I disagree with everything RickJames posted about hockey at CU. CU can be a winner.
1. The appeal of college hockey is growing. Team USA was nearly entirely composed of college hockey players. The appeal of Junior leagues like the WHL, CHL, and Quebec league is diminishing. The fact college hockey is making into the Friday night primetime schedule for NBC sports network is saying something. Not quite ESPN, but it's more of a spotlight than before. Like basketball or football, American college hockey is increasingly viewed as a pathway to the league. Kids would rather make it by playing for a BU or DU than scrapping it for 3-4 years in the Q.
2. Colorado is becoming a hockey pipeline more and more with every passing year. The kids growing up watching the Avs and Pios are getting drafted now (Nick Shore the latest example). Not the case before. How many rinks have been built in the Denver area over the last 10 years. Interest in the sport has exploded. High schools that never had hockey since the 70's are picking up programs (Cherry Creek, Littleton, Heritage). The "focus on the hockey" bastion of Colorado Springs is not the sole outpost anymore. No reason CU couldn't find a 4* hockey player out of Colorado.
3. Sure kids want to win, however, starting a program is key. Even the University of, yes, Nebraska-Omaha started a D1 WCHA program less than 10 year ago and is now starting to realize success (qualified for the 16 team NCAA tourney). Like all things, developing a program takes time, but it's not impossible to catch up to the BU's, DU's, BC's, etc. CC will never be at the same level as DU ever again because of its small liberal arts school handicap--kids actually have to focus on their "Literature of the River" classes for 3 weeks at a time with the block schedule. AFA is a military academy, and we all know the recruiting handicap there. Kids who play hockey don't care about academic prestige, so that's an irrelevant point to make. CU could eventually realize a recruiting advantage. Further, there's an opening out West in the college hockey scene with Penn State picking up a program and Minnesota and Wisconsin joining the B10.
I agree that CU needs to get the football situation turned around ASAP and needs to pump all funds into an Oregon-caliber facility or get a coach who wins like Nick Saban if Embo/Bienemy can't get it done. All dollars should go there for the foreseeable future (and wtf, legally why can't all 85 football scholarships not count toward Title IX compliance is beyond me).
But don't call the Colorado's college hockey scene an "exception to the rule" or dismiss the University of Colorado's potential to build a college hockey power that rivals DU's or CC's programs.
Disagreed.
First, college hockey has not become more popular. You say that the number of college players at the recent Junior tournaments show this, but team USA has always been highly comprised of college players (to be honest, Team USA is a bit favored to them).
For example...
http://www.iihf.com/hockey/x/9900/U20a/gs/pg000040.htm
Just about the same number of college hockey players. There has been no huge increase in it's relevancy.
Since 08, only 13 out of 25 american born first round picks played in the NCAA. Barely 50%. Only six Canadian players have played in the NCAA's.
That's 19...Out of 120 some players. The NCAA is still getting it's ass kicked by juniors.
High end talent is still flocking to juniors. It is also easier for an undeveloped or low level prospect to make it to the NHL through juniors for several reasons.
1. You play with players your age. Most of the league is 17/18/19 year olds, you don't have to go up against 22 and 23 year old regularly.
2. You can fight. Usually a good skill for a borderline NHL'er.
3. The CHL is an entirely developmental league. People whine about it, but one of the best parts of the Canadian leagues is that players, can force their way out of a bad situation, or refuse to play for certain teams. It sounds like a dick move, but better to be rude than end up in a bad situation.
It's not fun trying to make it as a borderline NHL player. As a positive, you do get to stick around a little longer into your twenties if you really need the development time, but very few players play out their eligibility.
Colorado has proven nothing with regards to being a pipeline state.
I'll give you the shore brothers, but other than them who exactly has come through the Denver area on the way to the show?? Still drier than a church sponsored bingo night.
Nebraska-Omaha is actually a terrible example of showing how a program can "get off the ground" considering that they have a losing record, and they are 38'th in RPI. Out of 58 teams, that pretty much puts you in the bottom third of programs.They have really only had two good teams in 15 years of playing at the NCAA level. They've had two teams that were barely ranked, and 13 teams that were either bad or struggling to make .500 They also have a great coach in Dan Blais. When they've had success it's because they got lucky on a couple of guys that fell through the cracks undrafted.
Teams that start up and simply aren't around solid prospect pools don't fare well.