Hockey at Kansas?

[GeauxSioux]

A SiouxSports member (Fetch9) wrote the the following piece for RockChalkTalk....Should Kansas Add Division One Ice Hockey?

Kansas obviously has tremendous basketball tradition. Forget the national and conference championships, forget the All-Americans, forget having one of the best arenas in all of sports; the inventor of the sport coached here. Even without all of the other stuff, that cinches Kansas as one of the most tradition rich schools in America. Add in the rest and it's gravy.

While it's obviously not as rich as the basketball tradition, this area has quite a rich tradition in hockey as well. Various semipro teams from the Kansas City Pla-Mors (1927-1933) to today's Wichita Thunder, who play in the CHL.

While professional and semiprofessional ice hockey is great, there is a version of hockey that is even better: college hockey. As an alum of the University of North Dakota, which, to make a simplistic comparison, is sort of like the Kansas of college hockey, I am obviously biased. But I also have been exposed to the best that college hockey has to offer, seeing guys like Jonathan Toews before he became an Olympic gold medalist and Stanley Cup winner, and I think division one hockey would be a fantastic addition to Kansas.

[ticklethetwine]

The more the merrier right.

[fightingsioux4life]

Hockey has some big start-up costs, but tremendous long-term revenue potential. This revenue can be critical in paying for things like Title 9 Compliance and travel, which keeps getting more expensive. They could join us in the NCHC, which would help us maintain a solid membership base. It would also help us trump the Big Ten Conference (9 teams are better than 6!).

[craw84]

As a Kansas City resident I would love to see KU get a hockey team...but I'm not holding my breath. Besides the obvious financial and geographic restrictions of having a D1 team, there simply isn't much interest in this region of the country for hockey. In the winter, it's all about basketball (KU/Mizzou/K State) downhere. The metro area does have a CHL team that's been here for a few years and seems to be doing well, but hockey has a history of being a bit of a passing fad in this city. But who knows? I'd love to go cheer the Sioux on as we show the Jayhawks what a real winter sport is.

[MafiaMan]

Hockey has some big start-up costs, but tremendous long-term revenue potential. This revenue can be critical in paying for things like Title 9 Compliance and travel, which keeps getting more expensive. They could join us in the NCHC, which would help us maintain a solid membership base. It would also help us trump the Big Ten Conference (9 teams are better than 6!).

The "premier" hockey conference in the country already contains legendary programs like St Cloud State and Western Michigan...is an expansion program REALLY the answer?

[as15]

The "premier" hockey conference in the country already contains legendary programs like St Cloud State and Western Michigan...is an expansion program REALLY the answer?

Those two teams are without a doubt the two lowest-profile team in the new NCHC, and they are still above-average level programs in the NCAA.

[GFG]

Just don't see it happening. Being it's a winter sport why would their fans go and watch a losing hockey team (which is more than likely what would happen) when they have a national title contender in basketball every year during the same time frame as hockey. Teams like Iowa and Iowa State are much more likely candidates than Kansas in my opinion.

Good article, though.

[as15]

Just don't see it happening. Being it's a winter sport why would their fans go and watch a losing hockey team (which is more than likely what would happen) when they have a national title contender in basketball every year during the same time frame as hockey. Teams like Iowa and Iowa State are much more likely candidates than Kansas in my opinion.

Good article, though.

I agree probably not gonna happen. At least in Iowa, Nebraska etc. there is a fairly rich history of successful USHL programs, so it probably could work there. Kansas doesn't really have much history with hockey, let along trying to establish a successful Division 1 program.

[JohnboyND7]

Just don't see it happening. Being it's a winter sport why would their fans go and watch a losing hockey team (which is more than likely what would happen) when they have a national title contender in basketball every year during the same time frame as hockey. Teams like Iowa and Iowa State are much more likely candidates than Kansas in my opinion.

Good article, though.

Anything south of Nebraska is just not very likely. Some of the big metro areas can manage having a professional hockey team, but it'd be hard to start up a college team and generate the interest required down there. I would not be at all surprised though if you saw the Big Ten schools all have hockey sooner or later to build the new hockey league's brand. That would require Indiana, Northwestern, Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska to get teams? That could be interesting.

