The marriage of the Big Ten and Notre Dame just felt natural, but in the crazy climate of change in college sports it just never happened. However, it appears that the door was never nailed shut. That’s because the league announced the addition of Notre Dame to the six programs it currently has in hockey starting in the 2017-18 season.
Notre Dame hockey to the Big Ten was first broken by USCHO.com reporter Jimmy Connelly, via Twitter:
Multiple sources confirm @NotreDame men's hockey will depart @hockey_east for @bigten. More to come. Won't take effect til 17-18 season.
— Jimmy Connelly (@jimmyconnelly) March 22, 2016
It would be a huge addition for the hockey side of the conference, as Notre Dame is a power in the sport and currently one of the best inside the Hockey East conference.
The move makes plenty of sense for the Golden Domers, if for no other reason that geography and less cost in the travel department. It also would renew rivalries from the old CCHA days with the likes of Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State.
ND were also partners with those three schools along with Minnesota and Wisconsin in the formative days of the WCHA (1971-72 through 1980-81). Only Penn State has never been aligned with the Irish before, a not-so-surprising fact since the Nittany Lions didn’t add hockey until 2013-14.
Many believed the ND and Big Ten ship had sailed with the additions of Maryland and Rutgers in all sports and Notre Dame pledging its non-football programs to the ACC. However, the Big Ten signaled a big shift in its thought on affiliate membership when it accepted Johns Hopkins in to the league to help it form Big Ten lacrosse just last season.
Notre Dame’s addition in hockey would give the Big Ten seven teams as it currently sits. But, it also seems to be a clear signal that another program, likely from within the current membership of the conference, is set to join the ranks of hockey-playing institutions.
Illinois has long been a rumored school to add the sport, along with Iowa and Nebraska. All three have an established youth hockey tradition, and Iowa as a state plays host to multiple USHL institutions. However, there could be other external candidates to look at in addition to Notre Dame.
External names to join the league may include the newest addition to the D1 ranks, Arizona State, or other former CCHA programs like Miami (OH) or Bowling Green. However, it seems more likely that the conference is getting a clear signal that an internal program is ready to add the sport.
