OT: Notre Dame to join the Big Ten — for hockey

[ichawk24]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...in-the-big-ten-for-hockey-20160322-story.html

The Tribune has learned that Notre Dame will join the Big Ten for men’s ice hockey beginning in 2017-2018, with an official announcement coming late Tuesday or Wednesday.

By adding a top-notch hockey program in its geographic footprint, conference officials are hoping to boost what became an official Big Ten sport in 2013-14 with Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin.

Notre Dame makes seven, and Big Ten deputy commissioner Brad Traviolia said there are no current plans to expand to eight. Some Illinois and Nebraska fans wish their club team would upgrade to varsity, but such a move requires major funding and proper facilities.

 

[SoDakHawk]

Once the arena in Coralville is finished Iowa will add men's and women's D1 hockey programs. Count on it.

The conference needs more programs. The BTN needs programming. Iowa, with it's Title 9 issues, needs to add a women's sport or two. The men's program will generate the revenue to offset the costs of having to add the women's program.

 

[83Hawk]

I'd tell Notre Dame to pound sand. Either be in the Big 10 for everything...or nothing.

 

[whatsup13579er]

Once the arena in Coralville is finished Iowa will add men's and women's D1 hockey programs. Count on it.

The conference needs more programs. The BTN needs programming. Iowa, with it's Title 9 issues, needs to add a women's sport or two. The men's program will generate the revenue to offset the costs of having to add the women's program.

There is a nice tv market out there non-major for college sports. B1G already has cornered the market on college wrestling. They should attempt to do the same with hockey and LAX. With alternate channels becoming increasingly easier to access, the BTN could easily add a lot of wrestling/hockey programming without interrupting their regular BTN programming. Iowa needs to get on board. Heck they could add hockey tomorrow and play up in Cedar Rapids where the Roughriders play.

 

[whatsup13579er]

On a side note, how many conferences is ND going to dip their toes into before they jump in?

 

[HawkinMN]

Once the arena in Coralville is finished Iowa will add men's and women's D1 hockey programs. Count on it.

The conference needs more programs. The BTN needs programming. Iowa, with it's Title 9 issues, needs to add a women's sport or two. The men's program will generate the revenue to offset the costs of having to add the women's program.

How many seats does the new arena hold? That would be awesome to have a D1 team for both men and women.

 

[nu2u]

Once the arena in Coralville is finished Iowa will add men's and women's D1 hockey programs. Count on it.

That would be sweet. Is this a wild guess or have you heard something to confirm?

 

[nu2u]

How many seats does the new arena hold? That would be awesome to have a D1 team for both men and women.

Did a quick search and found this 2015 article that reports a 7000 seat arena and specifically mentions a U of I hockey connection.

http://www.sbncollegehockey.com/big...oralville-iowa-looking-at-new-7000-seat-arena

 

[SoDakHawk]

I've heard nothing concrete but Coralville Arena is counting on a hockey team as their primary tenant. I've read news accounts with discussion about housing a USHL team there. That's a load of bull. Anybody who knows anything about the USHL will quickly realize the area market for the league is already saturated with teams in Des Moines, Waterloo, and most importantly Cedar Rapids. Coralville Arena will be about 25 minutes away from Cedar Rapids, infringing on Cedar Rapids territory. Also, the only team in the league that approaches needing a 7,000 seat arena is Sioux Falls, and that's just because they are nuts up there and the sport is exploding. Everywhere else the arena sizes are in the 3500 range. So Coralvillle is going to build an arena for a USHL franchise that is right on top of an existing franchise and expect to fill a 7,000 seat arena? That does not add up. Also, junior hockey teams do not work in markets that are dominated by a college entity. Take a look at the future of the NAHL Brookings Blizzard. Brookings is home to South Dakota State University and the Blizzard just can't compete in a market dominated by SDSU. Same thing would happen in Iowa City/Coralville where the Hawkeyes dominate everything. A USHL franchise would not have a chance.

As for the Iowa Club hockey team playing there, 7,000 seats is overkill and there is no way anybody with business sense would count on them to anchor such a venue. Could they play there once in a while, sure, but to count on the team as an anchor tenant, no way. What would be an ideal anchor tenant? D1 Iowa hockey. What could compete and draw in a market dominated by Hawkeye athletics? Another team donning the Tigerhawk, of course. The Big Ten needs teams, the BTN needs programming, and frankly, I would not be surprised if the day comes where a school's BTN share is proportional to the programming they provide. Valuable properties that spend a lot of money putting product out there don't like free riders. The BIG is getting into two emerging sports now, hockey and lacrosse. Members are going to need to offer one or the other. While football and basketball are the BIG's unquestioned cash cows there does need to be a diversification in its sports offerings to keep eyeballs watching the network.

