UNH- How Far West Do We Go?

[Potluck]

Ahhh... need to hire the coach that can recruit, can coach, can communicate to the fans and has vision

Then you have the opportunity to get better players, coach them up, increase the winning, get the community engaged (both doners and voters) and you communicate the winning vision...

You have never been involved in at an executive level in private business. You are asking the tail to wag the dog. This is a classic mistake.

 

[JB]

You clearly don't understand organizational excellence. If the company is not committed to excellence, hiring a CEO that is becomes very unlikely. If such a moribund organization stumbles into one, they'll leave in short order.

You clearly have never worked in a turn around. The one BIG difference between UNH and a company fixing itself is UNH is not willing to admit it has a problem.

Working a turn around the board (AD in this case) hires a new CEO (coach). Part of hiring that CEO is them understanding they are doing a turn around. That CEO comes in figures out what stays (normally only a little) and what goes and when it/they go. Create a winning vision, communicates over and over until it is a winning culture.

You are dreaming a silly, silly dream.

The silly dream is believing that the State is magically just going to dump a bunch of money in this program. I have shown cases after case the vast majority of State school investment comes from private donors after the winning starts. They all need a vision and a salesman (recruiter) to show what is possible first.

My silliness is thinking that somehow one of these days you will grow up and actually have an interesting, case study, fact based, point of view you could defend.

 

[Potluck]

You clearly have never worked in a turn around. The one BIG difference between UNH and a company fixing itself is UNH is not willing to admit it has a problem.

Working a turn around the board (AD in this case) hires a new CEO (coach). Part of hiring that CEO is them understanding they are doing a turn around. That CEO comes in figures out what stays (normally only a little) and what goes and when it/they go. Create a winning vision, communicates over and over until it is a winning culture.



The silly dream is believing that the State is magically just going to dump a bunch of money in this program. I have shown cases after case the vast majority of State school investment comes from private donors after the winning starts. They all need a vision and a salesman (recruiter) to show what is possible first.

My silliness is thinking that somehow one of these days you will grow up and actually have an interesting, case study, fact based, point of view you could defend.

Your plan is insanely beyond the capabilities of a hockey coach. Just madness. You have zero case studies that serve as a precedent for what you propose a $225k or so future hockey coach does at UNH. You have never been involved in a turn around.

A turn around requires a large infusion of new capital. It requires a detailed plan with proper funding.

 

[Chuck Murray]

From the BC fan page (should I stay or should I go?):

Move Conmy to the fourth line. He is basically just here for the PP (a very good weapon on the PP). He has 2 points, both PPGs and he skates on a line with two supremely talented guys in Hagens and Teddy Stiga. This line generally doesn't do much most nights 5 on 5 (Hagens goal vs RPI was just as a PP expired) and is probably the worst first line I've ever seen at BC. To have only two points right now is telling and plenty of a sample size. Hagens should be dominating and he really isn't. Not sure if Jellvik is ever going to come back but when he does, you shuffle the lines around big time. That obviously is a concern IMO as we saw last year there was inability and disinterest by the staff to find viable line combos and their fate was sealed the minute the lineup card was submitted in Manchester after the Northeastern debacle.

Hagens is a high first round NHL pick; Stiga is a second rounder. Conmy is a 5th round hit-and-hope pick - as is virtually anything 4th round and after - he's way out of his depth at this moment. Someone described it as "little fish in the big pond", whereas he used to be the "big fish in the little pond". Bingo.

He'd better hope that something clicks (and soon) with his current linemates, or else he will (rightfully) fall to a bottom six role in a program like BC ... it's his chance of a lifetime actually, and you can bet the Kings are watching his progress (or lack thereof) VERY closely at this key juncture of his development ...

 

[Chuck Murray]

Umile got the job simply by being promoted to head coach when Kullen suddenly died. No search. UNH hired an alum thst had no head coaching experience other than high school. There was nothing ambitious in general about the hockey program in the early 90s. There was nothing ambitious or innovative about Umile hiring his GBL buddy Chris Serino to be his recruiter.

The key was construction of the Whitt.

Overnight UNH went from having an upscale high school rink with some charm to the number 2 facility in the east behind Conte. The number 3 facility was far behind.

It's hilarious actually, reading your assuredness in your position, immediately before 'Watcher dropped in and laid waste to your fiction.

