Wisconsin Hockey: Episode XXXI: A New Hope

[Chuck Schwartz]

If he had never been to campus before and was oblivious to how things have been going there, I could see hanging your hat on one night. But he is obviously quite aware of all that is going on. Seems like expecting one game to be super convincing is wishful thinking.

Not really what I meant. It was more to say another effort like last night puts the nail in the coffin.

[Timothy A]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Episode XXXI: A New Hope

I was referring to Boeser's visit.

What a bad time for a visit with no band and a rink 1/3 full. That will be an awesome representation of UW. Nice planning. Not.

This no band thing is a crock. They have a huge band, either assign or ask for volunteers, 10 of them, to stay back and play. Surely they can spare 10. Give me a break. And the fact there's not even an alumni band is even more maddening.

In lovely Dodge County, the game is on channel 14 tonight on Charter. At least I'm assuming it is because the guide says "College Hockey: West Virgina @ Penn St." We all know Penn St. is on the road this weekend, so that's all screwed up. Maybe the Charter people know something we don't: That West Virgina has a club team and they have stolen UW uniforms and are wearing them. I don't know why Eaves hasn't figured this out yet. Hopefully the kidnapped UW players are being treated well. That would explain a lot. What other plausible explanation could there be for what is going on?

[NEWI Badger Fan]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Episode XXXI: A New Hope

the funny thing to me is at 1-9-1 why is it even a question as to whether the coach should go?

badbye coach Eaves, hello coach Granato...please field winning teams with opportunities to win the NCAA's mmmmmmmmmmmmmmkkkkkkkkkkkk?

EDIT: Imagine how much fun it must be to be gopher or sioux fan right now and the schadenfreude they're experiencing...that is, for those who even remember UW Hockey USED TO BE great. so those who were cognizant of it 1993 and prior

It has been time for a change two seasons ago. The change will not happen with a complacent, unconcerned AD. The egotistic AD supported the current coach based on short term alleged results. He failed to review long term outcomes. Myopic or obtuse if you ask me. $0.02

[solovsfett]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Episode XXXI: A New Hope

What a bad time for a visit with no band and a rink 1/3 full. That will be an awesome representation of UW. Nice planning. Not.

This no band thing is a crock. They have a huge band, either assign or ask for volunteers, 10 of them, to stay back and play. Surely they can spare 10. Give me a break. And the fact there's not even an alumni band is even more maddening.

In lovely Dodge County, the game is on channel 14 tonight on Charter. At least I'm assuming it is because the guide says "College Hockey: West Virgina @ Penn St." We all know Penn St. is on the road this weekend, so that's all screwed up. Maybe the Charter people know something we don't: That West Virgina has a club team and they have stolen UW uniforms and are wearing them. I don't know why Eaves hasn't figured this out yet. Hopefully the kidnapped UW players are being treated well. That would explain a lot. What other plausible explanation could there be for what is going on?

they now have mountaineer...err stockholm syndrome and will not be returning...

[Bonin21]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Episode XXXI: A New Hope

Will the people watching the football game at the bars head down to the hockey game now or...

[Badger Booster]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Episode XXXI: A New Hope

Will the people watching the football game at the bars head down to the hockey game now or...

or order another round and ask the bartender to turn the channel to the Florida State-Georgia Tech game.

[Bonin21]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Episode XXXI: A New Hope

1-10-1. Is this Boeser when he realized he was committed to the badgers?

[MadCityRich]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Episode XXXI: A New Hope

God this ****ing sucks. I've been going to games since the 70's (I was going before I was born). I've never seen anything like this and it ****ing sucks. that's all I can say; this ****ing sucks.

[WiscDC]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Episode XXXI: A New Hope

That wasn't their worst game of the year. However, considering all the circumstances, it was the most depressing.

That second goal involved a few different excellent things coming together for the goal (completely different from most of the game), and it's stuff like that that gives me a little bit of hope for the future.

[XYZ]

That wasn't their worst game of the year. However, considering all the circumstances, it was the most depressing.

That second goal involved a few different excellent things coming together for the goal (completely different from most of the game), and it's stuff like that that gives me a little bit of hope for the future.

It's rather telling that while scraping the bottom of the bin for some small speck of promise, all that can be found is the execution of a relatively meaningless third period goal in the second game of a series in which UW was getting handily swept at home by...Penn State.

When that's all there is to go on, it either speaks for itself or speaks to a level of rationalization that borders on epic.

[WiscDC]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Episode XXXI: A New Hope

It's rather telling that while scraping the bottom of the bin for some small speck of promise, all that can be found is the execution of a relatively meaningless third period goal in the second game of a series in which UW was getting handily swept at home by...Penn State.

