Greenest Playoffs

There's no doubt that a deep playoff run helps a team immensely when it comes to the financial windfall that comes from that run. NCAA hockey certainly can make some money if a winning team has a deep run, and this year's playoff format in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference will see one team likely make a bundle of cash this year. We already know they're one of the most profitable programs even without the deep playoff runs, but the UND men's hockey team is asking its fans to go green this postseason to support the team by dressing in green for their home playoff dates!

The Grand Forks Herald's Brad Schlossman reported today that "UND and Ralph Engelstad Arena are asking fans to wear green to all the home playoff games" as the team gets set for its weekend best-of-three playoff series against Omaha. Being the higher-seeded team in conference play sees North Dakota host the playoff series as "[t]his is the first year where every game of the NCHC tournament will be at a home venue. The higher seed will host each matchup."

UND will actually host every playoff game this season with the rule change pointed out by Schlossman above as North Dakota finished first-overall in the NCHC. That, of course, will result in the University of North Dakota making bundles of money off each playoff home game, so handing out rally towels on Friday is the kind of promotional item that will guarantee a sell-out if the game hasn't already reached capacity. No matter what you think of this new playoff format, the best schools and programs are always guaranteed a monetary bonus.

I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with a school profitting off its extremely-popular hockey program as it literally should be one of the school's main marketing tools, but I struggle to understand how UND can annually make millions of dollars off their men's hockey while playing in what is arguably the best arena in all of NCAA sports, but they cannot have a women's collgiate hockey team because it apparently wasn't profitable enough and cost too much money.

The part about being profitable is understandable because women's hockey still struggles to find more than a couple of schools that average more than 2000 fans per game, so this is clearly a problem on every campus that has NCAA D1 women's hockey. If there are very few programs that get close to breaking even, North Dakota's cutting of their program was a choice, not a necessity, despite their men's hockey program generating vaults of money on an annual basis.

Before anyone jumps all over me by saying that the men's hockey program shouldn't subsidize a women's hockey program, let me turn the tables on you and ask why hockey fans in the same towns and cities go to see men's hockey and not women's hockey? Why do people complain about how a program is funded when the obvious solution to the problem would be to support both hockey programs as passionately and fervently as men's hockey is supported currently?

I take nothing away from UND men's hockey because they have a powerhouse team each and every year, they play in one of the best rinks in North America, and they have a fanbase that supports the program no matter what. That kind of support year-in and year-out is something that most hockey teams across the planet want, and UND gets it every weekend. North Dakota will make serious bank with the new playoff format, and I'm not holding that against them.

My only question is where does all that money go? It clearly didn't go towards keeping the women's program alive that produced PWHL stars like Kristen Campbell, Michelle Karvinen, and Susanna Tapani along with a pile of Olympians for a number of countries and players who skated in the CWHL, NWHL, and PHF. The program was clearly getting results, but it seems like no one noticed. Or cared.

I'm hopeful that UND can have a deep playoff run so they're flush with cash for next season and beyond. It's pretty clear that the University of North Dakota needs that money to keep the lights on rather than helping young women in the state of North Dakota and beyond achieve their dreams. The men's hockey program should be able to help UND with their budget by hosting the three-game series against Omaha this weekend, but it still leaves me with questions about where all the money goes from the greenest playoffs in UND history.

One place it doesn't go? Women's hockey at UND. Nor will it ever.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!