College Hockey:
New NCHC gets TV deal with CBS Sports Network

USCHO Staff Report • Jan. 31, 2012

The CBS Sports Network has agreed to a multi-year agreement with the new National Collegiate Hockey Conference and will be the exclusive national television partner for the conference starting with the 2013-14 season.

The agreement is for a minimum of 18 conference games, including the NCHC’s semifinal and championship games.

“With top teams and passionate fan bases, the National is poised to be an elite college hockey conference and we’re thrilled to be the national television partner,” said CBS Sports Network senior VP or programming Dan Weinberg in a news release. “College hockey has been a staple of our programming and we’re pleased to expand our coverage and further serve fans with compelling and competitive conference action.”

“We are delighted to be associated with the preeminent national broadcaster of college hockey,” added NCHC commissioner Jim Scherr. “It is our goal to be the premier single-sport conference in intercollegiate athletics and the unmatched exposure and production quality that will be provided by CBS Sports Network will contribute significantly to realizing that vision.”

Currently, CBS Sports Network covers Atlantic Hockey, CCHA, ECAC, Hockey East and WCHA teams.

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nmu dad
I guess that won’t be coming in on my antenna.
JamesDee
It will be nice when the New WCHA signs a TV contract with ESPN/ABC.
Where people across the country can see passionate fans from place like Alaska, Upper Michigan, and in the heart of Minnesota.
The WCHA a league with a history and a trophy.

http://twitter.com/Butterz07 Aaron G.
thats funny considering the WCHA will be a team dump league once everyone leaves. The WCHA can keep there garbage refs too lol GO SIOUX

JamesDee
No, the WCHA will be the league where blue chippers will want to go once the surfers go away.
WCHAFAN
A dump league with 4 teams currently ranked in the top 25… Just remember, regardless of TV deals, we can watch the WCHA teams “upset” the “National”-the B1G, Hockey East and the like in the NCAA tourney on whatever network decides to carry it.

Fan Man
As a WCHA fan for years, its sad to see it go with all that great hardware the Sioux have so proudfully held for all those years! Hopefully one more Broadmore trophy this year and both next year!

Slambammy
Typical Sioux fan but…its hard not to agree with the WCHA keeping the garbage refs. God they can be bad.

siouxperfan7
If ESPN didn’t want NHL games with teams form Chicago, New York, and LA, I am pretty sure they will pass on teams from Houghton, Mankato, and Anchorage.

Joe C
ESPNU just shows the NCAA tournament, because it shows just about every NCAA championship on one of the slots of the WWL.
They could not even make money showing the Beanpot on ESPN/ESPN 2, despite the strong niche markets on the East Coast. Beat out by POKER reruns.

Anonymous
Why does everyone think ESPN will be the savior of all sports? All they care about is NFL, NBA, college football and basketball. That’s it. Hockey is and never was an interest to them. Their coverage of the Frozen Four is awful. If they get any coverage they will just make the sport look bad with horrible analysts like they seem to do with every other sport.
My wish is that NBC Sports Network shows some games since they have a vested interest in the future of the NHL. Life will be better without ESPN.

Fan Man
This is great for college hockey! Now with FCS (A<C<P), Big Ten, and others, we will be able to watch 5-6 games a night for sure! Well, maybe have to record them on the diggy box when your not at the game anyway..

Fan Man
Wow what happened there?

LtPowers
“the National”? Really?

BooneDogg
Does that mean the conference champion will call themselves “the National” Champion? haha

Slick Ice
Without Notre Dame NBC must not have been interested.

Bob
I’m ok with that. If we know the National will have an exclusive partner, that’s fine with me. I don’t really prefer one over the other. That said, it doesn’t mean other games won’t be picked up by NBC such as when National teams play Hockey East, and to your point, Notre Dame.

http://twitter.com/blackbear93 John Forsyth
If the new league is truly “national” then they can pick up Alabama-Huntsville. Until then, they can stuff it with this “national” crap. They’re the Little Ten Hockey Conference, suffering a massive inferiority complex to their B1G brothers.
College hockey didn’t really gain anything anyway. Chuck Schwartz of Bucky’s 5th Quarter points out that there are 23 games televised on CBSSN this season anyway, and this contract only guarantees 18. Will this preclude the formerly-known-as Sioux from their FCS contract? Denver from appearing on FSNRM? Seems that college hockey actually lost exposure in this deal.
Kudos!

