The Financials of College Hockey
There’s significant evidence that hockey is growing in the United States. But, in order to get national recognition from all fifty states, it will require a movement at the collegiate level.
College hockey is already widely successful. Take this article from The Center Square that published data from the U.S. Department of Education, and you’ll see that most Division I collegiate hockey programs are very profitable. In fact, the average Division I program rakes in over $2-million in revenue against operating budgets of a little over $1-million.
Considering most college sports operate at a deficit, that’s not too shabby. Plus, if you take the average hockey revenue from major athletic programs with FBS football teams, it’s closer to $3-million in revenue. More than the likes of baseball, lacrosse, soccer, and others.
Now, hockey is considered by the naive to be a niche sport with a “cult” following. But if you look at the institutions that took a chance on having a hockey program, they’re actually doing very well.
For instance, Arizona State University is bringing in close to $3.5 million per year in hockey revenue. This even before finishing their new facility. The most successful schools, including Boston University, the University of Michigan, the University of Minnesota, and the University of North Dakota bring in revenues from $5-million to $9-million a year. So what’s preventing schools across the country from starting programs?
What Are the Drawbacks?
To begin with, it’s expensive to build and maintain an ice rink. That’s not to say that Division I schools should be discouraged from playing in sub-5,000 seat rinks, they shouldn’t. Consider the fact that we just watched an entire Stanley Cup Playoffs with no fans in the arena.
Unfortunately, the unrealistic standard that major athletic programs believe they have to compete with prevents them from diving into hockey. Problem is, not everybody knows a Terry Pegula, or is a phone call away from a $50-million grant. Therefore, it’s much easier for an athletic department to add a program with lower costs up-front, like Lacrosse.
To solve this problem, it’ll take the outspoken support from the hockey community. Those who grew up playing in dimly lit rinks with downtrodden locker rooms. Those who want to see their college alma mater play ice hockey against their arch rival. Of course, it’s going to be even harder for athletic departments to add hockey programs due to the economic impact of the pandemic. However, LIU may set an example for how universities can overcome that challenge. So, in the interest of advancing the discussion, below are a lists of universities and colleges that should consider adding a Division I program.
Potential Programs
North:
Rutgers University
This is Devils Army Blog, so examining the tri-state area is a must. With that in mind, the first school worth pointing out is New Jersey’s state university: Rutgers.
Hear me out, Rutgers is an established state university that contends in a revenue sharing power five conference: the Big Ten. The university is top-40 in USA Today’s NCAA Finances list, bringing in over $103-million in revenue from athletics per year.
The campus is located in New Brunswick, NJ and the school also currently has an ACHA Division 1 Club Ice Hockey team. The Scarlet Knights often play at Proskate Ice Arena, although, it’s entirely possible they’d play games at Prudential Center. If, of course, awarded a Division I program.
Syracuse University
Next on my list of potential tri-state area hockey teams is Syracuse. I’m not entirely sure why this hasn’t happened yet. The Orange have had a club hockey program for 60 years, having immense success in Division I of the ACHA. With their football team mostly under-achieving, it would make complete sense to try and transition hockey into a Division I varsity sport. I imagine they would play in the ECAC or the Atlantic Hockey Association, and most likely have a huge draw from the school’s vast alumni network.
University of Illinois Urbana – Champaign
This already had momentum, but was put on pause when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. With any luck, Illinois will be sporting the above sweaters within the next five years.
Indiana University Bloomington
This is personal for me, as I played four years on the club hockey team at Indiana. Though the Hoosier state is some time away from having significant support for hockey at the grassroots level. The process could certainly be sped up by adding a Division 1 team in Bloomington.
Currently Indiana has two club hockey teams in Division II and III of the ACHA. Additionally, the school has a spirited philanthropy tournament called Dropping the Puck on Cancer. Further, the Hoosiers would have the advantage of joining the Big Ten, which is already broadcasted on three different platforms.
