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Re: Fire Mike Eaves?
It's confirmed.
It's confirmed.
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"Show me a good loser, and I'll show you a loser." Vince Lombardi
"License to kill gophers by the government of the United Nations. Man; free to kill gophers at will. To kill, you must know your enemy, and in this case, my enemy is a varmint....and a varmint will never quit...ever. They're like Viet Cong...Varmint Cong, so you have to fall back on superior intelligence and superior firepower...and that's all she wrote. Au revoir, gopher." Karl Spackler 1980 -
Re: Fire Mike Eaves?
I'm having cake and ice cream tonight.
At long last, we get to start over.If you want to be a BADGER, just come along with me
BRING BACK PAT RICHTER!!!
At his graduation ceremony from the U of Minnesota, my cousin got a keychain. When asked what UW gave her for graduation, my sister said, "A degree from a University that matters."
Canned music is a pathetic waste of your time.Comment
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Re: Fire Mike Eaves?
http://www.uwbadgers.com/news/2016/3...ns-hockey.aspx
Obviously, because Baggott is now a shill for the UW AD, and because of where this article was posted, you have that (frankly, cynical) bit of fluffing at the end. Plenty to talk about there, but all that matters is that we get to start over.BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — Mike Eaves is one of the most distinguished figures in Wisconsin athletic history, which is why this moment is particularly difficult.
Eaves has been relieved of his duties as UW men's hockey coach after 14 seasons, which included an NCAA championship in 2006, a national runner-up finish in 2010 and, at last count, 26 players who've reached the NHL.
Eaves is also the all-time leading scorer in program history, a three-time captain, a two-time Most Valuable Player, an honor student and member of the UW Athletic Hall of Fame.
Director of Athletics Barry Alvarez made the decision after the six-time national champion Badgers labored through consecutive losing seasons for the first time since 1995-97 and saw fan support at the Kohl Center dwindle.
"I told Mike I appreciated the work he's done here," Alvarez said. "I also told him that we have great tradition and standards here in hockey. He's the gate-keeper of hockey. I'm the gate-keeper of the department. We both have a responsibility.
"After last season, because of the success we've had in the past, we felt that Mike had earned a chance to get the ship righted. But now, after back-to-back seasons like the last two we've had, I feel we need a change."
UW won consecutive league playoff titles — one in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and one in the Big Ten Conference — and subsequently qualified for the NCAA tournament in 2013 and '14 before the operation rapidly bottomed out.
The Badgers were 4-26-5 last season — the fewest wins and the most losses in a single season in the modern era of the program — and finished 8-19-8 with a loss to Penn State in the opening-round of the Big Ten tournament on Thursday in St. Paul, Minnesota.
"Our fans and everyone expect more," Alvarez said. "With our facilities and what we have to sell, we feel we should be at a championship level."
The fact that Eaves has such a distinctive profile — he was a two-time first-team All-America center, starred on an NCAA championship team in 1977 and received the Big Ten Medal of Honor in 1978 — made the decision to terminate his contract extremely difficult.
"I like Mike and I respect Mike," Alvarez said. "All those things play into it. That's what makes it very hard.
"These are never easy decisions, but I've got a responsibility to the university, to our fans and to everyone else. It's just not acceptable at Wisconsin to have a hockey program in this state where we are right now."
Three of the last five seasons have ended with UW owning a losing record, including 17-18-2 in 2011-12.
Eaves was hired in 2002-03 and quickly rebuilt a floundering program into a force. The Badgers, 13-23-4 in his first season, reached the NCAA tournament in 2004 and '05 before winning it all with a 2-1 decision over Boston College. The stars of that decade-old club, goaltender Brian Elliott and center Joe Pavelski, remain NHL fixtures.
Four years later, UW, led by Hobey Baker Award-winning center Blake Geoffrion, reached the national championship game, where it dropped a 5-0 decision in a rematch with BC. All six defensemen from that squad have reached the NHL.
Alvarez's approach to hockey has been interpreted by some as indifference, but he made building LaBahn Arena a priority and now the $27.9 million facility, completed in 2012, gives the men's and women's programs unsurpassed accommodations.
"We felt that put us in as good a shape as anybody in the country," Alvarez said.
Prior to becoming full-time AD, Alvarez was the Hall of Fame football coach of the Badgers.
"People interpret that I give all my attention to football and that is simply not true. However, football does demand a lot of attention. It's the (financial) engine that drives the entire (athletic) program.
"But I care about hockey. I very much believe that we are a better athletic department when our men's hockey program is thriving."
Alvarez and his staff will begin to take steps to get the program back to that position with a national search for a new head coach that will begin immediately.If you want to be a BADGER, just come along with me
BRING BACK PAT RICHTER!!!
At his graduation ceremony from the U of Minnesota, my cousin got a keychain. When asked what UW gave her for graduation, my sister said, "A degree from a University that matters."
Canned music is a pathetic waste of your time.Comment
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Re: Fire Mike Eaves?
