Ahead of the NHL draft in Chicago, Josh Whitman took the podium.
Normally the Illinois Athletic Director would not be present at the NHL event, but today he was there to announce a new partnership to study whether Illinois could support a hockey team.
Whitman said that the growth of hockey in the midwest is a factor in considering adding the sport to the sports lineup:
“The idea of varsity hockey at the University of Illinois has great appeal,” said Whitman. “With hockey’s popularity in both Chicago and St. Louis, and rapidly growing youth participation across the state, we anticipate tremendous interest in the sport at our university…
…We will add sport programs only if they can enhance the brand and reputation of the Fighting Illini by being nationally competitive, and our initial research reveals a number of factors that suggest hockey at Illinois could quickly grow into one of the country’s most successful programs”
Having a program may be a boon for in-state talent. The state of Illinois currently produces the fifth most division-I hockey players in the country. However, no Illinois universities offer a hockey program at the division-I level.
Whitman was joined by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, Chicago Blackhawks president John McDonough, NHLPA special assistant to the Executive Director Mathieu Schneider, and Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula to announce the study Pegula gave a $102 Million gift to Penn State to start their hockey program in 2013. This included building a new arena on campus to house the team.
Finances provide one hurdle to adding hockey. Startup costs for a hockey team can be high. Arizona State added hockey after a $30 Million anonymous donation. That donation did not include an arena for the team, which splits its time between a small arena and the home of the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes.
The University of Illinois Ice Arena is in the process of making upgrades, but the seating capacity is minimal. The building was opened in 1931, and has an ice surface that is larger to accommodate speed skating. In the recently released campus master plan, an ice arena near Memorial Stadium was included as a possibility.
In a statement the DIA says Illinois will study many factors before deciding on whether to add the sport:
This feasibility study will analyze the many factors necessary for Illinois to start and maintain a hockey program, including, but not limited to, one-time and annual expenses, funding opportunities, facility needs, Title IX considerations, and community support. Any decisions on the possible addition of hockey will be made at the conclusion of the feasibility study. No deadline has been set for completion of the study.
Illinois has had a popular club hockey team on campus for many years. Illinois offered hockey as a varsity sport from 1938-1943. The team was suspended due to World War II and was never restarted.
