Originally posted by BoSox3066
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Don’t really want to quibble. In Hockey East history there have been 39 coaches and granted some certainly should be ranked incomplete. I guess everyone would have their own criteria to rank coaches. Eliminate 3 newbies, 12 top, 12 middle and 12 bottom. If you just weigh records without backstory I’ll give you a rank of 10 11 or 12 all time forbWhirhead, a little backstory about school support, what he inherited, how he left program I’d say he was 14th best in league history.
Those numbers were his Maine numbers. His UML was 76-95-11, He had only 5 years there which says something to me and never got home ice. Eliminate his 1st 3 Maine teams he’s 167-141-49. I get it you have to consider those years but if tragedy hadn’t struck those wouldn’t have been his teams to coach. It wasn’t like he was a new face breathing life into the team—it’s a lucky guy given a Porsche to drive. Berry won national championship his first year and No Dak is one of the premier teams as it becomes more his team success is harder to come by. I would wonder if NoDak fans are believing him more middling now. Bennett too at Union certainly had his championship questioned especially in light of Leaman snagging it the following year. All things considered Bennett has been above average in his 8 years there but He has work to do to cement his legacy there is a bit of up and downs
As far most killing for that record maybe but would Whitehead be the guy to do it at their school. Obviously Maine says no they fired him he was trending down, Clearly BC and BU have done it with their guys. UNH got that record for 27 years from Umilie. UML clearly saw enough of Whitehead and would laugh at a trade for what Bazin has done. If 8-9 years from now Carvel has UMass winning consistently even if his record isn’t ..605 I’d prefer what he did as more impressive. Madigan’s record over 8 years is trending up and if it continues on that level he probably produces close to a 605 at a school with no such track record as compared to Maine where ithat record was a step down. Leaman has better then a .605 winning record at PC and that includes, like Carvel appears to be doing, inheriting a 3 year cellar dweller to drag down his record. So 3 teams might murder for what Whitehead has done and quite frankly Whitehead given same circumstances would be hard pressed to match what Dennehy did in his Merrimack term—see his UML record as proof
I don’t have a guy to make this work perfectly but say Walsh was unable to continue coaching just as the ‘01 season ends and steps down. Say he’s still able to give input for a replacement if you’d like. Whitehead is available obviously. It’s April. Maine does not go with an interim coach instead they do a national search. Based on info you have in April 2001 do you hire Tim Whitehead in that scenario?
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