So Minnesota & Wisconsin, both traditional powers from way back, don't make the NCAA hockey tournament and the league still gets 4 teams in... I'd say that's a pretty competitive league. Even if you say that Notre Dame is Johnny come lately and you don't really consider them a B1G team... We still got 3 of 6 in.
At any rate... We've got 2 #1 seeds and a fairly good chance to make noise as a conference in the tournament.
Which leads to my second point. Minnesota, which is and should be the flagship program in the B1G, according to my understanding still hates the B1G Hockey conference. So as I see it their issue isn't really the lack of competitiveness as much as the loss of longtime and "bus trip" rivals. I understand that but given that the B1G isnt going anywhere, I say schedule North Dakota and the 4 other Minnesota schools Out of Conference annually. The schedule would be brutal and beautiful at the same time. Minnesota would have a full slate of confer3nce opponents and at least one game per year with close rivals. Not exactly the best of both worlds but certainly a decent compromise.
Another random thought. It seems to my eye that Wisconsin has suffered far more in terms of Attendance at games and program prestige in the move to the B1G than Minnesota.
Anyway hockey lovers... Tell me what you think.