(11-07-2017 10:43 AM)orangefan Wrote: My take away is that the Big Ten Hockey Conference has been hurt by breaking up previous rivalries that fans valued. One approach for the B1G might be to expand from 7 to 8 or 9 schools, adding North Dakota and possibly one more traditional rival valued by the historic powerhouse hockey schools.
I'm inclined to agree. And, I know the Big Ten schools have become better at centralizing and maximizing their money playing each other and having a media outlet for further revenue access, but there's other money not being made there, and it's from the older, traditional methods of foot traffic, ticket sales, and other derivative opportunities.
I remember what the PSU area was like when more regional foes were in the area. It wasn't just University Park prospering from gameday. Now, with some of what comes through (more like, what doesn't), it's not the same. Yes, there's the corporate thing...there's a lack of a pulse downtown and in the surrounding areas, too. Problem is, of course, those places aren't directly on PSU or Big Ten ledgers, but, it's different.
Where it comes to Big Ten hockey...I think they were smart to keep itself small, and maximize the ability to retain rivalries in the non-conference. I'm more inclined to believe that, just like other Big Ten sports, there's a chunk of the season calendar that is conference-only, and that unforgiving stance makes it impossible to retain rivalries. The Big Ten isn't good with the flexibility thing. And it shows. But, who cares when you can fan those bills, right?