Wisconsin Hockey 22-23 Empty Dreams & Empty Seats

[Almington]

My only counter is that the legacy is dead.

Its gone.

Badger Hockey, as we knew it, is dead.

This is why any coach over 50+ really isn’t the solution. You need to find someone young who can build a new legacy and will be at UW for 15 or 20 or even 25 years or more.

Bring in someone young and hungry from outside the program and see what they can do. If they can turn around the program, their won’t be a better job in all of college hockey, if they flame out at least we won’t feel any attachment to them for what they have done as a player to keep them around longer than we should for sentimental reasons.

[srkbadger]

This is why any coach over 50+ really isn’t the solution. You need to find someone young who can build a new legacy and will be at UW for 15 or 20 or even 25 years or more.

Bring in someone young and hungry from outside the program and see what they can do. If they can turn around the program, their won’t be a better job in all of college hockey, if they flame out at least we won’t feel any attachment to them for what they have done as a player to keep them around longer than we should for sentimental reasons.

100% correct. Let alumni be alumni; keep them off the staff. This kvetching over dismissing coaches that are alumni needs to end if things don't work out. As far as coaching it's about wins and losses, not how great a Badger one of the coaches was in decades past.

[Timothy A]

That’s what I’m saying. There’s no sense getting progressively more upset that they haven’t fired him yet mid season. We all know it will come after the season ends barring some miracle run to a championship.

That's where I am at. My only fear is they do just good enough to retain him. All the AD has to look ta is now MSU is doing with a new coach. It can work wonders. 12-7-1 at the break with a new coach and a lot of turnover is a very good result.

[digitalbooya]

Why? Why can’t they make a statement? It’s ridiculous to think with the legacy of Badger Bob that the U just let’s this happen, what, because if they fire Granato now they’d have just 2 coaches? Bull****. They accomplish 3 BIG things with firing Tony now.

1. they remove a coach who has proven he cannot win.

2. they tell the fan base (all 200 hundred of us) that they’re serious about upholding Bob’s championship legacy, but MORE important they tell recruits that winning is the PRIORITY and is EXPECTED..

3. They give Oz and Brandt a tryout for 3 months.

since King doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing this at least gives McIntosh a chance to see if the team improves with Oz/Brandt.

are we really thinking hockey is so unimportant now that a change can’t be made mid-season for the sake of the team, the fans, the U and the LEGACY?

Jesus Christ.

A statement or firing TG now vs at the end of the season doesn’t do anything for me. The only important thing is that he’s not back next season. Any fan who can look at things logically, not emotionally, can see that he won’t be fired till after the season. That doesn’t make hockey unimportant. That’s just not letting emotions dictate everything like we are young teenager.

1. They are going to do that anyways.

2. They DID say that winning is a important. That championship level is the expectation here. That’s why Granato’s contract was restructured and why he’s going to be fired after this year.

3. meh, Osiecki failed at OSU and he clearly wasn’t the one teaching McDonagh, Smith, Schultz, etc how to play defense. Turns out Eaves was a much better coach than some (*eyes narrow*) thought.

[solovsfett]

A statement or firing TG now vs at the end of the season doesn’t do anything for me. The only important thing is that he’s not back next season. Any fan who can look at things logically, not emotionally, can see that he won’t be fired till after the season. That doesn’t make hockey unimportant. That’s just not letting emotions dictate everything like we are young teenager.

1. They are going to do that anyways.

2. They DID say that winning is a important. That championship level is the expectation here. That’s why Granato’s contract was restructured and why he’s going to be fired after this year.

3. meh, Osiecki failed at OSU and he clearly wasn’t the one teaching McDonagh, Smith, Schultz, etc how to play defense. Turns out Eaves was a much better coach than some (*eyes narrow*) thought.

It doesn’t do anything for you? But a half measure did?

weak sauce.

men’s hockey should be treated equally important as football. It put Wisconsin on the map. It’s not all about money but yeah they used to make money on hockey too.

so yeah, fire Granato now, give assistants a chance to pass or fail so they can be considered or eliminated immediately after the season.

there is 0 guarantee he will be fired by the way. He can point to Fink and who knows what other recruits to say “we’re building a contender”.

And bottom line is the AD has done nothing to instill confidence in the (checks attendance) what, 200 fans, maybe 400 people who still care?

restructuring a contract? That’s nothing. This is a pass/fail world in business. McIntosh gets an F on this score. King doesn’t even warrant a grade and should be gone immediately as well.

