With two in the second, we're getting lots of calls. We've talked to just about everyone in the league, and it seems as if more people are asking us if we want to move up rather than the other way around.

It's great to have our league being talked about. Every team in the league is making some strides. I still think eight teams can win the Big Ten championship and in the long run that's going to help our recruiting, our exposure and the respect for our league.

Apparently, there's been lots of calls about that.

They're all just small guys. I think you'd better be able to adapt to it on your team, or you're not going to be able to get good players. The days of the 250-pound linebacker, those are gone, because people want guys who can run... . Everybody wants the 280-pound guy that can rush the passer, but that guy doesn't exist. So you don't have much choice.

I feel like I'm leaving a U2 concert,

A punch like that goes around the league in a hurry. But we have talked at length to him in the past about being a physical factor without just squaring off against the other team's tough guy and getting into a situation where teams are reacting to what he's doing on the ice in terms of who he's hitting and how hard he's hitting, and that's the role we've seen so far.