It would be prudent for the Big Ten Conference to rethink its playoff format for men?s hockey when it debuts in 2013-14. The six league members voted recently for a model that spans two weekends. The first would feature the bottom four seeds playing a best-of-three series to advance to the semifinals. The second weekend would have the semis and championship game being staged at the home of the No. 1 seed. That has merit, but recent developments in the college hockey hierarchy strongly suggest the plan be reconsidered.
Office of Strategic Communication