Just Curious Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 So, this is going to be strongly hockey biased, but then again nothing on this board isn't. I was wondering if anyone else had the same feelings towards the playoffs as I do. I would like to see the playoffs expanded. I like the 3 games series in the first round and would like to see that continue throughout. I know this dramatically increases the time the season takes up, but I would love to see it. Take our games with Denver the last two years. A 1-0 loss in one game, who's to say that if they were 3 game series how we would have faired. Personally I would like to say that UND would have taken both those series. I am afraid any change in the playoffs would affect the regular season, as in the two conferences that changed their playoffs this year, but would still like to see the format stay the same throughout. Luck is as big a contributor as skill in one game, where as over 3 games, you rely more heavily on skill. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZSIOUX Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 leave it how it is...the final 5 may be the best and most entertaining hockey tourney in the country including the frozen 4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hockey10 Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 I think the 1 game playoff structure really adds to the hype of each game. It makes the regionals and frozen four more like the March Madness of College Basketball as anyone can win 1 game, you never know who will show up for the big game. It puts every team on edge as they have to win one big game after the other. I think it is what makes college hockey playoffs more exciting then the NHL playoffs. On the flip side, I do agree a 3 game series would really show what team is the best. In the current structure every period is like a game, sometimes you see whole new teams come out of the locker room after intermission, when they know they have to step it up or they are going home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airmail Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 Take our games with Denver the last two years. A 1-0 loss in one game, who's to say that if they were 3 game series how we would have faired. Personally I would like to say that UND would have taken both those series. Conversely, a 3 game series might have taken away some of the banners we currently have. I've thought about it a lot, but ultimately think 1 game is the way to go. Yeah... sometimes you get robbed, but hey... it's the playoffs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goon Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 leave it how it is...the final 5 may be the best and most entertaining hockey tourney in the country including the frozen 4. I have to agree, I haven't missed a Final Five since like 1999 and they are a lot of fun. I still think beating Wisconsin in 2000 was the highlight of them all. I never seen so many shocked Wisconsin fans after they lost to the Sioux. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagard Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 Conversely, a 3 game series might have taken away some of the banners we currently have. I've thought about it a lot, but ultimately think 1 game is the way to go. Yeah... sometimes you get robbed, but hey... it's the playoffs. It's a really good question, but I suspect the single knockout format has hurt the Sioux more often then it has helped them. The '97 team benefitted from Michigan losing, but the '98, '99, '01 and maybe even last years team might have faired better in a best of three. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwing77 Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 It's a really good question, but I suspect the single knockout format has hurt the Sioux more often then it has helped them. The '97 team benefitted from Michigan losing, but the '98, '99, '01 and maybe even last years team might have faired better in a best of three. Maybe so, but do we really want to turn the playoffs into something like the NBA playoffs or the NCAA DI bball tourney, where they are basically 64 more games? I mean, why play the season if you are going to have 30+ more games called "playoffs?" As much as it has hurt the Sioux, or Minny, or whatever team you root for, it HAS to remain one game series just to maintain the level of intensity and interest. NBA Playoffs = SNOOZEFEST Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnt Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 While I agree it is fun at the WCHA Final Five, I still like the old system of the playoffs being on home ice of the higher seed. I really believe it makes the WCHA standings mean something. I think now teams are focused on getting down to Minneapolis and having a top three seed. I think #3 would fight a little harder for #2 if they thought it might be the difference between home ice and a road series in the next round. Let's face it momentum is huge heading into the NCAA tourney, and the gophers right now have an edge every year in gaining that momentum. I believe they should do the same with the NCAA tournament like they used to until the Final Four, especially now since the Sioux will basically never have a chance to host regionals again-- advantage gophers. I think we see now how important that is with gopher fans worried that they will have to play at the Ralph. I personally think it is only a matter of time before the gophers pass the Sioux in national championships with the present format. I realize it won't happen, but I think it is a better reward for regular season excellence. I believe winning the league title has lost some of its sheen. To recap, the gophers will have Final Five home crowd advantage every year, regional advantage every 4 or 5 years and Final Four advantage every 7 or 8 years. It worries me a bit, so let's hope we can take care of getting to our regional this year and take advantage of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bincitysioux Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 I understand that the REA is too small to ever be considered a venue for the Frozen Four, but with the great facilities in the WCHA like the REA, Kohl Center, Excel; why can't the Final Five site be rotated around these arenas every few years? I understand that the Twin Cities are a hockey hotbed, but so is Milwaukee/Madison, and GF, even the Denver area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagies Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 I understand that the REA is too small to ever be considered a venue for the