 

[nu2u]

I've heard nothing concrete but Coralville Arena is counting on a hockey team as their primary tenant. I've read news accounts with discussion about housing a USHL team there. That's a load of bull. Anybody who knows anything about the USHL will quickly realize the area market for the league is already saturated with teams in Des Moines, Waterloo, and most importantly Cedar Rapids. Coralville Arena will be about 25 minutes away from Cedar Rapids, infringing on Cedar Rapids territory. Also, the only team in the league that approaches needing a 7,000 seat arena is Sioux Falls, and that's just because they are nuts up there and the sport is exploding. Everywhere else the arena sizes are in the 3500 range. So Coralvillle is going to build an arena for a USHL franchise that is right on top of an existing franchise and expect to fill a 7,000 seat arena? That does not add up. Also, junior hockey teams do not work in markets that are dominated by a college entity. Take a look at the future of the NAHL Brookings Blizzard. Brookings is home to South Dakota State University and the Blizzard just can't compete in a market dominated by SDSU. Same thing would happen in Iowa City/Coralville where the Hawkeyes dominate everything. A USHL franchise would not have a chance.

As for the Iowa Club hockey team playing there, 7,000 seats is overkill and there is no way anybody with business sense would count on them to anchor such a venue. Could they play there once in a while, sure, but to count on the team as an anchor tenant, no way. What would be an ideal anchor tenant? D1 Iowa hockey. What could compete and draw in a market dominated by Hawkeye athletics? Another team donning the Tigerhawk, of course. The Big Ten needs teams, the BTN needs programming, and frankly, I would not be surprised if the day comes where a school's BTN share is proportional to the programming they provide. Valuable properties that spend a lot of money putting product out there don't like free riders. The BIG is getting into two emerging sports now, hockey and lacrosse. Members are going to need to offer one or the other. While football and basketball are the BIG's unquestioned cash cows there does need to be a diversification in its sports offerings to keep eyeballs watching the network.

Nice analysis. I believe the Iowa student body would be very supportive of a Hawkeye hockey team also.

 

[HawkinMN]

Did a quick search and found this 2015 article that reports a 7000 seat arena and specifically mentions a U of I hockey connection.

http://www.sbncollegehockey.com/big...oralville-iowa-looking-at-new-7000-seat-arena

Thanks. After I posted I did think google is my friend and saw that

 

[Niko13]

As a goaltender and a son coming up the ranks (3 yrs. old) I would love for Iowa to add a hockey team. Surprisingly there's a good amount of hockey talent in this state.

 

[StormHawk42]

As a goaltender and a son coming up the ranks (3 yrs. old) I would love for Iowa to add a hockey team. Surprisingly there's a good amount of hockey talent in this state.

Not to mention all those players from the local USHL programs are looking for a D1 home. Recruiting would not have to be all that difficult initially.

 

[ichawk24]

I'm intrigued by a Hawkeye hockey program, but adding two sports isn't a small thing. A Hawkeye varsity team isn't going to fill a 7k arena, either.

As for lacrosse/hockey, the B1G has added two affiliate programs. Johns Hopkins in lacrosse, the biggest name in the sport, and Notre Dame in hockey, the biggest name in college sports. Not a bad duo.

 

[whatsup13579er]

I'm intrigued by a Hawkeye hockey program, but adding two sports isn't a small thing. A Hawkeye varsity team isn't going to fill a 7k arena, either.

As for lacrosse/hockey, the B1G has added two affiliate programs. Johns Hopkins in lacrosse, the biggest name in the sport, and Notre Dame in hockey, the biggest name in college sports. Not a bad duo.

They might not fill a 7k arena every night but remember wrestling averages 8-9k. Once they get going it's not out of the question that a hockey team couldn't pull 5-7k. How many home games does college hockey play a year?

 

[Douglas C. Neidermeyer]

Maybe they could use the Coralville arena for Iowa's Curling team.....

 

[ichawk24]

They might not fill a 7k arena every night but remember wrestling averages 8-9k. Once they get going it's not out of the question that a hockey team couldn't pull 5-7k. How many home games does college hockey play a year?

