D1 Hockey at Illinois

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#76      
PerennIaLL
This would be a fantastic development for downtown Champaign. I am still amazed at the investment that has poured into both downtown and Campus town. It’s like a totally different city/university than when I graduated almost 20 years ago.

Much improved...Champaign and the University have done a nice job in improving the appeal.
 
#77      
Fighter of the Nightman
PerennIaLL said:
This would be a fantastic development for downtown Champaign. I am still amazed at the investment that has poured into both downtown and Campus town. It’s like a totally different city/university than when I graduated almost 20 years ago.

Much improved...Champaign and the University have done a nice job in improving the appeal.
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Amen. My Hawkeyes friends’ parents talk about how Champaign is “nothing special” and boring, while my friends can’t wait to road trip back. If you haven’t been to CU even in the last three years, you can’t even really comment on it!
 
#78      
Joel Goodson
Here's hoping the facility happens, as that will eliminate one major hurdle. With only one major hurdle left (scraping together funding for men's hockey & the requisite Title IX schollies), got to believe Whitman's going to get it done. Which is great, because there is a ton of junior talent in Chicago and St. Louis.
 
#79      
ilphotog
I'll add my perspective, along with shooting Illinois sports, I've also joined a couple C-U History groups and do a lot of photography for them. For the last 10 years I've been documenting Champaign, Urbana, Campus and Savoy in pictures. Not only learning a ton about C-U, but I've been in area's that I would have never been in. Midtown was an area that I very rarely ever ventured into. Recent developments are increasing Midtown from an somewhat unsightly area, into a potentially really nice area. Lots of room for more improvements over the next few years.
This tie's into the potential Hockey arena. The area where the new arena would go, along with the new hotel and office-condo's would liven up a basically dead area. If this deems successful then the unsightly area's in Midtown hopefully would be attractive for new development. That's why for many who follow city grow etc. this could really be a game changer for Champaign.
On occasion get to talk with City planners and developers, and everyone is watching this closely, so many other things development wise could be triggered if this happens. Oh and adding Hockey, I get to shoot another sport!.
 
#81      
BRucks
Joel Goodson said:
Here's hoping the facility happens, as that will eliminate one major hurdle. With only one major hurdle left (scraping together funding for men's hockey & the requisite Title IX schollies), got to believe Whitman's going to get it done. Which is great, because there is a ton of junior talent in Chicago and St. Louis.
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Unfortunately, that doesn't count for much if we can't/won't recruit it. Most of our athletic programs would be conference contenders if we were able to land the top talent from those areas.
 
#84      
bbison
"...but hockey would give Illinois another potential revenue-generating program in a conference that has been growingly successful in hockey."

I would love to see the projections that show D-I hockey (assume 18 home games x 5K-6K tix x ??$$ ticket) as revenue generating. Revenue neutral with hopes of the building being busy enough otherwise to make it worthwhile seem more like it.

I hope this works, it's long overdue. The Badgers thrived playing off-campus for decades, could work here as well.
 
#85      
IlliniJim20
bbison said:
"...but hockey would give Illinois another potential revenue-generating program in a conference that has been growingly successful in hockey."

I would love to see the projections that show D-I hockey (assume 18 home games x 5K-6K tix x ??$$ ticket) as revenue generating. Revenue neutral with hopes of the building being busy enough otherwise to make it worthwhile seem more like it.

I hope this works, it's long overdue. The Badgers thrived playing off-campus for decades, could work here as well.
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Do the televised hockey games for the Big provide an additional revenue stream? IOW, do the current BIG hockey programs split that money among themselves? Schools like illnois currently don't get a share?

If so, I can see that helping make hockey a revenue generator. Neutral at least, hopefully
 
#86      
Second and Chalmers
IlliniJim20 said:
Do the televised hockey games for the Big provide an additional revenue stream? IOW, do the current BIG hockey programs split that money among themselves? Schools like illnois currently don't get a share?

If so, I can see that helping make hockey a revenue generator. Neutral at least, hopefully
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BTN revenue is split evenly among everybody, it's not broken down by sport.

Hockey broadcasts aren't what brings in that money. Selling tickets would be what might make hockey at least revenue-neutral at UI. Not close to a sure thing though.

To be honest, I share the sense that with UI being the single worst program in the country in the two sports that matter, the opportunity to make a push in one of the other nationally relevant sports at the college level has a definite appeal. My issue is that Whitman is talking about making "incremental" improvements in baseball where we have awful facilities yet an existing awesome coach and track record of success, in service of the hockey dream.

What if that money went to making baseball the premier program in the Big Ten?

I don't claim to know if it would be as easy as that, that just seems like a question worth asking.
 
