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It's a hockey night in Evanston!
Well not literally, but wouldn't it be nice to hear that?
Of course it would. Hockey is just the sport Northwestern needs to inject some spirit into the student body and unite this campus. It is a sport that not only encourages, but thrives on fan participation. And frankly, since collegiate hockey tends to be played in small arenas, we might actually fill an athletic venue to capacity for a change.
I admit, I'm on a bit of a hockey high right now, but I can't help but believe that NU truly needs a varsity hockey team. Actually, make that plural so the Title IX people don't get all hot and bothered.
Maybe it's the snow in April. Maybe it's because my favorite NHL team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, is back in the playoffs. Maybe it's because the Frozen Four is on ESPN2 tonight. Or maybe it's because I can't help but love a sport where fighting is not only legal, but is governed by a silent code of ethics.
But as I prepare to glue myself to ESPN and ESPN2 for the NCAA hockey semifinals tonight and the championship Saturday, I just can't stop wondering what it would be like to have a Division I hockey team here.
Imagine pregaming a Saturday night contest, rowdily cheering at every body check and pounding on the glass as a purple-clad Sydney Crosby-reincarnate rockets a slap shot through the five-hole.
Anyone with a pulse can find something to love about hockey. Even theater majors can appreciate the drama of a penalty shot.
Speaking of theater majors, one famous 1999 grad, Matt Doherty, has already written the first chapters to what could be a rich hockey tradition at NU. Doherty played witty young hockey star Les Averman in The Mighty Ducks trilogy and I bet you Averman, Goldberg and even Gordon Bombay would support NU hockey.
Hockey could also cure our winter blues. It's bad enough that our campus is becoming uninhabitable due to negative 85 degree wind chills, but we also have to suffer through the embarrasment that is our men's and women's basketball programs. At least if our hockey teams fail we can blame it on being new.
But they won't lose. There is too much hockey talent in this area to not field great men's and women's teams. Chicago is one of the few true hockey towns in America and NU's proximity to hockey star breeding grounds like Minnesota, Wisconsin and Canada would make recruiting a breeze.
High level competition and national television exposure are already ingrained in the Big Ten, too. Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Michigan and Minnesota all have hockey programs, so why don't we?
Now before you mistype an Orgo formula on your TI-5000XGalaxy, I assure you that academic powerhouses can have great hockey teams. Just look at the Ivy Leagues: Harvard, Yale, Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell and Princeton all field competitive teams that have produced many NHL draft picks.
I'm sure at this point Mark Murphy and the rest of the athletic department are wondering where I think the money would come from to fund this idea. Well, I just got an email from the Wildcat Athletics Marketing Department advertising an expansion of our cheerleading and mascot sqaud. Where is the money coming from to do that?
The money is there if the athletic department wants it to be. I will never believe anyone at NU saying the school doesn't have appropriate funds. Start a capital campaign. The support from alumni and Chicago hockey enthusiasts is out there.
Land is also a non-issue. Build the new hockey arena near north beach on Lake Michigan or on the Ryan Field parking lot with an underground garage. And NU wouldn't have to pay for much of the construction if it finds a corporate sponsor willing to shell out big bucks for the naming rights.
Plus, when the hockey team is not using it, local youth teams can rent it for practices or tournaments. Student groups would love to rent it for broom ball or skating events too, and the club hockey teams could especially benefit from the facilities a varsity program would bring to campus.
NU hockey can be a reality. Someone in the athletic department just has to propose it.
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