WCHA Florida Meetings

[The Sicatoka]

WCHA TV?

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/18550594.html

Early departures for the pro ranks.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/18551049.html

But was there anything about bringing WCHA officiating into alignment with the NHL standards?

[Sioux-cia]

WCHA TV?

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/18550594.html

Early departures for the pro ranks.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/18551049.html

But was there anything about bringing WCHA officiating into alignment with the NHL standards?

If anyone thought that college hockey players aren't 'professionals' will re-think that position after reading the second article. Anytime 'compensation' is requested for the lose of an athlete that would indicate that athlete is a professional, IMHO.

[Goon]

Actually if you read [url="http://We%20were%20overwhelmingly%20in%20favor%20of%20two-and-two%20(two%20referees,%20two%20linesmen),

[sprig]

Actually if you read [url="http://We%20were%20overwhelmingly%20in%20favor%20of%20two-and-two%20(two%20referees,%20two%20linesmen),

[The Sicatoka]

More from Florida.

Verbals

http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=75528

Calling the rule book

http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=75533

McLeod "senses a movement toward NHL-style" but his words up to this point say he doesn't see a problem with the current officiating. He was bragging up the WCHA as UND was being skated past in Denver.

Best line overheard in Denver:

"The WCHA plays on a 10-foot wide oval and other leagues play down the middle of a full sheet."

[dead_rabbit]

- The WCHA dealt with two major blown calls last season, both of which forced the league to release an apology.

[Goon]

McCleod sounds a bit resistant to change; I'd like to see the game called like the NHL, not something less. Surprised the dasher monkey sounded like he'd like less hooking, obstruction, etc.; Denver would need an entire makeover in their play over the last several years. Wonder if tackling would be allowed, while holding would not

There is an old saying you either get on board or get run over by the train. McCloud's time has come and gone it is time to change to the 21st century. I think we might have to start a movement to get the NCAA and the WCHA to start calling the game the way it is supposed to be called. I do not know why he thinks the fans want to be called the way they are being called right now. The only reason I can see the WCHA commish not wanting to call the games like the NHL is that McCloud is affraid the Have not's won't be able to keep up on the ice with the Have mores. This is a possibility.

[Goon]

McLeod "senses a movement toward NHL-style" but his words up to this point say he doesn't see a problem with the current officiating. He was bragging up the WCHA as UND was being skated past in Denver.

That is almost funny. Maybe irony is the word I am looking for?

[Fetch]

In watching the NHL playoffs what a difference - what a fast game - the skill level is almost unbelievable - If a person even falls & touches another players stick & is only trying to catch their balance it is called

But in the WCHA a lot of teams would have very little chance if they could not interfere & obstruct & hold the better players

Yeah the best teams still rise to the top - But it sure hurts the quality of viewing for the Fans & the potential for injuries for the better players

Have we seen very many of the better players have a full healthy season ?

It is time to get refs as good as the players

We deserve better

& if they Officials can't see it then it is time for a house cleaning - this past yr was the worst in a long time - not just for the Sioux but threw out the league

[Goon]

In watching the NHL playoffs what a difference - what a fast game - the skill level is almost unbelievable - If a person even falls & touches another players stick & is only trying to catch their balance it is called

But in the WCHA a lot of teams would have very little chance if they could not interfere & obstruct & hold the better players

I think Fetch that is why you see such disparity in the CCHA the refs call the game more closely to the NHL. I don't care if a team can keep up or not with the top powers in the league. I think the league is being done a disservice with letting a less talented team hook, slash and hold a team up and down the ice all in the name of parity. It is time to get some seperation between top teams in the league and the bottom teams.

[dead_rabbit]

A WCHA network would be great as long as it is made available to DirecTV and Dish Network subscribers. That way people will be able to get it no matter where they live. If it is only available on a small handful of cable providers in the upper midwest, that is a very bad thing for the visibility of the sport nationally.

