Some real shots at the Big Ten and Penn State in this article from a Minneapolis website.

The state’s flagship school dines at the Big Ten trough through football and men’s hoops. This year, Minnesota is projected to pocket about $35 million in TV cash.  

But this meant that Minnesota was also required to join a new Big Ten hockey league, bidding farewell to longstanding rivalries. Seven o’clock puck drops in Grand Forks and Duluth were swapped for yawners with Penn State and Ohio State.

“Playing on the Big Ten network, playing against Penn State. Are you kidding me?” asks Waggoner. “…The university showed it didn’t understand nor did it care that in hockey proximity breeds rivalries. The university got their money and Minnesota’s core fans are now apathetic.

“And as the Gophers have declined, so have their opponents.

“I think the most shocking story in college hockey is how bad the Big Ten is,” says the Hockey News’ Kennedy. “We all assumed it was going to be a sort of elite conference, and that the other schools would be hurt by it. Instead, it’s been the other way around.”

Source: What happened to the University of Minnesota hockey program? | City Pages