Coach Mike Cavanaugh not going anywhere…

[HuskyDogArt]

I get the history with them and Mike, but a guy with a 85–121–29 (.423) Hockey East record is the best that BC could do ?

Really, You think he wasn't a good coach in our first few HE years? We didn't have the HE players like we do now...

That would be like (if we got invited to the Big 10 and Jim Mora was the coach but the first 3 years..we lose to tOSU, Michigan, Penn State, but soon..we beat Michigan, PSU and tOSU.) you would say Mora sucked? Mike Cavanaugh didn't have the players the first few years...

 

[Hockey2424]

They were not allowed to have a full scholarship allotment at the beginning of the Hockey East era and the on campus facility is terrible

 

[Fairfield_1st]

I get the history with them and Mike, but a guy with a 85–121–29 (.423) Hockey East record is the best that BC could do ?

It's not fair to Cav to look at his time at UConn in totality. He's a new HC who took over a school that didn't give scholarships and was joining the best conference in the country. Was he supposed to have a winning record right off the bat? He has this school trending in the right direction, has our highest rated recruit coming in and is about to open an on-campus facility. I would say he's done an overall very good job considering where we started. I'm not saying he's the best candidate for them, I'm merely saying I don't think you gave him a fair shake.
Why the shot at CT hockey fans in your reply to Viking? I assume that means you're not one.

 

[Blades]

I'm not saying he's the best candidate for them, I'm merely saying I don't think you gave him a fair shake.

Correct, take a look at their last hires pre-BC resume ( Jerry) and then look at Mike's and it'll be clear as day. And I think 8 years minus all the same narratives for 1 playoff win is more than fair. But please Cav, show me what you have, now that everything is in place and prove to me that Warde knew how to hire coaches for Uconn.

Also for the sake of sanity, I hope Benedict didn't get played into bidding vs. BC for a coach they weren't gonna hire anyway. It'd be like handing Ollie an extension because Jalen Adams hit a 70 footer in the AAC tournament that led them to an NCAA bid. And we all know how that extension worked out.

 

[The Viking]

Seriously, you should stay in your lane, instead of addressing me personally. I've supported the program for 25 years. Played on a team with Craig Janney and Brian Leetch and most importantly spent 4 years with the Whalers organization.

So I'd get why someone like you would have low expectations. Isn't that the typical CT hockey fan mentality? I'm just surprised your not waiting for a parade because Cav finally got to Boston and lost a HE final. So keep believing the narratives if you want, but I know better.

Stay in my lane? I don't care if you skated with . Post better. Especially if you are the hockey guy you claim you are.
He took a program from the ground up. He has been top 4 in the HE the last 4 years. He just got to the HE finals. He was with BC for what, 15 years?

There's a whole host of reasons why they'd be interested that are far greater than his overall winning percentage here.

Oh yeah, and he has had no real home rink to speak of the entire time he's been here. Unlike every other coach in the HE. Although that's coming.

With all due respect of course.

 

[Blades]

Why the shot at CT hockey fans in your reply to Viking? I assume that means you're not one.

Also, that wasn't a shot at you or Viking. That was a little CT hockey irony, that I thought was kind of funny. Maybe I've been around the game alot longer or you didn't hear about the time CT went hockey nuts and threw a parade for the Whalers. For losing a playoff round to the Canadiens and not even making the Stanley Cup finals. ( low expectations and fricken' Claude Lemeiux, SMH!)

When Hartford Whalers Fever Swept the State​

 

[freescooter]

According to google translate: BC told me the job was going to someone else. So now I need to make it sound like I didn‘t try for it.

 

[Blades]

Stay in my lane? I don't care if you skated with . Post better. Especially if you are the hockey guy you claim you are.
He took a program from the ground up. He has been top 4 in the HE the last 4 years. He just got to the HE finals. He was with BC for what, 15 years?

Post better, are you serious? I didn't create that record, Cav did, it is what it it is. Spinning narratives isn't gonna make it go away so hopefully for Uconn Hockey, Cav can change it. But starting from the ground up? Maybe since you started following the game. I'd say Bruce Marshall, who was a good man, did just as much with alot less. You know like having to play in an outdoor rink and no scholarships.

