UNH 2024/2025 Goldberg Edition

[Chuck Murray]

Don’t get in the way JB is on a roll. He thinks new arenas and renovations should be funded by private money at a state school. Of course he forgot that the State built the Whitt and it had nothing to do with Umiles coaching record. Snively was cooked, the bball team was playing in a high school gym and the state thought a multi- purpose facility was the way to go.

New Hampshire being, well, New Hampshire they never calculated the costs of having a bull gang transform the building between sports and ended up keeping the hoop team playing in its present dump.

oh, and when the team was winning big 15 years ago no private or public money was solicited to, you know, keep the facilities current or, heaven forbid, ahead of the pack. So very UNH. No upgrades. Just ride it into the ground. And here we are.

Typically defensive post, loaded with half-truths. It was not a coincidence that The Whitt got built after Coach Umile strung together several winning seasons, after the Holt Era peaked in the early '80's, gradually then suddenly crashed in the mid-'80's, and sputtered to rebuild under Coach Kullen in the late '80's. It wasn't the decade-long descent we've been experiencing lately, but it was more than just a temporary blip (ironically, like '95/'96 when The Whitt opened).

Athletic Facilities

Athletic facilities at UNH

library.unh.edu

Private donations were very much in the picture as part of the financing. Hence, Towse Rink at Whittemore Center (also, now at Key Auto TDL Complex).

In fact, originally BOTH the UNH Men's AND Women's Hoops teams played home games at The Whitt. Further, the physical set-up of the basketball court was almost entirely donated from the floor, hoops/stanchions, etc. from the original Boston Garden, which had just been replaced by the then-Fleet Center (now TD Garden). When Concord's Matt Bonner brought his University of Florida team to Durham in 2001, that was at The Whitt (and set an attendance record):

Matt Bonner invades UNH, on this day in 2001

Bonner and the Florida Gators played at The Whitt

www.wmur.com

Private money has been solicited for various upgrades since, including the Borisenok family donating the current center ice scoreboard.

TDL seems to have made a commitment to at least $4.0M in additional upgrades, apparently contingent upon matching gifts, winning, TBD???

As far as Coach Hubbard is concerned ... he was the highest paid UNH coach of all time outside of the "Big 4" North American sports when he left, and was having his team play its home games in the football stadium, which was an unexpected upgrade and provided unanticipated revenues. If someone with half a brain was making the decisions in UNH Athletics Admin, Hubbard would still be here, attendance would still be growing, and there would still be a national championship contender (see what UVM achieved last Fall after being 2nd banana to Hubbard for years) competing annually in the D-1 tourney.

Those decisions were not made by, nor restrained by, politicians in Concord. The AD's office and their superiors are responsible for those. Sorry.

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

One of the blessings I enjoyed over the last week-plus of being away from here on vacation is that I was able to reconnect with several sources with insight on the UNH situation, both current and past, from inside and outside the programs. To a person, they are dumbfounded on how MS7 remains in his job, and at what low esteem the advisor/agent community holds him and his program. Most attribute the ultimate blame to my old long-departed "pal" BlueSkies, and his having taken Hockey for granted since both sides of the program were riding high, instead focusing on Football. Those with familiarity of the current AD question her ability to run a competitive D-1 program, and raise perhaps the most overriding question we here as UNH Hockey folks should be asking, which is, if (presumably when, so long as she sticks around) the decision to separate with MS7 is made ... what confidence should we have in MS7's replacement, and their ability to bring this program back to its previous level of prominence??

From what little I know about Mike Hickey, I'd rather reserve judgment before commenting further. But a cursory check on his background shows someone who has a long history of running boards and councils in government, academia, banking and insurance, with a more recent trek into elder care. Nothing on the surface to allay concerns about an ability to identify and hire the right person to replace MS7 ... or even to decide to cut strings with him. Stay tuned ...

 

[Chuck Murray]

Chuck accounts for 74 pages at a minimum. Most of the content in those 74 pages is not necessary or relevant.

We're gonna have to renegotiate my rent-free tenancy in yer noggin. Been away over a week, and you still can't shake me. Pathetic, really.

New deal - you get naming rights to advertise my tenacy for $2,500/month offseason (4/1/25-10/1/25), and $5,000/month for in-season rates.

