From Gregg Wong's College Hockey Notebook in today's (11/15/94) St. Paul Pioneer
Press:
 
ESPN wants to televise the Dec. 17 Gophers game at Colorado College, but the
network is offering the WCHA only $2,000 for broadcasting rights.  And the
Gophers are balking.
 
"That's what they paid to do the Duluth-Wisconsin game (on Nov. 5), and that was
on ESPN2, not on ESPN1 like this one would be,"  Gophers assistant athletic
director Pat Forceia said.  "ESPN gives the IHL $75,000 per game, and I doubt
the IHL product is $73,000 more valuable than ours.  And I'm sure many more
people will watch a Minnesota-CC game than one between Fort Wayne and
Cincinnati.
 
"We'd all like to see ESPN do the game.  They said they'd do an NHL-like
broadcast, with Tom Mees doing the play-by-play, but we don't want us or the
league being taken advantage of."
 
Midwest Sports Channel, which carries most of the Gophers games, is scheduled to
telecast both games that weekend.  Even if ESPN does televise the Saturday night
game, Forceia said, the game still would be shown on MSC.
 
"I expect we'll hear more in a week or so," Forceia said.  "It's a decision
we'll make together -- the league, CC and us."
 
If ESPN picks up the game, the starting time would be moved up to 7:05 p.m CST.
{end quoted stuff}
 
Well, I hope it comes off.  I suspect Forceia's (former St. Thomas goalie and
North Stars VP) just giving the WCHA's negotiating stance...
 
 
Pam Sweeney                             Go Gophers!!!
[log in to unmask]       1993 & 1994 WCHA Playoff Champions
                                   1994 NC$$ PHinal PHour
                                        Ski-U-Mah!!!