Ask Adam Wodon about UAH Hockey
Posted by Geof F. Morris on Aug 26, 2009 in In the Media | Subscribe
Adam Wodon has argued that the CCHA isn’t to blame for UAH’s situation. I contacted Adam to see if he’d be willing to respond to some questions and criticisms of his argument, and he graciously agreed. If you have something that you want me to ask, please leave us a comment.
Also, just as with contacting the ADs, please be civil. 
Adam,
It’s true that travel to Huntsville may be more expensive or time consuming than Omaha, but have you analyzed the degree to which that is true for each program in the CCHA? I believe that the delta is negligible.
Also, have you considered that the likes of Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State, and Notre Dame in Huntsville would positively impact the attendance figures by probably 2000 people per home game? There are a lot of non-native Huntsvillians who attended college at major universities from all over the country, and it’s likely that large schools from the midwest would draw correspondingly large crowds here.
Rich, have you seen this?
http://blog.collegehockeynews.com/?p=331
Huntsville to CCHA? Why not?
Posted by: adamw
“But in terms of UNO, there is no cost difference. And this is the huge key.
A check of Google Maps shows that the driving mileage distance from Detroit to Omaha, Nebraska, is 732 miles. The driving distance from Detroit to Huntsville, Alabama, is only 663 miles.
… the end result may be no more expensive for CCHA teams.”
This entry was posted on Monday, June 1st, 2009 at 12:29 pm and is filed under Commentary.
1. Why do you believe that the WCHA’s moves were a “wash” for college hockey, when BSU’s hockey program was saved, and in turn, UNO left the CCHA of its own free will? I consider that, by far, to be a net positive. You seem to suggest that BSU’s entire program was worth UNO’s choosing to move from the CCHA to the WCHA. If so, then it seems that you simply don’t value saving (non-traditional) college hockey programs that much.
2. I’m happy for BSU, but isn’t it a bit excessive to say that BSU had so much more going for it than UAH? Once they enter the WCHA, they will likely fall in the mid-range team that makes it to the NCAAs infrequently and will stay the 5th-6th choice for recruits among the Minnesota schools. They’re in the WCHA, but their recruiting base is rather tapped out. Even so, don’t you think that mere admittance to the CCHA would improve UAH’s recruiting and talent level to a mid-level CCHA program? I would think that UAH could steal quite a few recruits with only the promises of warm weather and CCHA hockey. I mean, I went to the Univ. of Minnesota, dude. It sucks. And from November to March, it sucks hard. For those four months, they’ve got hockey and ice fishing, and that’s about it
3. From a PR perspective, the CCHA’s handling of this situation has been a nightmare. If you’re sure that the decision has nothing to do with Bowling Green’s stability, why did the CCHA bother with all the hush-hush theatrics? I see hope because the CCHA appears to have gone out of their way to ensure that there has been no straight-forward public answer.
4. What is the top thing that you would suggest that the UAH Athletic Director do this season to change the CCHA’s mind? (And it can’t be building a new arena).
I meant “cold weather sucks”, not the UofM… gotta show some love for the Gophers, even if I did run back to Alabama and the South the moment I got my diploma.