Check payable to "WIS Enterprises", c/o Chuck Murray Owns Me, P.O. Box 666, Effingwoods NH 03899. Payment due first of every month.

 

[Chuck Murray]

That would be Conmy. Soft as 2-ply. You are fighting for your season and no physicality at all. I don’t expect him to be aggressive like Walsh Or Lavins but the continued effort to avoid contact leads to turnovers and the inability to have pressure. If you watch closely as he nears a corner or the boards he will turn away. Hes not Bedard level good enough to play this way.

Like Poturalski before him, Conmy will learn the importance of playing a well-rounded game when he becomes an AHL lifer.

 

[TheGrouchyCat]

Like Poturalski before him, Conmy will learn the importance of playing a well-rounded game when he becomes an AHL lifer.

For the last two years, I've considered Conmy a Saviano-lite who may get a cup of coffee in the AHL but will have a long tenure in the 2nd Tier European Leagues.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Absolutely true; the athletes no longer have the same level of loyalty as pre-ChinaVirus. So leverage them the same. Cut the bottom of the roster. Drop the recruits that are non-performers. And tell them "if we give you a 4-year scholoarship and you turn pro, you owe us the dough. We'll pass the $$ down to someone who might want to graduate." Of course, that idea will never work unless its universal. My bad...

And BTW, some on here write abt early departures as "alumni"... They aren't alumni; they were attendees, is all, same status as a drop-out...

Agree with you on the latter point, which I understand may be an unpopular opinion in some quarters. Alums graduate. And alums more often donate, to your other point, which gets a little cloudy when you tie it to "turn(ing) pro". Technically, guys who leave to play in the Coast (ECHL) or below have "turned pro", and some players with relatively short stints in the AHL or even the NHL don't spin the earnings necessary to "owe (UNH) the dough". Conceptually, though, I agree, but also with your contingent point, which is chances of this approach being successful are limited unless adopted in a more widespread way.

Turbulent times in D-1 sports for sure ...

 

[TheGrouchyCat]

Typically defensive post, loaded with half-truths. It was not a coincidence that The Whitt got built after Coach Umile strung together several winning seasons, after the Holt Era peaked in the early '80's, gradually then suddenly crashed in the mid-'80's, and sputtered to rebuild under Coach Kullen in the late '80's. It wasn't the decade-long descent we've been experiencing lately, but it was more than just a temporary blip (ironically, like '95/'96 when The Whitt opened).

Athletic Facilities

Athletic facilities at UNH

library.unh.edu

Private donations were very much in the picture as part of the financing. Hence, Towse Rink at Whittemore Center (also, now at Key Auto TDL Complex).

In fact, originally BOTH the UNH Men's AND Women's Hoops teams played home games at The Whitt. Further, the physical set-up of the basketball court was almost entirely donated from the floor, hoops/stanchions, etc. from the original Boston Garden, which had just been replaced by the then-Fleet Center (now TD Garden). When Concord's Matt Bonner brought his University of Florida team to Durham in 2001, that was at The Whitt (and set an attendance record):

Matt Bonner invades UNH, on this day in 2001

Bonner and the Florida Gators played at The Whitt

www.wmur.com

Private money has been solicited for various upgrades since, including the Borisenok family donating the current center ice scoreboard.

TDL seems to have made a commitment to at least $4.0M in additional upgrades, apparently contingent upon matching gifts, winning, TBD???

As far as Coach Hubbard is concerned ... he was the highest paid UNH coach of all time outside of the "Big 4" North American sports when he left, and was having his team play its home games in the football stadium, which was an unexpected upgrade and provided unanticipated revenues. If someone with half a brain was making the decisions in UNH Athletics Admin, Hubbard would still be here, attendance would still be growing, and there would still be a national championship contender (see what UVM achieved last Fall after being 2nd banana to Hubbard for years) competing annually in the D-1 tourney.

Those decisions were not made by, nor restrained by, politicians in Concord. The AD's office and their superiors are responsible for those. Sorry.

