Some of you may have noticed I added a new blog to my links section the other day - Neate Sager's junior hockey blog for Yahoo Sports. If you're not reading it regularly already, you should start - he has a good roundup of CHL related stuff there.
And his blog is where I got informed about this piece this morning. An interesting read, focusing on the ongoing battle between the NCAA and CHL for top prospects. Of particular interest is the suggestion by College Hockey, Inc. (which represents the NCAA's interests in this fight) head Paul Kelly that the two sides may be prepared to try and work out an agreement that would reduce the tug-of-war over players.
Anything that makes the decision-making process easier on 15, 16, 17 year old kids cannot be a bad thing. I wonder though, what is in it for the CHL to deal with the NCAA when the "poaching" process is a one-way street that favors the CHL - the CHL can poach players from the NCAA all it wants. The NCAA's own rules prevent it from doing the same to CHL players. Unless the NCAA is prepared to budge on its position that the CHL represents professional hockey and CHL players are therefore ineligible to play NCAA hockey, I'm not sure what the NCAA has to offer players by way of a compromise.
One comment from Kelly stands out too: "I don't think the CHL should be drafting 14-15-16-year-old kids. But do I see that changing? That isn't going to happen."
I wonder, was he able to keep a straight face when saying that? Remember, he represents an organization that allows this. And this. And this. There's a saying about people who live in glass houses.
5 comments:
Is everything ok out there Alan? Miss having your comments on the Blog for the last while. Kepp up teh great stuff man!
Cheers to another 1000 posts!
A caldwell fan.......
Paul Kelly ranges between being conciliatory and fork-tongued. Guaranteed he'd be sounding downright dictatorial if blue chip college players weren't defecting to junior. I'm old enough to remember when the NCAA first started this whole war in the early 80's, saying $75-a-week junior players were professionals. The worm has finally turned.
what makes it all funny to me is that they want to compare the hockey programs for quality of play and development ect, they say they are as good as the CHL blah blah blah. So if thats true then arent they "professional" as well if the calibre of what they do matches so the so called "pro" CHL leagues across Canada?...
Or is their game actually so inferior to ours that they really do feel like its a profesional game up here? haha
what a joke the NCAA is making themselves look like denying kids an education if they touch a CHL peice of ice in any way!
As I understand it the NCAA considers the CHL a professioanl league because players that have signed NHL contracts are allowed to play in the CHL. The NCAA does not allow signed players to play in their league. I don't believe the monthly honorarium in the WHL is the issue. Afterall the NCAA scholarship is a form of financial compensation.
Even if that is the reason for the NCAA's stance, you have to consider that they are only too happy to allow their players to compete in international tournaments such as the U-18's, the World Juniors, and even the World Championships - all occasions where NCAA or NCAA-bound players could/will be playing with and against players who have signed professional contracts.
So, any way you look at it, they are applying the rules inconsistently. Either playing with/against pros makes you a pro yourself ALL THE TIME, or it doesn't. It can't be a "sometimes" thing if the NCAA is to have any credibility on this issue.
Oh, and for the readers wondering where I am - I'm finishing up a week's vacation here...I'll be back blogging by Monday at the latest, and that will include the annual camp rosters breakdowns, etc.
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