Why is NCAA/CIS hockey your favorite sport?

[RabidBadger]

There can be a multitude of reasons to be part of a fanbase; it usually involves regionalism or alumniship in the case of college sports. I was curious what draws the posters here to value a 'fringe sport' above all others?

For me, it's the fanbase. Anyone who reads the posts in the NHL forums would swear some of the fans of the same team were mortal enemies; let alone the terrible behavior that happens at the games. Here I can have civil discussions with NoDak and Minny fans, sworn enemies of The Badger Nation! I can get behind CIS players or players from opposing teams making the show. Yeah, we occasionally flame each other, but it really doesn't have the malice that you see on other threads.

It translates to to the games as well. If you see a pan out of the crowd at the Frozen Four there will be sweaters from at least ten different teams there because they came for good hockey/good atmosphere. I went to an invitational in Dayton Ohio the Badgers were playing in: there were jerseys from every Ohio team there and a dude from Bemidji wearing a Beavers sweater. He travelled almost 1,000 miles just to see good hockey even though his team wasn't playing (he was pulling for Wiscy which netted him free beer). Not to mention most regular season collegiate games have the atmosphere atmosphere of NHL playoff games.

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[Short Shorts]

Student sections.

 

[Rob]

There is certainly the alumni connection no doubt but I also watch other CIS teams play. I am starting to get into NCAA hockey more now that they have started to broadcast games in Canada. It is the hockey that sells itself.

 

[leafhky88]

A very interesting question - in my geographic area I have within a 1.5 hour drive access to about 5 major junior teams, an AHL team, an NHL team, and through TV the ability to watch several NHL games per night (during the season) should I choose, all hockey of similar or superior quality.

As Rob has posted, alumni is a part of it - I enjoyed watching CIS games at my university while I attended, and perhaps it feels nostalgic.

However, the biggest part for me is how much more I have come to enjoy watching games (and players) in person (as opposed to on TV). CIS hockey in Ontario permits me to watch a ton of games in person, for a very low price, with optimal convenience. I do not have to order tickets online well in advance (apart from my season tickets which cost me about $120 for a pair for the year) - if I choose to attend road games I can decide on the day to show up - seating is never an issue, parking is never an issue. It is the closest thing to owning my own team. Even following the league during the year is more convenient - with a 28 game season, compressed into fewer months, I can virtually follow all 4 conferences in an hour or two per weekend.

The unintended side effect has been when following other leagues (reading up on Tier II or Jr.B) or attending major junior games, I tend to gravitate towards watching players I think will end up in the CIS.

 

[scRIbe]

Not quite sure about the CIS, but I know that in the NCAA, there is no trapezoid and hardly any fighting, yet it still manages to be a top-shelf hockey product.

In addition, the fact that almost all of the action is on weekends, usually with two-game sets in one venue or in the form of home-and-homes, is a nice dynamic. It gives you something to look forward to all week, and usually doesn't disappoint when it arrives.

 

[Bonin21]

Because the Gophers are mostly local kids we watch grow up and watch many play at the X in the tourney. And college kids CHOOSE their school, not get drafted. And no contract stuff where money comes before loyalty. It's pure.

Also it's impossible to support the Wild as long as they have a badger and a Whioux on the roster.

 

[Ban Hammered]

It's my school's only D1 sport, fell in love with the atmosphere at the NHC (now the HBNHC) and once you see a game live there, if you aren't a hockey fan...you will be.

 

[scRIbe]

Because the Gophers are mostly local kids we watch grow up and watch many play at the X in the tourney. And college kids CHOOSE their school, not get drafted. And no contract stuff where money comes before loyalty. It's pure.

Also it's impossible to support the Wild as long as they have a badger and a Whioux on the roster.

"Pure." If you had to select only one word to sum it up, that would definitely be the right choice. To your point, there is purity between the boards and in how the players get there.

 

[MiamiHockey]

I have a strong preference for CIS hockey over NCAA hockey. Three reasons:

1) The false "purity" of the student-athlete image. For full disclosure, I am faculty at a school with a perennial top-50 Div. I Football team. There are a few "student-athletes" on that team, but there should be no mistake that most are "athletes" who happen to be enrolled in easy classes. There's nothing more hypocritical than schools that recruit athletes from poor families and deny those kids the ability to have a part-time job as they pour millions of dollars into the pockets of coaching staff. Yes, I know that NCAA Hockey coaches are not paid the same as football coaches, but the hypocrisy remains. There is no purity in the NCAA, sorry.
And, yes, I know that some CIS programs violate rules. But the CIS does not hype its own purity.

2) Excessive hype about scholarships. There's little doubt that being awarded a "scholarship" excites many athletes and their parents. Unfortunately, much of that is mystique ... the reality is that (1) the awarding of these scholarships is controlled by the head coach, and just as quickly as he gives a scholarship he can take one away, and (2) with few exceptions, the four-year degree is not free. In fact, at many private universities, the cost greatly exceeds what the athlete would pay at a CIS school without any scholarships at all.

3) The style of play. My first two critiques really had nothing to do with the style or quality of play. They are more pet peeves that irk me when I watch or attend NCAA games. I have stated many times on HFBoards that the NCAA is good quality hockey ... but it's more of a track meet than a game of strategy. There's a reason that few NCAA coaches make the leap to the pro game, but you find several former CIS coaches in the NHL and many in the pro leagues both in North America and abroad. CIS players tend to be older, and wiser, and so the CIS style of play is a bit more savvy ... whereas in the NCAA it's more of straight up-and-down game played at a frenetic pace.

My point is not to hammer on the NCAA ... having been to both, I can certainly understand why so many love the NCAA. It's just not my cup of tea.

 

[Bonin21]

Probably seems less run and gun since the guys are so slow lol.