As for all the people crying for higher scoring games... do they hate goalies or what? I would much rather watch two goalies stand on their heads in a 1-0 thriller than to see a couple of guys get humiliated in an ugly 9-8 scorefest. Fans who insist on a lot of scoring have short attention spans (IMHO) and would be better off watching a non-defensive sport like basketball.

I'm certainly not against good goal tending. I am against all the obstruction, interference, hooking, holding, etc. not being called. If the WCHA continues to allow games be called like they have been in the past, what's to keep the blue chippers on the offensive side of the puck committing to teams in conferences that are called more similar to the NHL? That is what I'm against.

[The Sicatoka]

... McCloud is affraid the Have not's won't be able to keep up on the ice with the Have mores. This is a possibility.

It's more than a possibility.

Who in the league really wants to open it up? Minnesota. SCSU. CC. UND.

Denver's talking a nice game right now but look what they reverted to at the end of the season.

Bruce loves to chat up "parity" and how the league is so even top to bottom. It gets the lower tier rinks full for home games. He gets to brag up 1.5 million fans attended WCHA games.

However, how happy was McLeod and the league (who gets the playoff revenues) when Kohl and Mariucci were idle during the first round?

[Goon]

As for all the people crying for higher scoring games... do they hate goalies or what? I would much rather watch two goalies stand on their heads in a 1-0 thriller than to see a couple of guys get humiliated in an ugly 9-8 scorefest. Fans who insist on a lot of scoring have short attention spans (IMHO) and would be better off watching a non-defensive sport like basketball.

There is a difference between DEFENSE and what product that we have on the ice in the WCHA. The product we have right now sucks.

Think back to how many times we have watched the WCHA stars skate up the ice with the oppostion clutching and grabbing them. I can't imagine how many more points, Roe, Oshie, Duncan would have it they weren't obstructed all of the time. All a person has to do is fast forward to the NHL playoffs to notice the great hockey we have witnessed. Scoring is up.

The NHL has gotten rid of the can opener, the hooking and holding, and stick work. I am sick and tired of watching top players like Towes, Parise gettting hacked by an opposition player while the ref stands there watching with his finger in his _______... It is a penalty call it.

[Goon]

However, how happy was McLeod and the league (who gets the playoff revenues) when Kohl and Mariucci were idle during the first round?

Yep and they got it this year with their parity. Call the games they way they are supposed to be called. I think it is funny that Todd Anderson called a great game in the NCAA playoffs but can't call the game right during the WCHA regular season. What gives?

I think it is funny that Derrick didn't get to ref in the NCAA championship games in Denver. Maybe the NCAA was tired of watching his antics?

[dead_rabbit]

A WCHA network would be great as long as it is made available to DirecTV and Dish Network subscribers. That way people will be able to get it no matter where they live. If it is only available on a small handful of cable providers in the upper midwest, that is a very bad thing for the visibility of the sport nationally.

As for all the people crying for higher scoring games... do they hate goalies or what? I would much rather watch two goalies stand on their heads in a 1-0 thriller than to see a couple of guys get humiliated in an ugly 9-8 scorefest. Fans who insist on a lot of scoring have short attention spans (IMHO) and would be better off watching a non-defensive sport like basketball.

Admittedly, I am no hockey guru. However, I don't think the reasoning for the WCHA coaches wanting to have the games called similar to the NHL, is the same as the NHL's when they changed their rules a couple of years ago. The NHL was/is looking to attract a wider fan base, and I don't think that is the WCHA's main intention. Of course, filling arenas every weekend would be outstanding, but being able to showcase the talent of those on both sides of the puck would be the biggest benefit. Fans who want to see a bunch of holding, obstruction, and interference never called, I suggest they check out roller derby.

I agree that hopefully that there is a WCHA hockey network, and that it will be carried by cable and the two dish providers.

[The Sicatoka]

As for all the people crying for higher scoring games... do they hate goalies or what? I would much rather watch two goalies stand on their heads in a 1-0 thriller than to see a couple of guys get humiliated in an ugly 9-8 scorefest.

