Boston University 2012-13 Season Thread -- Part II

[defkit]

Re: Boston University 2012-13 Season Thread -- Part II

Watched both games in person. I hate to say it but I'm glad that the momentum is buidling from the other fans for a new coach. Obviously losing to Harvard for a second time and finishing 4th in the Beanpot for the second time in three years is bad enough. But the surest sign that Parker has to go is what transpired with Privitera.

I watched Privitera for the entire play, and I have no doubt in my mind that on almost any other team, a player would not dream of doing what he did. He decided that if the ref wasn't going to call a penalty on a play that probably deserved it, then, well, he was going to take matters into his own hands. As he slowly got up from being hit (possibly high), he looked at the refs, saw no arms raised, and started skating up ice. As he did so, he clearly was looking at the BU bench, perhaps for some signal from the bench. It was almost as if he was saying - "I'm about to go get revenge, so you better tell me not to right now, or I'm going to". Then he just picked up speed, skated right at #16 for Harvard and delivered a vicious hit. I don't know if the puck wa anywhere near #16 when Alexx hit him, but I can tell you that he didn't care if it was there or not. He couldn't have made a straighter run at him.

Can anyone imagine a BC player doing this? even someone like Arnold, who seems to have about as much of an edge as anyone on that team. It just shows the lack of respect that the players have for Parker.

Jack, please, please, please do the right thing for us, yourself, and the program, and call it a career. It's been 40 friggin years. The legacy stopped growing and is only shrinking at this point.

[mookie1995]

Re: Boston University 2012-13 Season Thread -- Part II

Office of the President
1 Silber Way, 8th Floor
Boston, MA 02215

Email: president@bu.edu
Phone: (617) 353-2200

Name Title E-mail (@bu.edu) Phone
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION
Mike Lynch Assistant V.P. & Director of Athletics nrowan (617) 353-1905
Drew Marrochello Deputy Director of Athletics marroand (617) 353-7327

[buoldtimer]

Re: Boston University 2012-13 Season Thread -- Part II

You want some ugly numbers? Here they are...

Northeastern since 11/16/2012, non-BU

2-10-2 (Wins versus titans UMass and Harvard)

Northeastern since 1/1/2013, non-BU

0-5-2

Versus BU, well, you know


Harvard since 11/16/2012

1-13-2 (victory over the lame and the halt of Cornell, on 11/16)

Harvard since 1/1/2013, non-BU

0-10-1 (15 goals in these 11 games)

Harvard versus BU 2-0-0 12 goals in 2 games, excluding ENG last night


I agree with the poster below who observed that JP looks tired. Before opening up the clip from the postgame press conference, my first reaction was that he looked haggard and wornout.

[Nick Papagiorgio]

Re: Boston University 2012-13 Season Thread -- Part II

Conso. Conso.
Fanboys cry and they wanna go home.
Lose all night and a drink a rum.
Fanboys cry and they wanna go home.

[Nick Papagiorgio]

Re: Boston University 2012-13 Season Thread -- Part II

Didn't see the Privitera play but knowing that he already got in trouble for kicking a Denver player, it's clear he's just a selfish player that can't control himself after having a 2nd episode last night. It's amazing how out of control things are in every way with your program. Well not really, Jack let it get this way.

From most accounts, it was a clean hit he received before going Hansen Brother across the rink to hunt down the Harvard player.

Anyway, I hope Jack stays forever.

[claver2010]

Re: Boston University 2012-13 Season Thread -- Part II

Emerick is the frigging worst. Give me 10 Jack Edwardses.

no

Can anyone imagine a BC player doing this? even someone like Arnold, who seems to have about as much of an edge as anyone on that team. It just shows the lack of respect that the players have for Parker.

FWIW every so often Gibbons would have that look that he was going to destroy the next thing in his path and would get the hit to hard, 2 minutes, call every time from one of the idiots. Granted it wouldn't be anything to warrant an ejection, let alone what 3 in 1 season

Anyway, I hope Jack stays forever.

this

[wtbu60]

Re: Boston University 2012-13 Season Thread -- Part II

BU’s Men’s Ice Hockey and UCLA Men’s Basketball

Although it’s probably hard for most BC fans to consider BU’s men ice hockey program to be nationally relevant anymore, in a way, it’s sad to witness their decline. BU’s men’s ice hockey program appears to be like what UCLA’s men’s basketball program has become – a once-dominant program that occasionally has produced a strong team, but that never may return to the level of its glory years and may not return to the Frozen Four more than a few times in the next 40 years.

There’s also no guarantee that by forcing Jack Parker to quit now, BU men’s ice hockey program will be anything more than a team that regularly struggles just to reach the Beanpot championship game, gain home ice advantage in the Hockey East Tournament opening round and get a bid to the NCAA tournament. John Wooden retired after UCLA won the national championship after the 1974-75 season (Wooden’s 10th in 27 seasons at UCLA.) UCLA’s men’s basketball team has had eight different head coaches, one national championship (1994-95) and six Final Four appearances since then.

Agganis Arena is a nice venue; and Pauley Pavilion had major renovations that were finished last year at a cost of about $136 million. But neither BU’s men’s ice hockey program nor UCLA’s men’s basketball program has been capturing favorable national headlines or SportsCenter mentions lately.

Internet estimates of the makeup of BU’s student population show that the university is now between 59% and 62% female and about 12% international. So, maybe it’s no surprise that BU’s administration and athletics department has seen the changing demographics and turned its attention to developing nationally relevant women’s sports programs, because they’ve apparently reached some measure of success there.

