Wisconsin 2020 Off-season thread - Serenity Now!

[Timothy A]

Blame the NCAA and its ridiculous rule that hockey can only have 3 paid coaches on staff. There is no room for a paid goalie coach.

It's the same rules for everyone. We have a goalie coach, apparently he's no good. Let's get someone who doesn't suck and let's have the head coach be supportive of them and not use them as bus driving targets.

[Terry Switzer]

Yup Not Goaltending U. Anymore such a shame.

[druzy192]

https://twitter.com/toddmilewski/sta...609229314?s=21

Let me just understate this by saying that Granato can go pound sand.

Im an alumni. My parents, siblings, wife, in-laws and two of my grandparents were alumni. Badger Hockey has been a source of joy for me for my entire adult life. But if one of my sons were a goalie prospect talking to D-I schools, I’d sooner see my kid play for the rodents than Tony Granato.

Fortunately, my oldest son is only 5 and can barely skate, so that ultimately means nothing, but… Granato can shove that comment where the sun don’t shine.

The UW Program under Granato is a ***** show. Now Lebedeff is leaving... god Granato is horrible. It's almost comical how stupid Alvarez is keeping Granato as the coach. Does anyone think this program is ever gonna get any better under Granato?? No.

It's obvious Granato is horrendous. Should have been fired last year. I hope to god the badger hockey team has an actual season this year because then we will be one more year closer to being done with Granato and hiring Rohlik. Or maybe it will be the end of Granato because theres no way the Badgers are finishing better than second to last.

[Timothy A]

I hope to god the badger hockey team has an actual season this year because then we will be one more year closer to being done with Granato and hiring Rohlik. Or maybe it will be the end of Granato because theres no way the Badgers are finishing better than second to last.

I agree, but now they have a built in excuse why they didn't succeed with Covid 19. Player games will be lost due to testing positive. Just imagine if the goalies get it. I'd put those guys in a bubble for sure.

[WiscTJK]

I think it is fair to say, this hockey season will be cancelled. I just don't see any winter sports happening. Never expected this back in March.....

[sunprairie]

I think it is fair to say, this hockey season will be cancelled. I just don't see any winter sports happening. Never expected this back in March.....

I tend to agree. If they can't justify doing this outdoors, I don't know how they can do so for indoors sports that literally start just a couple weeks after football was supposed to. If that's the case, I assume Cole will bolt in the face of essentially missing an entire year of development, which was his reason to come back. He likely wouldn't be the only one, either, if others have options in pro leagues that might forge ahead. I honestly don't know how any of the players who have any pro ambitions would stay if they have an opportunity to play hockey somewhere else. At this level, a year off is unthinkable to career development and progression.

[Timothy A]

I assume Cole will bolt in the face of essentially missing an entire year of development, which was his reason to come back. He likely wouldn't be the only one, either, if others have options in pro leagues that might forge ahead.

Are there pro leagues that will be playing in the US? He can't get into Canada if they extend the border closure past 8/21, unless there is a work loophole. But yeah, playing in Finland is better than not playing here.

[sunprairie]

Are there pro leagues that will be playing in the US? He can't get into Canada if they extend the border closure past 8/21, unless there is a work loophole. But yeah, playing in Finland is better than not playing here.

I don't know for sure, but all the minor leagues have been making signing announcements for weeks, and I assume that even if they don't compete or have limited seasons, there will be more formal training, prep, etc. and potential for some kind of higher-level competition than it seems like we will be getting from college hockey. On the maneuvering to get into Canada, that shouldn't be too hard. While the Canadians didn't let the Blue Jays play in Toronto to prevent teams coming in and out, they had no problem welcoming 22 largely US teams to come play hockey in the bubble.