I'm not trying to change your opinion on Cav either, believe in him all you want and I hope he does better. He was a decent D2 hockey player who spent 18 years with Jerry who was ready to leave the game and never got a sniff of a head coaching spot until Warde threw him a lifeline. So him doing well would be an even better narrative, than the same excuses I read over and over. But if your gonna state a simple fact, which is all I did, by posting his record. At least get it right. Top 4 in the last 4 years? ( how about 9th 4 years ago and then 5th )

 

[Fairfield_1st]

Also, that wasn't a shot at you or Viking. That was a little CT hockey irony, that I thought was kind of funny. Maybe I've been around the game alot longer or you didn't hear about the time CT went hockey nuts and threw a parade for the Whalers. For losing a playoff round to the Canadiens and not even making the Stanley Cup finals. ( low expectations and fricken' Claude Lemeiux, SMH!)

When Hartford Whalers Fever Swept the State​

I remember it, just didn't get the reference. My bad. I'm a Bruins fan, so never took much interest in the Whale and their interesting fan base.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

Correct, take a look at their last hires pre-BC resume ( Jerry) and then look at Mike's and it'll be clear as day. And I think 8 years minus all the same narratives for 1 playoff win is more than fair. But please Cav, show me what you have, now that everything is in place and prove to me that Warde knew how to hire coaches for Uconn.

Also for the sake of sanity, I hope Benedict didn't get played into bidding vs. BC for a coach they weren't gonna hire anyway. It'd be like handing Ollie an extension because Jalen Adams hit a 70 footer in the AAC tournament that led them to an NCAA bid. And we all know how that extension worked out.

BTW, when I say "I'm not saying he's the best candidate for them", it's a reflection on my knowledge base and not the candidate. I'm only tuned into UConn hockey and not smart enough to comment on the entire hockey landscape and other candidates.
For discussion, Jerry York's last years at Bowling Green before BC were nothing to write home about. What I pasted below is not his entire tenure, I just picked up where he had his last 1st place finish. Would you have hired him at the time? There is success sprinkled in there including a NCAA champ in 1984, but he's also coming off four mediocre to poor years where he's 61-82-10 and didn't make the NCAA in any of those years. He definitely had a LOT more success in the 1st half of his tenure there than the 2nd half.

1986–87	Bowling Green	33–10–2	24–6–2	1st	NCAA Quarterfinals
1987–88	Bowling Green	30–13–2	19–11–2	2nd	NCAA Quarterfinals
1988–89	Bowling Green	26–18–3	15–14–3	5th	NCAA First Round
1989–90	Bowling Green	25–17–2	20–10–2	3rd	NCAA First Round
1990–91	Bowling Green	15–23–2	13–17–2	6th	CCHA Quarterfinals
1991–92	Bowling Green	8–21–5	7–20–5	9th
1992–93	Bowling Green	19–21–1	12–7–1	7th	CCHA Second Round
1993–94	Bowling Green	19–17–2	15–13–2	6th	CCHA Second Round

 

[Blades]

BTW, when I say "I'm not saying he's the best candidate for them", it's a reflection on my knowledge base and not the candidate.
For discussion, Jerry York's last years at Bowling Green before BC were nothing to write home about. What I pasted below is not his entire tenure, I just picked up where he had his last 1st place finish. Would you have hired him at the time?

True, you cherry picker, LOL! But when you look at Jerry ( who also played for BC ) and his overall Head Coaching record in what turned out to be the prime of coaching career, I'd say it was a no brainer. Plus I don't want to put Cav's head coaching recording here again (to trigger more posts) or point out that Cav didn't get his first head coaching job until around the same age that Jerry already had about 400 wins.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

True, you cherry picker, LOL! But when you look at Jerry ( who also played for BC ) and his overall Head Coaching record in what turned out to be the prime of coaching career, I'd say it was a no brainer. Plus I don't want to put Cav's head coaching recording here again (to trigger more posts) or point out that Cav didn't get his first head coaching job until around the same age that Jerry already had about 400 wins.

View attachment 75840
View attachment 75841

If I don't cherry pick I can't argue, it's all I've got. I did mention the Natty in '84.
Anyway, I'm just playing devil's advocate. You can't argue with the results of the York hire.

 

[hardcorehusky]

Also, that wasn't a shot at you or Viking. That was a little CT hockey irony, that I thought was kind of funny. Maybe I've been around the game alot longer or you didn't hear about the time CT went hockey nuts and threw a parade for the Whalers. For losing a playoff round to the Canadiens and not even making the Stanley Cup finals. ( low expectations and fricken' Claude Lemeiux, SMH!)