Dave, 20 years ago, 1988, the average was 8.58 goals scored (total) per game. That'd be 17 total goals to see in a weekend. And that is about the average throughout the 1980s.

Now, in 2008, the average is 5.01 total goals scored per WCHA game. Go to a weekend series and you'll see 10 total goals.

1988: Average WCHA weekend was 5-4, 5-3

2008: Average WCHA game is 3-2, 3-2

Better one?

In 1987 Bob Joyce scored 52 goals (all games).

In 2006 Anchorage as a team in WCHA play scored 51 goals.

I don't hate goalies but I do hate soccer; I'd like to see the other players allowed to showcase their talents and move us away from soccer scoring.

And like dead_rabbit said, you aren't going to grab new fans with "exciting" one-nil scores.

[Goon]

Correct me if I am misinterpreting, but it sounds to me like you're one of those people who hated the style the New Jersey Devils played during their Stanley Cup years. If I'm wrong, then disregard what I'm about to say... but I think that's an anti-defense mentality. I personally have a great appreciation for that style of play. I mean, I don't want to see 10 breakaways per team per game... do you? A breakaway is exciting because it only happens maybe once or twice per game. If the game was "opened up", so to speak, and breakwaways became more common they would lose a lot of the excitement factor that they bring. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against a high scoring game once in a while. I just don't want to reach a point where 4.00 all of a sudden becomes considered a fairly respectable goals against average. I personally think the product we have currently is outstanding, but take that with a grain of salt considering the fact that I appreciate goalies more than goal scorers.

The thing is, you can play the trap without hooking and holding and no I didn't enjoy the Devils stanley cup playoff when they clutched and grabbed their way to a stanley cup playoff title. They took a low talent team combined with bad officating to win a stanley cup. The reffing stood by and watched the devils play this god awful hockey supported by an all pro goaltender.

I do enjoy the post lock out games since they installed the new rules. The current NHL is way more exciting to watch than college hockey.

[NDFlyer]

WCHA TV?

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/18550594.html

Early departures for the pro ranks.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/18551049.html

But was there anything about bringing WCHA officiating into alignment with the NHL standards?

NHL standards? Why would you want that? It would ruin the college game. Frankly, I prefer to watch a game where players have to fight through checks and hooks. As far as I am concerned NHL officials are the worst of any pro sport. There is no flow or intensity when you play a substantial portion of the game on the pk.

Be careful what you wish for unless you enjoy seeing games decided by special teams on a regular basis. It's not that the NHL refs are the best in the business (LOL!!!) all they are doing is implementing the idiotic mandates from the league.

Call everything. LOL! It's chick hockey.

[LeftyZL]

Which of those two is "better" is very much subjective, depending on what you want to see. If you prefer offense over defense you would say 1988 was better. But for those of us who have a greater appreciation for defense, the game has improved very much in the last 20 years. What it comes down to is I don't want to see too many situations in any one game where a goalie has little or no chance to make the save. The average score might be a little low right now, but I think it was too high in 1988. A 4-3, 3-2 weekend average would be okay, but a 5-4, 5-3 average is going to make the goalies look very bad. I don't like to see goalies made to look bad. Like I stated in a previous post in this thread, if 4.00 becomes a decent goals against average I don't think I would enjoy the games as much.

But do you enjoy the players that make plays to look good? Usually whenever a goal is scored, someone looks bad, and someone looks good. It's a simple formula.

If a goalie can't fathom being lit up, then maybe they need to practice a little more or try a different hobby. This isn't termite's hockey.

[DamStrait]

Yet another example of why I actually wonder if some people hate goalies, but I think you're missing my point. Let me try from another angle...

Sometimes there are plays that are perfectly executed by the offense where the goalie has no realistic shot at making a save. There is no amount of practice in the world that is going to help him in the type of situations that I'm talking about.

I think that in that type of situation it comes down to the defense making themselves look foolish. If there is a breakdown in the defense, then so be it. I can live with that. What I can't live with is the defense being handcuffed, which is what I fear some people are crying out for.