Wrestling averages 8k+, but they also have 23 national team titles and play in the state that is the home of wrestling. Iowa varsity hockey doesn't even exist. They are not comparable.

Here is the current 2015-16 hockey attendance list. Most teams are showing 15-18 home games.
http://www.uscho.com/stats/attendance/division-i-men/2015-2016/

Iowa would be lucky to average 2k for hockey.

 

[nck24]

Maybe they could use the Coralville arena for Iowa's Curling team.....

Well.....a smaller arena might also make a good home for volleyball, gymnastics, and any other smaller crowd indoor sports. Reduces the schedule crowding at CHA.

 

[ANYCHawk]

There is a nice tv market out there non-major for college sports. B1G already has cornered the market on college wrestling. They should attempt to do the same with hockey and LAX. With alternate channels becoming increasingly easier to access, the BTN could easily add a lot of wrestling/hockey programming without interrupting their regular BTN programming. Iowa needs to get on board. Heck they could add hockey tomorrow and play up in Cedar Rapids where the Roughriders play.

Not sure how much of "nice TV market" is out there. The frozen four last year drew 635,000 households on ESPN for the championship. 2014 wrestling championships also on ESPN drew 253,000 viewers.

 

[ANYCHawk]

Wrestling averages 8k+, but they also have 23 national team titles and play in the state that is the home of wrestling. Iowa varsity hockey doesn't even exist. They are not comparable.

Here is the current 2015-16 hockey attendance list. Most teams are showing 15-18 home games.
http://www.uscho.com/stats/attendance/division-i-men/2015-2016/

Iowa would be lucky to average 2k for hockey.

This is correct. Programs much more established in much more of hockey markets average a few K. A new program in Iowa would be lucky to bring in 2K after the initial bump for being new.

 

[DogBoyRy]

That would be sweet. Is this a wild guess or have you heard something to confirm?

Once the arena in Coralville is finished Iowa will add men's and women's D1 hockey programs. Count on it.

The conference needs more programs. The BTN needs programming. Iowa, with it's Title 9 issues, needs to add a women's sport or two. The men's program will generate the revenue to offset the costs of having to add the women's program.

Wrong
Iowa has zero chance of having a competitive hockey team due to lack of instate talent.

 

[SoDakHawk]

Lack of recruits is not the issue there is plenty of talent available. Sorry, when you make statements like you did you prove you know nothing about amateur or collegiate Hockey.

 

[DogBoyRy]

Lack of recruits is not the issue there is plenty of talent available. Sorry, when you make statements like you did you prove you know nothing about amateur or collegiate Hockey.

I know a lot about it - please explain how scholarships get divided. Then let me know how many Iowa kids are on the top college hockey teams.
Unless you have instate talent with partial instate tuitions you'll get clobbered by states with players.
Iowa would be worse than they are at track..

 

[SoDakHawk]

Nebraska, Arizona, Ohio, Indiana, Alabama, even Alaska all have D1 programs in their states and none of them are churning out in-state talent to fill those rosters. Have you ever even looked at the makeup of a college hockey roster? Follow who gets verbal and written offers and from where? Understand where players come from, what leagues? Do you know the differences between the USHL, NAHL, NA3HL, WHL, EHL, MJHL, & BCHL? Very, very, very rare that a player goes straight from high school to college in this sport. Most of them spend some time cutting their teeth in a junior league somewhere, that includes players who are going Division 3.

If you don't understand the landscape of junior and college hockey where players come from and how the recruiting process works please refrain from telling us it would never work because we lack "in-state" talent.

Regarding scholarships, the limit is 18, and they can be divided up however the coach determines. That means the coach can give out 18 fulls, or divide the 18 up and divvy out partials. Is your concern that Iowa would not be able to afford the funding for scholarships for out-of-state players because 18 out-of-state cost more than 18 in-state? Better tell Fran and Kirk to stop the car at the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. UNI & ISU better do the same. Better not recruit out-of-state in any of the sports offerings if that's the case.

 

[whatsup13579er]

Wrestling averages 8k+, but they also have 23 national team titles and play in the state that is the home of wrestling. Iowa varsity hockey doesn't even exist. They are not comparable.

Here is the current 2015-16 hockey attendance list. Most teams are showing 15-18 home games.
http://www.uscho.com/stats/attendance/division-i-men/2015-2016/

Iowa would be lucky to average 2k for hockey.

