WCHA Squashes Camp Randall Outdoor Game

Wisconsin and minnesota will not participate in an outdoor game at Camp Randall during the 2008/2009 season.

Worried about losing control, Bruce McLeod didn't want a WCHA game transferred to the Herb Brooks Foundation who was looking to put the game together. Apparently Bruce missed the 2007/2008 season where he already lost control of several WCHA games including several involving Wisconsin, St. Cloud and Denver (who came out on the positive end of things, funny that McLeod works there). Being a regular season game, I think the WCHA just cost themselves some money. Even if the Herb Brooks Foundation was going to run things, the WCHA would have done pretty well packing 80,000+ into Camp Randall for one of the biggest rivarlies in all of college sports.

Some quotes from the article:

"The foundation's mission is to broaden the shrinking base of hockey's participation pyramid and keep kids involved in hockey. To that end, it proposed a three-day event in Madison that would include a hockey expo and clinics in addition to the game."

""Minnesota was going to play Wisconsin home and home, two games (each). Nothing changed for Minnesota and Wisconsin. What changed was the environment of the game, going back to the way the game was originally introduced to North American players -- outside. That's kind of a fresh look for a lot of people.""

"Even though that appears to be off the table, the teams share an off weekend in the 2009-10 season, Peltier said, and the group is eyeing Feb. 6, 2010, as a possibility."

Overall it sounded like a great event, and I loved the Lambeau Field game, and can't wait for the Wrigley Field Wings/Hawks this New Year's. I hope it does happen in the future, because it would be great for College Hockey and the rivalry. I think the planning for the event was a little late for the upcoming season and that might have killed things as much as the WCHA whining about control. Also, moving a game from the first home series (during homecoming) to this weekend wasn't high on my list of good ideas. The team is on the road a ton to start 2008 and needs that weekend, and two packed houses at the Kohl Center, to fight through the early part of the schedule.