Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Maine 2018, 2019 Footba, I mean hockey thread.

Collapse
This topic is closed.
X
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Originally posted by NorthMike View Post
    I disagree, it was a big loss, last year at several games I went to he was often the best player on the ice.

    Whatever his reason for leaving, Merrimack will be closer for him and hope things go well.
    1. He was a good player, 2 yr veteran and a material loss for the team which is not overstocked with good defensemen.
    2. His incredibly bad timing of having to leave the team (BDN reported it 10/7/18) was a substantial blow to his teammates; more than anyone acknowledges. He was expected to be a leader and one of the top players on the ‘18-19 roster. Reading the tea leaves, it is highly unlikely that his departure from the hockey program was voluntary.
    3. The spin of needing to be closer to home to address a personal matter was disingenuous at best. Behavioral issues are never easy to explain with great transparency. He did not leave school and return to Cohasset. Two highly reliable local sources note that he remained enrolled at UMaine fall semester and was playing club hockey. This is not conjecture. It’s probable there are academic issues as well as the ‘personal matter’ so he likely needed to stay enrolled and take classes. This is conjecture.

    Would Holway’s continued presence and performance on the ‘18-19 Maine Hockey roster have made a positive difference in the team’s performance to date? No doubt Yes. He arguably held a much more important role than a 3rd or 4th line forward who got booted. So be it. Nothing to be done about it now for Maine Hockey. It’s reasonable that he gets another chance at another D1 program. Good luck to him at Merrimack and beyond.

    Comment


    • Re: Maine 2018, 2019 Footba, I mean hockey thread.

      You guys are right. While I wasn't crazy about his D at times, he contributed in the O zone, and this team certainly can't spare any scorers.

      Comment


      • Re: Maine 2018, 2019 Footba, I mean hockey thread.

        Just shaking my head at scores from last night. ASU beats BC, North Dakota loses Canisius etc down the line
        I swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell.

        Maine Hockey Love it or Leave it

        Comment


        • Re: Maine 2018, 2019 Footba, I mean hockey thread.

          Originally posted by walrus View Post
          Just shaking my head at scores from last night. ASU beats BC, North Dakota loses Canisius etc down the line
          Duluth lost to U-18 team.

          Comment


          • Re: Maine 2018, 2019 Footba, I mean hockey thread.

            Originally posted by walrus View Post
            Just shaking my head at scores from last night. ASU beats BC, North Dakota loses Canisius etc down the line
            Parity..? Or just those teams are not stacked like years past...in any event good for the game to see other teams beat up on the top programs. This year's Final Four and Winner could be a wild card team that most of us would have laughed at being there or even winning it all. Myself I think it's great for the College game...I guess they call it HOPE. Maybe Maine should subscribe to it...

            Comment


            • Originally posted by Ma#1ne Hky View Post
              Parity..? Or just those teams are not stacked like years past...in any event good for the game to see other teams beat up on the top programs. This year's Final Four and Winner could be a wild card team that most of us would have laughed at being there or even winning it all. Myself I think it's great for the College game...I guess they call it HOPE. Maybe Maine should subscribe to it...
              I couldn’t disagree more. Look at how much attendance and interest have declined in recent times. Parity and the decline of the traditionally strong programs is killing the game.
              Originally posted by BobbyBrady
              Crosby probably wouldn't even be on BC's top two lines next year

              Comment


              • Originally posted by Drew S. View Post
                I couldn’t disagree more. Look at how much attendance and interest have declined in recent times. Parity and the decline of the traditionally strong programs is killing the game.
                Despite the common media narratives and what you may think, I believe that Drew is right. Look at why the NBA is still thriving, despite everyone knowing who's going to win the title before the season even begins. People are intrigued by the best, they want to see dominance and watch the major titans and see of they go down. Parity is probably not a formula for success, as strange as it may sound.

                Comment


                • Re: Maine 2018, 2019 Footba, I mean hockey thread.

                  Originally posted by Drew S. View Post
                  I couldn’t disagree more. Look at how much attendance and interest have declined in recent times. Parity and the decline of the traditionally strong programs is killing the game.
                  I understand your point and IF you read into what I said...I had Parity in a ?-mark...and IF the two teams of BC/N.Dak had less then stellar teams like the past this season...for the results we are seeing....I don't believe parity happens every year but once in a while it livens the college ranks to a point. And as for attendance, the last 10 years attendance for a high percentage of college teams have been in decline. Remember college hockey has a smaller special group that follows it compared to the high profile football & b-ball followers.

                  Comment


                  • Re: Maine 2018, 2019 Footba, I mean hockey thread.

                    Originally posted by amkirby10 View Post
                    Despite the common media narratives and what you may think, I believe that Drew is right. Look at why the NBA is still thriving, despite everyone knowing who's going to win the title before the season even begins. People are intrigued by the best, they want to see dominance and watch the major titans and see of they go down. Parity is probably not a formula for success, as strange as it may sound.
                    I hear you and understand you point.

                    Comment


                    • Re: Maine 2018, 2019 Footba, I mean hockey thread.

                      Originally posted by Drew S. View Post
                      I couldn’t disagree more. Look at how much attendance and interest have declined in recent times. Parity and the decline of the traditionally strong programs is killing the game.
                      Absolutely! It could be argued that Maine started the trend.