As much as I hate the color Red... you guys deserved this last year and I'm glad to see it finally happen. The Kohl center was depressingly empty when I was there last year for the Tech games. Truly sad to see a program that good suck so so very bad (Even if it was just a bit enjoyable)
Is there any speculation on who may be coming in yet?MTU Hockey fan since I was carried to a game in 1986 - for those counting... that's a lot of depressing hockey. Still love it.
Surrounded by Badger Red in Wisconsin. Such an ugly color, but the beer and cheese are delicious...
2014-15 WCHA (*Regular season portion) Pick-em Champion (**Forgeting a Week Methodology)Comment
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Re: Fire Mike Eaves?
title should be changed to "Fire Tom Anastos?"Comment
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Re: Fire Mike Eaves?
Just fanboy wishes. We can all talk about a Granato brother, Coach Oz, Coach Gwoz, or whomever until we're blue in the face but I don't think anyone's really got a clue who is going to come in, and only a mild inkling at who we even want. At least not yet.Originally posted by stuckinwi View Post
The rumor was that Alvarez was hiring a group led by his predecessor (the great Pat Richter) to find the replacement.
I'm already excited for whomever it is.If you want to be a BADGER, just come along with me
BRING BACK PAT RICHTER!!!
At his graduation ceremony from the U of Minnesota, my cousin got a keychain. When asked what UW gave her for graduation, my sister said, "A degree from a University that matters."
Canned music is a pathetic waste of your time.Comment
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Re: Fire Mike Eaves?
Rumor on GPL says that MSU may be calling Gwoz after firing their coach.Code:As of 9/21/10: As of 9/13/10: College Hockey 6 College Football 0 BTHC 4 WCHA FC: 1
Originally posted by SanTropezOriginally posted by bigblue_dlHe's probably going to be a superstar but that man has more baggage than North WestOriginally posted by KeplerComment
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Re: Fire Mike Eaves?
Originally posted by stuckinwi View Post
I felt that way during the first couple years of Michigan football falling on its face. Enjoyed it immensely.
After a while though, you realize what's missing - that the juice from playing those quality programs is gone and there's really no one to step in and replace it.
I'm glad Harbaugh is at Michigan and I hope he gets them back to where they belong. Makes playing them and beating them all the more enjoyable.
College hockey is better when the traditional powerhouses are good - even if we despise many of them. Even if you despise us.
Makes Union winning it all the more special.Comment
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Re: Fire Mike Eaves?
I don't want Gwoz and I don't want Johnson.
Someone under 50 please.
Oz would be great, imo.
And he already lives here in town(ish).Comment
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Re: Fire Mike Eaves?
The big ten needs a strong Wisconsin.Code:As of 9/21/10: As of 9/13/10: College Hockey 6 College Football 0 BTHC 4 WCHA FC: 1
Originally posted by SanTropezOriginally posted by bigblue_dlHe's probably going to be a superstar but that man has more baggage than North WestOriginally posted by KeplerComment
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Re: Fire Mike Eaves?
Hammy is guessing osiecki (sp?) might get called first.Code:As of 9/21/10: As of 9/13/10: College Hockey 6 College Football 0 BTHC 4 WCHA FC: 1
Originally posted by SanTropezOriginally posted by bigblue_dlHe's probably going to be a superstar but that man has more baggage than North WestOriginally posted by KeplerComment
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Re: Fire Mike Eaves?
That's the natural first assumption.Originally posted by dxmnkd316 View Post
I don't want this search to be limited, as I think that being in a charge of a resurgent Badger program should be a VERY enticing opportunity to A LOT of coaches.
But I don't think there's a Badger among us who wouldn't be perfectly happy with having Oz back. He'd be a huge boon to our ability to (once again) recruit great defensemen.If you want to be a BADGER, just come along with me
BRING BACK PAT RICHTER!!!
At his graduation ceremony from the U of Minnesota, my cousin got a keychain. When asked what UW gave her for graduation, my sister said, "A degree from a University that matters."
Canned music is a pathetic waste of your time.Comment
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Re: Fire Mike Eaves?
LOLOriginally posted by dxmnkd316 View Post
The bi6 needs a lot more than just a strong WiscoComment
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Re: Fire Mike Eaves?
OkCode:As of 9/21/10: As of 9/13/10: College Hockey 6 College Football 0 BTHC 4 WCHA FC: 1
Originally posted by SanTropezOriginally posted by bigblue_dlHe's probably going to be a superstar but that man has more baggage than North WestOriginally posted by KeplerComment
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Re: Fire Mike Eaves?
But it needs a strong Badger program nonetheless.Originally posted by Rhett Hot View PostIf you want to be a BADGER, just come along with me
BRING BACK PAT RICHTER!!!
At his graduation ceremony from the U of Minnesota, my cousin got a keychain. When asked what UW gave her for graduation, my sister said, "A degree from a University that matters."
Canned music is a pathetic waste of your time.Comment
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