UNH Hockey 2023 Off Season Thread Turn and Face the Strange

[NCAA watcher]

UNH Hockey 85-87, it was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

That''s him in the background of the movie trailer at the 49 second mark
https://youtu.be/dn6wNEv7M2w?t=49

https://thehockeynews.com/news/the-m...n-oral-history

Most of the players in the film, such as Steve Thomas, Don Biggs, Peter Zezel and James Richmond, were OHL or NCAA players at the time. Thomas and Zezel went on to lengthy NHL careers. THN reached out to Lowe, but he declined the opportunity to talk. No matter. Lowe might have been the pretty face in front of the camera, but so many people worked hard to make him look good. This is their story.

JAMES RICHMOND, BOMBERS CAPTAIN “STORDAHL”: It was the best summer job I ever had. Patrick Swayze and I got pretty close during the filming. We’d go for dinner or to get a couple drinks. He’d come over to visit my mom and dad, and we hung out a few times when we weren’t shooting.
RICHMOND: Instead of having a lunch break, because we could eat anytime, we’d have a pickup game. Some guys were pretty high level, so those games would get pretty serious sometimes. The makeup people would get ticked off because guys would be drenched in sweat after these games. And if you were doing the same scene as you did before lunch, you looked different. The Mustangs square off against the Thunder Bay Bombers, the toughest team in juniors, for the championship series. In the first period, a bench-clearing brawl ensues after Racki decks the Mustangs’ goalie.

RICHMOND: The Bombers were the goon squad. We weren’t supposed to smile. We were told to look angry or mean on the ice.
RICHMOND: In the big fight scene, I was paired up with Swayze. In one shot, he actually connected with a punch and got me right under the eye. That was pretty funny. And then he ended up kissing the linesman when he’s breaking us up. Swayze adlibbed that. It wasn’t scripted, and they put that take in the movie. We got a good chuckle out of that. In the story’s nadir, Racki slew-foots Sutton, who hits his head on the ice and is hospitalized.
RICHMOND: I played in Denmark for a few seasons. My teammates there loved Youngblood and used to watch it all the time. They thought it was the best thing in the world that I was in it. So the next year, when I came back, I gave one of my teammates my Stordahl jersey.



Richmond knew/dated the captain of the women's team (Janet Siddel??), and after they won it all (87) there was a bang up party at the women's team's house (on the way down to Oyster River) that was pretty fun. The only (unofficial) UNH championship. I remember it was one of the nights the Celtics were playing the Lakers in the finals, so that makes it 87.

[HockeyRef]

Excellent! Thanks, ‘watcher. I was back in New England during the 1980’s but was not paying much attention to UNH hockey that decade. I think that 1985/86 was our all-time worst record at 5-29-3, which some here are hoping that our Cats replicate that year. Do you think that you would have remained a fan if you began following Cats hockey in the 1980’s, HR?

So, Patrick Foley, James Richmond, and Graham Bruder were Captains as Juniors (and Richmond also as Sophomore). Others?

haha that is a tough question to answer...I think that knowing me I prob would continue to follow is because one of two things is true: Misery Loves Company OR...Hope Springs Eternal! I know we've had seasons that have not been great but to only win 5 games...but in the 'covid year' 20-21 we went 6-14-3...

Trying to be generous tho regarding that year as it was a complete sh*t show for everyone, including me. (pardon ma Francais) ***but we did make it into
the qtrs that year, losing to BC 2-3 FWIW dept.

[Snively65]

James Richmond was a three time captain in 84-87, during the last fallow period before Coach Kullen rebuilt the program. He was a gregarious leader, telling lots of tales about his summer involved in filming Youngblood in Toronto. He returned to Canada and quickly climbed in the coaching ranks, and for the past decade has been GM of the OHL team.
https://chl.ca/ohl-steelheads/missis...act-extension/
https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/...y.php?pid=4560

Always good to see a smiling Coach Umile.
https://***********/UNHMHOCKEY/statu...261641/photo/1

Excellent! Thanks, ‘watcher. I was back in New England during the 1980’s but was not paying much attention to UNH hockey that decade. I think that 1985/86 was our all-time worst record at 5-29-3, which some here are hoping that our Cats replicate that year. Do you think that you would have remained a fan if you began following Cats hockey in the 1980’s, HR?

