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Why doesn't the SEC support men's hockey?
Posted on 4/24/21 at 4:53 pm
Posted on 4/24/21 at 4:53 pm
The reigning NHL champs and best team in the league is from the south located in Tampa,FL. The previous #1 pick was born in Orlando, FL (Jack Hughes fwiw) Hockey is the best sport to watch in person, hands down. Is it just a lack of exposure or facilities?
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Posted on 4/24/21 at 4:55 pm to Pesci_Avocado
Arkansas has a decent team, but our AD isn't a clownshow.
Posted on 4/24/21 at 4:58 pm to Pesci_Avocado
The easiest answer is Title IX - same as wrestling and men's soccer.
Most schools have club teams that have become decently competitive in the last decade. UAH has a legitimate D1 hockey program and North Alabama/Middle Tennessee have always had a hockey strain (Huntsville dating back to the Nazi scientists).
But as others have stated, hockey in most of the South just isn't even an option for kids. The only places it is are large metro areas, and even there the opportunities are very slim and it's at best 6th or 7th in the pecking order of sports played. In Atlanta it ranks behind Football, Baseball, Basketball, Soccer, Lacrosse, Track, XC, Tennis and Swimming. And Atlanta is a huge place with lots of ice rinks, relative to the rest of the region.
Most schools have club teams that have become decently competitive in the last decade. UAH has a legitimate D1 hockey program and North Alabama/Middle Tennessee have always had a hockey strain (Huntsville dating back to the Nazi scientists).
But as others have stated, hockey in most of the South just isn't even an option for kids. The only places it is are large metro areas, and even there the opportunities are very slim and it's at best 6th or 7th in the pecking order of sports played. In Atlanta it ranks behind Football, Baseball, Basketball, Soccer, Lacrosse, Track, XC, Tennis and Swimming. And Atlanta is a huge place with lots of ice rinks, relative to the rest of the region.
This post was edited on 4/24/21 at 5:05 pm
Posted on 4/24/21 at 4:58 pm to Pesci_Avocado
We don't have ice?
Posted on 4/24/21 at 4:59 pm to Pesci_Avocado
It's hot AF down here. That's why.
Posted on 4/24/21 at 5:02 pm to Pesci_Avocado
No ice in the south.
Posted on 4/24/21 at 5:02 pm to Pesci_Avocado
No one cares about that nordic arse sport here bruh
Posted on 4/24/21 at 5:04 pm to Pesci_Avocado
What do you think the “S” stands for in SEC? How could any of us recruit?
I know it’s sorta catching on down here but we are decades away from having local talent
I know it’s sorta catching on down here but we are decades away from having local talent
Posted on 4/24/21 at 5:08 pm to SummerOfGeorge
quote:
But as others have stated, hockey in most of the South just isn't even an option for kids.
Bingo. Most of the south doesn’t have enough ice rinks for kids to even play. Even Nashville has very few options and getting ice time on what’s available isn’t easy, and they try to be a “hockey town” in the South. Memphis metro only has one option now unless something has changed. I believe the closest ice is in Desoto, MS. The Mall of Memphis used to but it shut down years ago
I’m not sure hockey will ever catch on more than it’s current state in the South purely based on weather. It’s an expensive sport to invest in if playing outdoors is out of the question
This post was edited on 4/24/21 at 5:12 pm
Posted on 4/24/21 at 5:12 pm to lsufball19
Yea I mean, there literally aren't places to learn how to play the sport (or learn how to even skate led alone play the game). Kind of hard to penetrate a market when kids can't even play the sport, led alone the expense of it.
Soccer caught fire down here because it was simple to play and making a soccer field was about as basic as can be. Hockey.....isn't that.
Soccer caught fire down here because it was simple to play and making a soccer field was about as basic as can be. Hockey.....isn't that.
This post was edited on 4/24/21 at 5:13 pm
Posted on 4/24/21 at 5:18 pm to lsufball19
quote:
Memphis metro only has one option now unless something has changed. I believe the closest ice is in Desoto, MS. The Mall of Memphis used to but it shut down years ago
Yeah it’s in my home town of Olive Branch. But hell it might be the only one in the state for all I know
Posted on 4/24/21 at 5:20 pm to Pesci_Avocado
quote:
Why doesn't the SEC support men's hockey?
That would be like the Big 10 supporting surfing.
No rinks, no youth leagues, no local talent for the sport.
Posted on 4/24/21 at 5:24 pm to OBReb6
The only excited fans of hockey are dentists
Posted on 4/24/21 at 5:29 pm to Pesci_Avocado
Because it’s hockey. A yankee sport.
Posted on 4/24/21 at 5:35 pm to Smokeyone
Pisses me off when I’ve been to Europe and still get called a yankee or yank
Posted on 4/24/21 at 5:36 pm to Pesci_Avocado
Because something about Men on Ice doesn't sound right, unless you're an Aggie.
Posted on 4/24/21 at 6:42 pm to SummerOfGeorge
quote:
(Huntsville dating back to the Nazi scientists).
Years ago, I was watching a local cable show where they interviewed some of those scientist. One said, "Dr. Vaun Braun called a meeting and said, 'the war is lost we have two options. We can go east and surrender to the Soviets or west and surrender to the Americans.'"
Then he paused and looked into the camera and said, "It was not a tough decision."
Anyway, I have always felt the reason Huntsville always supports our hockey teams is because Redstone Arsenal attracts people from all over the country and we do have a lot of Yankees living here.
This post was edited on 4/26/21 at 6:42 pm
Posted on 4/24/21 at 6:48 pm to viceman
quote:
One said, "Dr. Vaun Braun called a meeting and said the war is lost we have two options. We can go east and surrender to the Soviets or west and surrender to the Americans."
Yep
Posted on 4/24/21 at 6:48 pm to redeye
Aggies on ice now showing on Broadway. Tickets now in high demand.
Posted on 4/24/21 at 6:51 pm to OBReb6
quote:
Pisses me off when I’ve been to Europe and still get called a yankee or yank
Brits were the only one I remember using yank. In most of Asia it was “Joe”. Okay Joe is just dismissive.
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