                      It does beg some questions......what things are making these programs successful? Great coaching? Talented players? Awesome facilities? Excellent atmospheres and attendance? Location? Quality Academics?

                      Personally I am at a loss as it concerns college hockey recruiting and winning programs these days. Seems like current success can't be justified by a one-size-fits-all answer. But there is no doubt that college hockey popularity has dwindled across the board over the last decade.

                      Comment


                      • Originally posted by umhockey91 View Post
                        Absolutely! It could be argued that Maine started the trend.

                        It does beg some questions......what things are making these programs successful? Great coaching? Talented players? Awesome facilities? Excellent atmospheres and attendance? Location? Quality Academics?

                        Personally I am at a loss as it concerns college hockey recruiting and winning programs these days. Seems like current success can't be justified by a one-size-fits-all answer. But there is no doubt that college hockey popularity has dwindled across the board over the last decade.
                        I have a possible explanation, but by no means is it a concrete, just an idea. The biggest draw for college hockey was most likely the atmosphere, which drew in both fans and recruits as it was much more intense and enjoyable than the average NHL game. Now, the atmosphere has tamed significantly, probably due to the rise of cell phones distracting people's attention from the game and thus quieting down the arena and making it less fun. Ticket prices are also a bit high, at least in Hockey East, limiting accessibility to fill the arena. Just a few thoughts, but the dampening of the legendary atmosphere is probably the biggest culprit for the decline in college hockey.

                        Comment


                        • Originally posted by amkirby10 View Post
                          I have a possible explanation, but by no means is it a concrete, just an idea. The biggest draw for college hockey was most likely the atmosphere, which drew in both fans and recruits as it was much more intense and enjoyable than the average NHL game. Now, the atmosphere has tamed significantly, probably due to the rise of cell phones distracting people's attention from the game and thus quieting down the arena and making it less fun. Ticket prices are also a bit high, at least in Hockey East, limiting accessibility to fill the arena. Just a few thoughts, but the dampening of the legendary atmosphere is probably the biggest culprit for the decline in college hockey.
                          I agree with you. In a lot of ways all of the factors exacerbate each other and creates a vicious cycle. If you go back in time though there were 15 teams or so whose fans really carried the sport. In hockey east the big four represented probably 85 to 90% of fans.
                          Originally posted by BobbyBrady
                          Crosby probably wouldn't even be on BC's top two lines next year

                          Comment


                          • Re: Maine 2018, 2019 Footba, I mean hockey thread.

                            Personally, I wouldn't directly equate attendance with interest.

                            Back when dinosaurs ruled the earth, you had to show up to see a college hockey game. Now, between TV and streaming, virtually any game is available to watch from wherever you are. The existence of those alternatives has certainly reduced the number of games that I attend.

                            Comment


                            • Re: Maine 2018, 2019 Footba, I mean hockey thread.

                              Originally posted by Fishman'81 View Post
                              Personally, I wouldn't directly equate attendance with interest.

                              Back when dinosaurs ruled the earth, you had to show up to see a college hockey game. Now, between TV and streaming, virtually any game is available to watch from wherever you are. The existence of those alternatives has certainly reduced the number of games that I attend.
                              Also back in the day, there were about three stations that would show sports, any sports, and sometimes it would be stuff you didn't care about, so if you wanted to watch a game you had to go out. And, also back in the day, kids weren't scheduled in solid blocks from 3-9:00 every day after school, and all weekend, and you didn't have to spend all of your time driving them around. Also back in the day it didn't cost a full week's paycheck to go to a game with a family of four.

                              People's disposable incomes are down from the early 90's. People have more to do than they did in the early 90's. And people also have more choices for what to do with what little time and money they have. Concurrently, Maine hockey got bad and boring. If Maine kept playing well, attendance probably would have dropped a bit. But Maine didn't, and attendance found a crater. It's been about 15 years since Maine was nationally relevant. That's an entire generation of little Bobby and Billy's in this state who have no memory of Maine being good, no memory of the games being events, and no reason to all of a sudden jump in as fans in the future.

                              This has been entry 1,000 in my ongoing log: MAINE HOCKEY, IT IS NOT COMING BACK.

                              Comment


                              • Re: Maine 2018, 2019 Footba, I mean hockey thread.

                                Originally posted by amkirby10 View Post
                                Despite the common media narratives and what you may think, I believe that Drew is right. Look at why the NBA is still thriving, despite everyone knowing who's going to win the title before the season even begins. People are intrigued by the best, they want to see dominance and watch the major titans and see of they go down. Parity is probably not a formula for success, as strange as it may sound.
                                The NBA isn't thriving because of dominance (ratings for the finals plummeted last season), it's thriving because the on-court product is very good (there's only really one or two teams I'd classify as unwatchable) and the league has been taking a 21st century approach to marketing. They've harnessed the energy of social media unlike any other sport and allow for player personalities to shine through.
                                https://***********/TheVTHockeyBlog
                                https://thevermonthockeyblog.wordpress.com/

                                Frozen Four: '96, '09
                                NCAA Tournament: '88, '96, '97, '09, '10, '14

                                /r/collegehockey moderator
                                Fan of the UVM Catamounts, Charlotte Hornets, Oakland A's, and Philadelphia Union

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X