Plans for UConn hockey outdoor game

[AspyDad]

Re: Plans for UConn hockey outdoor game

I am a UCONN Alum and am new to these threads. Wondering why UCONN doesn't have a better program. Women's team is in Hockey East. Seems that UCONN could build a Men's program in short time and get in Hockey East. I heard that Coach is a popular guy but UCONN has always been willing to do what it takes to build winning tradition (see basketball and budding Football team). Any articles out there on this subject? Just wondering.

[Patman]

Re: Plans for UConn hockey outdoor game

I am a UCONN Alum and am new to these threads. Wondering why UCONN doesn't have a better program. Women's team is in Hockey East. Seems that UCONN could build a Men's program in short time and get in Hockey East. I heard that Coach is a popular guy but UCONN has always been willing to do what it takes to build winning tradition (see basketball and budding Football team). Any articles out there on this subject? Just wondering.

My run down...

UConn is a school which views itself as a big time athletics school (for good reason) and so they traditionally work along those lines. As a result, since college hockey isn't really their peer group they aren't particularly interested. To most, hockey is a regional sport and when you're trying to be a national school, regional interests are frowned upon. You then have to couple this that any progress of the hockey club would run into interference with the basketball program. While fans of each tend to be different it would cause a diversion of resources and attention. There's also the nominal Title IX issues which also affects Mens Baseball.

As for the coach. I've talked to a few players... I won't say anything specific at all.... I think they want to play hockey and do what's best to play as long as they can. My opinion... the coach is a waste of $80,000 and should have been fired a decade ago. He exists as an obstacle to the success of UConn hockey and his prolonged tenure is owed to the fact that the Athletic Department desires no more than the hockey team to be at best irrelevant. The University's treatment of the program and consideration should be considered an embarrassment... but they don't care. As soon as UConn decides to be serious Bruce Marshall will be fired... and Bruce knows this. I'm of the general understanding that I'm not the the only one who thinks negatively of Marshall... but in the end I carry my own opinion.

As for "doing what it takes"... the hockey program proves that this is not true.

I was a UConn graduate student from September of 2004 to August of 2009.

edit: I'm not entirely down on UConn... I love the football program and what Edsall has done... but for hockey... its a mess

[kingdobbs]

Re: Plans for UConn hockey outdoor game

I am a UCONN Alum and am new to these threads. Wondering why UCONN doesn't have a better program. Women's team is in Hockey East. Seems that UCONN could build a Men's program in short time and get in Hockey East. I heard that Coach is a popular guy but UCONN has always been willing to do what it takes to build winning tradition (see basketball and budding Football team). Any articles out there on this subject? Just wondering.

It's a weird thing. On the one hand, they've kept it alive for nearly fifty years, let it live through the Title IX cuts in the 1970s wherein the school lost wrestling and lacrosse (although since they were playing at the D-III level then there weren't scholarships being given anyway), and have given it a new (albeit not state of the art) arena in the last fifteen years. So clearly there's some interest in still having the program around.

On the other hand, there hasn't been much more support for it than to be in a holding pattern and just playing hockey to play hockey. The AD just doesn't seem to care, unless there's some chance of making an event out of it. It's somewhat frustrating to wonder why and what if, but after 11 years watching, I pretty much recognize nothin' good is gonna happen for a while.

UConn may do good things and have a solid commitment to winning for a lot of its sports (m/w hoops, football, m/w soccer, field hockey are all nationally recognized and/or powerful programs), but ice hockey isn't one of them.

[AspyDad]

Re: Plans for UConn hockey outdoor game

My run down...

UConn is a school which views itself as a big time athletics school (for good reason) and so they traditionally work along those lines. As a result, since college hockey isn't really their peer group they aren't particularly interested. To most, hockey is a regional sport and when you're trying to be a national school, regional interests are frowned upon. You then have to couple this that any progress of the hockey club would run into interference with the basketball program. While fans of each tend to be different it would cause a diversion of resources and attention. There's also the nominal Title IX issues which also affects Mens Baseball.

As for the coach. I've talked to a few players... I won't say anything specific at all.... I think they want to play hockey and do what's best to play as long as they can. My opinion... the coach is a waste of $80,000 and should have been fired a decade ago. He exists as an obstacle to the success of UConn hockey and his prolonged tenure is owed to the fact that the Athletic Department desires no more than the hockey team to be at best irrelevant. The University's treatment of the program and consideration should be considered an embarrassment... but they don't care. As soon as UConn decides to be serious Bruce Marshall will be fired... and Bruce knows this. I'm of the general understanding that I'm not the the only one who thinks negatively of Marshall... but in the end I carry my own opinion.

As for "doing what it takes"... the hockey program proves that this is not true.

I was a UConn graduate student from September of 2004 to August of 2009.

edit: I'm not entirely down on UConn... I love the football program and what Edsall has done... but for hockey... its a mess

Thanks to both you and kingdobbs for taking time to explain. Just a couple of quick questions. Do they have scholarships and how many? Are most of them walk-ons or does does Coach recruit players?

[Patman]

Re: Plans for UConn hockey outdoor game

Thanks to both you and kingdobbs for taking time to explain. Just a couple of quick questions. Do they have scholarships and how many? Are most of them walk-ons or does does Coach recruit players?

The Mens program has zero scholarships... the last scholarship player at UConn was Aaron Kakepetum who had a scholarship honored from when Iona (?) ended their program.