Either way, for any kid with legitimate pro aspirations in hockey within the next couple years, I just don't know how they would hang onto an amateur team whose season has been canceled and lose a year of high-level development. I saw a video on Instagram of Lebedeff taking the ice tonight for his new pro team in Finland (with fans in the stands, no less, because Finland actually dealt with COVID like adults). Regardless of the politics at UW around the goalie position, he clearly made the right decision to stay home and play pro. I also noticed that Weissbach is still posting IG photos in Sweden, not Madison where much of the rest of the team is already doing offseason workouts. I wonder if he's holding out to make the same kind of decision to just stay home and play in Europe.

[MadCityRich]

Anybody watching the NHL? Awesome as usual. I can't get enough.

Just curious, anybody else watching...

1. NHL?
2. PGA or LPGA?
3. Neckcar, F-1, Indy, WEC, or IMSA?
4. MLB?
5. NBA?
6. MLS or other "Futbol"?

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ME...
1. LOTS of it.
2. A little PGA (Depends who playing in the LPGA)
3. No neckcar, but the others.
4. NOPE
5. NOPE
6. NOPE

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

None of it. I just can’t be bothered at the moment.

Our whiny petulant population (or at least the 40% of which couldn’t be bothered to change a single behavior to help make this nightmare any better) don’t deserve the half-assed sports we have left.

[Timothy A]

Anybody watching the NHL? Awesome as usual. I can't get enough.

Just curious, anybody else watching...

1. NHL?
2. PGA or LPGA?
3. Neckcar, F-1, Indy, WEC, or IMSA?
4. MLB?
5. NBA?
6. MLS or other "Futbol"?

--------------------------------
ME...
1. LOTS of it.
2. A little PGA (Depends who playing in the LPGA)
3. No neckcar, but the others.
4. NOPE
5. NOPE
6. NOPE

1. I'm getting back into the swing of hockey. My daughter is obsessed with the Polish Prince, so she told me he was on when I got home from work yesterday. I was talking to the wife so I didn't put it on right away, but she turned it on for me. What a great daughter.
2. No. I thought it was crazy that the golf groups were shut down for as long as they were. Golfing is naturally covid friendly. They could have made hay when the other sports were shut down.
3. I'm an Indy and F1 guy, so I am watching like usual. I even went to Elkhart Lake Saturday for the Indy gig. I do watch a little neckar as filler in the backround. I'm a Penske guy, so I root for them and the rest of the Fords.
4. Watching a little Brewers, but again as backround. I don't sit and watch baseball at home and hang on every pitch.
5./6. Nope. No interest at all.

[gwhinwi]

Anybody watching the NHL? Awesome as usual. I can't get enough.

Just curious, anybody else watching...

1. NHL?
2. PGA or LPGA?
3. Neckcar, F-1, Indy, WEC, or IMSA?
4. MLB?
5. NBA?
6. MLS or other "Futbol"?

--------------------------------

I have been watching the Islanders games and not too much else.

Baseball is such a mess and the fact that some teams will play less games than others really has destroyed a lot of my interest in it due to the fact that the seasons are just not equal.

I totally get what EODS is saying though. It all feels so strange and we know that they're not playing for the fans, they're playing to cover their TV contracts.

[MadCityRich]

None of it. I just can’t be bothered at the moment.

Our whiny petulant population (or at least the 40% of which couldn’t be bothered to change a single behavior to help make this nightmare any better) don’t deserve the half-assed sports we have left.

I've got to take you out for a couple of shots & beers. Perfect medicine.

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

You know, I’ve been taking more steps to improve my mental health and sense of optimism and good humor as of late.

But it’s hard to keep the pessimism at bay.

In theory, I should be more supportive of the sports leagues: they took action in March when literally no one else was willing to take the lead. Yet my heart just isn’t in it.

[MadCityRich]

You know, I’ve been taking more steps to improve my mental health and sense of optimism and good humor as of late.

But it’s hard to keep the pessimism at bay.

In theory, I should be more supportive of the sports leagues: they took action in March when literally no one else was willing to take the lead. Yet my heart just isn’t in it.

Just checking up on you.....everything good? Do you live near Madison?

If so, I'm serious about buying you a pint or 2. My head is spinning, but not so much about Covid19, mostly the physical destruction of cities, regardless of my political views.