National Collegiate Hockey Conference

[RichH]

I confess I like the table at the end of the article showing national titles by 2013-14 conference affiliation.  The ECAC would have a total of five, while the WCHA, the king of all college hockey to hear them tell it, would have three.  All by Michigan Tech, which should tell you how long ago that was (1975 was their last one).

If Northern Michigan does join the re-imaged WCHA, that would boost their total to four.

Our "WZHA" joke becomes much less ironic now.  My next question is which conference assumes the "most insufferable fans" title: BTHC or the Nancies.

[The Rancor]

do all of BU's titles belong to the ECAC?

[cbuckser]

I confess I like the table at the end of the article showing national titles by 2013-14 conference affiliation.  The ECAC would have a total of five, while the WCHA, the king of all college hockey to hear them tell it, would have three.  All by Michigan Tech, which should tell you how long ago that was (1975 was their last one).

If Northern Michigan does join the re-imaged WCHA, that would boost their total to four.

Our "WZHA" joke becomes much less ironic now.  My next question is which conference assumes the "most insufferable fans" title: BTHC or the Nancies.

The remnants of the CCHA & WCHA are suffering the same fate as the ECAC did in 1984.  In the best-case scenario (i.e., no programs get eliminated), the impact on those conferences will be similar.

[Trotsky]

The remnants of the CCHA & WCHA are suffering the same fate as the ECAC did in 1984.

Strongly disagree.  In 1984 the ECAC lost 40% of its traditional power programs (BU, BC) but kept the rest (Cornell, Clarkson, Harvard).  The CCHA and WCHA just lost everything.

[KeithK]

The remnants of the CCHA & WCHA are suffering the same fate as the ECAC did in 1984.

Strongly disagree.  In 1984 the ECAC lost 40% of its traditional power programs (BU, BC) but kept the rest (Cornell, Clarkson, Harvard).  The CCHA and WCHA just lost everything.

The spiteful part of me wants to enjoy the schadenfreude watching the pompous WCHA types suffer.  But this is bad for college hockey so the better part of my nature is trying to resist the temptation.

[Trotsky]

The spiteful part of me wants to enjoy the schadenfreude watching the pompous WCHA types suffer.  But this is bad for college hockey so the better part of my nature is trying to resist the temptation.

Anyway, the most pompous WCHA types are now pompous NCHC types (NoDak) or even more pompous BTHC types (Minny).

[Scersk '97]

With the formation of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference ("national"... seriously?) and the departure (return) of Northern Michigan to the WCHA, it seemed a good time to update the map of the 2013 hockey landscape.  My apologies on the color for the NCHC, but, while I wanted to emphasize how it was all clearly about money, I had already used "puke" for the BTHC.


[clear]

What strikes me is how North Dakota and UMD could have formed the nucleus of a "Northern" league, including Northern Michigan and LSSU, and Denver, CC, and UNO could have gone together with the remainders of the CCHA to form a "Southern" league, perhaps even including Alabama-Huntsville.  But, as I said above, this was clearly about the $$$.

I fear that LSSU will be "left out in the cold."

[Trotsky]

Nice map.  If the CCHA and WCHA combined, LSSU would be the "hinge" of the new conference.

[KeithK]

So western hockey goes from two conferences of around 12 apiece to four conferences of six, thus doubling the number of automatic bids issued to western schools.  Hardly seems fair.  Maybe the ECAC should split into two six team leagues who just happen to play an interlocking schedule and a single tournament.

Anyone care to speculate to what degree the new alignment will impact PWR rankings?  Does playing in the six team Nancy's or the six team Big-Twen significantly improve your ranking?  Eliminating a bunch of lower ranked teams from the schedule should help some.  But assuming they go with 20 game conference schedules there will be a lot of non conference games to fill that might end up against "lower" ranked teams.  Unless the conference end up with some sort of interlocking schedule.  In theory the two new conferences could have a 12 game interlocking non-conference schedule.