Otherwise, one would believe your nonsense, and think, "Wow, that Umile guy got lucky, didn't he?!? Just bumbling around and he lucks into a building" lol. Which in turn would create a basis for your bigger (attempted) point that Souza = Umile without the new Whitt. Which of course is crazy inaccurate.

Now try this out ... in the first paragraph above, let's change a couple of the characters, and see how silly you were to denigrate Umile's in situ status ...

Jack Parker got the job simply by being promoted to head coach when Jack Kelly suddenly bolted for the WHA. No search. BU hired an alum that had no head coaching experience period. There was nothing ambitious in general about the BU hockey program in the early 90s. There was nothing ambitious or innovative about Parker hiring his local yokel buddies Don "Toot" Cahoon and Brian Durocher to be his recruiters.

The key was construction of the Agganis Arena (lol 30+ years after he was hired, won multiple D-1 titles in crappy Walter Brown Arena).

Maybe Coach Umile took on a lot of grief on here over the years, some for not winning the really big one, and maybe for not winning enough of the kinda big ones, too. And of course, not unlike even the greatest coaches of all time in their respective sports, sometimes they get old, tired, and stick around too long.

But the idea that Souza is just one good break away from being in Umile's league as a D-1 HC is laughable, and frankly utterly ridiculous. Stop it, now.

FWIW ... the proverbial "nationwide searches" for D-1 Head Hockey Coaches is a relatively new phenomenon, and hiring alums has been more the rule than the exception at a lot of big hockey schools, not the least being BU and BC, plus loads of others elsewhere in the country. Umile's UNH was still crawling out of the wreckage of the end stage Holt Era, and he did a LOT more, and WAY more quickly, with less than what Souza has had for the last decade.

UNH's admin ambition in the early '90's was eons ahead of where the current crew is right now. First, they made two great hires (Kullen being the first, by all accounts), and the program bottomed out for half the length of the current Souza stagnation. And once Umile proved he had the wherewithal to turn it all around, the school was super ambitious in building The Whitt. Something that still exceeds anything UMaine and Alfond have done for hockey up in Orono.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Elwood:

You clearly don't understand organizational excellence. If the company is not committed to excellence, hiring a CEO that is becomes very unlikely. If such a moribund organization stumbles into one, they'll leave in short order.

If the company is not committed to excellence, creating the infrastructure necessary for sustained success will not happen.

UNH athletics exhibits no signs of being committed to excellence. Hence, failure is inevitable.

You are searching for Superman. Superman was a fictional character. You simply think UNH hires Superman, and he decides to do the following:

1. take a reduced salary because he has no track record
2. find numerous diamonds in the rough to mold into excellent players
3. coach a team of underdogs into a top 10 team and make several runs at league and national titles to create a local wave of massive excitement
4. generate such excitement that it reawakens a moribund athletic department actively looking to reduce costs
5. generate such excitement that it reawakens a moribund administration actively looking to reduce costs.
6. generate such excitement that wealthy donors step forward to help UNH hockey build improved facilities, increase recruiting budgets, and increase the pay of assistants and the head coach
7. somehow keep superman from leaving.

You are dreaming a silly, silly dream.

I think you would be quite surprised at the relative lack of professional mobility of your typical NCAA D-1 Hockey HC's. Not many have moved successfully to the NHL - even Parker "chickened out" when offered a sweeter deal by BU, and Umile did the same when approached by UMass Amherst. York never left, and neither did Walshy. They all pretty much stayed put. Maybe they too liked the "big fish in the little pond" mentality? But the inevitability of leaving, which is a real phenomenon in Football and Hoops (and per UNH, apparently even Soccer), is WAY oversold. "Superman" is super rare OR doesn't exist as a concept in the D-1 Hockey universe.

 

[2013hockeyfan]

It is actually 27:20 mark, the 10 minutes is what is left in the podcast.

Yes, that is what I said.

 

[UNHwildcat18]

A few pages back I saw people asking(complaining) about the new hockey renovations and lack of communication.

Not sure if everyone is subscribed but I got an email from AD Rich talking about everything...
Construction to start in October.
Both hockey teams to be in their new locker rooms for 2026-2027 season
Full renovations for everything done for end of 2026.
Also website with update photos is here https://unhwildcats.com/sports/2023/8/17/unh-hockey-renovation-project

*One thing I will add is while the whitt renovations look great and the stuff they have done inside the actual arena has been great.... I wish they would paint or replace all of the chairback seats with navy blue one. the true blue ones with the random red ones looks awful IMHO. No idea how that came to be...

