MafiaMan

The answer is 'no.' If the WCHA tournament plays at the X, you will find maybe 500 fans in the TC area who will go just to watch hockey despite Minnesota, Wisconsin, etc. not being in the building. It's delusional to think 2,500 to 5,000 'casual' fans will show up to see teams they really have no vested interest in. Same thing would go for Grand Forks. Would you stay home to watch the Sioux on TV in Denver at the NCHC tournament...or would you pay money to go to REA and watch Northern Michigan play Lake Superior State in the WCHA championship game?

I've always enjoyed road trips from Bloomington to Mankato for the Sioux/Maverick series...really going to miss those.

LOL! Detroit looks like Minnetonka compared to Chicago!

That's the risk you take...I bet AA and Alaska might actually fill up their own barn, though. The question is, what happens when the home team is upset in the Thursday night game? I can recall the Subway 'Classic' in Grand Forks several years ago...I drove up for the Wayne State vs Findlay semi-final game figuring that since Sioux fans paid for those tickets as a package deal along with the Sioux game tickets, they would attend. Boy was I wrong. I would bet there were MAYBE 500 fans at REA for that game. An hour after that game ended, a crowd of 9,000-10,000 filed in for the Sioux game. Might be the same issue if a host school loses in the Thursday quarterfinals, but I guess you won't know unless you set it up that way, right?

I had thought of that as well...you see it in college basketball all the time in the smaller conferences.

I realize some Sioux fans may be snarky about the WCHA that North Dakota is leaving behind, but I'm not one of them. In fact, I want the WCHA to succeed. The question is, what is the best option for the conference tournament? I guess we'll find out soon enough what Grand Rapids holds in store...followed by the X in 2015. What school are you affiliated with?

St Paul NOT an option after this season? HUH? The Xcel Energy Center is hosting the 2015 and 2017 WCHA tournaments. Grand Rapids will host the 2014 and 2016 tournaments. EDIT: Official agreements have not been finalized yet between the two sites but a deal is close.

On that point we agree. It was like the WCHA Final Five...minus one.

I understand revenue for the X will be way down, but, like I said, this was a 'years-of-service' award to the WCHA. I give it 2-3 appearances and then the X will tell the WCHA to move elsewhere.

Seeing 3,500 Gopher fans walk out of the OSU Arena crying wasn't exciting for you?

Honestly, and this is just my own personal opinion and not based on anything other than that...I think the X inked the deal to keep the WCHA every-other-year as a big THANK YOU to Bruce McLeod. The tournament has been a gold mine for the X and for the city of St Paul.

"Well played Mauer."

I think the WCHA will be better off attendance-wise in Grand Rapids as opposed to the X.

I have relatives in the Boston area...I swear, anything on a map to the left of Worcester is considered 'west coast.' Back in the early 1990's, I had them convinced that US mail was still delivered in the Dakotas by Pony Express. Unbelievable.

I guarantee you that even with FOUR teams selected, you will see two WCHA teams placed in the same region. Goon is right...the NCAA absolutely wants its east vs west match-up at any and all costs.

I agree with sagard on this one. I don't need to replay the sad effort against Yale a few years ago as a reminder. I still remember BC hanging 8 or 9 on the Bulldogs day later. Groan... QU might surprise some people...

It was done for the first Winter Classic between Buffalo and Pittsburgh. BTW...these outdoor 'classics' have totally jumped the shark.

Michigan has had those for YEARS though. Mark Osiecki changed OSU's before the start of his second season in Columbus. It's all about name recognition and branding. http://www.examiner.com/article/newness-to-buckeyes-men-s-hockey

Notre Dame followed Michigan's lead in hockey a few years back...why all the fuss over OSU? EDIT: I just looked up Penn State...they have the football hockey helmet too.

The OSU helmets are designed to mimic the football helmets...from the side, they actually look pretty cool.

A suspension? He should be given a medal.

That was indeed my point. If BU is a 'bad loss' for Merrimack, it's also a 'bad loss' for North Dakota.

UND lost at home to BU...a 'bad loss'?

Merrimack takes over first place in Hockey East.

Plenty of good seats still available for the Gopher/Sioux game last year...the SCSU vs WIsconsin regional a couple of years earlier brought in less than half of that!