This all sucks, by the way.

[jtwcornell91]

And now it sounds like the CCHA might poach RMU, Mercyhurst, Niagara and Canisius to replace its losses.  Bad news for RIT if it happens, but perhaps it will eventually lead to the Ivies splitting off and the ECAC grabbing RIT and Army as travel partners for Colgate and Quinnipiac.  Then Air Force may be in the same boat as Alabama-Huntsville...

[Trotsky]

perhaps it will eventually lead to the Ivies splitting off and the ECAC grabbing RIT and Army as travel partners for Colgate and Quinnipiac.

Why would that be in any way likely to happen?

[Josh '99]

And now it sounds like the CCHA might poach RMU, Mercyhurst, Niagara and Canisius to replace its losses.  Bad news for RIT if it happens, but perhaps it will eventually lead to the Ivies splitting off and the ECAC grabbing RIT and Army as travel partners for Colgate and Quinnipiac.  Then Air Force may be in the same boat as Alabama-Huntsville...

Given Air Force's current conference affiliation, it seems like they don't really give a crap about travel expenses (insert obvious joke about airplanes here) and will land on their feet however things shake out.  (Last year they made an Alaska trip and seven trips East.)

[Josh '99]

With the formation of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference ("national"... seriously?) and the departure (return) of Northern Michigan to the WCHA, it seemed a good time to update the map of the 2013 hockey landscape.  My apologies on the color for the NCHC, but, while I wanted to emphasize how it was all clearly about money, I had already used "puke" for the BTHC.


[clear]

What strikes me is how North Dakota and UMD could have formed the nucleus of a "Northern" league, including Northern Michigan and LSSU, and Denver, CC, and UNO could have gone together with the remainders of the CCHA to form a "Southern" league, perhaps even including Alabama-Huntsville.  But, as I said above, this was clearly about the $$$.

I fear that LSSU will be "left out in the cold."

If you were so inclined, you could claim that UND and UMD would rather be grouped with Denver and CC and Miami, rather than NMU and MTU and LSSU, in order to play in a stronger conference because that better prepares you to win championships, and that isn't really about the money.  I'm not so inclined, personally, but I think you could at least plausibly claim that.

[ugarte]

And now it sounds like the CCHA might poach RMU, Mercyhurst, Niagara and Canisius to replace its losses.  Bad news for RIT if it happens, but perhaps it will eventually lead to the Ivies splitting off and the ECAC grabbing RIT and Army as travel partners for Colgate and Quinnipiac.  Then Air Force may be in the same boat as Alabama-Huntsville...

Given Air Force's current conference affiliation, it seems like they don't really give a crap about travel expenses (insert obvious joke about airplanes military spending here) and will land on their feet however things shake out.  (Last year they made an Alaska trip and seven trips East.)

FYP

[jtwcornell91]

And now it sounds like the CCHA might poach RMU, Mercyhurst, Niagara and Canisius to replace its losses.  Bad news for RIT if it happens, but perhaps it will eventually lead to the Ivies splitting off and the ECAC grabbing RIT and Army as travel partners for Colgate and Quinnipiac.  Then Air Force may be in the same boat as Alabama-Huntsville...

Given Air Force's current conference affiliation, it seems like they don't really give a crap about travel expenses (insert obvious joke about airplanes here) and will land on their feet however things shake out.  (Last year they made an Alaska trip and seven trips East.)

The AHA might care, especially if it gets reduced to its New England core.

In retrospect, CCHA - WMU - Notre Dame - UAF + RMU + Mercyhurst + Canisius + Niagara = 7 teams, so in this scenario RIT might end up as the 8th CCHA team, even without scholarships.  The resulting league would even have reasonable travel partnerships: LS/FS, BG/RM, Mh/Ca, RT/Ni.  I guess this implicitly assumes the WCHA fills itself out to 8 teams with UAF and USAFA.