A series of high-level discussions took place this summer about the creation of a new men's hockey league featuring the five Big Ten Conference members that sponsor the sport.

But despite support for the endeavor from multiple schools, including the University of Wisconsin, the concept failed to extend beyond the exploratory stage.

A series of conference calls included representatives from the office of Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany as well as athletic department officials from Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State and UW.

Minnesota and UW are long-time members of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Michigan State, Michigan and Ohio State are members of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.

A league devoted to Big Ten schools would create a major ripple effect on the rest of NCAA Division I hockey, which currently has 58 programs assigned to six conferences. Some believe it would trigger much-needed realignment and stability. Others contend it would lead to a dominant entity -- the Big Ten -- and jeopardize the existence of smaller programs.

UW senior associate athletic director Sean Frazier, who oversees the men's and women's hockey programs, said he and athletic director Barry Alvarez share "major concerns'' about the overall health and direction of men's hockey at the NCAA Division I level.

Alvarez believes the sport needs to be more regionalized, especially as it relates to programs in the CCHA and WCHA. Both leagues have schools that stretch from the Eastern time zone to Alaska. They also have diverse memberships, with schools whose other athletic programs are classified from NCAA Division I to I-AA to Division III, as well as carrying varied academic requirements.

Ohio State officials are openly supportive of the idea of a Big Ten affiliation. Calls to administrators at Michigan and Michigan State were not returned, but multiple sources around college hockey say they brought open minds to the summer talks.

Whatever momentum the initiative seemed to have gained, though, apparently slowed because Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi spoke out strongly against it.

Maturi has a unique vantage point. In addition to having served as head of the NCAA Ice Hockey Committee, he worked at smaller hockey schools (Miami of Ohio and Denver) before taking over at one of the premier big-school programs.

"The Big Ten Conference understandably feels that having hockey on the Big Ten Network will enhance the viewership. Nobody argues that,'' Maturi said, acknowledging his school receives millions of dollars from BTN and has a sense of obligation to its broadcast lineup.

"There is some disagreement as to whether we should have a Big Ten hockey conference. I, for one, have felt that wouldn't be good for college hockey. Some may not agree with me and I'm respectful of that because we all have differences of opinion."

Multiple college hockey sources said UW officials responded to the slowing of the talks by making it known they would consider moving to the CCHA. That league will go from 12 members to 11 in 2010-11 when Nebraska-Omaha defects to the WCHA. Omaha will join Bemidji (Minn.) State to make the WCHA a 12-school conference.

Frazier acknowledged that UW would be a "jewel'' for the CCHA, but he denied such rhetoric, saying, "We're loyal to the WCHA."

In an e-mail, CCHA commissioner Tom Anastos said he's had no contact with UW officials about such an idea, but said he'd be interested in the Badgers coming to his league.

Yet the option of moving to the CCHA was certainly broached by UW officials at some point. Asked about the notion, Alvarez said men's coach Mike Eaves wasn't interested in changing leagues.

"If Mike's not interested, I'm not interested,'' Alvarez said. "I'd be interested in other things. As I've said before, regionalizing hockey makes sense.''

According to sources familiar with the Big Ten discussions, multiple scenarios were broached. One would bring Notre Dame, a CCHA member, into the mix to create the six-school lineup required by the NCAA for one of its automatic national tournament berths.

Another plan would incorporate some combination of Bowling Green, Miami (Ohio) and Western Michigan into the arrangement. All three are CCHA members that compete at the Division I level in all sports.

The summer talks came against the backdrop of significant upheaval in the NCAA Division I ranks.

The breakup of College Hockey America after this season -- its membership had shrunk to four schools, below the NCAA minimum -- will send Niagara and Robert Morris into Atlantic Hockey, while Bemidji State will be absorbed by the WCHA in 2010-11.

However, Alabama-Huntsville remains without a home and could fold after its application for membership was denied by the CCHA.

Meanwhile, in addition to adding Bemidji State, the WCHA raided the CCHA for Nebraska-Omaha in order to create a 12-team league and a more workable scheduling format.

There also are whispers that multiple CCHA programs are on shaky financial ground.

Chris Schneider, the associate athletic director for sports administration at Ohio State, said a Big Ten men's hockey league appeals to his school in part because of the scheduling doors it would open.

Minnesota and UW currently have annual matchups with Michigan and Michigan State in the College Hockey Showcase, but Ohio State has no consistent access to the two WCHA schools.

"It's something I think we'd like to see accomplished,'' Schneider said of the Big Ten men's hockey league, "but I think we can achieve some of the same goals through a scheduling alliance.''

According to a source, it was proposed that UW and Minnesota devote their six non-conference games to series with Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State. The idea was rejected in part because those games would make difficult schedules even more so and make it harder to qualify for the NCAA tournament.

"I think (a new conference) would be nice, but I don't think it's absolutely necessary,'' Schneider said. "It's something we definitely want to continue exploring.''

Talks about a Big Ten men's hockey league have been going on for years, with varying degrees of intensity.

"Where it stands now is that it's still a discussion point,'' Maturi said. "There's nothing imminent.''

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