Big Ten Hockey Expansion

N

nic

New member
This blog post (and referenced article) are not completely Big Ten oriented so I apologized if this is the wrong place to post it. However, if NCAA hockey expansion were to occur, the Big Ten is a likely location. The NHL was looking at Illinois due the proximity of the Blackhawks, However the two mostly likely locations mentioned were NU and Iowa. I grew up a fan of hockey would love more Big Ten teams. I was curious if the board members here think NU fans would support a hockey team and be excited about the possibility? NU and Iowa were at the top because of existing facilities, $$, fan base and being in a conference that already supports hockey.

The locations for expansion that were listed:

Nebraska

Iowa

Tennessee

Cincy

Syracuse

Iowa St.

Pitt

N.W.

Illinois

Colorado

Arizona

Utah

http://mgoblog.com/content/college-hockey-expansion-again

 
I haven't lived in Lincoln for the past 28 years however it seemed to be well supported back then. I think with the increase in athletic funds that we are starting to see from the big10 this is a real possibility. Hockey is a confusing sport for the novice fan, however NU fans usually become very knowledgeable and would probably support with #'s.

 
Bigred_inSD said:
I'd love to see Nebraska get hockey. How would they compete with a team like UNO who has some success?
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University of Nebraska regents would probably never approve UNL to get varsity hockey, as it could have such a negative impact on Nebraska-Omaha hockey and their overall athletic department.

 
ColoradoHusk said:
Bigred_inSD said:
I'd love to see Nebraska get hockey. How would they compete with a team like UNO who has some success?
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University of Nebraska regents would probably never approve UNL to get varsity hockey, as it could have such a negative impact on Nebraska-Omaha hockey and their overall athletic department.
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I'm not sure if there's a hard and fast policy by the NU Regents on whether they'd allow UNL to start a varsity Hockey program or not, but:

-It has been rumored that there is a "gentleman's agreement" in place between the NUAD and Trev over at UNO that after the move into the B1G and the controversial sh#t-canning of the UNO football and wrestling programs, Nebraska would refrain from starting a varsity Hockey program so as not to compete with the Mavs (but with the change in regime in the interim at NU who knows if that bond is still as solid as it may have been between Trev and TO)

-UNO's hockey program is a behemoth nationally now with Baxter Arena, a Frozen Four appearance and a HOF coach, I doubt that starting a varsity program at NU would have any measurable impact on them at this point. (The Lincoln Stars, however, would likely be the program to suffer most - similar to how UNO pushed the Lancers out of the way in Omaha.) But back to the point, the Regents tend to favor UNL over UNO in practically any matter anyway, my guess is they would not stand in the way here either.

-Finally, I believe that Jim Delany and the NHL carry significant enough juice that if they really want something to happen in this area, they can make it happen...greasing the wheels that need to be greased i.e. NU Regents. Money talks, and when it comes to $$$ in the B1G, one needs to look no further than Chicago. If Delany and co want this to happen, I'm sure it will happen.

IMO.

 
If Iowa starts talking about getting a team I can't see Nebraska standing by without getting one too. If they both get a team we could have a true hockey rivalry instead of the manufactured one in football.

Nebraska gets a full share this year. That's 40 to 50 million. They can afford to start a team. If the fan base is there the hockey team will eventually support itself.

 
It'd be nice to wear my Husker hockey jersey to games where it actually makes sense to wear it! I'm a supporter of UNO hockey right now, but if the Huskers got a hockey team, the Mavs would play second fiddle in my hockey fanhood in a heartbeat.

 
It's doubtful we'll get a hockey team as long as Title IX is in place.  It might be more likely for us to get a women's hockey team than a men's.   :-/

 
NUance said:
It's doubtful we'll get a hockey team as long as Title IX is in place.  It might be more likely for us to get a women's hockey team than a men's.   :-/
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As I understood the conversation from a while ago, as long as we added both men's and women's ice hockey at the same time, there wouldn't be any issues. 

 
VectorVictor said:
As I understood the conversation from a while ago, as long as we added both men's and women's ice hockey at the same time, there wouldn't be any issues. 
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Yeah, good point.  I guess was thinking in terms of having more football players on campus under Frost, and needing to either add female athletes or get rid of existing male athletes.  

 
NUance said:
Yeah, good point.  I guess was thinking in terms of having more football players on campus under Frost, and needing to either add female athletes or get rid of existing male athletes.  
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This is also why Universities were seriously looking at introducing women's football at one point and time. 

 
VectorVictor said:
This is also why Universities were seriously looking at introducing women's football at one point and time. 
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Awesome!  That'd be totally consistent with Title IX, right??  lulz 

lingerie-football-league.jpg


 
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