When Hartford Whalers Fever Swept the State​

Did you have to mention Claude Lemeiux - my day is ruined!

 

[RSTuthill]

I guess this was worthy of it's own thread, but really, was Mike really the BC guy ?

Oh, he was the guy, always was the guy. In fact, he was the guy when the UConn job was open and the Guv consulted with his old alma mater. But I can see huge advantages from his standpoint to staying in CT. Brand new right sized barn, steadily rising program, a fraction of the pressure in Boston, great place to live equidistant from two very attractive cities, close to the ocean, a student body poised to really engage with the program ...

 

[RSTuthill]

They were not allowed to have a full scholarship allotment at the beginning of the Hockey East era and the on campus facility is terrible

As I recall the last year in AHA they had 6 scholarships and then added 6 each of the two following years in HE. But they surely were not getting as many of the higher level recruits they get now. Letunov and Thompson being the possible exceptions I suppose. I think the Russian/Eastern European pipeline has been key to raising quality.

 

[Blades]

Oh, he was the guy, always was the guy.

Well you may think that, but other people, like freescooter mentioned, may have a different opinion on that. Which could mean like I suggested above, Benedict got played.

According to google translate: BC told me the job was going to someone else. So now I need to make it sound like I didn‘t try for it.

" it seems pretty clear from everywhere other than Huskyworld .........no offer to Cav was on the table. He may well have parlayed uncertain interest from BC into a surefire raise from UConn - and if so, good for him"

College Hockey News: "Nothing to suggest the job was Cavanaugh’s to turn down"

There was a bit of a minor social media brouhaha this morning when a UConn beat writer suggested that the BC job was Mike Cavanaugh’s to turn down, but that he ultimately decided to stick with...

www.bcinterruption.com

 

[TheDoggPound]

Post better, are you serious? I didn't create that record, Cav did, it is what it it is. Spinning narratives isn't gonna make it go away so hopefully for Uconn Hockey, Cav can change it. But starting from the ground up? Maybe since you started following the game. I'd say Bruce Marshall, who was a good man, did just as much with alot less. You know like having to play in an outdoor rink and no scholarships.

I'm not trying to change your opinion on Cav either, believe in him all you want and I hope he does better. He was a decent D2 hockey player who spent 18 years with Jerry who was ready to leave the game and never got a sniff of a head coaching spot until Warde threw him a lifeline. So him doing well would be an even better narrative, than the same excuses I read over and over. But if your gonna state a simple fact, which is all I did, by posting his record. At least get it right. Top 4 in the last 4 years? ( how about 9th 4 years ago and then 5th )

View attachment 75836

One thing you're overlooking is the fact that UConn could've made the HE Finals in 2019-20, if Covid didn't ruin our run. I think we won 7 straight before the cancellation.

 

[Blades]

One thing you're overlooking is the fact that UConn could've made the HE Finals in 2019-20, if Covid didn't ruin our run. I think we won 7 straight before the cancellation.

I'm not overlooking anything, my only originally post was only in regards to BC and Cav not necessarily being their guy, but of course that triggered some on this board and here we go again. Can we just end this with I hope Cav does well, he Uconn's guy and I want Uconn to win.

 

[JeannoCT]

I'm not overlooking anything, my only originally post was only in regards to BC and Cav not necessarily being their guy, but of course that triggered some on this board and here we go again. Can we just end this with I hope Cav does well, he Uconn's guy and I want Uconn to win.

Sounds good.

 

[freescooter]

Just to be clear, I think Cav was among the candidates for the BC job. And maybe he did turn them down. I’m just speculating that he figured he wouldn’t get it, so he withdrew and announced he was staying. He isn’t the first and won’t be the last guy to do that. I guess it is also possible that UConn made him a salary offer that was better than or comparable with BC’s And he decided to stay for all the reasons RST listed. I had heard from a few BC guys I know that Brown was getting the job and that was why he went off to the USHL to get head coaching experience. But the guy I knew who was closest (volunteer tutor in the AD there and a York classmate in high school and at BC) Ipassed away 2 years ago so my information isn’t what it was.

 

[The Viking]

Blades said:

I guess this was worthy of it's own thread, but really, was Mike really the BC guy ?

Then said:

I get the history with them and Mike, but a guy with a 85–121–29 (.423) Hockey East record is the best that BC could do ?