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

One of the blessings I enjoyed over the last week-plus of being away from here on vacation is that I was able to reconnect with several sources with insight on the UNH situation, both current and past, from inside and outside the programs. To a person, they are dumbfounded on how MS7 remains in his job, and at what low esteem the advisor/agent community holds him and his program. Most attribute the ultimate blame to my old long-departed "pal" BlueSkies, and his having taken Hockey for granted since both sides of the program were riding high, instead focusing on Football. Those with familiarity of the current AD question her ability to run a competitive D-1 program, and raise perhaps the most overriding question we here as UNH Hockey folks should be asking, which is, if (presumably when, so long as she sticks around) the decision to separate with MS7 is made ... what confidence should we have in MS7's replacement, and their ability to bring this program back to its previous level of prominence??

From what little I know about Mike Hickey, I'd rather reserve judgment before commenting further. But a cursory check on his background shows someone who has a long history of running boards and councils in government, academia, banking and insurance, with a more recent trek into elder care. Nothing on the surface to allay concerns about an ability to identify and hire the right person to replace MS7 ... or even to decide to cut strings with him. Stay tuned ...

With a long career as a "government affairs" professional (aka lobbyist) in the telecom industry in DC, it's reasonable to assume his role on the UNH Athletic Advisory Committee is nothing more than steering and advising the fan volunteers towards the current conventional wisdom pushed by the administrative powers that be.

 

[FDNY99]

We're gonna have to renegotiate my rent-free tenancy in yer noggin. Been away over a week, and you still can't shake me. Pathetic, really.

New deal - you get naming rights to advertise my tenacy for $2,500/month offseason (4/1/25-10/1/25), and $5,000/month for in-season rates.

Check payable to "WIS Enterprises", c/o Chuck Murray Owns Me, P.O. Box 666, Effingwoods NH 03899. Payment due first of every month.

Chuck if you want to talk about “rent-free tenancy” in someone’s noggin you can start with the spot Mike Cavanaugh owns in yours….

 

[FDNY99]

Agree with you on the latter point, which I understand may be an unpopular opinion in some quarters. Alums graduate. And alums more often donate, to your other point, which gets a little cloudy when you tie it to "turn(ing) pro". Technically, guys who leave to play in the Coast (ECHL) or below have "turned pro", and some players with relatively short stints in the AHL or even the NHL don't spin the earnings necessary to "owe (UNH) the dough". Conceptually, though, I agree, but also with your contingent point, which is chances of this approach being successful are limited unless adopted in a more widespread way.

Turbulent times in D-1 sports for sure ...

Agree with you on the latter point, which I understand may be an unpopular opinion in some quarters. Alums graduate. And alums more often donate, to your other point, which gets a little cloudy when you tie it to "turn(ing) pro". Technically, guys who leave to play in the Coast (ECHL) or below have "turned pro", and some players with relatively short stints in the AHL or even the NHL don't spin the earnings necessary to "owe (UNH) the dough". Conceptually, though, I agree, but also with your contingent point, which is chances of this approach being successful are limited unless adopted in a more widespread way.

Turbulent times in D-1 sports for sure ...

“Turbulent times” is being nice…Hockey East is going to be the perfect example of a conference with the “have’s” and the “have not’s” as far as revenue sharing goes.

 

[Sparkee]

We're gonna have to renegotiate my rent-free tenancy in yer noggin. Been away over a week, and you still can't shake me. Pathetic, really.

New deal - you get naming rights to advertise my tenacy for $2,500/month offseason (4/1/25-10/1/25), and $5,000/month for in-season rates.

Check payable to "WIS Enterprises", c/o Chuck Murray Owns Me, P.O. Box 666, Effingwoods NH 03899. Payment due first of every month.

Oh goody, it got to you! I win again Chuck. Tssk tssk.

 

[Potluck]

Chuck: I doubt your sources. In light of how you post online, I can’t imagine anyone in the know is all that interested in talking about inner workings of the program with you.

In any event, I’ve got a college hockey continuing education assignment for you. You Tube NESN’s college hockey Digs videos for the Hockey East teams. The only programs that do not appear are UNH and Merrimack from what I found.

Each is anywhere from 7-11 minutes. Each program consists of players from the program providing walk throughs of their locker rooms, meeting rooms, hot/cold tubs, dry changing areas, lounge areas, weight lifting rooms, nutrition/fueling areas, stick rooms and shooting rooms.

