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Boston College hockey 2021-2022

sigx15 said:
Did Father Leahy really not show up for the ceremony?
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J.D. said:
Yep. What a stiff (yes I know he's a man of the cloth). Jack Dunn said "on behalf of Fr. Leahy". Thankfully Fr. Leahy was not at BC when York was hired and Fr. Monan finally decided to pull the trigger on Jerry.
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cheapgrumpyjack said:
Leahy didn’t show for the jerry’s 1,000 win either. I haven’t made a contribution since.
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I think you guys will have to agree that sending Dunn was a little more subtle than having Chancellor Shea skating out into the presser with his vertical striped HEA ref's jersey, no? ;-)

Seriously though ... I've always been amazed at the expectations that BC alums foist upon their clerical leaders, whether it be the purported "powah brokah" that was Father Monan, or now the supposedly-distant Father Leahy. Gents, as J.D. points out, these are men of the cloth, first and foremost. Their foremost duty is to honor God, not to intervene in building tunnels or stadiums, hiring a hockey coach, or to honor said hockey coach reaching two impressive yet very mortal milestones here on Earth. No one is saying that Monan couldn't also be a hockey fan (as he apparently was, seeing him numerous times at the Beanpot - good for him). But it would probably be seen as counter to Leahy's primary mission if he were to show up at either of York's ceremonies, which in God's eyes could be seen as trivial, when so much else of importance demands his attention?

Sorry for the "sermon", guys. Keep it up, though, and the Chancellor's gonna hand out some DQ's ...
 
He's still the President of the school. I'm not expecting him to be present for every athletic hire/retirement but I don't think it's too much to ask for him to be present at something like this for the greatest coach in BC athletics history and truly one of the great ambassadors for the school itself. I came across this years ago but he really was more than just a hockey coach in the BC community.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svFs2h92hCE
 
I don't know BC politics, but might Father Leahy* have chosen to not attend to keep the focus on York.
From what you all are saying, his attendance may have ended up being a distraction.
Then again, you never know what any Jesuit is up to.


*PS -- Father? Not Monsignor? He's 75 so he's qualified (>65) for the title under Francis. Apparently he hasn't earned it in the eyes of the Church. Ouch.
 
I don't think it would have been a distraction. There isn't a lot of love for him from BC fans but all he had to do was deliver a few words and then disappear back into obscurity or go work the afternoon mass.
 
J.D. said:
I don't think it would have been a distraction. There isn't a lot of love for him from BC fans but all he had to do was deliver a few words and then disappear back into obscurity or go work the afternoon mass.
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Respectfully disagree. Yes, he is President of BC, but that doesn't obligate him to attend every last retirement ceremony of every last teacher, coach, or employee on campus. That is what he has his non-clerical full-time staff around to handle. I'm assuming the AD was in attendance, who is York's boss, and if Fr. Leahy sent a representative on his behalf, that's more than sufficient.

You also know well enough that even if Fr. Leahy did make an appearance, there would be some BC alums griping about why York was "snubbed" by Cardinal O'Malley, or even the Pope himself. It's college hockey, folks. Important to us USCHO plebeians, but microscopically insignificant otherwise.
 
J.D. said:
I already said I wouldn't expect him to attend all the events you mentioned
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Right, I understand ... but then, where do you draw that line? Others might feel "snubbed"?

These are very sensitive times. And while I'd lean towards "screw it, it's York, I'll be there" personally, Fr. Leahy obviously feels differently. I'm just pointing out why that might be the case ...
 
I'm trying to think of who at BC could retire and feel snubbed that Leahy went to York's event. There's just a massive gulf. Next in line is probably the lacrosse coach and she's got years ahead of her to try and make her mark on the school. Athletics is part of a university and the school should feel and show the utmost respect and thanks for what York meant to BC. To other coaches/athletes and to the Jesuit "way". That's all. When it comes to Boston College, York is a unicorn.

But it's done with and hopefully everyone is on board in finding the best candidate to take over.
 