I was thinking that Hockey would have about half that many home games. If they have 18 home games a year, I agree that they probably wouldn't draw very well versus if they would have 8 or 9. However, like wrestling or soccer, hockey teams develop a very loyal following. I could see lots of kids from Chicago that follow the Blackhawks going to Iowa Hockey games and lots of people in the IC/CR area becoming devoted fans. Since it is not a University owned arena, sell beer. That would also help attendance.

 

[BondHawk]

Nice analysis. I believe the Iowa student body would be very supportive of a Hawkeye hockey team also.

Geez, I don't know. How could any of them possibly make their way to the arena in the freezing cold and snow? Doesn't seem like it would be any easier for this generation's delicate flowers to hoof it down the Coralville strip and 1st Avenue than it is for them to attend events in Carver. And we all know how difficult that is for them.

 

[whatsup13579er]

Not sure how much of "nice TV market" is out there. The frozen four last year drew 635,000 households on ESPN for the championship. 2014 wrestling championships also on ESPN drew 253,000 viewers.

How many viewers does it takes for it to be viable for BTN to televise a sporting event on an alternate channel? I'm not saying there is a huge market. Wrestling/LAX/Hockey will never compete with Basketball or Football, but they should draw enough to be sustainable.

 

[nu2u]

Nebraska, Arizona, Ohio, Indiana, Alabama, even Alaska all have D1 programs in their states and none of them are churning out in-state talent to fill those rosters. Have you ever even looked at the makeup of a college hockey roster? Follow who gets verbal and written offers and from where? Understand where players come from, what leagues? Do you know the differences between the USHL, NAHL, NA3HL, WHL, EHL, MJHL, & BCHL? Very, very, very rare that a player goes straight from high school to college in this sport. Most of them spend some time cutting their teeth in a junior league somewhere, that includes players who are going Division 3.

If you don't understand the landscape of junior and college hockey where players come from and how the recruiting process works please refrain from telling us it would never work because we lack "in-state" talent.

Regarding scholarships, the limit is 18, and they can be divided up however the coach determines. That means the coach can give out 18 fulls, or divide the 18 up and divvy out partials. Is your concern that Iowa would not be able to afford the funding for scholarships for out-of-state players because 18 out-of-state cost more than 18 in-state? Better tell Fran and Kirk to stop the car at the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. UNI & ISU better do the same. Better not recruit out-of-state in any of the sports offerings if that's the case.

Pretty much nailed it.

 

[General Tso]

The Gooph fans are livid at the transition to B1G hockey because there are no hated rivals vs the WCHA. Their attendance is way down. Peraonally, I think it's silly that they are so stuck on rivalries that have names such as Mankato, St Cloud, and Duluth and wouldn't want to see their sport grow to more of a national stage by forming new rivalries with bigger name schools. That said, I'm sure they would love to see a team from Iowa to compete against.

 

[DogBoyRy]

Nebraska, Arizona, Ohio, Indiana, Alabama, even Alaska all have D1 programs in their states and none of them are churning out in-state talent to fill those rosters. Have you ever even looked at the makeup of a college hockey roster? Follow who gets verbal and written offers and from where? Understand where players come from, what leagues? Do you know the differences between the USHL, NAHL, NA3HL, WHL, EHL, MJHL, & BCHL? Very, very, very rare that a player goes straight from high school to college in this sport. Most of them spend some time cutting their teeth in a junior league somewhere, that includes players who are going Division 3.

If you don't understand the landscape of junior and college hockey where players come from and how the recruiting process works please refrain from telling us it would never work because we lack "in-state" talent.

Regarding scholarships, the limit is 18, and they can be divided up however the coach determines. That means the coach can give out 18 fulls, or divide the 18 up and divvy out partials. Is your concern that Iowa would not be able to afford the funding for scholarships for out-of-state players because 18 out-of-state cost more than 18 in-state? Better tell Fran and Kirk to stop the car at the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. UNI & ISU better do the same. Better not recruit out-of-state in any of the sports offerings if that's the case.

Yes I do.
Had a nephew who played in the USHL and then Vermont. His dad was a Dr. who understood the system very well and even owned a couple ice rinks with some others. We had this same discussion - basically Iowa has zero chance to be competitive in ice hockey in D1/Big 10 - also zero chance to be positive financially.

 

[ichawk24]

Nebraska, Arizona, Ohio, Indiana, Alabama, even Alaska all have D1 programs in their states and none of them are churning out in-state talent to fill those rosters.

