As noted in another thread, the 2015 D1 College Hockey National Championship Game will be an all-Hockey East event!

Since 2000, 21 HE teams will now have played in the Frozen 4 and HE will have won 6 National Titles during that time.

Of course, I am a bit biased :) , but, IMO, it's hard to dispute the opinion that HE has become the "SEC of College Hockey"!

(04-10-2015 10:03 AM)Eagle78 Wrote:  As noted in another thread, the 2015 D1 College Hockey National Championship Game will be an all-Hockey East event!

Since 2000, 21 HE teams will now have played in the Frozen 4 and HE will have won 6 National Titles during that time.

Of course, I am a bit biased :) , but, IMO, it's hard to dispute the opinion that HE has become the "SEC of College Hockey"!

Hockey East is awesome! As a UConn fan, I am excited to be a part of that conference.

(04-10-2015 11:04 AM)UConnHusky Wrote:  

(04-10-2015 10:03 AM)Eagle78 Wrote:  As noted in another thread, the 2015 D1 College Hockey National Championship Game will be an all-Hockey East event!

Since 2000, 21 HE teams will now have played in the Frozen 4 and HE will have won 6 National Titles during that time.

Of course, I am a bit biased :) , but, IMO, it's hard to dispute the opinion that HE has become the "SEC of College Hockey"!

Hockey East is awesome! As a UConn fan, I am excited to be a part of that conference.

Agree. Games at the XL Center against Hockey East opponents were electric. It's also nice to be in a conference that makes geographical sense. Can't wait for next season!

I am not a big conference guy so it does nothing for me personally having Hockey East teams not named ND in the championship game.

I don't get too excited about what conference ND sports are in so I am not a big rooting fan generally for Hockey East or the ACC.

However, it is clear that Hockey East is an elite college hockey league. Congrats to those two schools.

HE is top heavy. Providence is looking for its first natty. So is UNH and most other HE schools. Maine hasn't been up to its standard for years.

BU and BC have been carrying HE for the past decade.

(04-10-2015 12:47 PM)TerryD Wrote:  I am not a big conference guy so it does nothing for me personally having Hockey East teams not named ND in the championship game.

I don't get too excited about what conference ND sports are in so I am not a big rooting fan generally for Hockey East or the ACC.

However, it is clear that Hockey East is an elite college hockey league. Congrats to those two schools.

You couldn't just leave the first two paragraphs off? We get it, ND is the greatest thing ever and only ND matters.

(04-10-2015 01:04 PM)uconnwhaler Wrote:  

(04-10-2015 12:47 PM)TerryD Wrote:  I am not a big conference guy so it does nothing for me personally having Hockey East teams not named ND in the championship game.

I don't get too excited about what conference ND sports are in so I am not a big rooting fan generally for Hockey East or the ACC.

However, it is clear that Hockey East is an elite college hockey league. Congrats to those two schools.

You couldn't just leave the first two paragraphs off? We get it, ND is the greatest thing ever and only ND matters.

No, that wasn't really my point.

I just don't care much for conferences in general. We can leave ND out of it.

I am surrounded by the "SEC!, SEC!" crowd all the time down here and don't get it.

Why would a Texas A&M or an LSU fan care if a direct competitor like Alabama wins a national championship? It is bizarre to me.

I didn't get any personal joy out of Duke winning the basketball championship.

I would feel the same way if I were a Michigan fan about Ohio State winning it all in football.

I am congratulating the two schools, but am not chanting "Hockey East!" because of it.

For an event played in TD Gardens, there didn't seem to be much support for BU and particularly Providence on Thursday. Moe noise for the ND FIGHTING Sioux.

(04-10-2015 01:08 PM)TerryD Wrote:  

(04-10-2015 01:04 PM)uconnwhaler Wrote:  

(04-10-2015 12:47 PM)TerryD Wrote:  I am not a big conference guy so it does nothing for me personally having Hockey East teams not named ND in the championship game.

I don't get too excited about what conference ND sports are in so I am not a big rooting fan generally for Hockey East or the ACC.

However, it is clear that Hockey East is an elite college hockey league. Congrats to those two schools.

You couldn't just leave the first two paragraphs off? We get it, ND is the greatest thing ever and only ND matters.

No, that wasn't really my point.

I just don't care much for conferences in general.

I am surrounded by the "SEC!, SEC!" crowd all the time down here and don't get it.

