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| The Big Ten Butterfly Effect |
It has been said that something as small as the flutter of a butterfly's wing can ultimately cause a typhoon halfway around the world - Chaos TheoryCongratulations Terry Pegula! You are the butterfly that caused the typhoon across the college hockey nation, realigning the landscape that has shaped NCAA Division I hockey for decades. For some, the realignment has been devastating, resulting in the destruction of long-time conference rivalries and leaving some in dire straits to find a home. Others through luck or pluck have found themselves a new conference to call their own as the Big Ten looks to add a hockey program to their legends and leaders board.
Pegula and his wife Kim--owners of the Buffalo Sabres-- first rocked the boat with a generous $88 million gift to the Penn State University hockey program nearly one year ago, boosting the Nittany Lions from the American Collegiate Hockey Association (Club) to Division I status. The addition not only saw the previous 7-time ACHA National Champions move up the competitive ladder, but now gave the football dominent Big Ten a sixth hockey team, necessary by NCAA standards to form a conference.
