The Nutmeg Tournament

[UConnDan97]

This thread might have had more juice if I had posted it right after the Providence win, but I have always thought about trying to reproduce a tournament in Connecticut, much like the Beanpot Tournament in Boston (I've already taken the liberty to name it "The Nutmeg Tournament").

The four schools would be UConn, Yale, Quinnipiac, and Sacred Heart (I believe those are the only D-1 hockey teams in the state). You could play it at the Civic Center (or in New Haven, since three of the four schools are nearby). It obviously wouldn't take on the same prestige as the Beanpot, but I think that it could increase interest for all four schools involved and would build on the college hockey excitement in the state. Yale and Quinnipiac already have big momentum from last year's performance, and UConn has momentum from Cavanaugh and the new move to Hockey East. Thoughts?

 

[FDNY99]

I totally agree...Jeff Jacobs did an article(Link: http://www.courant.com/sports/hc-jacobs-column-1231-20131230,0,3745745.column )about such a thing around the time of UCONN's annual holiday tournament. What I took away from that article is Yale seems to be the hang up (Ivy teams have a limit on the number of non-conference games they can play). Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart are in..Cav wants to name it the Tim Taylor Cup after former long time Yale coach Tim Taylor who wanted to see such a tournament. Hopefully things can get worked out so that Yale and Quinnipiac can play each other every year in the opening round and count it as a ECAC game...then Yale would only have to use 1 non-conference game up.

 

[huskymedic]

See this thread too... http://the-boneyard.com/threads/uconn-hockey-tim-taylor-cup.39163/

 

[UConnDan97]

That moment when you realize that your bright idea has been formulated by others for years? Priceless...

Having said that, I disagree with Cav a bit when he wants to name it the Taylor Cup. If that's what it takes to get Yale on board, so be it. But part of the allure of the Beanpot is that the name reflects the city of Boston, "Beantown". The Connecticut state tourney's name should probably reflect the state as a geographical area. Not many names capture that like "Nutmeg", but I'm all for other suggestions. It could grow into something really great for UConn and for CT hockey...

 

[huskymedic]

That moment when you realize that your bright idea has been formulated by others for years? Priceless...

Having said that, I disagree with Cav a bit when he wants to name it the Taylor Cup. If that's what it takes to get Yale on board, so be it. But part of the allure of the Beanpot is that the name reflects the city of Boston, "Beantown". The Connecticut state tourney's name should probably reflect the state as a geographical area. Not many names capture that like "Nutmeg", but I'm all for other suggestions. It could grow into something really great for UConn and for CT hockey...

Naming it the Tim Taylor Cup wasn't Cav's idea - it was CJ Marottolo's from Sacred Heart. Cav and Pecknold just agreed.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

I thought about The Nutmeg Cup myself, but since Nutmeg was never really harvested here it doesn't make sense. I've also thought about the Constitution Cup, but it's a little bland. The Lobster Pot sounds too much like the Beanpot. The Tim Taylor Cup is definitely out. How about Battle on the Bank. It can refer to the banks of the CT River, LI Sound and the Atlantic. I'm trying.

 

[UConnDan97]

I thought about The Nutmeg Cup myself, but since Nutmeg was never really harvested here it doesn't make sense. I've also thought about the Constitution Cup, but it's a little bland. The Lobster Pot sounds too much like the Beanpot. The Tim Taylor Cup is definitely out. How about Battle on the Bank. It can refer to the banks of the CT River, LI Sound and the Atlantic. I'm trying.

I understand that nutmeg was never harvested here (and not really sold, since we're more famous for selling wood and pawning it off as authentic nutmeg), but it is our state's nickname. We even refer to ourselves as "Nutmeggers" and not really "Connecticuters" (or as Cotton Mather referred to us, "Connecticotians"). We could refer to the Charter Oak, but I'm not sure the entire state identifies with it. I could live with the Charter Oak Tournament, though...

 

[FDNY99]

Here is a name for it:
The (insert sponsor name like UTC, Baer, PFizer...or another Big CT company) Connecticut Collegiate Cup

 

[UConnDan97]

Here is a name for it:
The (insert sponsor name like UTC, Baer...PFizer...or some other Big CT company) Connecticut Collegiate Holiday Hockey Tournament

If you can turn that into a catchy acronym, I'm game...

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Give the tournament a name that represents the state (Nutmeg, Constitution, Charter Oak, whatever) and name the trophy that the winner receives after Taylor.

If Harvard can play in the Beanpot there has to be some way for Yale to work out a proposed Connecticut tournament. I imagine that if we and Sacred Heart became a bit more formidable and recognizable nationally Yale would be a bit less dismissive.