It’s really about pride. Top recruits expect these amenities. In many of the Digs videos the players mention its value in recruiting. UNH doesn’t appear because its player amenities are a joke. UNH clearly was too embarrassed to participate.

You need to get up to date with American culture. Saying hockey recruits don’t think amenities are vital is like saying they don’t think social media and cellphones matter. Whether they should is completely irrelevant. The kids see them as essential. The coaches, athletic directors and college presidents clearly agree. That’s why they are now STANDARD in Hockey East.

Mike Souza is a problem. THE problem is the state and university lack of commitment to the program. Three things need to occur. The player amenities (back of the house) need a COMPLETE overhaul, a new coach must to hired at a much higher salary than Souza’s and yearly funding must be increased significantly. That’s what constitutes the NORM in Hockey East.

 

[Sparkee]

Hey Sparkee I have a question for you, since you obviously follow the CHL game much closer than I do (or most anyone on here for that matter.) Do you see the college game changing stylistically with the influx of these players? My thought is that the game will become a bit "heavier" if you know what I mean, but I defer to your knowledge on the issue.

I don’t think it will change NCAA at all. In my opinion, after watching games, the CHL is not zone heavy defensively with their systems. I think they are most interested in developing the players since NHL is the end customer. So they seems to play mostly man defensive systems where the style is a bit more wide open. So it seems the scoring is higher in these leagues. And the goaltending save percentages are lower. But I think as soon as you go to NCAA then you are dropped into a system where there is more structured defensive systems. For NCAA the incentive is to win first, develop players second. NCAA extra money and success is gauged on whether the team makes the big games at the end of the season and the money streams follow winning. Since NCAA is the customer of USHL, for example, you see the USHL using similar structured zone d systems like NCAA. Some former NCAA coaches or assistant coaches are head coaches there. So it seems like there is lower scoring in USHL games as compared to CHL teams. In NCAA when you see a D man collect puck wait for his team to set up and the other team back off and not forecheck to set up their zone defense… this rarely seems to occur in the games I’ve seen in CHL. It is more of forecheck all the time even if it means giving up rushes. Whereas it is common in virtually every game in the NCAA. But I don’t see CHL players changing the style of play.

How I do think it will change it making the average roster better and likely strengthening some programs that struggle right now but are close to the border of the CHL teams. For example, in our own league Vermont can likely capitalize since they are close to Montreal. Also, Bowling Green has a coach from major junior previously so he is doing an overhaul and getting some grade A recruits. Should improve the parity if anything. Teams at the bottom of their leagues with not much to lose should be all over rebuilding with CHL ‘04 birthdates immediately, IMHO.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Turn the football stadium into the new soccer "stadium" eliminating the need for another major capital expenditure. Shift budget, as required, to prop up the soccer program and ensure that it doesn't once again fall into obscurity since Hubbard's departure.

Speaking to a friend who is a civil rights attorney, she mentioned that UNH eliminating football will never happen. Not to get political, but she said with the lack of diversity on campus, the football team delivers a large percentage "non-white" players/students. This is important since the minority student population is only +/- 17% of total enrolled students at UNH while the national average is closer to 45%.

I've been curious with our AD f/k/a SB's background in compliance, if this issue is at top of mind and is preventing her and the school from even exploring the possibility of winding down the football program.

Noted this response and the previous one regarding elimination of Football at UNH, and ultimately I agree with your legal pal's conclusion, although frankly I hadn't even considered the diversity issue until you raised it here. Not that I disagree BTW, but I think the Football program currently being untouchable has more to do with its recency, and the fact that enough of the folks responsible (and accountable) for its construction would look rash and shortsighted if/when the school pulled the plug on the Football program. A side point is that while Soccer may be able to better fill that stadium in the not-too-distant future, the place would be widely viewed as a proverbial "white elephant", and if you think UNH struggles with Concord now ... imagine that struggle if/when the Football stadium becomes the albatross hung around UNH's shoulders by those politicians. You can only host so many NHIAA title games to put lipstick on that pig.