[MafiaMan]

Those two teams are without a doubt the two lowest-profile team in the new NCHC, and they are still above-average level programs in the NCAA.

10-11 record 19-13-10

09-10 record 8-20-8

08-09 record 14-20-7

07-08 record 8-27-3

06-07 record 18-18-1

That's 67 wins, 98 losses, and 29 ties in the past five seasons. I'd consider that "below average" or at best, "average."

[craw84]

One interesting thing to note: the 2012 Ice Breaker tourney is currently scheduled for the Sprint Center in downtown Kansas City...so they are attempting to get some college hockey exposure in the area. However, I have no idea how successful that's going to be - I'll be there, trying to get all my "southern" friends interested in a sport most of them know absolutely nothing about.

[MafiaMan]

One interesting thing to note: the 2012 Ice Breaker tourney is currently scheduled for the Sprint Center in downtown Kansas City...so they are attempting to get some college hockey exposure in the area. However, I have no idea how successful that's going to be - I'll be there, trying to get all my "southern" friends interested in a sport most of them know absolutely nothing about.

The NY Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins both flirted with moving to Kansas City. I think it would be a great NHL market...it certainly couldn't be any worse than Columbus, Ohio, could it?

Plus, it would be a chance to resurrect one of the great lost logos and nickname of the NHL...

http://www.nhluniforms.com/DefunctTeams/Scouts1.html

[Goon]

Just don't see it happening. Being it's a winter sport why would their fans go and watch a losing hockey team (which is more than likely what would happen) when they have a national title contender in basketball every year during the same time frame as hockey. Teams like Iowa and Iowa State are much more likely candidates than Kansas in my opinion. Good article, though.

Don't see it happening either.

[207Sioux]

As an alum of both UND and KU, I would love to see the two schools play in hockey. However, I doubt it is something that would ever happen unless a wealthy donor ponied up the money with the explicit directive of starting a hockey program. KU doesn't have a ton of spare revenue, and is currently focusing on making its football team something more than the laughing stock of the Big XII. Not much support exists on KUs campus for hockey. When I was there I had to work just to find someone with whom to talk about hockey. As much as I would love to go to a hockey game in Lawrence, it's not gonna happen.

[watchmaker49]

The NY Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins both flirted with moving to Kansas City. I think it would be a great NHL market...it certainly couldn't be any worse than Columbus, Ohio, could it?

Plus, it would be a chance to resurrect one of the great lost logos and nickname of the NHL...

http://www.nhlunifor...ms/Scouts1.html

Didn't Jon Casey and Kevin Maxwell play for the Scouts?

[fetch9]

Hey thanks for the link.

I agree it's probably not going to happen but it would be awesome. The basketball team never plays on Friday nights and on Saturday night maybe once or twice a year (like this weekend) so I think people could go to both but I agree there's not a ton of interest down here.

Then again if you plop a team (and a rink) in town you never know.

For what it's worth College Hockey Inc. is going to give their spiel to KU (and missouri) at the Ice Breaker next year

[MafiaMan]

Didn't Jon Casey and Kevin Maxwell play for the Scouts?

Nope and nope. Casey spent a season with the Springfield Indians (85-86) and Maxwell spent a year with the Colorado Rockies, though (81-82).

[UND99]

Nope and nope. Casey spent a season with the Springfield Indians (85-86) and Maxwell spent a year with the Colorado Rockies, though (81-82).

But both played in Kansas (or Kansas City, MO) at one point. Casey played for the KC Blades, Maxwell with the Wichita Wind.

[MafiaMan]

_{But both played in Kansas (or Kansas City, MO) at one point. Casey played for the KC Blades, Maxwell with the Wichita Wind.}

_{Wichita is about 3 1/2 hours away from Kansas City...a bit like saying Dany Heatley plays in Fargo.}

[MNState0fHockey]

Hockey has some big start-up costs, but tremendous long-term revenue potential. This revenue can be critical in paying for things like Title 9 Compliance and travel, which keeps getting more expensive. They could join us in the NCHC, which would help us maintain a solid membership base. It would also help us trump the Big Ten Conference (9 teams are better than 6!).

I don't know about the revenue side. For schools like North Dakota and Minnesota, sure, but there have been years where even schools like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Michigan State haven't made money off their programs.