As long as the defensemen are allowed to play some defense, forwards should not be able to just skate in unobstructed and light up the goalie at will. Rather than whine about how the goal scorers are being defended, why not suggest that the goal scorers "practice a little more or try a different hobby"?

Why should all the rules be made to favor the offense? That is exactly why I think the quality of NFL football has gone down the toilet over the past 25 years or so.

Enforce the rules in the rule book - if you don't like the rules, advocate that they be changed.

[DamStrait]

NHL standards? Why would you want that? It would ruin the college game. Frankly, I prefer to watch a game where players have to fight through checks and hooks. As far as I am concerned NHL officials are the worst of any pro sport. There is no flow or intensity when you play a substantial portion of the game on the pk.

Be careful what you wish for unless you enjoy seeing games decided by special teams on a regular basis. It's not that the NHL refs are the best in the business (LOL!!!) all they are doing is implementing the idiotic mandates from the league.

Call everything. LOL! It's chick hockey.

See above (i.e. enforce the rules in the rule book - if you don't like the rules, advocate that they be changed).

[Goon]

Why should all the rules be made to favor the offense? That is exactly why I think the quality of NFL football has gone down the toilet over the past 25 years or so.

They have been changed because people want to see scoring. People do not spend a bunch of money to see a potential scorer or pass reciever tackled before the puck or ball gets there.

[brianvf]

Which of those two is "better" is very much subjective, depending on what you want to see. If you prefer offense over defense you would say 1988 was better. But for those of us who have a greater appreciation for defense, the game has improved very much in the last 20 years.

I think alot of the defense improvements in that time span can be pinned on the advancements in goalie technique and (larger) equipment. Just watching the goalies in the Heavy Metal Hockey video from 1987 makes me cringe, those guys looked horrible compared to today's goalies.

That said, the game was still much more wide open in those days, so not all of it was the goalies, but I think a good chunk had to do with that.

[Goon]

I think alot of the defense improvements in that time span can be pinned on the advancements in goalie technique and (larger) equipment. Just watching the goalies in the Heavy Metal Hockey video from 1987 makes me cringe, those guys looked horrible compared to today's goalies.

That said, the game was still much more wide open in those days, so not all of it was the goalies, but I think a good chunk had to do with that.

With today's equipment I wonder if half of us couldn't play goal?

[LeftyZL]

Yet another example of why I actually wonder if some people hate goalies, but I think you're missing my point. Let me try from another angle...

Sometimes there are plays that are perfectly executed by the offense where the goalie has no realistic shot at making a save. There is no amount of practice in the world that is going to help him in the type of situations that I'm talking about.

I think that in that type of situation it comes down to the defense making themselves look foolish. If there is a breakdown in the defense, then so be it. I can live with that. What I can't live with is the defense being handcuffed, which is what I fear some people are crying out for.

As long as the defensemen are allowed to play some defense, forwards should not be able to just skate in unobstructed and light up the goalie at will. Rather than whine about how the goal scorers are being defended, why not suggest that the goal scorers "practice a little more or try a different hobby"?

Why should all the rules be made to favor the offense? That is exactly why I think the quality of NFL football has gone down the toilet over the past 25 years or so.

I don't think people on here are advocating that the defense become handicapped in that they are not allowed to be physical or play the game. What seems to be the focal point is the hooks, slashes, and holds that aren't consistently called. I understand some of the ticky-tack stuff that the NHL ref calls are weak calls, but the way that the rules are written for that league, that's a penalty. Especially the calls with the little hooks from behind where it doesn't benefit either player. All we(college hockey) would have to do is modify the verbage to satisfy everyone.

We've talked about this on this site on numerous threads. If you allow that stuff to continue, you are in essence handicapping the offensive players. And that's not fair either.

The referee's are on the ice to make it a level ice surface for everyone: Offense, Defense, and Goalie. Follow the rules set forth and I think you would here a lot less complaining.