What we know is that he likely was in the top 2, certainly the top 3 by many reports. That he was on campus and was interviewed. So to answer your first question the answer is "possible to probable". Don't assume the whispers he was never offered the job - formally or informally - are 100% true. Take it with a grain of salt. Does it look good for the almighty BC program if they offered it and he decided to spurn them to stay at UConn? Of course not. And it's certainly possible he was at the top of the list - even if it wasn't offered.

To answer your second question, the decision makers within their hockey program - who know how important this hire is for them - understand that you don't merely look at a coach's winning percentage when putting your list together. That you have to look at the context of it and the factors at play. Many of which I listed in a prior post.

What incredible accomplishments to the other top candidate(s) have that Cavanaugh doesn't? And no, don't talk about a guy like Carvel, he's not a candidate. I'm talking about the other couple names. Are there resumes better than Cav's? I'd say Cavanaughs resume - both as a former BC top asst coach and as a man who has done a damn good job building a program (albeit not fast enough for some people) is probably as good if not better than the others.

And yes - good job fact-checking my memory. Over the past 5 years UConn had one stinker. Outside of that they finished 5th twice, finished 4th twice, made it to the HE finals this year and probably would have made it to at least the HE semifinals if Covid didn't shut down the playoffs a few years ago. Considering how laughable our on-campus rink is compared to most other HE schools, I'd say that's a pretty damn good accomplishment.

 

[RSTuthill]

Jerry York is/was in the same position as Jim Calhoun when he retired. He highly recommended Cav for UConn and I am sure he did the same for the BC job. I am not sure that coaching in Boston is for everyone, though.

I have been a UConn Hockey fan since the days of Todd Krygier when I saw him play against Alaska Anchorage in Storrs. And I saw his brother Brian break the school scoring record. I still follow UConn although after 25+ years of blogging about them because no one else but the Daily Campus wrote anything about UConn Hockey, I no longer do that anymore. But I have been impressed with Cav's measured building of the program. And I doubt very much that Benedict got played or that a guy like Cav would even attempt that. It's a small niche sport. Everyone knows everyone else. What goes around comes around.

 

[nadav]

I'm not overlooking anything, my only originally post was only in regards to BC and Cav not necessarily being their guy, but of course that triggered some on this board and here we go again. Can we just end this with I hope Cav does well, he Uconn's guy and I want Uconn to win.

It’s been a pleasure

 

[RSTuthill]

I'd say Bruce Marshall, who was a good man, did just as much with a lot less. You know like having to play in an outdoor rink and no scholarships.

Thanks for the kind words about Bruce who gets very little respect around here. Those who were around here then know the real story, though. Btw, check out the NY Time March 15, 1992, folks if you doubt me.

So Blades, if you played with Janney and Leetch, who played for DA and AOF respectively and neither played for the 'Pics, you must have been together at BC. And then the Whalers organization. Not too shabby regardless of which team. High level stuff and far more qualified than the majority of us. So I think we can assume you have contacts.

To go off on a tangent, since this topic has been beaten to death, I was skating with my kids one Sunday morning in April 1991 in the old rink which we had to ourselves. David Emma had just won the Hobey, and over on the baseball field we could see UConn and BC warming up for a game. We said hey, lets go over and see if Emma is catching for BC. So we did. We were the only spectators in the stands. Andy Baylock, the coach at the time came over and spent five or ten minutes with the kids talking baseball and gave them each a media guide. Great guy to go out of his way and do that. My kids loved that as they also played baseball. David Emma had not yet rejoined the baseball team after the hockey season. In fact, I do not know if he played baseball at all in his senior season.

 

[Samoo]

Well you may think that, but other people, like freescooter mentioned, may have a different opinion on that. Which could mean like I suggested above, Benedict got played.


" it seems pretty clear from everywhere other than Huskyworld .........no offer to Cav was on the table. He may well have parlayed uncertain interest from BC into a surefire raise from UConn - and if so, good for him"

College Hockey News: "Nothing to suggest the job was Cavanaugh’s to turn down"

There was a bit of a minor social media brouhaha this morning when a UConn beat writer suggested that the BC job was Mike Cavanaugh’s to turn down, but that he ultimately decided to stick with...

www.bcinterruption.com

You may have a valid point, but using our resident doomsayer for backup doesn't add much to your argument.