I know all of you are devout hockey fans, but if anyone enjoys other UNH sports we talk about them here. https://unhsports.boards.net/

I am sure some of you know of our message board already but I thought I would share just incase anyone didn't!

 

[norbert]

Your plan is insanely beyond the capabilities of a hockey coach. Just madness. You have zero case studies that serve as a precedent for what you propose a $225k or so future hockey coach does at UNH. You have never been involved in a turn around.

A turn around requires a large infusion of new capital. It requires a detailed plan with proper funding.

Your plan is to continue sliding into last place in HE because there is no cash and just keep a coach who's teams are not good? Let's say $20M dropped in the lap of UNH and they have the greatest facility in D1 hockey. What happens when the team is still well out of the race?

 

[norbert]

A few pages back I saw people asking(complaining) about the new hockey renovations and lack of communication.

Not sure if everyone is subscribed but I got an email from AD Rich talking about everything...
Construction to start in October.
Both hockey teams to be in their new locker rooms for 2026-2027 season
Full renovations for everything done for end of 2026.
Also website with update photos is here https://unhwildcats.com/sports/2023/8/17/unh-hockey-renovation-project

*One thing I will add is while the whitt renovations look great and the stuff they have done inside the actual arena has been great.... I wish they would paint or replace all of the chairback seats with navy blue one. the true blue ones with the random red ones looks awful IMHO. No idea how that came to be...

I know all of you are devout hockey fans, but if anyone enjoys other UNH sports we talk about them here. https://unhsports.boards.net/

I am sure some of you know of our message board already but I thought I would share just incase anyone didn't!

There are 2 days left in October and from what I can tell, there is not even a shovel at the Whit.

Those renderings are the basically the same as every renovation planned. Maybe everyone is after the same look but seems strange that all are basically the same

Maine Athletics announces renovation plans for Harold Alfond Sports Arena, Shawn Walsh Hockey Center - University of Maine Athletics

The University of Maine and Maine Athletics have released plans for major renovations to Harold Alfond Sports Arena and the Shawn Walsh Hockey Center. The project

goblackbears.com

State-of-the-Art Hockey Locker Rooms Unveiled - Boston College Athletics

Men's hockey and women's hockey receive new, privately-funded locker rooms in Conte Forum.

bceagles.com

Dartmouth Athletics Announces Thompson Arena Renovations - Dartmouth College Athletics

Dartmouth's Haldeman Family Director of Athletics and Recreation, Mike Harrity and Dartmouth College announce a project to renovate Dartmouth's Rupert C. Tho...

dartmouthsports.com

Work - Jones Architecture

Many architecture firms talk about “balancing” design and service, as if they are walking a tightrope where one wrong move puts the whole program at risk of freefall.

www.jonesarch.com

 

[HockeyRef]

A few pages back I saw people asking(complaining) about the new hockey renovations and lack of communication.

Not sure if everyone is subscribed but I got an email from AD Rich talking about everything...
Construction to start in October.
Both hockey teams to be in their new locker rooms for 2026-2027 season
Full renovations for everything done for end of 2026.
Also website with update photos is here https://unhwildcats.com/sports/2023/8/17/unh-hockey-renovation-project

*One thing I will add is while the whitt renovations look great and the stuff they have done inside the actual arena has been great.... I wish they would paint or replace all of the chairback seats with navy blue one. the true blue ones with the random red ones looks awful IMHO. No idea how that came to be...

I know all of you are devout hockey fans, but if anyone enjoys other UNH sports we talk about them here. https://unhsports.boards.net/

I am sure some of you know of our message board already but I thought I would share just incase anyone didn't!

Thank you appreciate this post!

 

[UNHwildcat18]

There are 2 days left in October and from what I can tell, there is not even a shovel at the Whit.

