G.M. Finniss writes:
>I couldn't really see HE going after Notre Dame.  They're not a very big draw
>and the travel costs for HE teams would probably quadruple and then some to
>have to come to South Bend on a regular basis.
 
In terms of a draw, actually, HE couldn't do much better than if ND
were to join.  The name recognition alone is enough.  Back when ND was
an Independent, I saw them play two games at Merrimack and one at BC,
and all were well attended.  There seem to be a lot of ND alumni in
the Boston area, and also, a lot of people went to the games to root
against the Irish. :-)  I remember sitting amongst fans at BC who knew
nothing about ND hockey but just wanted to see any ND team lose.  It
was kind of funny because knowing the trials and tribulations that the
ND program had been through, I wanted to see them do well.  Almost any
other school that had an underdog hockey team would be bound to get
some support from the fans, but as I am sure Coach Schafer knows, that
isn't always the case with ND.
 
ND went 1-2 in those 3 games, losing at BC 8-1 and at Merrimack 6-0
in, I believe, 1988-89; then a couple of years later, ND trailed
Merrimack 1-0 through most of the game but tied it off a draw with
under 10 seconds left, then won on an identical play in OT.  Ouch.
 
It is true that the travel expenses would make an ND entry into HE
very unlikely - more so for ND than the HE schools, I would think, all
of which usually budget for a couple of long trips a season.  ND would
have to make that trip East probably 5-6 times a year.
 
But this is all idle speculation since I definitely believe ND hockey
would not leave the CCHA for HE no matter what the athletic department
does.  And, Big East != HE; there is no connection between the two
conferences other than a couple of schools overlapping.  It's kind of
like the Big Ten with the CCHA or WCHA.
 
When it comes to holiday tourneys, though, I'm still pushing the
"Catholic Tournament" - BC, Merrimack, Notre Dame, PC.  Maybe the Pope
could drop the first puck. :-)
---                                                                   ---
Mike Machnik                                            [log in to unmask]
Cabletron Systems, Inc.                                    *HMM* 11/13/93
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