[Timothy A]

He can point to Fink and who knows what other recruits to say “we’re building a contender”.

This is a HUGE concern. TG can sell all day he's got help coming and the AD and his minions can't buy that. He's got 2 first rounders on the team this season and it hasn't really moved the needle. They have to see through this.

[Timothy A]

Morrison has left the team. A victim of the extra covid years. Best wishes.

[solovsfett]

This is a HUGE concern. TG can sell all day he's got help coming and the AD and his minions can't buy that. He's got 2 first rounders on the team this season and it hasn't really moved the needle. They have to see through this.

Exactly. “But Fink will be the next Dany Heatley or Cole Caufield, we’ll get to the playoffs I promise!”

Mac “boom! You’ll be back next year, thanks!”

Mac to King “ thank god Fink is coming. That saves us from a coaching search. But I’ve been thinking, maybe Craig Dahl can be on our short list if this fails? He used to coach somewhere, right? It was hockey, right?”

[GoBucky18]

The main pro I can think of now is with respect to recruiting. Fire TG now and Oz/Brandt can keep engaging with the signees. It also affords an accelerated timeline on a coaching search similar to what football team did. And to which Im still in shock a bit. But, it proves that moving quickly and decisively has benefits, especially on recruiting.

I dont think TG has earned the right to finish the season. The best option for him will be to resign at some point.

still cant believe the lack of player development the last 7yrs.

And I agree the legacy program is dead. Even the '90 champ team isnt considered modern era hockey. The goalie for Colgate didnt even use the butterfly method for goodbess sake.

Kids arent lining up to play at Wisconsin like in the past. They are doing that at Minnesota, ND, Denver, Michigan, UMass and Notre Dame though. Even places like Clarkson and UMass Lowell have better modern era results than UW.

[GoBucky18]

I know I mentioned it before, but when you look at UWs record over the years...they beat up on bad teams and barely approached .500 against good/great competition. The diff being they had some years when it all clicked. And lets not forget, Notre Dame, Michigan, and Michigan State used to be in the WCHA until after 81 season.

Going into this year, all-time vs:

Denver: 76-64 (.539)
Minnesota: 100-179-24 (.370)
Michigan:64-85-14 (.436)
Michigan State 62-60-4 (.508)
North Dakota: 87-72-13 (.554)
Ohio State: 23-23-5 (.500)
Penn St: 18-24-3 (.433)

Teams we beat up on:

Alaska Anchorage: 54-16-9 (.741)
Colorado College: 112-67-9 (.619)
Minn-Duluth: 93-61-15 (.595)
Michigan Tech: 101-50-10 (.627)
Northern Michigan: 50-32-8 (.600)
Minnesota State: 26-17-4 (.596)
Notre Dame: 49-30-9 (.608)

The Notre Dame and Duluth record are the only ones that jump out to me as being great records against really good teams.

Wisconsin is a .500ish team against conference opponents and once in a blue moon puts it together to have a great year. Otherwise they have beaten up on poor teams.

* does not include this yr.

[D2D]

Reading this thread makes me doubly glad we found a great coach (and recruiter) in Bob Motzko. I'm sure there's more out there, like Bob, that could turn things around for you guys...not that I'm hoping for this to happen anytime soon.

Best of luck - unless you're playing my Gophers!

Signed,
D2D - 50 consecutive year Gopher Season Ticket Holder

[digitalbooya]

This is a HUGE concern. TG can sell all day he's got help coming and the AD and his minions can't buy that. He's got 2 first rounders on the team this season and it hasn't really moved the needle. They have to see through this.

They will. Season by season record speaks for itself and if our current big ten record continues (1-9-0 LOL), we will finish the season at something like 11-23-0 or worse. Worse win percentage than Eaves' final year.

[WiscTJK]

They will. Season by season record speaks for itself and if our current big ten record continues (1-9-0 LOL), we will finish the season at something like 11-23-0 or worse. Worse win percentage than Eaves' final year.

But we swept Long Island and Lindenwood. So we got that going for us, which is nice!

[digitalbooya]

But we swept Long Island and Lindenwood. So we got that going for us, which is nice!

The only team over .500 we have beaten is Michigan. LIU, Lindenwood and UMD are all under .500

Imagine if they didn't schedule those 4 cupcake games...

[GoBucky18]

I especially loved how the UW propaganda, er I mean athletic dept, went out of its way to highlight how amazing it was that they won 4 in a row. Granted they are supposed to, but come on, man.

It's like Alabama football scheduling UT-Chattanooga in November.