Arizona State is 5-22-2. Alabama-Huntsville is 5-17-6. UNO is 18-17-1. OSU is 14-18-4. Alaska is 10-22-4. Alaska-Anchorage is 11-20-3.

It doesn't appear to be a strong argument that Iowa could be successful. Of course any team can have success, but a strong recruiting base always makes it more likely.

 

[grosie#2]

My only question is how interested would Iowa fans be in hockey? Once the newness wears off and Iowa can't produce a winning team, what then? I know Minnesota lives and dies hockey but I have never heard much about hockey in Iowa. I agree with a lot of the other threads on this site, if there isn't a good recruiting base for hockey in Iowa, it won't go anywhere. To hope to recruit leftover recruits from other states would seem to be a waste of time only producing below average teams.

 

[ft254]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...in-the-big-ten-for-hockey-20160322-story.html

The Tribune has learned that Notre Dame will join the Big Ten for men’s ice hockey beginning in 2017-2018, with an official announcement coming late Tuesday or Wednesday.

By adding a top-notch hockey program in its geographic footprint, conference officials are hoping to boost what became an official Big Ten sport in 2013-14 with Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin.

Notre Dame makes seven, and Big Ten deputy commissioner Brad Traviolia said there are no current plans to expand to eight. Some Illinois and Nebraska fans wish their club team would upgrade to varsity, but such a move requires major funding and proper facilities.

Hockey. OMG! That's all we need; another boring sport.

 

[whatsup13579er]

Arizona State is 5-22-2. Alabama-Huntsville is 5-17-6. UNO is 18-17-1. OSU is 14-18-4. Alaska is 10-22-4. Alaska-Anchorage is 11-20-3.

It doesn't appear to be a strong argument that Iowa could be successful. Of course any team can have success, but a strong recruiting base always makes it more likely.

Last year Iowa was 12-2 in football. That means they must be one of college football's elite programs, right?

UNO was in the Frozen Four last year. Arizona State's first year was this season. UA-H was a DII power winning 2 championships in 96 and 98. OSU made the Frozen Four in 98 and made the NCAA tourney 5 times in an 8 year span from 98-05. Alaska is above .500 the last 6 seasons with a NCAA tourney appearance in 2010. A-A is below average and has a really ugly mascot.

UNO, UAH, Alaska and tOSU have all had some hockey success. Why couldn't Iowa?

*Edit: I'll elaborate on 'Why couldn't Iowa?' Why couldn't an Iowa hockey team have similar success as Iowa basketball or Iowa baseball? Iowa basketball is an upper/middle of the pack B1G team that is usually in the hunt to make the NCAA's. Iowa baseball seems to have found the right coach and are looking to build on their success from last year.

 

[SoDakHawk]

Yes I do.
Had a nephew who played in the USHL and then Vermont. His dad was a Dr. who understood the system very well and even owned a couple ice rinks with some others. We had this same discussion - basically Iowa has zero chance to be competitive in ice hockey in D1/Big 10 - also zero chance to be positive financially.

And now it comes out. Hockey East B.S. Of course those folks out east don't want growth of the sport in the Midwest and especially not in the BIG. That would be a huge shift in the balance of power.

Ask him how competitive UNO is. Ask him if he ever thought the Mavs could field a competitive program, in Nebraska, on a Division 2 athletic budget.

Vermont went 15-22-3 this season (2 of those losses to UNO). In 2014-15 they averaged 3,777 and their building only seats 4,000. Clearly they don't have the recruiting base, facilities, or attendance support to compete in Division 1 hockey according to the stats a few have thrown out around here. Actually, if Iowa had a 7,000 seat arena, averaged 4,000 to 5,000 fans, and has the backing of the BIG and BTN they would be way ahead of Vermont in a very short time.

Now for the icing on the cake, how many in-state players are on Vermont's roster? Wait for it ... 2. That's right 2. Shoot, they have a player from Cali, another from Texas, but can only manage 2 from Vermont? And to emphasize the point of where these players come from, the player from Texas, he played his junior hockey in Cedar Rapids!

Now I don't want to totally bag on Vermont. Take a look at the roster for the top team in the country, North Dakota. 4 in-state players on their rosters, 3 of which are from Grand Forks. So even the best program in the country relies heavily on out-of-state recruiting.

