Brian makes an excellent point about the number of HE teams in the Boston
area as compared to the ECAC.  It is not a question of HE vs the ECAC, it
is the simple fact that most of the teams and the most popular teams in
the area are all in HE.  People are talking about the ECAC being slighted
as if it is a crime.  There is so much competition for the entertainment
dollar and in the media for events in this town, that not everything can
be seen or covered.  The average fan is going to see whatever he/she is
more familiar with, and that usually means HE because of all the local teams
and the huge NESN tv contract.  In addition, when a HE team is playing, more
often than not it is opposed by another HE team that is also nearby and
has a similar attraction.  Harvard has an attraction, but average fans don't
know much about the other ECAC teams any more since the split.  Before the
split, it was all ECAC.  Since then, with HE having such a complete
domination of the area within an hour's drive of Boston, it should be no
surprise that HE is the main attraction.
 
It would be almost like the CCHA deciding to move its tourney into St Paul
on the same weekend as the WCHA FF.  Most ECAC teams are no longer in the
Boston area.  It would make sense to move the ECAC FF out.  But tradition
does play a strong part in it, along with the teams' desires to get to the
Garden and try to win a championship where years earlier, ECAC heroes of
the past did the same thing.
 
Don't forget that despite its contract being specifically with HE, NESN also
goes out of its way to cover 6-8 games a year between HE and ECAC teams,
in addition to carrying the ECAC portion of Hockeyfest.  And the ECAC FF has
always gotten superb coverage in the Boston papers.  I don't expect *blanket*
coverage in the Boston area of the ECAC like there is of HE.  Why should
there be?  Most of the people interested in it aren't going to read it or
see it.
 
 
- mike