With the recent influx of new teams into both the WCHA and CCHA the past few
years, I have been wondering........(without opening up too big a can of worms)
how league affiliations are determined when a new school seeks a membership.
 
The recent activity on the HOCKEY L from our friends in Alaska reminded me of
this question, which has been bothering me for some time!  Having followed
Northern Michigan University's program since their inception in the early 70's
they were a member of the CCHA (along with Michigan Tech), many fans
were disappointed when they bolted to the WCHA, because of losing the old
rivalries (sp?) and not being as familiar with the teams from the west.  Also,
logistically, for team and fan travel, flying was almost required, except for
Minnesota and Wisconsin.
 
Was it even an option to offer Fairbanks and Anchorage membership into the
WCHA, and possibly bring NMU or MTU back into the CCHA? (Or any team; they
just come to mind because they weren't in the WCHA originally)  Or how about
Notre Dame; was joining the Hockey East or ECAC ever an option?  I remember
how the University of Miami was wooed by many leagues when they were seeking
affiliation, due to their football team's strength; do other sports matter?
 
Maybe someone in the CCHA league office could shed some light on the decision
making process, or some of the HOCKEY-L'ers who "know the real scoop!"  Do
all major league officials get together when a new team is seeking affiliation
and see where they would best fit, or does a team approach a league one-on-one
without any input from the other major conferences?
 
GO 'CATS GO!   Northern Michigan University 1991 National Champs!
 
Thanks.  Todd (ext.2706)
 
HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey;  send information to
[log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.