The Big Ten announced the conference's inaugural hockey tournament "will be held at the Xcel Energy Center in March 2014, and the tournament will rotate between St. Paul and Joe Louis Arena in Detroit for the first four years," according to Bruce Brothers of the ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS. Detroit will host the '15 and '17 tournaments, while St. Paul will get the '16 event. All six Big Ten schools with a hockey program will participate in the tourney (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 4/20). In Detroit, George Sipple reports Univ. of Michigan hockey coach Red Berenson "initially was in favor of having the conference tournament on campus sites but said there were concerns about schools keeping their rinks available." Berenson: "This is probably the best of both worlds. Everyone knows where they're going. It's good for the fans; you can plan something a month in advance, whether you finish in first or last, and you know where you're going to watch your team play." Sipple notes Joe Louis Arena has been the "longtime home of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association tournament," while Xcel Energy Center has "similarly hosted the Western Collegiate Hockey Association tournament" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 4/20).