#87      
Peoria Illini
Second and Chalmers said:
BTN revenue is split evenly among everybody, it's not broken down by sport.

Hockey broadcasts aren't what brings in that money. Selling tickets would be what might make hockey at least revenue-neutral at UI. Not close to a sure thing though.

To be honest, I share the sense that with UI being the single worst program in the country in the two sports that matter, the opportunity to make a push in one of the other nationally relevant sports at the college level has a definite appeal. My issue is that Whitman is talking about making "incremental" improvements in baseball where we have awful facilities yet an existing awesome coach and track record of success, in service of the hockey dream.

What if that money went to making baseball the premier program in the Big Ten?

I don't claim to know if it would be as easy as that, that just seems like a question worth asking.
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I don't think you'd see that same type of money in support of improving the baseball program. The possibility of a multi use venue connecting campus and downtown Champaign, improving the facilities for 4 current sports, while instilling 2 new sports is a bigger draw for not just donor dollars, but also community dollars that otherwise may not apply to improving baseball facilities.
 
#88      
Second and Chalmers
Peoria Illini said:
I don't think you'd see that same type of money in support of improving the baseball program. The possibility of a multi use venue connecting campus and downtown Champaign, improving the facilities for 4 current sports, while instilling 2 new sports is a bigger draw for not just donor dollars, but also community dollars that otherwise may not apply to improving baseball facilities.
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No doubt. But really going all-in on baseball would probably shake a few pennies loose as well. Naming rights for the field, things like that.

There has not been a lot of financial transparency about this hockey idea yet, so it's hard to make firm comparisons, but it's clear that hockey is occupying more of the mindshare than baseball right now, even though baseball is doing great and arguably stands on the precipice of more.

In a vacuum, I love the hockey/downtown arena idea. It has transformative potential for the DIA, the student experience at UI, and the C-U community. But it's not in a vacuum, there are many tradeoffs and risks and potential downsides that have to be considered.
 
#89      
Peoria Illini
Second and Chalmers said:
No doubt. But really going all-in on baseball would probably shake a few pennies loose as well. Naming rights for the field, things like that.

There has not been a lot of financial transparency about this hockey idea yet, so it's hard to make firm comparisons, but it's clear that hockey is occupying more of the mindshare than baseball right now, even though baseball is doing great and arguably stands on the precipice of more.

In a vacuum, I love the hockey/downtown arena idea. It has transformative potential for the DIA, the student experience at UI, and the C-U community. But it's not in a vacuum, there are many tradeoffs and risks and potential downsides that have to be considered.
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Agree. Would like to see all our sports updated. Soccer/Track was probably the worst condition facilities wise. Perhaps baseball can be improved incrementally, and when basketball and football improve on the field, I think that will bring in more dollars/interest for the other sports as well.
 
#91      
ilphotog
Lots of good info in tonight's Champaign City Council meeting, in regards to a possible Hockey arena and the other new buildings. Sure seem's like they are planning for it to be a go. Still more steps to go etc. but it's looking really good. I or maybe Dan will post a link win it's posted.
 
#92      
champaignchris
Second and Chalmers said:
BTN revenue is split evenly among everybody, it's not broken down by sport.

Hockey broadcasts aren't what brings in that money. Selling tickets would be what might make hockey at least revenue-neutral at UI. Not close to a sure thing though.

To be honest, I share the sense that with UI being the single worst program in the country in the two sports that matter, the opportunity to make a push in one of the other nationally relevant sports at the college level has a definite appeal. My issue is that Whitman is talking about making "incremental" improvements in baseball where we have awful facilities yet an existing awesome coach and track record of success, in service of the hockey dream.

What if that money went to making baseball the premier program in the Big Ten?

I don't claim to know if it would be as easy as that, that just seems like a question worth asking.
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I just don’t know that a Midwestern school can go all in on baseball. You get maybe 4 weeks of decent weather before school let’s out.

Now, if you could get an A or AA franchise to build a facility in town and play your college games there, that would be something nice.
 
#95      
South Farms
We will get DI hockey, because there are some deep pocketed people out there that will help make it happen, but I will be shocked if they are playing their first game before this years freshman graduate in 2022.

I really think this is going to take that long.
 
#97      
Joel Goodson
South Farms said:
We will get DI hockey, because there are some deep pocketed people out there that will help make it happen, but I will be shocked if they are playing their first game before this years freshman graduate in 2022.

I really think this is going to take that long.
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Wouldn't surprise me at all. That said, 2021 is possible.
 
#98      
BananaShampoo
Yeah, $25 million will get it done. HUUUGEEE. Man I'm really looking forward to watching my alma mater participate in bigtime hockey!
 
#99      
South Farms
th
 
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