On Tuesday, I had a chance to interview National Collegiate Hockey Conference Commissioner Jim Scherr. While the majority of that interview will run during Saturday's UMD-Minnesota State game, there was some that had to be gently placed on the proverbial cutting room floor.
I figured I'd post the portion of the interview I had to cut from what will make air.
On Director of Officiating Don Adam and Director of Hockey Operations Joe Novak:
"Well, it'll be fantastic. He's (Adam) been a quality official in the collegiate scene and in the WCHA for a very long time. I think he'll make a better director of officiating than he was an on-ice official, and that's saying a lot. I think he's got the right skill sets and connections and qualities as an individual to really lead that effort.
"Joe is a long-time hockey official and thinks of himself as a hockey official. He's keenly interested in and working on the quality of our overall officiating program as well."
On Target Center and the planning for next year's inaugural NCHC Tournament:
"The arena and their leadership has been fantastic in working with us. As everyone knows, they haven't traditionally hosted a lot of hockey events. We're working very close with them and their operations staff on making sure that all the equipment is upgraded, and the quality of ice, and the quality of the venue, and everything that goes into it to making sure it's an incredible experience for our teams and is on par with the very best in the country.
"So we're working very diligently with Target Center on that, and they've been great to work with. That's number one, making sure for the teams that the locker rooms and the ice and the ice access and conditions for play are great.
"Second, is we want to fill the house. We want to make sure that our teams are playing in front of a strong crowd. The XCel Center and the WCHA and the Final Five have done great, and we'll have some strong competition every other year from the Big Ten. Filling the house is a big priority, so we're working with them on the right promotions for the tournament."
On whether Target Center will try to get a hockey event in advance of the first tournament, as sort of a dry run:
"We're talking to them about getting a game in earlier in the year, whether it's late fall or in the second semester, to be able to test out the facility as well as promote the conference championship.
"Obviously, one of the teams we've looked at is Minnesota Duluth, and/or St. Cloud State, because of the proximity as well as the draw they would have in the venue. So we're looking at a lot of options to get a game in there on an ongoing basis before the conference championship."
There's a lot more from Scherr that is in the final cut of the interview, which can be heard Saturday night. He talks about his transition to running a hockey conference, the upcoming launch of the NCHC logo, and the future of college hockey now that everyone in Division I has a league to play in beyond this season.
Showing posts with label target center. Show all posts
Showing posts with label target center. Show all posts
Thursday, February 07, 2013
Monday, June 11, 2012
Random Rabble: June 11
I'm not a boxing expert. I don't watch a lot of big-time fights, largely because they're on pay-per-view, and I refuse to pay $64.95 to watch a star fight a guy I've never heard of.
When I heard Manny Pacquiao was fighting something called Timothy Bradley, Jr., Saturday, and it was nearly $70 to buy the fight, I didn't do any further investigating into the event. I hadn't heard of Bradley, and even if I had, I doubt I would have bought it.
Naturally, Bradley won. Naturally, it was a split decision. Naturally, the internet blew up.
Want an informed opinion on the bit? Find someone who saw it and knows how to break down what they saw. I'm not that guy. I just think the whole thing is interesting.
Even though I have no idea if Pacquiao was screwed over in this fight, I do know one thing. Promoter Bob Arum would be well-served to close his yapper. He immediately started talking about a rematch in early November, and since he promotes both fighters, it's safe to say he will be making a few dimes on that event.
Again, I did not see the fight, but to me, any conspiracy talk starts with the guy who stands the most to gain from a rematch. That's not Pacquiao. It's Arum. If he's wise, he stops talking about it, even though he's said he wants an investigation. It doesn't help, because the dollars still all point in his direction.
The National Collegiate Hockey Conference will announce Monday that its first postseason tournament will be held at Target Center in Minneapolis. The announcement has been expected for some time, as Target Center has been linked to the NCHC for a while, even going back to before the Big Ten officially announced that its tournament would rotate between the XCel Energy Center (St. Paul) and Joe Louis Arena (Detroit). It's not a surprise.
Many fans have been disappointed by the talk, and they won't be happy with the news of this deal being official. However, the NCHC's decision makes a lot of sense from a business perspective. The Minneapolis-St. Paul airport is one of the easier ones to fly into for out-of-town fans, especially those of Denver and Colorado College. UMD, North Dakota, St. Cloud State, and even Nebraska Omaha are a pretty easy drive away from the Cities, plus the schools all have plenty of alumni in the area.
Not only that, but the NCHC will probably be more capable of attracting corporate sponsors to an event in the Twin Cities than it would to one that rotated among campus sites or went to a smaller venue in a smaller city.
I am not a Target Center fan, but there are renovations coming. I don't know the specifics, but they can't hurt. The building needs to be spruced up.
The WCHA Final Five has been a cash cow for the league since its inception, but the league has missed out badly, as evidenced by the fact that the event hasn't sold out a game since 2008. The NCHC now is charged with filling more seats in a building no one associates with hockey. It could be a tough sell, but the new league has to hope it can do a better job than the old league -- the one six of the NCHC's eight teams left to start this new endeavor -- did.
When I heard Manny Pacquiao was fighting something called Timothy Bradley, Jr., Saturday, and it was nearly $70 to buy the fight, I didn't do any further investigating into the event. I hadn't heard of Bradley, and even if I had, I doubt I would have bought it.
Naturally, Bradley won. Naturally, it was a split decision. Naturally, the internet blew up.
Want an informed opinion on the bit? Find someone who saw it and knows how to break down what they saw. I'm not that guy. I just think the whole thing is interesting.
Even though I have no idea if Pacquiao was screwed over in this fight, I do know one thing. Promoter Bob Arum would be well-served to close his yapper. He immediately started talking about a rematch in early November, and since he promotes both fighters, it's safe to say he will be making a few dimes on that event.
Again, I did not see the fight, but to me, any conspiracy talk starts with the guy who stands the most to gain from a rematch. That's not Pacquiao. It's Arum. If he's wise, he stops talking about it, even though he's said he wants an investigation. It doesn't help, because the dollars still all point in his direction.
The National Collegiate Hockey Conference will announce Monday that its first postseason tournament will be held at Target Center in Minneapolis. The announcement has been expected for some time, as Target Center has been linked to the NCHC for a while, even going back to before the Big Ten officially announced that its tournament would rotate between the XCel Energy Center (St. Paul) and Joe Louis Arena (Detroit). It's not a surprise.
Many fans have been disappointed by the talk, and they won't be happy with the news of this deal being official. However, the NCHC's decision makes a lot of sense from a business perspective. The Minneapolis-St. Paul airport is one of the easier ones to fly into for out-of-town fans, especially those of Denver and Colorado College. UMD, North Dakota, St. Cloud State, and even Nebraska Omaha are a pretty easy drive away from the Cities, plus the schools all have plenty of alumni in the area.
Not only that, but the NCHC will probably be more capable of attracting corporate sponsors to an event in the Twin Cities than it would to one that rotated among campus sites or went to a smaller venue in a smaller city.
I am not a Target Center fan, but there are renovations coming. I don't know the specifics, but they can't hurt. The building needs to be spruced up.
The WCHA Final Five has been a cash cow for the league since its inception, but the league has missed out badly, as evidenced by the fact that the event hasn't sold out a game since 2008. The NCHC now is charged with filling more seats in a building no one associates with hockey. It could be a tough sell, but the new league has to hope it can do a better job than the old league -- the one six of the NCHC's eight teams left to start this new endeavor -- did.
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