Why would a Texas A&M fan care if a direct competitor like Alabama wins a national championship? It is bizarre to me.

Two reasons. The first is that conferences tend to get more money the further its members go. The more money that a conference can distribute to its members, the better those members are able to compete relative to their peers in other conferences.

And second, being in a conference with national champions makes it easier to recruit to a school because. When a conference is producing national champions, wins in the conference 'go further' so you just have to sell a small uptick. You also have the opportunity to play on a national stage due to those competitors. There is no way Mississippi State gets ranked number 1 without being able to sell an SEC slate and the corresponding TV exposure.

I don't think Duke winning the title in hoops will help Wake Forest recruit, sorry.


Look, I am not a "conference pride" guy and never will be.

Sorry, I didn't mean to hijack the thread.

Again, congrats to the two schools involved.

Remember when the B1G and NCHC were supposed to be newly created juggernauts? Yeah, me too. Apparently money doesn't substitute well for passion and bus ride regional rivalries. Congrats Hockey East, way to own college hockey for the little guys.

(04-10-2015 01:12 PM)westwolf Wrote:  For an event played in TD Gardens, there didn't seem to be much support for BU and particularly Providence on Thursday. Moe noise for the ND FIGHTING Sioux.

A lot of fans make annual trips to the Frozen Four, including a large number of Sioux fans. Most western fans, except Minnesota, probably pulled for UND.

We've made it seven times in the last eleven years, but haven't won it since 2000. Our fan base is growing restless. But we have some great recruits coming in, so we'll be back.

(04-10-2015 01:20 PM)TerryD Wrote:  I don't think Duke winning the title in hoops will help Wake Forest recruit, sorry.


Look, I am not a "conference pride" guy and never will be.

Sorry, I didn't mean to hijack the thread.

Again, congrats to the two schools involved.

Being a part of a great conference has its advantages:

UCONN Hockey Average Home Attendance 2013-2014: 1,077 (Ranked 52nd out of 59)

UCONN Hockey Average Home Attendance 2014-2015: 5,396 (Ranked 10th out of 59)

Better conference competition ---> Larger crowds ---> Landing better recruits ---> Winning more games ---> Post season invitations ---> Chances for Frozen Four appearances.

Hell yeah I'm rooting for Hockey East members to do well.

(04-10-2015 01:58 PM)HuskyU Wrote:  

(04-10-2015 01:20 PM)TerryD Wrote:  I don't think Duke winning the title in hoops will help Wake Forest recruit, sorry.


Look, I am not a "conference pride" guy and never will be.

Sorry, I didn't mean to hijack the thread.

Again, congrats to the two schools involved.

Being a part of a great conference has its advantages:

UCONN Hockey Average Home Attendance 2013-2014: 1,077 (Ranked 52nd out of 59)

UCONN Hockey Average Home Attendance 2014-2015: 5,396 (Ranked 10th out of 59)

Better conference competition ---> Larger crowds ---> Landing better recruits ---> Winning more games ---> Post season invitations ---> Chances for Frozen Four appearances.

Hell yeah I'm rooting for Hockey East members to do well.

We will always agree to disagree. Carry on.

(04-10-2015 02:03 PM)TerryD Wrote:  

(04-10-2015 01:58 PM)HuskyU Wrote:  

(04-10-2015 01:20 PM)TerryD Wrote:  I don't think Duke winning the title in hoops will help Wake Forest recruit, sorry.


Look, I am not a "conference pride" guy and never will be.

Sorry, I didn't mean to hijack the thread.

Again, congrats to the two schools involved.

Being a part of a great conference has its advantages:

UCONN Hockey Average Home Attendance 2013-2014: 1,077 (Ranked 52nd out of 59)

UCONN Hockey Average Home Attendance 2014-2015: 5,396 (Ranked 10th out of 59)

Better conference competition ---> Larger crowds ---> Landing better recruits ---> Winning more games ---> Post season invitations ---> Chances for Frozen Four appearances.

Hell yeah I'm rooting for Hockey East members to do well.

We will always agree to disagree. Carry on.

Hard to ignore the numbers, huh?

(04-10-2015 02:07 PM)HuskyU Wrote:  

(04-10-2015 02:03 PM)TerryD Wrote:  

(04-10-2015 01:58 PM)HuskyU Wrote:  

(04-10-2015 01:20 PM)TerryD Wrote:  I don't think Duke winning the title in hoops will help Wake Forest recruit, sorry.