Hockey players come from everywhere and will go anywhere to play. Now, if you need to play a recruiting angle, Iowa City is just an afternoon's drive from the Twin Cities, your parents can watch you play. But a successful hockey program is less about recruiting base and more about resources and commitment. An athletic department that is Top 15 in the country in terms of revenue has the resources to afford this and be very successful at it if they want to.

 

[grosie#2]

Last year Iowa was 12-2 in football. That means they must be one of college football's elite programs, right?

UNO was in the Frozen Four last year. Arizona State's first year was this season. UA-H was a DII power winning 2 championships in 96 and 98. OSU made the Frozen Four in 98 and made the NCAA tourney 5 times in an 8 year span from 98-05. Alaska is above .500 the last 6 seasons with a NCAA tourney appearance in 2010. A-A is below average and has a really ugly mascot.

UNO, UAH, Alaska and tOSU have all had some hockey success. Why couldn't Iowa?

U may be a big hockey fan, but it's a good bet most Iowa fans aren't. If they were they would have a college hockey team by now. There's also competition for the fans dollar. There's men and women's basketball, along with Iowa wrestling. I read complaints on these sites that Iowa basketball was having trouble selling out. I can't see hockey as a big seller for fans at Iowa, mainly because they never grew up with hockey and it will take yrs. for that to happen.

 

[whatsup13579er]

U may be a big hockey fan, but it's a good bet most Iowa fans aren't. If they were they would have a college hockey team by now. There's also competition for the fans dollar. There's men and women's basketball, along with Iowa wrestling. I read complaints on these sites that Iowa basketball was having trouble selling out. I can't see hockey as a big seller for fans at Iowa, mainly because they never grew up with hockey and it will take yrs. for that to happen.

I'm not a big hockey fan. Far from it. I usually pay attention to hockey during the Olympics and will occasionally watch NHL playoff hockey. I went to a couple RoughRider games when I was at Iowa. My roommates girlfriend liked going to the games and drove us drunks up there and back. Hockey is fast paced and fun to watch in person. I usually make it back to IC for a couple basketball games a year. If Iowa had a hockey game in town too I would go watch it.

It doesn't have to be a big seller to be successful. You don't need 15k fans at every home game. If you fill half of a 7k arena 18 times a year that would be pretty successful.

 

[Birky]

The argument that Iowa couldn't have success because of no in state talent is a little silly. Iowa couldn't have success at much of anything if that were the only factor.

 

[nu2u]

I know Minnesota lives and dies hockey but I have never heard much about hockey in Iowa

Really? The USHL has five franchise teams in Iowa alone. Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Dubuque, Sioux City, and Des Moines. Numerous youth organizations as well. Participation has been good for decades and it continues to grow.

 

[DogBoyRy]

And now it comes out. Hockey East B.S. Of course those folks out east don't want growth of the sport in the Midwest and especially not in the BIG. That would be a huge shift in the balance of power.

Ask him how competitive UNO is. Ask him if he ever thought the Mavs could field a competitive program, in Nebraska, on a Division 2 athletic budget.

Vermont went 15-22-3 this season (2 of those losses to UNO). In 2014-15 they averaged 3,777 and their building only seats 4,000. Clearly they don't have the recruiting base, facilities, or attendance support to compete in Division 1 hockey according to the stats a few have thrown out around here. Actually, if Iowa had a 7,000 seat arena, averaged 4,000 to 5,000 fans, and has the backing of the BIG and BTN they would be way ahead of Vermont in a very short time.

Now for the icing on the cake, how many in-state players are on Vermont's roster? Wait for it ... 2. That's right 2. Shoot, they have a player from Cali, another from Texas, but can only manage 2 from Vermont? And to emphasize the point of where these players come from, the player from Texas, he played his junior hockey in Cedar Rapids!

Now I don't want to totally bag on Vermont. Take a look at the roster for the top team in the country, North Dakota. 4 in-state players on their rosters, 3 of which are from Grand Forks. So even the best program in the country relies heavily on out-of-state recruiting.

Hockey players come from everywhere and will go anywhere to play. Now, if you need to play a recruiting angle, Iowa City is just an afternoon's drive from the Twin Cities, your parents can watch you play. But a successful hockey program is less about recruiting base and more about resources and commitment. An athletic department that is Top 15 in the country in terms of revenue has the resources to afford this and be very successful at it if they want to.

Actually he's from Chicago.
How would the Title IX problems work?
You idiots think women's hockey would draw well also?