardly affects the attendance or tv ratings.
 
Oh, and BTW, those CCHA teams put on a great show, and I wouldn't mind watching
them again--as long as an ECAC team wins all the marbles.
                    _
            "NYS   // Hockey"
        Go 'Gate  //   Brian Morris
          Go RPI //      Albany, NY
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