Look, I am not a "conference pride" guy and never will be.

Sorry, I didn't mean to hijack the thread.

Again, congrats to the two schools involved.

Being a part of a great conference has its advantages:

UCONN Hockey Average Home Attendance 2013-2014: 1,077 (Ranked 52nd out of 59)

UCONN Hockey Average Home Attendance 2014-2015: 5,396 (Ranked 10th out of 59)

Better conference competition ---> Larger crowds ---> Landing better recruits ---> Winning more games ---> Post season invitations ---> Chances for Frozen Four appearances.

Hell yeah I'm rooting for Hockey East members to do well.

We will always agree to disagree. Carry on.

Hard to ignore the numbers, huh?

Those are UConn specific numbers for a hockey program just in its beginning stages.

Those numbers were meaningless to me, not ignored.

Like I said, agree to disagree on the "conference pride" stuff.

I am happy for the two schools. I keep promising to stop hijacking this thread, so this is my last post here.

Contrary to what i think is popular belief, the Big East in 1980 had many opponents, detractors and people rooting against us. These opponents included rival conferences like the Eastern-8, rival schools who thought they were being abandoned (URI for example up here), and national power conferences who wanted to maintain their grip on power and northeastern recruits. I mean, these groups wanted us to fail and be humiliated.

Listen to Billy Packer during the final 5 minutes of the Hoyas' 84 championship. Sounds like he's announcing a funeral procession. The Big East was a threat to the powers that be. In 85 of course, the 3 BE teams beat 3 ACC teams in Elite-8 games, and we became firmly entrenched as a power conference. In 86 we tanked, and there were a zillion people gloating about us failing.

Anyway, i think this is the background of conference pride in the Big East. It was the hang together or hang separately mentality. I absolutely would (and othe BE schools) root for Calhoun, Carlesimo, Boeheim, and Thompson over Coach K or Bill Freider or Billy Tubbs. I mean, we had spent years being told we're overrated and suck... so why would i want UNC to beat Syracuse in 87 when it would lead to the BE getting lambasted?

With this Hockey East discussion, anyone reading last month on this board will remember Hockey East was lambasted by an unprovoked NCHC fan. UConn, BC and PC fans were minding our own business and were getting roasted out of the blue. Of course i'd root for BU over North Dakota when i just got my stones busted 3 weeks ago.

Anyway, that's a little background of BE-HE conference pride.

(04-10-2015 05:30 PM)billyjack Wrote:  Contrary to what i think is popular belief, the Big East in 1980 had many opponents, detractors and people rooting against us. These opponents included rival conferences like the Eastern-8, rival schools who thought they were being abandoned (URI for example up here), and national power conferences who wanted to maintain their grip on power and northeastern recruits. I mean, these groups wanted us to fail and be humiliated.

Listen to Billy Packer during the final 5 minutes of the Hoyas' 84 championship. Sounds like he's announcing a funeral procession. The Big East was a threat to the powers that be. In 85 of course, the 3 BE teams beat 3 ACC teams in Elite-8 games, and we became firmly entrenched as a power conference. In 86 we tanked, and there were a zillion people gloating about us failing.

Anyway, i think this is the background of conference pride in the Big East. It was the hang together or hang separately mentality. I absolutely would (and othe BE schools) root for Calhoun, Carlesimo, Boeheim, and Thompson over Coach K or Bill Freider or Billy Tubbs. I mean, we had spent years being told we're overrated and suck... so why would i want UNC to beat Syracuse in 87 when it would lead to the BE getting lambasted?

With this Hockey East discussion, anyone reading last month on this board will remember Hockey East was lambasted by an unprovoked NCHC fan. UConn, BC and PC fans were minding our own business and were getting roasted out of the blue. Of course i'd root for BU over North Dakota when i just got my stones busted 3 weeks ago.

Anyway, that's a little background of BE-HE conference pride.

Yes, the Big East was the best college basketball conference for 30 years. And Hockey East appears to be the best college hockey conference.

Haters gonna hate.

there was a time when i did not root for a BE team simply becaUSe it was in the BE. I would for some such as BC and Villanova but against others.
Then I accepted the idea that conference schools winning was good for the conference and for my school. I still prefer some to others but i do like to see other BE and HE schools do well when they arent playing PC