BG officials: Hockey needs money to survive

Bowling Green hockey won the 1984 national championship. They have countless players who have gone on and starred in the NHL in various capacities.

Even still, the program's barely hanging on the tightrope of survival.

On March 17, 2009, BGSU Athletic Director Greg Christopher wrote a letter to the fans saying that hockey would be back at the school for the 2009-10 season, but there has not been a commitment past that season. Since then, various players have left the program as Bowling Green decides what to do next.

BG has formed two research committees - one focused on the Ice Arena, the other on potential funding possibilities. The two committees will come together in mid-May for preliminary meetings, and then for board meetings in June.

"Hockey gets the focus probably because it IS an expensive sport to operate, and let's face it - we are 1 of 13 schools in the country that operates Division I football, Division I football, Division I basketball on the men's and women's side, and ice hockey," said Christopher.

"We're heading into this whole process trying to find solutions. That said, these are unprecedented times. Financially and economically, not just for Bowling Green athletics, but for the institution, and for the larger economy."

And despite its past accomplishments, hockey is not a revenue generator.

"Intercollegiate athletics programs tend to lose money," said Dr. Carol Cartwright, BGSU's president. "And when you're looking at subsidizing them from other sources and those sources are drying up, you have to being to ask yourself some questions."

"We know we don't have it inside our own budgets right now to be able to do what we wanna do going forward, and that means that we do need some private support."

Christopher cleared up any confusion about whether or not BGSU considered anything less than Division I hockey. Basically, it's an impossibility as long as Bowling Green stays in the MAC, ensuring itself a Division I spot in football and basketball, as well as volleyball, baseball, and softball.

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