So, Patrick Foley, James Richmond, and Graham Bruder were Captains as Juniors (and Richmond also as Sophomore). Others?

[HockeyRef]

James Richmond was a three time captain in 84-87, during the last fallow period before Coach Kullen rebuilt the program. He was a gregarious leader, telling lots of tales about his summer involved in filming Youngblood in Toronto. He returned to Canada and quickly climbed in the coaching ranks, and for the past decade has been GM of the OHL team.
https://chl.ca/ohl-steelheads/missis...act-extension/
https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/...y.php?pid=4560

Always good to see a smiling Coach Umile.
https://***********/UNHMHOCKEY/statu...261641/photo/1

Thanks for that bit o history 'Watcher! Maybe James would consider a gig in Durham...you know, return to his roots?? But looks like he's a little busy right now...

[NCAA watcher]

Wow, I did not have Alex Gagne as Capt on my Bingo card, but am pleased nonetheless! How many other times has a jr. been Capt? Not in my short tenure as a fan
have I seen this, I don't think...a good choice for all 3!!

James Richmond was a three time captain in 84-87, during the last fallow period before Coach Kullen rebuilt the program. He was a gregarious leader, telling lots of tales about his summer involved in filming Youngblood in Toronto. He returned to Canada and quickly climbed in the coaching ranks, and for the past decade has been GM of the OHL team.
https://chl.ca/ohl-steelheads/missis...act-extension/
https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/...y.php?pid=4560

Always good to see a smiling Coach Umile.
https://twitter.com/UNHMHOCKEY/statu...261641/photo/1

[Chuck Murray]

Maybe some of the $4 mil grant gift can be used to construct an aerial tramway from the large parking lot across the tracks to da Whitt?

I'm glad to see I'm not the only big dreamer on here. Sign me up! Way to go, Snives!!

[Snively65]

We are officially one month (ish) out from opening puck drop! (a regulation game of course) Still wanna know what the plan is for season tix parking, ha!

Maybe some of the $4 mil grant gift can be used to construct an aerial tramway from the large parking lot across the tracks to da Whitt?

[HockeyRef]

We are officially one month (ish) out from opening puck drop! (a regulation game of course) Still wanna know what the plan is for season tix parking, ha!

[Snively65]

Wow, I did not have Alex Gagne as Capt on my Bingo card, but am pleased nonetheless! How many other times has a jr. been Capt? Not in my short tenure as a fan
have I seen this, I don't think...a good choice for all 3!!

UNH Jr Captains a rarity, I think. Last previous was Patrick Foley in 2002/03. Also, Graham Bruder in 1967/68. Others?

In golf photo: Mike Souza, 1999/2000; Chris Grassie, 1989/90 (had to look up); Matt Fornataro, 2007/08; Dick Umile, 1971/72; Ed Mullen and Ken Mackinnon, Co-Captains, 1961/62 (how cool is that? also had to look up)

[HockeyRef]

https://x.com/unhmhockey/status/1702...ozVVNdZeXfluiw

Wow, I did not have Alex Gagne as Capt on my Bingo card, but am pleased nonetheless! How many other times has a jr. been Capt? Not in my short tenure as a fan
have I seen this, I don't think...a good choice for all 3!!

[Darius]

https://x.com/unhmhockey/status/1702...ozVVNdZeXfluiw

[HockeyRef]

Saw a Twitter post about the golf tourney today from AD Rich regarding "new and former UNH hockey Captains"...looked like Alex Gagne was one ...couldn't recognize the others. Anybody else see that? Edit: Gagne Capt Jenson Blaisdell get the A's

[Scott]

Heard a great quote today in reference to the Red Sox moving on from Chaim Bloom, but it fits SO much better with UNH hockey. "When your fans go from angry to apathy, you are in BIG trouble." Most of the dedicated fans on here entered this stage several years, and from the attendance at the Whitt, a large amount of others have followed as well.

UNH Admin??? UNH AD??? Anyone listending??? Not just b!t#%ing, trying to locate some accountability.