Jason
The answers to both of your questions is no. Every home UND game will continue to be nationally televised. DU will still be able to show games on FSRM. Seems that you purposely inferred the wrong answer to reach your incorrect conclusion. But as they say, Kudos!

ari
not true, Nodak will not longer have nationally televised games

nogofer
Fighting Sioux Sports Network

http://twitter.com/blackbear93 John Forsyth
So who has priority if both networks want to broadcast a game from Denver?
18 is still less than 23 (unless there is some new math to go with the new league) so that’s still a net loss for college hockey. Therefore, my conclusion is correct.
Kudos!

Bob
Oh the butthurt of being left out.

rustyjello
NCHA will end up being an also ran. Will not compete with Hockey East and the Big Ten

xTEDxTHExREDx
u mad bro?

rustyjello
I am mad, but I’m basing what I wrote on facts. The NCHA cannot compete with the big boys in two areas. Who wins on brand, Big Ten or NCHA? The answer is obvious. Now go back 20 years and tell me who has appeared in more NCAA finals, Hockey East or the new NCHA teams? It’s Hockey East in a landslide. Add Notre Dame to the mix and it’s only gonna get better for HE.
The new WCHA will be like Atlantic Hockey or ECAC in terms of PERCEIVED talent and visits to the NCAA tournament. The NCHA will be a step above that , but will be the little brother to the Big Ten and HE.
Those are the facts. u mad bro?

guest
Who has more national championships? NCHC
Who has the #1 ranked team in the nation? NCHC
Who has the defending champ? NCHC

rustyjello
In the last 10 years, the Big Ten has more National Championships.
In the last 20 years, Hockey East has more National Championships.
Beyond that point, it doesn’t matter much.
As far as the defending National Champion and Number One ranked team in the country… It is amazing that UMD, playing an allegedly third rate team this past weekend (WCHA leftover), gets outscored 9-0 over the last 100 minutes, and still keeps that number one ranking. You guys should be thankful though because after UMD it’s not very pretty. Here’s the number of teams ranked in the RPI top 12 by conference.
New Hockey East 6
New Big Ten 3
New WCHA 2
New NCHA 1
Don’t see much to brag about here, How you gonna keep up with the big boys if you can’t keep up with the “table scraps”?
guest
I hate when people argue and say, “In the last 10 years…” If you go back 10 years, you might as well go back 20 or 30 or 40. But you don’t want to go back 40 or 50 years because then that wouldn’t make your argument valid anymore.
rustyjello
Good point. My point is this. The trends in more recent history are not in the NCHC’s favor.
However, let’s go back to 1948. New Big Ten has more National Championships.
Joe C
I do not care how many championships Hockey East has. I do not care how many championships the ECAC has. I care about the five that BU has won, 3 in ECAC and 2 in Hockey East.
I definitely do not care about the 4 BC won, even though I do respect each of them. The whole “My league is better than your league” comes from the same place as the “S.E.C.” chant in football. You really feel the need to take part in the victories of your biggest rivals? Claim a part of their victory as belong to your school because you play in the same league? Bah!
I root for two teams, BU and anyone playing BC. You will not catch me hoping for BC to beat anyone unless a BC win means BU gets into the NCAA tournament.
Beanpot Time!

BulldogFan
Keep telling yourself that.

rustyjello
Good point. My point is this. The trends in more recent history are not in the NCHC’s favor.
However, let’s go back to 1948. New Big Ten has more National Championships.
Arcticblasthockey
What ever , no matter what this is Good for College Hockey , NBC Sports Net, is showing college hockey every Friday night, the Big Ten Network shows College hockey, Fox sports net shows college hockey, maybe NBC can buy the rights to the NCAA Frozen Four, Screw ESPN they suck, never any hockey on there, and Berry Melrose wanted out of ESPN. They do a bad job of covering Hockey anyways always have. Oh and the NHL network shows some College Hockey, NBC is the key if we can get some games on NBC (Not NBC Sports net) then College hockey will be bigger !