It is amazing Leahy has been there almost as long as York, and in the world of academics and overall facilities he has done a good job. Not sure what the succession plan is but I am sure they have one.
 
Depending on how far Dubuque goes, the announcement could be a bit off in the future
  • First Round: April 25-28.
  • Conference Semifinals: April 29 - May 4.
  • Conference Finals: May 5-12.
  • Clark Cup Final: May 13-25.
 
NCAA watcher said:
Depending on how far Dubuque goes, the announcement could be a bit off in the future
  • First Round: April 25-28.
  • Conference Semifinals: April 29 - May 4.
  • Conference Finals: May 5-12.
  • Clark Cup Final: May 13-25.
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With it "only" being the USHL, how do these things typically work? Would it get out that Brown is the next guy but he still coaches out the rest of the season?
 
J.D. said:
I'm trying to think of who at BC could retire and feel snubbed that Leahy went to York's event.
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We live in a world filled with emotional hemophiliacs, J.D. - especially in academia, even at BC.

I still suspect it's a decision driven by religious priorities, and what's done is done. I have no doubt whatsoever York knows how much his efforts have been appreciated by Fr. Leahy, who probably made a private call to York to thank him personally.

I also think youze guys dodged a bullet with Luce "doing a Umile" to stay put at UConn ...
 
I wanted Cav over Brown but the one thing I will fight back on here is the UConn guy saying it was Cav's job if he wanted it. BC was never going to only interview Cav and have him on campus and then immediately offer him the job. Not buying that spin for one second. Greg Brown is still currently coaching. As is someone like JD Forrest. Cav is not Nick Saban. It's not "his job if he wants it" without checking in on other candidates and going through the interview process.
 
J.D. said:
I wanted Cav over Brown but the one thing I will fight back on here is the UConn guy saying it was Cav's job if he wanted it. BC was never going to only interview Cav and have him on campus and then immediately offer him the job. Not buying that spin for one second. Greg Brown is still currently coaching. As is someone like JD Forrest. Cav is not Nick Saban. It's not "his job if he wants it" without checking in on other candidates and going through the interview process.
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Totally agree. It also makes you wonder if someone at BC wanted to do Luce a favor, brought him in very early in the process, and then let word leak out that Luce had been to The Heights, so he could leverage the "interest" Umile-style into an improved contract at Storrs? The timing of everything seems more than a little odd. As I said before, I think BC dodged a bullet here. The guy has one (1) winning season - this year, and barely at that - in HEA at UConn, despite years of supposedly top talent and recruiting. One (1) trip to Boston for the tourney. All hat and no cattle, if you ask me. And it's beyond ironic that Luce "pulled a Umile" to leverage the apex of his head coaching career to stay put (possibly forever now?) in HEA's no-man's land. Good luck with that ...
 
I just hope the best candidate is given the job whether he was a BC guy or not. I have read discussions on other threads like twitter about guys like Carvel and Bazin being offered. I doubt they would come to BC but if they were interested, who knows.

Some of my friends keeping mentioning Cav, Brown or Dennehy, etc. but personally I think the best candidate should be offered, whoever he may be.
 
I'll tell you guys what worries me, as a fan of another HEA program ... what if a flawed yet uber qualified dark-horse candidate like Jim Montgomery were to decide that waiting for another shot at an NHL head coaching job isn't likely to surface any time soon, and instead he looks at something like BC or BU (or Michigan or MSU, etc.)? Assuming he's got his issues under control, and with the travel demands and pressures of competing in HEA a few steps down from the 8-9 month slog that the NHL can be (especially with a legit Cup contender like SLB), his return could tilt the D-1 landscape wherever he might surface. Understood that those programs might see him as being too risky (in which case I hope UNH offers him when they finally cut MS7 loose), but that would be a potential "home run hire" no one is really talking about.
 
I didn't even know Montgomery was back coaching. I'd certainly take a look at him but I doubt BC would. Maybe a program like MSU would. They've been irrelevant for a long time now and desperately need a turnaround.
 
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