I wonder whether Jerry York’s old friend and long-time competitor, Jack Parker, regrets not having followed the John Wooden Lesson by not stepping down as BU’s head coach after their once-in-a-century, miracle season of 2008-2009.

[Rover]

Re: Boston University 2012-13 Season Thread -- Part II

I'm 100% board with pirate's plan. After watching that press conference at the very least the AD needs to have a talk with him about the rest of the year. I'm not suggesting you make a move unless there's some health reason involved but again I do worry about fan reaction if he tries to come back next season. I really don't want to see the man booed in his own rink.

[Federal League]

Re: Boston University 2012-13 Season Thread -- Part II

Seems like an opening for a follow-up question. Was there one?

I'm guessing that'll come later in the week. Beanpot press conferences are moderated and the questions are spread around, so it's tough for anyone to get in a follow-up. There were follow-ups about discipline, though. The press conferences for the consolation game are kept pretty short, too.

[mookie1995]

Re: Boston University 2012-13 Season Thread -- Part II

I really don't want to see the man booed in his own rink.

mookie wishes they were home this weekend!!!

[Rover]

Re: Boston University 2012-13 Season Thread -- Part II

I'm not worried at all about a protracted slide post-Parker. Whether he goes on his own terms or not he can't coach forever so a post-Parker world for BU hockey is inevitable in the relatively short term. I can't tell you the nuances of college hoops, but for hockey people seem to think of Maine post-Walshy. The big differences are Walsh built the program himself, Alfond is a run down arena, and Orono is in the middle of nowhere. BU has the nicest arena in the East, is in in the middle of one of the more interesting cities in the country (really, there's like 10 of them and they don't play college hockey in NYC, New Orleans, Miami, etc), and the program was established before Parker got there. Fan support has held up surprisingly well and the $$$ the program can throw at the next coach ought to attract top talent (Parker's contract runs in the millions over its length).

Best of all, if the next guy doesn't work out you can just get rid of him and try someone else.

[SteveF]

no follow ups, from anyone.

hard for 3rd line guys to even get ice time with all the special teams out there.

I don't totally agree. If your best players are spent from special teams play, the first 5 on 5 shifts are typically given to your role players. They don't necessarily have to score, but they do have to buy into their role and so something other than go to the penalty box. Bigger bodies freshman take longer to acclimate to the college game but things aren't looking good for him

[mookie1995]

Re: Boston University 2012-13 Season Thread -- Part II

I don't totally agree. If your best players are spent from special teams play, the first 5 on 5 shifts are typically given to your role players. They don't necessarily have to score, but they do have to buy into their role and so something other than go to the penalty box. Bigger bodies freshman take longer to acclimate to the college game but things aren't looking good for him

i haven't seen the ice time, but that was my point. i doubt he even skated a lot early in the game.

but overall, yes - he has struggled.

[ericredaxe]

Re: Boston University 2012-13 Season Thread -- Part II

I'm not worried at all about a protracted slide post-Parker. Whether he goes on his own terms or not he can't coach forever so a post-Parker world for BU hockey is inevitable in the relatively short term.

This part is true... if what I remember JP saying more than once is that he does not intend to coach beyond his current contract... so at most I belive it is the year after next when the post parker era would begin.

Are we 100% convinced that the successor will be Quinn, Sullivan or Hynes? I'm still waiting to hear other possibilities. I can't believe BU would just toss the keys to one of those guys just because that is what has been talked about for a while without doing a lot of other due dilligance.

[chickod]

Re: Boston University 2012-13 Season Thread -- Part II

[B]John Wooden retired after UCLA won the national championship after the 1974-75 season (Wooden’s 10th in 27 seasons at UCLA.) UCLA’s men’s basketball team has had eight different head coaches, one national championship (1994-95) and six Final Four appearances since then.

I understand where you're going with this, but I don't think the analogy is appropriate. Until the recent "explosion" of Division I schools who have suddenly decided to add hockey, there were only a HANDFUL of top programs in the country. Put another way, it was "easier" to be an elite program in hockey as opposed to basketball, where there are currently 347 schools playing Division I. So it's unreasonable to expect UCLA to be "elite" every year.

I totally agree (and I've been saying this for some time) about the demographics and culture of the school. BU is NOT a big sports school (sorry to clue many of you in)...look at football, for example. Most universities the size of BU play football. I'm not saying I don't understand why they don't - because I do. Financially, the only way to make a go of it is to go BCS (or IA or whatever they call it now). That is not feasible because we don't have the facility for it (and aren't about to spend the money), and we have a major program up the street that is already established. It's one thing to say "Let's add football again" and then to actually obtain the resources for it. Look at UMass (who admittedly was almost forced to go that route because their "competition" was drying up - UConn down the road left I-AA a few years ago)...they're embarrassingly bad. I'm not too sure about the "female" percentage having that much to do with it, but I AM sure that the international percentage does. BU is known more for its international appeal, particularly when it applies to academics and research. Most of these people, if they are US citizens at all, are first-generation and American sports aren't on their radar (or in their culture). In a sense, BU is almost a victim of its past success. When Jack Kelley brought the program to prominence and then the legacy was continued by Jack Parker, it was almost as if the program became untouchable (even Silber wouldn't touch it! ). And now anything less than that level of success is considered unacceptable (and don't get me wrong, I feel that way also - but we ARE spoiled).

What I'm saying is that a hugely successful athletic program like BU Hockey, which has taken on a life of its own over the years, is really an anomaly at a school like this. So it's going to be hard to translate that passion for people who (and they now predominate from when we used to be a commuter school) could care less about sports. Maybe the time has come to modify our goals...just thinking out loud...