Most schools recruit their walk-ons... so yes there is recruiting... in general though non-scholarship athletes are all walk-ons most know what they're walking into

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?k...0N2ctdWc&gid=1

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?k...LdlBOaHc&gid=1

For the record... these are run by Chris Heisenberg the grandson of that Heisenberg.

Marshall has been fairly open about bringing in a lot of guys and seeing which ones wash out. I won't say much more than that so I don't end up being a total downer

I think there is a market for hockey at UConn. I think the students would take to it as would others*... but this is an institutional issue which I don't think will go away any time soon... and no athletic director is going to come in and start rocking the boat.

*I saw the rink get 1/4-1/3 full during the halftime of a soccer game because the mens club team was playing Boston College.

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: Plans for UConn hockey outdoor game

Baldwin might be delusional.

A UConn-Sacred Heart game. *crickets chirping* That's right, the two teams that averaged 568 fans for their combined 31 home games last year. *tumbleweed blows by* They're going to help save the Whale *pin drops* Whooo!

Listen, I wish all the luck to Baldwin, all the Whale fans out there and the city of Hartford... but let's be serious. Kansas City, Milwaukee, Winnipeg, Quebec City and Hamilton/Southern Ontario are all miles ahead of Hartford when it comes to getting an NHL team. About the only thing Hartford has going for it is a delusional PR stunt and some holdover Whale fans in a part of the country with FOUR NHL teams within a reasonably close driving distance.

[Puck Swami]

Re: Plans for UConn hockey outdoor game

I would love to see this event succeed, but I have a hard time envisioning more than 3,000 fans showing up to watch UConn play Sacred Heart in February in a 40,000+ seat football stadium in East Hartford. The optics of this huge virtually empty stadium are likely going to backfire and make UConn hockey look even more bush league than the current perception.

I would rather see them spend the money to upgrade UConn hockey - not make a mockery of it.

[CHFAN222]

Re: Plans for UConn hockey outdoor game

Hey they are willing to roll the dice so let's see what happens. I might check this out since tickets will be extremely cheap for it most likely. I imagine UCONN's athletic department is going to work really hard to promote this in the Fall.

[MarkEagleUSA]

Re: Plans for UConn hockey outdoor game

I would love to see this event succeed, but I have a hard time envisioning more than 3,000 fans showing up to watch UConn play Sacred Heart in February in a 40,000+ seat football stadium in East Hartford.

It looks like this has nothing at all to do with UConn hockey, but rather Baldwin's desire to get pro hockey back in Hartford. According to today's report, "Baldwin says his new campaign includes a "Whalers Hockey Fest" that will feature as many as 20 outdoor games at Rentschler Field in East Hartford next February."

[sterlippo1]

Re: Plans for UConn hockey outdoor game

It looks like this has nothing at all to do with UConn hockey, but rather Baldwin's desire to get pro hockey back in Hartford. According to today's report, "Baldwin says his new campaign includes a "Whalers Hockey Fest" that will feature as many as 20 outdoor games at Rentschler Field in East Hartford next February."

wouldn't they be better off trying to get you guys in that game? rather than SH?

[slurpees]

Re: Plans for UConn hockey outdoor game

wouldn't they be better off trying to get you guys in that game? rather than SH?

Yes, them or Yale. Sacred Heart is mind boggling, but as was already posted, the college games are only a small part of what Baldwin is throwing out there. I still dont see this as terribly attractive, but at least he's ambitious.

[Patman]

Re: Plans for UConn hockey outdoor game

I would love to see this event succeed, but I have a hard time envisioning more than 3,000 fans showing up to watch UConn play Sacred Heart in February in a 40,000+ seat football stadium in East Hartford. The optics of this huge virtually empty stadium are likely going to backfire and make UConn hockey look even more bush league than the current perception.

I would rather see them spend the money to upgrade UConn hockey - not make a mockery of it.

I think the problem of vision is one in terms of Baldwin. My guess is that UConn is paying little or no money for this. Honestly, for UConn it isn't worth it to pay for it. When they played at the Boston (TD Banknorth) Garden it was at least as a hypothetical "dry run" for a Hartford regional.

The bigger problem is the schedules are set... and even if they weren't... I'm not sure who you would get for a non-televised outdoor one-off. Lets not forget one of the bigger lures of an event like this is the attention received. I mean, how many of us watched at least some part of the first UM-MSU outdoor game.

[sterlippo1]

Re: Plans for UConn hockey outdoor game

Yes, them or Yale. Sacred Heart is mind boggling, but as was already posted, the college games are only a small part of what Baldwin is throwing out there. I still dont see this as terribly attractive, but at least he's ambitious.

duh! absolutely, Yale may even make it a success at the gate but from what's being posted here, it has not much to do with U Conn hockey and that's a shame

[Onion Man]

Re: Plans for UConn hockey outdoor game

and there is ZERO chance BC would ever do it..... no way they would ever help UConn grow it's hockey program

Why not? I think BC would relish the opportunity to destroy a UConn team. Either way, its a horrible idea.

Brown vs. Providence at Brown Stadium. Outdoor Mayor's Cup. Do it...do it...

[sterlippo1]

Re: Plans for UConn hockey outdoor game

Why not? I think BC would relish the opportunity to destroy a UConn team. Either way, its a horrible idea.

Brown vs. Providence at Brown Stadium. Outdoor Mayor's Cup. Do it...do it...

i think because CT is such a huge area for BC recruiting wise that a successful UConn hockey program isn't in their best interests. Playing UConn in hockey is a lose-lose kinda thing for BC , no?