Courant Hockey Beat Writer

[FDNY99]

SO the beat writer for the hockey team has an article on Edsall and the job he has facing him rebuilding the football program this morning in the Courant. Mean while the hockey team won a tournament title and beat a top 18 team while doing it this weekend. He may not be able to go to the games but between listening to them on the radio and making arrangements to call Cav after each game to talk about things is more than enough to get something together. It's about being connected to the team you cover. John Altavilla is a absolute disgrace! He is lazy, and even when he writes about the hockey team is stuff so uninspiring it's hardly readable. Let's go even one further..how about he may watch some of the Workd Junior Championships on the NHL network and do an article about Huska and Thompson and how well they are playing. What a complete joke!

 

[Bomber36]

Agreed. The lack of coverage by the Courant is appalling. The paper absolutely sucks. The article this morning was a joke.

 

[RSTuthill]

I was about to send the Courant a letter on this. But lets see what happens if the Huskies beat Yale.

It is a little strange though when Jeff Jacob has more column-inches on UConn hockey than the beat writer. I do not know what Desmond Conner did to deserve his change in assignment (perhaps anger Diaco?) but I suggested to him when it happened that he could do some hockey. No way. Wasn't interested. These one trick ponies that the Courant has. Most of Dez's stuff this year has been about the lesser FB teams in CT.

All that said, Mike Anthony used to put out a fair amount of stuff before he got transferred to FB. I didn't even mind when a lot of what he wrote was excerpted from our posts on USCHO. At least it got out there.

 

[FDNY99]

I was about to send the Courant a letter on this. But lets see what happens if the Huskies beat Yale.

It is a little strange though when Jeff Jacob has more column-inches on UConn hockey than the beat writer. I do not know what Desmond Conner did to deserve his change in assignment (perhaps anger Diaco?) but I suggested to him when it happened that he could do some hockey. No way. Wasn't interested. These one trick ponies that the Courant has. Most of Dez's stuff this year has been about the lesser FB teams in CT.

All that said, Mike Anthony used to put out a fair amount of stuff before he got transferred to FB. I didn't even mind when a lot of what he wrote was excerpted from our posts on USCHO. At least it got out there.

Here is what I can gather from what I know...John Altavilla pissed off Geno in some way and he asked for him to be removed form his beat. That started the domino effect. Dez got the CT college sports beat which for football is Trinity, Wesleyan, Yale, Sacred Heart, Central, Southern, New Haven, Western and then the same schools for hoops and baseball/softball; Dom Amore kept the men's beat which is a shame; Altavilla got the CT Sun and UConn Hockey because they wanted to focus more on the beat due to team attendance/following and conference affiliation; Mike Anthony was given the football beat; and Paul Doyle got the Women's BB beat. So in effect the useless piece of that caused the beat shuffle continues his percentage! I wouldn't be afraid to send the courant sports editor a email on this @RSTuthill . It's a travesty what Altavilla does to this beat!

 

[huskymedic]

Here is what I can gather from what I know...Mike Anthony pissed off Geno in some way and he asked for him to be removed form his beat. That started the domino effect. Dez got the CT college sports beat which for football is Trinity, Wesleyan, Yale, Sacred Heart, Central, Southern, New Haven, Western and then the same schools for hoops and baseball/softball; Dom Amore kept the men's beat which is a shame; Altavilla got the CT Sun and UConn Hockey because they wanted to focus more on the beat due to team attendance/following and conference affiliation; Mike Anthony was given the football beat; and Paul Doyle got the Women's BB beat. So in effect the useless piece of that caused the beat shuffle continues his percentage! I wouldn't be afraid to send the courant sports editor a email on this @RSTuthill . It's a travesty what Altavilla does to this beat!

You mean Altavilla was rumored to have pissed of Geno/WBB - no?

Amore also covers UConn baseball.

 

[FDNY99]

You mean Altavilla was rumored to have pissed of Geno/WBB - no?

Amore also covers UConn baseball.

Yes...thanks for picking up on this for me @huskymedic ! Confusing those 2 is inexcusable..Mike if you are on here I apologize!

 

[JeannoCT]

I have season tickets for football, hockey and women's basketball. I was delighted that Altavilla was removed from the women's basketball coverage - I never thought he put a lot of effort into his stories. Now we're stuck with him for hockey. Honestly, I get more info on hockey from FDNY99 and Huskymedic, and I thank you both. Maybe the Courant could hire you guys to write some columns. I can't believe they are not covering the World Junior's, with both Huska and Thompson in there, and of course the tournament we just won. It's a big deal that both these guys made their teams.

 

[FDNY99]

I have season tickets for football, hockey and women's basketball. I was delighted that Altavilla was removed from the women's basketball coverage - I never thought he put a lot of effort into his stories. Now we're stuck with him for hockey. Honestly, I get more info on hockey from FDNY99 and Huskymedic, and I thank you both. Maybe the Courant could hire you guys to write some columns. I can't believe they are not covering the World Junior's, with both Huska and Thompson in there, and of course the tournament we just won. It's a big deal that both these guys made their teams.

This is a travesty unto itself. The fact these 2 kids have made these teams and played at a high level is a feather in the cap for this program. Add to that the fact that the team went to play a tournament where they played a top 20 team in their first game without t2 of their best players..added a brand new player to the team mix at Defense makes for some GREAT story lines! And to write them all you need is a television to watch the Workd Junior games..a radio or computer to listen to the tournament games and a few calls on the phone (UConn SID Office, Cav, Tage and Adam)

 

[JeannoCT]

AND how many times are they talking about UConn and Tage and Huska on the air?? It is constant. It's fantastic to hear the announcers, and the studio hosts from the NHL network talking about UConn!! Who would have thunk it??

 

[FDNY99]

AND how many times are they talking about UConn and Tage and Huska on the air?? It is constant. It's fantastic to hear the announcers, and the studio hosts from the NHL network talking about UConn!! Who would have thunk it??

I agree 100%...it's free recruiting advertising for Cav, Joe P and Brendan Buckley too. That goal Tage scored against Slovakia will be replayed for a LONG time.
Tage Thompson nets silky spin-o-rama goal

 

[gtcam]

I was about to send the Courant a letter on this. But lets see what happens if the Huskies beat Yale.

It is a little strange though when Jeff Jacob has more column-inches on UConn hockey than the beat writer. I do not know what Desmond Conner did to deserve his change in assignment (perhaps anger Diaco?) but I suggested to him when it happened that he could do some hockey. No way. Wasn't interested. These one trick ponies that the Courant has. Most of Dez's stuff this year has been about the lesser FB teams in CT.

All that said, Mike Anthony used to put out a fair amount of stuff before he got transferred to FB. I didn't even mind when a lot of what he wrote was excerpted from our posts on USCHO. At least it got out there.

Conner is where he is because he sucks and is a jerk in MHO
But I am sure the cheerleader picture crap did prompt a shake-up - just glad Dez no longer covers UConn Fball or was given Mens Basketball

 

[FDNY99]

Conner is where he is because he sucks and is a jerk

If he sucks then Altavilla and Amore are in the SUPER suck category!

 

[gtcam]

If he sucks then Altavilla and Amore are in the SUPER suck category!

I'm not going to argue on that
The Courant is a second rate rag anyway - would love to see another Hartford morning paper but who the hell would start a newspaper in these times

 

[RSTuthill]

The JI was always better than the Courant with the exception of Jacobs. Then Randy Smith died and their good sportswriters have been leaving one by one. But they never did a single thing with UConn hockey.