Maybe the larger font will help. :-)

[Whalers]

Heard a great quote today in reference to the Red Sox moving on from Chaim Bloom, but it fits SO much better with UNH hockey. "When your fans go from angry to apathy, you are in BIG trouble." Most of the dedicated fans on here entered this stage several years, and from the attendance at the Whitt, a large amount of others have followed as well.

UNH Admin??? UNH AD??? Anyone listending??? Not just b!t#%ing, trying to locate some accountability.

[Chuck Murray]

I didn't quite expect to run into the "Luce Canaan Apologists' Circle" when I came back on here today, but it is what it is. Just gotta go out and make the points that need to be made ... et tu, Felgie (j/k) ...

Speaking of falling in love with story lines, Coach Cav is 4-0 head to head against Coach Barr.

... and of course, looking at it through the limited scope of the last two seasons, when Luce has enjoyed almost a decade's worth of a head start, you would be right. Let's look at it a few slightly different ways, though ... and remember, both of these guys made their respective marks as two of the most successful D-1 assistant coaches of their times, which didn't quite dovetail over each other. Here's a snapshot of their success:

* Luce was Jerry York's (purportedly) top assistant at BC for all four of Coach York's D-1 title runs at The Heights. This was a factoid that Luce loved to give oxygen to during AND after his time at BC, almost as if he deemed himself the real power behind the throne. Putting that aside, I've always thought it was important to note that Luce wasn't the only four-time D-1 champion BC assistant (see Logue, Jimmy), and they were both joined for the last three by Greg Brown. BC lost both Luce and Logue after the 2013 season, so to the extent that Luce has never flinched to point out that York never won at BC without him ... the same could be said for Logue. Of course, that overlooks the important fact that York also won a D-1 title at perennial nobody program Bowling Green without either Luce or Logue ... and when the time came for York to retire, and Luce would have sold his own children to replace him on The Heights, BC hired ... Greg Brown. Not Luce. A penny for Coach York's thoughts LOL;

* Barr, in the meantime, started about a dozen or so years after Luce, and initially built a good chunk of a D-1 championship roster at perennial nobody program Union for Nate Leaman, which didn't come to fruition until a couple of years after Leaman left for Providence and took Barr with him. Barr would go on to build a second D-1 championship roster at perennial nobody program Providence, then left for a third perennial nobody program at WMU for a couple of years before he would build a 3rd D-1 championship roster for Greg Carvel at perennial nobody program UMass. It needs to be pointed out none of Rick Bennett (Union), Leaman (PC) nor Carvel (UMass) have won diddly-squat without Barr's recruiting efforts. Bennett's Union program returned to its mean (average), arguably so has Leaman's Providence program (average), and Carvel's UMass program is also headed back in the direction of where he started with it (below average).

* Luce has now been in charge for nine (9) years in Storrs, and during his time in charge, he's enjoyed two (2) winning seasons - the last two. In that same period of time, three (3) separate traditional nobody programs built by Barr have earned their first and only D-1 titles. Luce had his BC success under a legendary already-proven winner who ended up as the winningest coach in D-1 history, shared most of it with two other assistants, and was passed over by York/BC when that HC job finally opened up last year ... for a former contemporary BC assistant colleague.

* Barr built his champions for one above-average coach (Leaman), a lifetime .500 D-1 coach (Carvel), and a guy who is now coaching in the Coast (Bennett). In his first head coaching job, he has already taken a moribund post-Gendron UMaine basement program up to almost .500 and 4 slots out of the basement in his second season. I shouldn't have to draw you a map of what kind of trajectory that is pointing at. UNH fans will rue the day when Blue Skies extended MS7 and refused to move aggressively for Ben Barr (or Joe Dumais).

In summary, Ben Barr is better at his job than Luce Canaan - for sure as an assistant and recruiter nonpareil, and well on his way as a head coach as well. He's only one (1) trip to the Garden away from matching Luce's greatest HC accomplishment. I figure it'll be three years, four tops before Barr surpasses Luce and his two former bosses (Leaman and Carvel) on a regular basis when UMaine resumes its old occupancy of the HEA penthouse. JMHO.