MafiaMan

...and Minnesota was in the WCHA with 'us' in 2002 too...I didn't cheer for them then either. Having been at at several games in St Cloud with nickname protesters in my face, I can give you lots of reasons why I hate St Cloud State.

Really? Because I can already hear the 'fire Hak' crowd... 'IT TOOK MOTZKO LESS THAN FIVE YEARS TO WIN A NATTY AT ST EFFIN' CLOUD!!!!!'

I heard Hakstol had red wine with fish last night for dinner...seriously, this is getting ridiculous! He needs to be canned STAT!

Did I type in SUITsports.com by accident?

Nebraska deserves everything it gets for the way it used to run up the score on oppenents in the 1990's not to mention the fact that Michigan is the only team EVER to be ranked #1 in the coaches poll prior to its bowl game to FALL in the poll after a bowl WIN. Here's your Lifetime Achievement Award, Coach Osborne! Great article...fan expectations are beyond insane these days.

We've discussed this one before...I'm actually stunned that a move hasn't been made there yet.

I wasn't saying it was MY opinion. I have a buddy of mine who grew up in Marquette who CAN'T WAIT to go to Grand Forks next year. I'm just saying it's an option to eliminate one non-conference weekend.

I think the auto-bid for the conference playoff champion needs to stay. If it goes away, there's no need for a conference tournament, right? Michigan and Boston U had everyone on the edge of their hockey seat right up until Sunday before the 16-team announcement was made this year - great drama.

So you're saying the #1 team in the country, with less than 10 losses on the season, with 2 losses in the post-season to the 10th place team in the conference, suddenly falls to #13? An upset, yes, but Jamie Ram led that Tech team to TWO MORE WCHA Final Five wins before losing to Minnesota in the championship. An upset, yes, but no question the Tigers were still among the 12 best teams in the country.

"Not what I was expecting for a good non-conference schedule..." "Boring opponent..." "Who are they?" "Couldn't we find anyone better?" First comment was similar to ones posted here on siouxsports...the others are fans I talked to at the Final Five...

Ditch one weekend of non-conference games during the regular season. Problem solved. There are plenty of complaints about Northern Michigan at North Dakota next year anyways. With any luck at all, folks would be trading that series in for a home playoff series where the winner will go to the Frozen Four -- and that sounds INFINITELY more exciting, doesn't it?

I agree with you on that. A Thursday-Sunday trip works well for most fans. Having a Monday or Tuesday thru Sunday would make a trip rather difficult for most. Good suggestions though...almost ANYTHING would be better than what fans and players are forced to currently endure.

1993-1994, CC wins MacNaughton Cup with a 18-9-5 WCHA record and sports a 23-9-5 overall record. Two WCHA playoff losses to Michigan Tech later, one of the top teams in the country poll-wise doesn't make a list of the top 12 who qualify for the NCAA playoffs? Screw-job big-time! I believe in a different thread earlier this season I pointed out the 1994-1995 season as the one where CC missed the playoffs. That was incorrect. MafiaMan regrets the error.

Location more than the weekend itself was to blame. The Bradley Center in 1997 did quite well attendance-wise despite it also being Easter weekend.

He's still with the Islanders, right? That should explain things...

Poorly stated by me, I apologize. Yea, let's go 20, why not? What I envisioned was the top four seeds getting a bye, seeds 5-12, 6-11, 7-10, and 8-9 facing off at the higher seed's venue. The top four from there would then move on to play the top four seeds (on the road obviously) and the winners from there would advance to the Frozen Four.

The one concern I have with the conference tournament champion auto-bid process is that we're right back to where we were in 1994 or 1995 with regular-season champion Colorado College staying at home for the NCAA's thanks to a first-round conference tournament playoff loss at home to Michigan Tech. St Cloud was a Michigan or Boston U away from sitting at home for the tournament...and that wouldn't have been right.

Go back to 12 with a first-round bye? Next 8 teams compete at highest seeded team's barn and the winners from there go on to play the 1-4 seeds?

It was Easter weekend, folks!

Even more amusing about the two-hour ride to the host side Grand Rapids...is that the Wolverines would have probably preferred the 66 mile drive straight south to Toledo instead. Personally, I thnk the first round best-of-three is a no-brainer. The question is...what's the best format after that? I'd hate to see two dead-dog tired teams playing for a national title...

I started a new one...which probably should have been done a while ago regarding tournament change...

With all due respect, I don't think JT Brown envisioned a 5-game stint in the NHL after he left college...further proof why these sophomores and juniors should stay put.

This was started off-topic in the annual "Fire Hakstol" thread so I thought I would start a new thread for it. I think most, if not all college hockey fans would agree, the current regional format, for lack of a better choice of words, TOTALLY SUCKS. North Carolina vs Duke, Syracuse vs UConn, or Michigan State vs Ohio State for the right to GET TO the Final Four is something that rarely, if ever, happens in college basketball. Contrast that with men's ice hockey, where NCAA tries to arrange Denver vs UND, Minnesota vs UND, UNH vs BC, or other rivalries on almost a yearly basis. Not to mention the fact that supposed #1 overall seeds like '98 North Dakota wind up playing an away game in Yost Arena vs Michigan or '05 Minnesota winds up with a potential match-up with North Dakota in Grand Forks (until the now infamous upset at the hands of Sacred Heart Holy Cross happened and wiped out that game). This just simply should NOT happen in college hockey and the current format is unacceptable. The days of the two games and total goal differential would almost be preferable to lifeless regionals being held in places like Toledo, Green Bay, or Grand Rapids. I've already suggested going back to the teams being seeded 1-16 and the first round (if not first two rounds) being held in the higher seed's building. This may present logistical issues such as the one Wilbur pointed out in the afore-mentioned thread in paragraph one, where a conflict with another event could force a venue change, but I think those issues can and could be dealt with as they occur. What are some other thoughts on the current format vs changing the format? Do you like the format as it currently stands? Or should it be blown up completely?

Once upon a time, I had a video clip of the incident...

Are the Pirates home next weekend? I definitely recommend catching a game if they are!