Notre Dame to join the Big Ten — for hockey – Chicago Tribune
The debate has raged for decades: Will Notre Dame join the Big Ten?
The answer is yes, but there’s a catch.
Notre Dame announced its men’s hockey team will join the Big Ten as a sport affiliate member, and will begin conference play in the 2017-18 season.
“While we have enjoyed our affiliation with Hockey East, the opportunity to participate in Big Ten hockey is a compelling one from the perspective of our student-athletes,” athletic director Jack Swarbrick said in a statment. “The move will significantly reduce the time our team spends traveling, increase the broadcast exposure for our program and allow us to take advantage of the natural rivalries that exist with the Big Ten schools that participate in hockey.”
By adding a top-notch hockey program in its geographic footprint, conference officials are hoping to boost what became an official Big Ten sport in 2013-14 with Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin.
Notre Dame makes seven, and Big Ten deputy commissioner Brad Traviolia said there are no current plans to expand to eight. Some Illinois and Nebraska fans wish their club team would upgrade to varsity, but such a move requires major funding and proper facilities.
This is the first time that Notre Dame, which has turned down multiple overtures to join for football, will have a Big Ten affiliation.
“Notre Dame has a great program,” Traviolia said.
Notre Dame coach Jeff Jackson, a Michigan State alum, has guided the Irish to Frozen Four Appearances in 2008 and 2011. The team plays in the 4-year-old Compton Family Ice Arena, which holds 5,022 seats and has hosted Blackhawks training camp.
Notre Dame hockey had rivalries with Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State when they all played in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA), which was disbanded after the Big Ten departures.
In 2013, Notre Dame joined Hockey East, a league with Boston College, Boston University, UConn, Maine, UMass-Amherst, UMass-Lowell, Merrimack, New Hampshire, Northeastern, Providence and Vermont.
The Big Ten made a somewhat similar move when it added Johns Hopkins University for men’s lacrosse.
That added a sixth school and allowed it to become an official sport. This move is intended to beef up Big Ten hockey and add some sizzle to the postseason.
The Big Ten Ice Hockey tournament currently rotates between Detroit and Minnesota. Saturday’s championship game drew 6,180 just fans to the 18,568-seat Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, even though the Gophers were on the ice.
Traviolia said the tournament “has not met our expectations and our fans’ expectations. You won’t see the status quo going forward.”
So that likely means all or early-round games played on campuses beginning in 2018.
As for last weekend’s event, Michigan beat Minnesota 5-3 to lock up a spot in the NCAA tournament, which begins Friday.
Guess who Michigan will play? Its future Big Ten rival, Notre Dame.
Twitter @TeddyGreenstein
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