NCAA Hockey attendance is a mixed bag, but the B1G does do well.
Trolls abound!
www.uconnhockeyhub.com
Good Luck to Matt, I hope everything works out of the youngster.Matthew Wood commits to Minnesota
Wood lands at one of the most storied programs in the sport.
That was my point. People who argue for 6000 seats want that just to brag about how big it is. Not because it is needed.
Then Hockey East said, ”Never mind”. Hockey East is very happy to have UConn as a member. The arena size is not important. Just like every sport, they get that with streaming and high def and all, fewer and fewer fans “need” to be at the game.
Answer to the second question is yes. This is a job in a premier conference in the game and there are only about 60 D 1 jobs in total. NO more than about half are in leagues that could be considered comparable or close to HEA. And there are only a handful, if that, of those open in any given year. Brown isn’t moving from BC, but there wouldn’t be a lack of candidates.
What about an assistant from UND? I doing my PhD at North Dakota, and they're OBSESSED with hockey out here. And they're cosidered one of the best programs in the country.
We can throw names out all day but the bigger name(s) we need is who is gonna step up to write a check to fund the +/- $2.4 buyout needed to make a head coach change?
Makes sense. I'm not totally unsold on Cav. He's brought this team to a much better position than it was when he was hired. I hope he can have next year's squad bounce back from whatever this last season was.We can throw names out all day but the bigger name(s) we need is who is gonna step up to write a check to fund the +/- $2.4 buyout needed to make a head coach change?
Cav's whole existence is based on his recruiting at BC where he brought in NHL players, that's how he was sold to UConn. If said NHL-caliber players (Wood, Samu, etc.) can't develop at UConn then his whole appeal goes out the window. With the top-level players leaving and transferring to other schools so they can actually develop it makes it really hard for Cav moving forward. I can't see how he can continue on as head coach much longer.
I don’t really know the top coaches any more. I just threw out a couple of names I think might fit. I’m sure there are others. My preference would be an east coast guy. Heard a ton of good stuff about the guy at AIC. But it is a small club and Hockey East jobs don’t come open all that often. Lots of people would be interested.
You probably know way more than me haha. All I know is UND Hockey fans are getting real tired of their coach not getting a NC. Maybe we could scoop him up if we lose Cav.
We aren’t moving to Atlantic Hockey. We want to regularly go to the Garden for the Hockey East championships and get to the NCAA tournament on a very regular basis. That isn’t easy in Hockey East. But then, UMass was a dog for years. They aren’t now. Maine struggled for several years. They seem to have turned it around. But it took a couple of years. We looked to be on a solid trajectory from 2020-22, then it turned in 23 and kept going the wrong way this year.
I have been a season ticketholder since we joined Hockey East. Because of Hockey East. If UConn leaves Hockey East my season tickets will vanish just like our power play.
Why? Was it the coaching (x’s o’s), development ( or lack of ), overrated talent, or not enough talent overall on the roster? I thought the program was on the climb as well but there’s gotta be other factors contributing to everything that’s played out the past season and half. I think to start, Nashville played a role and it’s obvious Uconn was Sami’s second option. Im trying to spin it in a positive manner, maybe it was just a perfect storm of things that are responsible. The problem will be getting that type of talent back on the roster again. What’s the plan for that is what I’m interested in knowing.
The program is on climb. This past season HE was just really loaded with talent. It was just a vert tough league to compete in this season. BC and BU had a lot of elite talent on the roster this year. Many of those players will be turning pro. Therefore BC and BU will come back to the pack. UConn just needs to continue with the game plan for growth, slow and steady. There will always be set backs along the road. UConn will battle through it. UConn is a name brand in college athletics. All UConn does is win. UConn's hockey future is bright. Stealing a line from the late George Michael "You just got to have faith".
They won’t get that talent again with this staff. That is over. The book is out and NHL clubs do not trust this staff to develop elite guys. Recalibrate your expectations.
I wouldn’t classify it as my expectations, I’m not completely sold on it being all coaching staff. Now, I can’t comment on the hockey X’s and O’s but it seems odd that in a relatively short period, the staff is deemed incompetent, essentially. I don’t have an interest either way outside of being a fan of the program for a few years…if they can’t X and O the team to wins or recruit the talent necessary to compensate that, amongst other factors, then yea maybe it’s time to look elsewhere. As for the NHL, I think a “ conflict of interest” is beyond in play so I take that with a grain of salt. They want what’s best for their investment, not Uconn. And that’s ok. Just depends how it pertains to your point of view. I believe they had an identity problem all season. At times they wanted to be the physical team of 22’ but lacked the personnel(hence the penalties/majors), they wanted to be the 1st rd talent factory, but had the overall talent of a blue collar overachiever…I think that’s why Muldowney stood out to me, not the most talented but skilled enough but with a lot “it” factor. Richard is talented.
Our rink pales by comparison to the rest of HE (Merrimack notwithstanding..............big deal)! Our best players are now leaving us, not directly for the NHL, but for better college programs that will enhance their future NHL prospects. Wood and Sami are NOT leaving for the NHL, they are leaving to improve their NHL future. Denver and Minnesota?........ Duh. Would you play an additional year there, or stay in Storrs to languish for another year in a program that is going sideways?
This is my point, why are NHL execs now alienating Uconn hockey?? What has happened in 18 months. There’s been other pro caliber talent ( not to Wood’s draft status) but some legit talent…I’m not defending the staff or leading the charge against them either. Again, I just find it odd that all of a sudden all talented players will regress while at Uconn. Outside of eye tests, I can’t say for certain if these guys have generally regressed after arriving at Uconn. I don’t think that’s true across the board. Wood’s greatest weakness is a lack of speed/acceleration. That’s not exactly an X and O issue. It’s just one example though. There are better hockey programs out there, but a few short years ago there were also better basketball programs as well. I’m Not comparing coaches or staffs! It’s simply a fact.
Nobody is leaving because of the rink. It has every state of the art training aid known to man, I’m told. And we are in the era of NIL and unlimited transfers. We will see how it works out for May. I. Wish him well, but he needs to improve his speed and quickness. We will see if it works out.
Well, Samu was supposed to go to Denver originally, so he already had a connection to them. That made it a much easier move for him.