(02-09-2018 05:07 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  That's the issue with Illinois, too. I'm very happy the our AD has had some optimistic comments (as he's generally a straight shooter). No one would be happier to see Illinois have a Division I hockey program than me. I badly WANT to see it happen. However, I've been hearing about the prospect of moving up since I was a freshman in college... which is now over 20 years ago. At least for the Big Ten, a circa $100 million donation is what it takes to have a hockey program, and either that donation is there or it isn't (regardless of any studies). There aren't that many schools that have a critical mass of alums that could make that type of donation to begin with, much less those that would want to see that donation go to hockey. On paper, Illinois does have a number of people with that type of money available, but who knows whether they're committed to hockey in the way that Terry Pegula personally was with Penn State.

I love hockey, but the fact that you essentially need massive angel donations that you generally don't even see for football or basketball means that there's a natural limit to its growth at the college level. There are plenty of schools that have *interest* in hockey, but the number of schools that can actually viably pay for it is incredibly small and they are generally dependent upon a huge third party donation to make it happen. This isn't the same as when a school decides to move to FBS football (where schools seem to be more willing to take on debt and/or charge student fees to make the move).

You shoulda convinced the Gies to throw "only" $50 million instead of 150 to get their name on the business school and put the remainder towards a hockey program.