Christopherson Column: Endless quest for big bucks ruins college hockey

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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per Christopherson:

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

How many times have you heard that phrase stated in your life? Wise words...

Division I college hockey certainly wasn't broken. It was what it was, a sport that maybe wasn't a national sensation or something that captured the country's conciousness like college basketball's "March Madness" or college football's frenzied four-team playoff format, but college hockey had a passionate, even rabid following. Hockey fans care about their sport maybe more than any other sports' fans care about theirs.

But then the Big 10 Conference powers that be, who wanted to line their member universities' pockets with as much cash as possible, formed a hockey conference so they could show Big 10 hockey games on TV – not on Fox Sports North or any other Fox Sports regional channels across the country, and not on one of the secondary ESPN channels – but on their own Big 10 Network. That way, they could maximize every last cent of revenue.

The decision ruined college hockey, at least around these parts. Or at least for Gopher hockey fans. The excellent, rivalry-filled Western Collegiate Hockey Association was gutted as a result of the decision, with Big 10 members Minnesota and Wisconsin leaving to form the Big 10 hockey conference, and other WCHA powers North Dakota, St. Cloud State, Minnesota Duluth, Colorado College and Denver leaving to be part of the new
National Collegiate Hockey Conference.

So here we are, about three years after that greed-driven decision, and I've never cared less about Gopher hockey. There was a time when, if it was a Friday or Saturday night and both the Gophers and NHL's Minnesota Wild were playing on TV, I'd pick the Gophers every time, and check in on the Wild game during commercials or period intermissions.

http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20151211/NEWS/151219926

Go Gophers!!
 

Agreed.
Only thing I would add, that aids to my disinterest, is Lucia.
 


Shi**y coaching and recruiting is what actually ruins Gopher hockey.
 

I'm so disinterested. Used to watch almost every game. Now I forget they are even playing half the time.
 




The program has backslid horribly the past two years. Last year's team, loaded with talent, sleepwalked through most of the year and won an awful Big 10 conference title. And this year's team is just plain awful, regardless of what league they're playing in. Lucia is coasting at this point and his program, at best, is doing the same. Until there's a significant change, status quo will remain in place imo. When Lucia first got here, he talked openly about winning national titles. Now, he talks about things like "process" and "the journey," which has become code for "our team really isn't good."
 

MRJ said:
The program has backslid horribly the past two years. Last year's team, loaded with talent, sleepwalked through most of the year and won an awful Big 10 conference title. And this year's team is just plain awful, regardless of what league they're playing in. Lucia is coasting at this point and his program, at best, is doing the same. Until there's a significant change, status quo will remain in place imo. When Lucia first got here, he talked openly about winning national titles. Now, he talks about things like "process" and "the journey," which has become code for "our team really isn't good."
Click to expand...

Not to mention, our back to back titles was a LONG time ago in the world of athletics, especially in college hockey where a program like us has tremendous advantages.
 



The rise in ticket prices and donations has killed the atmosphere at Mariucci as well. I had season tix since '89 but had to give them up as I simply can'y do it anymore. They priced out the hardcore true fans like me and it makes me sick.
 

Anyone have a read on the secondary ticket market? I watch on TV and see lots of empty seats, but sites like StubHub have relatively few tickets for sale and the prices don't reflect what appears to be low demand. Are there lots of tickets for sale outside? What's the going rate? Are they all corporate seats that just don't get used and there is no one interested enough to try to sell them?
 

http://www.startribune.com/arizona-state-sees-sunny-hockey-future/362118721/

Crookston complains; Tempe transitions.

In its first year of NCAA Division I hockey, Arizona State is transitioning from the American Collegiate Hockey Association (club hockey) and already has earned a reputation for being a hardworking team that can beat Alaska-Fairbanks, sweep Lake Superior State and go toe-to-toe with Wisconsin and Clarkson.
 




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