As a matter of comparison to other HEA schools who do not field a D-1 Football team ... Providence (80+ years) and UVM (50 years) walked away a long time ago, Lowell and Merrimack play in other lower divisions, and UMaine struggles as a mid program in UNH's same league. There was some controversy when BU dropped football almost 30 years ago, as they had some very competitive and entertaining teams in the mid-'90's, and also had managed to send a decent amount of players to the NFL over the previous generation (Reggie Rucker, Bruce Taylor, Jim Jensen, Billy Brooks, Butch Byrd, and Pat Hughes, an Everett kid who was the last NY Giant LB before Lawrence Taylor to wear #56 - good trivia Q!). Harry Agganis was/still is a BU icon, and it was because of football, even if he only turned pro in baseball briefly before his tragic untimely passing. BU also played on the re-purposed, hand-me-down home of MLB's Boston Braves, which was originally dubbed "BU Field" for the first 3 seasons of the Boston Patriots, and eventually became Nickerson Field in 1963. Shutting down football at the time was not a mainstream solution, and BU took some short term heat over the decision, but the clarity it created likely helped build Agganis Arena.

Northeastern's decision to terminate football may have been the easiest, most painless decision ever. The program was a habitual also-ran, and played all of their home games off campus at Parsons Field in Brookline. Out of sight, out of mind ... if a tree falls in an empty forest, does it make a noise, etc. BU had shown them the path forward 12 years earlier, and no one ever asks about Northeastern football anymore.

Northeastern no doubt would like to have the same result as Agganis, as recent disclosures of plans for a new multi-purpose arena emerge. But there will be opposition from the local community for sure, as hinted at in the following Substack article I came across not too long ago.

Save Matthews Arena?

By City Councilor Sharon Durkan

rondurk.substack.com

Long and short ... however you feel about UNH Football, pro or con, we can all look back at Blue Skies' long trek to building the half-stadium a decade or so ago as a watershed moment in the future of UNH Athletics (anyone remember the hubbub that followed with the cutting edge upgrade of adding lights?!?), and understand the U will have to live with that decision for the rest of the natural lives of the admins AND politicians who were on hand for that decision.

There is a better chance that stadium will be (modestly) expanded to the other side of the field, than of Football being discontinued in the next 50 years.

JMHO

 

[Chuck Murray]

As far as the proposed rebuilding through the Major Juniors route ... my thought on the subject (which I see some folks echoing earlier on here) is that while UNH may enjoy a brief opportunity to take advantage of the new recruiting source due to their availability of open slots, and need for experienced players to slot in immediately ... like everything else, whether it works for more than a year or two will depend on whether the coaching staff can establish their value to these players, and repel the inevitable internal competition within HEA for the better players of that group.

To use a term most often used in Euro football ... these new Major Junior recruits, at UNH and elsewhere, will immediately be placed in the "shop window" in light of the new portal/transfer rules. Just like everyone else, these players will see (and be seen by) other HEA options, and if the UNH coaching staff cannot convince these players that UNH is their best bet to attain the next level ... it's off to the next place, where there is a recent history of players making the NHL.

So if MS7 can bring these guys in, AND generate some level of success (let's modestly say 6th place, like last season), then the question becomes, can he sustain that success and (hopefully) then build upon it? If we use this latest completed season as a measuring stick, you gotta wonder why it would be any different the year after next? Keeping in mind that UNH's competitive profile is at an all-time low, I'm not expecting this to turn things around permanently. I'm probably more concerned that it might do just enough to save MS7's bacon yet again, and by the time its freshness wears off, we're back in 9th place and MS7 has a new deal that gets him to the next decade.

It was a welcome sight to see 'Watcher (unmasked) back on the board again. I suspect his dwindling emotional attachment to UNH is a sentiment he shares with many, to differing degrees. With the right hire(s), I see no reason why UNH can't return to prominence, as expressed by many of our visiting UMaine posters, who have lived through much of our current experience, and emerged on the other side (Barr). What keeps coming back at me, though, is even if the proper decision is made to remove MS7 from his (and our) suffering ... will the folks currently in charge even know how to identify a suitable replacement?

At this time last season, I had some (highly guarded) optimism, even if I disagreed with MS7's extension.

Right now, I am struggling to find any optimism, short term OR long term, frankly. It all ends poorly, looking at things objectively.

Nothing short of MS7's resignation or buyout is likely to lift my spirits on the future of UNH Hockey.

 

[HockeyRef]

Was at a HS state championship game at the SNHU Arena (verizon) today I see they already have the UNH logo laid in.