Another bonus for Indiana is having potentially the greatest hockey jerseys to grace this earth recognized by two notable ESPN personalities: John Buccigross & Sage Steel.
University of Maryland
Sticking in the Big Ten, another candidate to add to the most powerful conference in college hockey is University of Maryland. College Park is situated just 25 minutes northeast of Washington D.C., home to the 2018 Stanley Cup Champion Capitals.
I firmly believe Maryland would be a desirable school for east coast hockey players looking for a warmer climate. Plus, there is no doubt that Under Armour would jump at the opportunity to create the loudest uniforms in college hockey.
United States Naval Academy
The Naval Academy is another school in the Washington-Baltimore area with the potential to build a hockey program. There are already rumblings that Navy may build a Division 1 hockey program, and join the Atlantic Hockey Association. They already have their own on-campus arena, named after John D. McMullen, a 1940 graduate of the Naval Academy.
Just imagine if we got to see the midshipmen face-off in a spirited bout against Army or Airforce once a year.
South:
Vanderbilt University
I know from personal experience that Vanderbilt’s club hockey team has plenty of room for improvement. But give them a promotion to Division I and you will have players chomping at the bit to play there.
Vanderbilt is not only a great school, but it’s located in Nashville, TN just a mile and a half away from Broadway Street, where the Nashville Predators play. The Predators have a great practice facility about 15 minutes away, where Vanderbilt could split time and practice. Plus, signs point to the fact the Predators would be interested in supporting Vandy. In fact, they’ve already supported the Kentucky Ice Hockey Association and Louisville Club hockey in the past.
North Carolina State
NC State’s campus is in Raleigh, NC. This is just 10 minutes away from where the Carolina Hurricanes play. The team could split time between there and their current rink (The Raleigh IcePlex) if they were to go Division I.
Not only that, I am also sure they’d get support from the student body, as the team was good enough to make the ACHA Division II National Championships last year.
University of Alabama
This is one of the wealthiest athletic departments in the nation. So, there is no doubt they have the means and ability to make this happen. Not to mention, the school’s club hockey program is prosperous, drawing attention for their success in Division I of the ACHA, and their shockingly large turnout at home games.
They would be the perfect rival to Alabama Huntsville, who recently kept their program alive through the charitable donations of the powerful hockey community.
West:
Based on the past ten years, I think we can all agree the PAC-12 schools usually underperform at football and basketball. One way to avoid becoming irrelevant in the world of collegiate athletics would be to invest in the developing sport of ice hockey.
University of California, Los Angeles
UCLA obviously has a prominent athletics program with a storied history. Additionally, the school’s club hockey team has done well for themselves. Playing in Division II of the ACHA, the program draws hockey players from all over. They’ve even had cameos at the Staples Center, which tells you the Los Angeles Kings could get behind this movement as well.
University of Arizona
This might be a stretch, but Arizona already shares an arena with the Arizona Coyotes’ minor league team, the Tucson Roadrunners. This gives them what has to be the most impressive arena in club hockey. With a little help from the athletic department, they could be rivals on the ice with Arizona State in the near future.
University of Washington
Since they just put an NHL team in Seattle, this idea may be on the back-burner. But, I’d like to believe Washington could pretty easily transition into a hockey school if they wanted.
The school would find plenty of recruits in the pacific northwest to play at the Division I level. Those who wanted an education while pursuing competitive hockey, as opposed to going straight to the WHL. Plus, they could play big games at Climate Pledge Arena, which is less than five miles off-campus -closer than OlympicView arena, where they currently play.
Conclusion
Now, I may have missed some obvious targets for hockey schools, replacing them for ambitious ideas. Thus, I’d like to encourage readers to continue the discussion with our hockey fans in the comments, on Twitter, or any of our other social media platforms. After all, it just took a little bit of traction to realize the concept of Division I hockey at Arizona State. Now, they’re on their way to a brand new $115-million, on-campus arena.
Additionally, be on the look out for Episode 27 of Devils Army Cast where we will be discussing college hockey and this very article.
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