When that's all there is to go on, it either speaks for itself or speaks to a level of rationalization that borders on epic.

That's not all there is to go on, even just from this past weekend. I'm not talking about doing damage in the Big Ten this year. I'm talking about the difference between the program being doomed in the next few years versus being able to grow and fulfill potential, given the results we are seeing right now. Heck, just one week ago, I think most fans agreed that they were making legitimate steps in the right direction. Why they took 5 steps back after taking 2 steps forward is a mystery.

As for rationalization, I'm not trying to deny the tire fire burning in the southeast corner of campus, but I think it's fair to look at different events within the games (I just mentioned the one that stood out the most to me tonight) when trying to figure out what is going on with this team. Since coming to Wisconsin, this is easily the strangest team I've seen - they fluctuate within an unusually wide range that goes from ineptitude to respectability, mostly hanging out on the ineptitude side. We'll see 5 seconds of a freshman showing the talent that's been advertised, followed by 30 seconds of the team getting manhandled by [insert opponent here].

The results speak for themselves, so I don't need (or want) to talk about all of that. As a fan, I'd rather talk about one of the highlights, which is why I brought it up.

[XYZ]

That's not all there is to go on, even just from this past weekend. I'm not talking about doing damage in the Big Ten this year. I'm talking about the difference between the program being doomed in the next few years versus being able to grow and fulfill potential, given the results we are seeing right now. Heck, just one week ago, I think most fans agreed that they were making legitimate steps in the right direction. Why they took 5 steps back after taking 2 steps forward is a mystery.

As for rationalization, I'm not trying to deny the tire fire burning in the southeast corner of campus, but I think it's fair to look at different events within the games (I just mentioned the one that stood out the most to me tonight) when trying to figure out what is going on with this team. Since coming to Wisconsin, this is easily the strangest team I've seen - they fluctuate within an unusually wide range that goes from ineptitude to respectability, mostly hanging out on the ineptitude side. We'll see 5 seconds of a freshman showing the talent that's been advertised, followed by 30 seconds of the team getting manhandled by [insert opponent here].

The results speak for themselves, so I don't need (or want) to talk about all of that. As a fan, I'd rather talk about one of the highlights, which is why I brought it up.

I know all that. Wasn't directing it at you personally, rather just the sad fact that if any of us want to dig for bright spots they are few and far between and that what is actually there to find is far from inspiring.

The bottom line is that there are guys out there who could have been, or could be running a program at UW that wouldn't face these struggles. Of course we're all going to want the best for the team itself, but it doesn't change the fact that the program would be in better shape were it in other hands. It's been obvious since 2008.

[burd]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Episode XXXI: A New Hope

Pretty soon changes will have to be made for recruitment reasons alone. Difficult to sell the program when there are a ton of empty seats and an angry fan base calling for the head coach's head. These kids are pretty aware.

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Episode XXXI: A New Hope

Recruiting: As long as Eaves maintains his track record of guys moving on to the next level (like the one thing he does consistently), we might only suffer a little bit in recruiting.

Failing that, I seriously wonder why a blue chipper would ever consider Wisconsin at this point.

ALL HOPE IS LOST

[Wisko McBadgerton]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey: Episode XXXI: A New Hope

UW was getting handily swept at home by...Penn State.

When that's all there is to go on, it either speaks for itself or speaks to a level of rationalization that borders on epic.

You seem to be suggesting that losing last night to PSU was somehow an embarrassment to the program because it's Penn St.

PSU has everyone back from a team that beat a top 10 Michigan team 3 times late last year and took a #1 MN and a top 5 WI team to the limit down the stretch. Odds are good they will be a tournament team this year, and at this point I wouldn't be at all surprised if they garner some B1G hardware this season. But it's PSU, so they must suck terribly, and anyone that doesn't see that Wisconsin should smoke them, is just rationalizing on an epic scale. Is that about right?

Last night's game wasn't embarrassing, what is embarrassing is playing the way we did on Friday here, and on Friday @CC. To a much lesser degree, you could throw in not getting getting something from the Alaska trip.

Losing games against #1 UND, @#10 DU, last night against #16 PSU, and #18 NMU, aren't particularly suprising to me, as I didn't expect a top 20 team. Pardon the few of us that aren't lining up to jump off a bridge in every post, and are interested in the kids that are the future of the program, regardless of who ends up coaching them.

How much does it really matter if we're 1-10 or 3-7 or 4-6 at this point anyway? The only really relevant measure of this season is going to be how good the team is by the end of it.