Felt nostalgic remembering 2013 and seeing the 'Cats beat Denver (and then lose to UML). Didn't matter was hooked. Oh well...you veterans know this far better than I..as UNH went deep into the post season often it was expected.

Lots of fans I know who have been following the program for awhile are really missing this. Guess my point of all this is fans do care and the powers that be need to really embrace that as has been mentioned. We are your best foot soldiers despite our whining on this board.

Oh and the hs game was awesome with my former HS team winning in OT. For a D3 HS game it was fun to watch.

Welp back to my evening of watching the rest of HE play

 

[HockeyRef]

How 'bout those Huskies!!! 9th seed to the Garden...

 

[norbert]

Based on what I know, MS7s buyout is $240K. So that is $100 per STH on the low end. I have 4 tickets so its $400 for me, Check is ready, can we get enough donations to cover it?

 

[norbert]

Not sure which handle on here is Mike Hickey but he has stopped responding on Facebook but when you sneak on here for MS7, stop calling out people for hiding and then do the same. Pony up and be accountable for your words.....

 

[Snively65]

Both Huskies. Despite what some wrote on this thread earlier, it is still possible for seven HEA teams to make the NCAA’s this season.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Chuck: I doubt your sources. In light of how you post online, I can’t imagine anyone in the know is all that interested in talking about inner workings of the program with you.

You would be quite surprised. You see, unlike you, who has been on here for 3+ years, I've been on here for close to 30 years, if you include prior iterations of the USCHO message board. Just because you personally disagree with my opinions, doesn't mean there isn't widespread support for many of them on here, and with that comes other opinions that may not achieve an overall consensus. But one way or the other, folks I am fortunate to call upon as informed sources have trusted me to keep my word when I promise confidentiality, and that's exactly what I've done. That builds trust. You should try it sometime.

As far as your "assignment" ... you chalk it up to UNH's purported "embarrassment" at the condition of its "digs", and when I've commented on UNH's lack of engagement in this AND many other ways, I've laid that at the doorstep of MS7, who seems to be under the misguided impression that he's doing a 9-to-5 job. The activities (and other such means of publicizing his program) MS7 apparently considers to be beyond his strict union paygrade are staggering, but when people like you are so quick to offer him excuses like "the facility has fallen behind", and he gets extensions for achieving nothing, why change, right?

I certainly don't need any primer - not from anyone, and certainly not from you - on the current state of "American culture", seeing that for the last 20+ years, I've been interacting every single year with groups of at least 15-20 families who have entrusted their future student athletes to me, and for whom I've written dozens of testimonials and fielded countless calls and in-person visits on their behalf. These families almost always place their relationship with their players' future coach(es) and their history(s) of player development and advancement at or near the top of the list, along with alignment of their academic strengths. Many families also want to know about the communities where these schools are - some folks desire the "bright lights of the big city", while others favor the relative calm and tranquility of a more rural setting. UNH can offer the best of both worlds, with direct access (literally) from their campus to the TD Garden.

Winning solves most, if not all issues (see Ben Barr). We currently do not have a coach capable of winning at this level, and worse, he is operating under the assumption he has been shorted on facilities support. So try as he may, he is helpless to turn things around ... so why bother investing the extra effort? He is a "victim", and folks like you continue to enable this kind of loser mentality. Your mindset seems to reflect a genuine yet misguided viewpoint, where you solve your problems by simply throwing more money at it. And the funny thing is, UNH used to have a pair of Friends organizations to provide some of these extra "bells and whistles", until the former control freak AD eliminated both of them (and the current Men's HC stood by and let it happen).

MS7 is complicit in his own demise, and your proposed approach of simply throwing more money at "solutions" is outdated and discredited.

I only pray folks like you are nowhere near the hiring process for his replacement, as we'll never move forward via excuses and enablers.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Both Huskies. Despite what some wrote on this thread earlier, it is still possible for seven HEA teams to make the NCAA’s this season.

At least Lowell was exposed as a tourney pretender. Don't see Northeastern getting into the Finals, but it would seem fairly likely based on PWR that UMass Amherst will sneak in, despite not making it to Boston. So it seems six it will be, not the five I'd predicted. Hardly the first time I've been wrong on here.