USCHO's Todd Milewski reports today that "..the likely addition of hockey to the Big Ten Conference lineup has college hockey commissioners doing some advance planning."
It's been reported elsewhere that the Big Ten plan to begin conference play has been pushed up by at least a year. Initially, the thought was that a BTHC would not happen until 2014-15, if at all.
Now, Milewski is reporting that the leaders of the WCHA and CCHA are pushing ahead with plans based on the Big Ten starting conference play in 2013-14.
I've written and talked in the past about my thoughts on the Big Ten Hockey Conference. Having covered teams in the CCHA and WCHA in previous positions, I understand the concerns from many college hockey fans about a BTHC being the "death star" of college hockey.
I don't see it that way. Yes, moving Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State out of the CCHA and Wisconsin and Minnesota from the WCHA will obviously shake things up, but the two conferences will survive.
I suspect that the Big Ten will find a way to keep scheduling games against the traditional rivals in the two current conferences while allowing Penn State to build rivalries with some of those schools as well (ie: Notre Dame and Miami to name just two).
Ironically, Milewski's report comes just one day before the WCHA's "Frozen Five" gets underway in St. Paul, Minn. and two days before the the CCHA Championship Final kicks off at the Joe in Detroit.
It's been reported elsewhere that the Big Ten plan to begin conference play has been pushed up by at least a year. Initially, the thought was that a BTHC would not happen until 2014-15, if at all.
Now, Milewski is reporting that the leaders of the WCHA and CCHA are pushing ahead with plans based on the Big Ten starting conference play in 2013-14.
WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod said he has heard from Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany and representatives from Wisconsin and Penn State that the Big Ten will push forward with a plan to sponsor hockey beginning with the 2013–14 season.
The addition of another sport under the Big Ten umbrella has to be approved by the presidents of the member schools.
An announcement of the conference’s intention to go down that path could come as early as Monday, sources said.
“It’s never done until it’s done, but every indication from all of those sources is that this is what their intent is,” McLeod said. “So I take them at their word. I guess who knows what could derail it, but that’s the premise that we’ve been working on, that they’re going to start in ’13–14 and have a standalone conference and a standalone tournament.”
I've written and talked in the past about my thoughts on the Big Ten Hockey Conference. Having covered teams in the CCHA and WCHA in previous positions, I understand the concerns from many college hockey fans about a BTHC being the "death star" of college hockey.
I don't see it that way. Yes, moving Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State out of the CCHA and Wisconsin and Minnesota from the WCHA will obviously shake things up, but the two conferences will survive.
I suspect that the Big Ten will find a way to keep scheduling games against the traditional rivals in the two current conferences while allowing Penn State to build rivalries with some of those schools as well (ie: Notre Dame and Miami to name just two).
Ironically, Milewski's report comes just one day before the WCHA's "Frozen Five" gets underway in St. Paul, Minn. and two days before the the CCHA Championship Final kicks off at the Joe in Detroit.
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