Frozen Four, but with the great facilities in the WCHA like the REA, Kohl Center, Excel; why can't the Final Five site be rotated around these arenas every few years? I understand that the Twin Cities are a hockey hotbed, but so is Milwaukee/Madison, and GF, even the Denver area. I don't have the numbers but apparently there's a large discrepancy in attendance when you look at when it used to be held in Wisconsin compared to the crowds they get here in MN. And selfishly, having it here in MN every year means I get to go to it every year. My buddies and I look forward to it all year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stack Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 The hockey playoffs as is, are fine. Two out of three in the first round is great. The Final Five is fine too. The top three qualifiers deserve not to play that extra game that the 4th and 5th qaulifiers do. I've had tickets to the WCHA Final Five since it's beginning at the St Paul Civic Center. It is still the best tournament in the country. Four out of five years the Final Five is more exciting than the Frozen Four (I go to t he Frozen Four too) I like the Final Five in the cities even though I no longer live there and feel it would not be the same somewhere else. When it was at the Brad;ey Center it was fun but a lot farther travel for most people and if Wisconsin isn't in the finals not a big crowd. I do wish that Minnesota fans would not continue to tell me how it is not a home ice advantage for the Gophers. Yes it is not their home rink but it is their home crowd. There is just somethign about beating Minnesota at the X though that makes it especially fun to go to the games. Now when it comes to the NCAA Regionals I do want a change. I don't think any regional should be played on Olympic size ice and don't feel that the NCAA should award a regional to a site with Olympic ice. The Frozen Four is played on NHL size ice so let's have the regionals on the same size ice. Besides for those teams like Cornell who seldom play on Olympic ice it is a huge disadvantage especially if they are playing Minnesota, CC, New Hampshire, St Cloud or any team whose home ice is Olympic ice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagard Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 The hockey playoffs as is, are fine. Two out of three in the first round is great. The Final Five is fine too. The top three qualifiers deserve not to play that extra game that the 4th and 5th qaulifiers do.... I don't think five teams should be involved. If it must be, have the playin game on Tuesday at someones home ice. The regular season is unbalanced and can unfairly reward a 1st, 3rd, or 5th place finisher. In '04 UW had eight games with the 9th and 10th place teams and only four with the top two teams. The Gophers had eight with the top two and four with the bottom two. That typically would equate to about a 4pt swing due to schedule. Basically I don't think the huge reward for finishing top three can be justified by the unbalanced schedule. That said I do love the single knockout format for the hockey tourney. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMB Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 I understand that the REA is too small to ever be considered a venue for the Frozen Four, but with the great facilities in the WCHA like the REA, Kohl Center, Excel; why can't the Final Five site be rotated around these arenas every few years? I understand that the Twin Cities are a hockey hotbed, but so is Milwaukee/Madison, and GF, even the Denver area. The biggest reason is money. The WCHA makes ALL of their money from the Final 5. Since they get the best deal from the Xcel Energy Center (ie, most money), it has been in St. Paul, and likely will be for the foreseeable future. In addition, while St. Paul is close to the Minnesota campus, the other sites you indicated are all home arenas for the various teams. I don't think that the league will have the conference tournament on the home ice of one of their members. Yes, Minnesota gets a built in advantage, but only because they are centrally located within the league. Additionally, look at how many teams in the league are near the Twin Cities. Minnesota, St. Cloud, Mankato, Duluth, Wisconsin, and North Dakota are all within 4-5 hours of the Twin Cities. You are practically guaranteed good attendance at games involving those teams. If you had the tournament in Milwaukee (not realistic to have it in Madison, see on campus arena), then the host team is 90 minutes away, and the next closest team is 6 hours away. From a location perspective, North Dakota is a possibility, but I highly doubt that the league would EVER have the tournament at the home ice of one of its members. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stack Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 I don't think five teams should be involved. If it must be, have the playin game on Tuesday at someones home ice. The regular season is unbalanced and can unfairly reward a 1st, 3rd, or 5th place finisher. In '04 UW had eight games with the 9th and 10th place teams and only four with the top two teams. The Gophers had eight with the top two and four with the bottom two. That typically would equate to about a 4pt swing due to schedule. Basically I don't think the huge reward for finishing top three can be justified by the unbalanced schedule. That said I do love the single knockout format for the hockey tourney. I always forget about the unbalanced schedule. Here's another one. No team should have the last weekend of the season off like UAA and Mankato did this year. There is too much riding on the playoffs and that extra week's rest could mean the difference in a playoff win or loss. You can't tell me the schedule makers can't figure out a way to have everyone play the last wekend and probably the last two weekends of the regular season. As a fan i want my team playing the last weekend of the regular season since there is usually a lot of excitement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoggy Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 I always forget about the unbalanced schedule. Here's another one. No team should have the last weekend of the season off like UAA and Mankato did this year. There is too much riding on the playoffs and that extra week's rest could mean the difference in a playoff win or loss. You can't tell me the schedule makers can't figure out a way to have everyone play the last wekend and probably the last two weekends of the regular season. As a fan i want my team playing the last weekend of the regular season since there is usually a lot of excitement. I don't quite understand how, but from what I heard/read it was because of the CCHA going to an expanded play-offs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackheart Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 Final Five is a fun tournament but it is about one thing only...$$$$$$$$$$$$ the way it is structured, no team that is lower than a #3 seed has a real shot at winning the thing...In fact, I don't know if a Play-in team has ever won the thing...so basically, one of the top 3 teams that would probably make the NCAAs anyway will get the auto bid....I'm just happy that the gofers can have it in their back yard every year ...but remember, it's not a home ice advantage... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siouxguyinstpaul Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 Final Five is a fun tournament but it is about one thing only...$$$$$$$$$$$$ the way it is structured, no team that is lower than a #3 seed has a real shot at winning the thing...In fact, I don't know if a Play-in team has ever won the thing...so basically, one of the top 3 teams that would probably make the NCAAs anyway will get the auto bid....I'm just happy that the gofers can have it in their back yard every year ...but remember, it's not a home ice advantage... Well, at least they didn't "pimp" themselves and the X out against Mankato this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackheart Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 Well, at least they didn't "pimp" themselves and the X out against Mankato this year. I loved that....I still give Mankato fans crap for that.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siouxcaddy Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 I have to agree, I haven't missed a Final Five since like 1999 and they are a lot of fun. I still think beating Wisconsin in 2000 was the highlight of them all. I never seen so many shocked Wisconsin fans after they lost to the Sioux. That was my favorite also. Who was it that put the big hit on one of the Badgers behind the net to get the Sioux rolling in that game (at the start of the 2nd or 3rd period?) ? I want to say it was Peter Armbrust, or Chad Mazurak...? Anyway, we always laugh when we think of that game. The gross old Wisconsin fan with the long greasy gray hair was picking his nose on the jumbo-tron. We called him "Uncle-Jesse" and started the "nose-picker" chant as he walked out the tunnel below us. Whenever we see him at a game to this day, we consider it a good omen, as it brings back so many good memories.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackheart Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 That was my favorite also. Who was it that put the big hit on one of the Badgers behind the net to get the Sioux rolling in that game (at the start of the 2nd or 3rd period?) ? I want to say it was Peter Armbrust, or Chad Mazurak...? Anyway, we always laugh when we think of that game. The gross old Wisconsin fan with the long greasy gray hair was picking his nose on the jumbo-tron. We called him "Uncle-Jesse" and started the "nose-picker" chant as he walked out the tunnel below us. Whenever we see him at a game to this day, we consider it a good omen, as it brings back so many good memories.... I believe it was Mr. Bayda who put Bucky down early, and really hard.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprig Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 I don't think five teams should be involved. If it must be, have the playin game on Tuesday at someones home ice. I like that idea, play-in game at the 4 seed in advance of what would then be a 4 team tourney at the X. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackheart Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 I like that idea, play-in game at the 4 seed in advance of what would then be a 4 team tourney at the X. Yeah, but then the cheap screws that run this league would miss out on extra revenue from having the game at the X... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slap Shot Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 Now when it comes to the NCAA Regionals I do want a change. I don't think any regional should be played on Olympic size ice and don't feel that the NCAA should award a regional to a site with Olympic ice. The Frozen Four is played on NHL size ice so let's have the regionals on the same size ice. Besides for those teams like Cornell who seldom play on Olympic ice it is a huge disadvantage especially if they are playing Minnesota, CC, New Hampshire, St Cloud or any team whose home ice is Olympic ice. I could be wrong, but I thought I read somewhere that the official sheet size of the NCAA is the Olympic sheet, and if there was a venue with an Olympic sheet large enough to host a FF you can bet it would be played there from time to time. However if me must go that far, then let's eliminate all regionals from being played at the home rink of any Div I school. It's a bit exclusionary to punish a university by not allowing it to host a regional because of their sheet of ice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siouxguyinstpaul Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 leave it how it is...the final 5 may be the best and most entertaining hockey tourney in the country including the frozen 4. I sure have alot fun - the St. Patty's day parade held for the Sioux in downtown St. Paul every year (which I'm in wearing my Kelly Green) followed by three great days of hockey - who could ask for more? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sicatoka Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 I could be wrong, but I thought I read somewhere that the official sheet size of the NCAA is the Olympic sheet, and if there was a venue with an Olympic sheet large enough to host a FF you can bet it would be played there from time to time. However if me must go that far, then let's eliminate all regionals from being played at the home rink of any Div I school. It's a bit exclusionary to punish a university by not allowing it to host a regional because of their sheet of ice. Here's exactly where the NCAA is being, well, the NCAA. The rulebook does say, "As nearly as possible, the dimensions of the rink shall be 200 feet [61m] long and 100 feet [30.48m] wide." However, they also say they'll only play Frozen Fours in arenas that hold 15000 or more. But the 15000 or more seat hockey arenas in the US are, for the greatest part, NHL arenas, which are 85 feet wide. Don't you love how consistent the NCAA is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.