Those renderings are the basically the same as every renovation planned. Maybe everyone is after the same look but seems strange that all are basically the same

Maine Athletics announces renovation plans for Harold Alfond Sports Arena, Shawn Walsh Hockey Center - University of Maine Athletics

The University of Maine and Maine Athletics have released plans for major renovations to Harold Alfond Sports Arena and the Shawn Walsh Hockey Center. The project

goblackbears.com

State-of-the-Art Hockey Locker Rooms Unveiled - Boston College Athletics

Men's hockey and women's hockey receive new, privately-funded locker rooms in Conte Forum.

bceagles.com

Dartmouth Athletics Announces Thompson Arena Renovations - Dartmouth College Athletics

Dartmouth's Haldeman Family Director of Athletics and Recreation, Mike Harrity and Dartmouth College announce a project to renovate Dartmouth's Rupert C. Tho...

dartmouthsports.com

Work - Jones Architecture

Many architecture firms talk about “balancing” design and service, as if they are walking a tightrope where one wrong move puts the whole program at risk of freefall.

www.jonesarch.com

I wouldn't expect to see any shovels because the renovations got changed from an external building to renovating lots of space under the arena.

 

[Potluck]

Your plan is to continue sliding into last place in HE because there is no cash and just keep a coach who's teams are not good? Let's say $20M dropped in the lap of UNH and they have the greatest facility in D1 hockey. What happens when the team is still well out of the race?

Meathead: Ah, it's the executive functioning section of the human brain that you are missing. I'll re-post it for you:

Elwood,

The alternative to my prior post is the following:

1. The AD or influential alum steps forward and asks the UNH to examine the state of UNH hockey.
2. The UNH admin and AD will name a committee of several former players who have done well in business, a faculty member from the Paul school, a loyal successful alum with success in business with no ties to UNH hockey, a current senior UNH administrator, and the AD or assistant AD to do the investigation
3. The job of the committee will be to determine why UNH hockey in no longer competitive in D1 hockey
4. The committee's task will be to make recommendations to improve the program to a consistent top 20 hockey program with a winning Hockey East record
5. The committee will create an action plan with costs to achieve the goal

Buford and Elwood ran out of gas at number 3 and turned on the Banana Splits.

 

[Whalers]

You have never been involved in at an executive level in private business. You are asking the tail to wag the dog. This is a classic mistake.

Would be great to hear some of your stories related to high level executive positions. The rest of us peasants can live vicariously thru your stories of PRIVATE business glory, or whatever it is that you have done in your stellar career. Would being an executive at a PUBLIC company give one the gravitas to comment on here? Or because there are shareholders involved, this would diminish the accomplishments?

 

[Whalers]

Your plan is insanely beyond the capabilities of a SOCCER coach. Just madness. You have zero case studies that serve as a precedent for what you propose a $125k or so future SOCCER coach does at UNH. You have never been involved in a turn around.

A turn around requires a large infusion of new capital. It requires a detailed plan with proper funding.

I fixed your post as I didnt have any examples either. Reached out to someone named Marc for more info but he is down in Raleigh. There again, he had never been involved at an executive level in private business. Better not listen to his take.

 

[Potluck]

The rest of us peasants can live vicariously thru your stories of PRIVATE business glory

Well, peasant is your word, not mine. But since you raised it.......

 

[Snively65]

A little over 24 hours from now the battle for the HEA basement begins at the Whitt. Who will it be, who it will be?

 

[JB]

Your plan is insanely beyond the capabilities of a hockey coach. Just madness. You have zero case studies that serve as a precedent for what you propose a $225k or so future hockey coach does at UNH. You have never been involved in a turn around.

Case #1:

Umile, Dick - I know that you are going to say that is ancient history. BUT hey it is the same school. Umile took a team to the NCAAs in the spring of 92 a year before the upgrades were even announced.

Barr, Ben - He had Umaine turned around and went to the NCAAs in 2024, the Alfond money was announced in Jan 2024, long after it could make any impact on that years Umaine's season. We could all see the trajectory of Umaine before the gift. For the kicker Barr was being paid $256k which is pretty much the same as Souza $240k 2024 salary.

There are 2 relevant cases right there for you. I know they have been discussed before just wanted to refresh your memory. I know neither will count for some reason, but mostly because they refute you.

A turn around requires a large infusion of new capital. It requires a detailed plan with proper funding.

Nobody gets the money without a coherent strategy which drives the actions on the detailed plan. Very few get the real money without proving the first few steps are going have results, some track record of success I am not seeing a communicated strategy from Souza and I am not seeing a track record of success on the ice.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Nobody gets the money without a coherent strategy which drives the actions on the detailed plan. Very few get the real money without proving the first few steps are going have results, some track record of success I am not seeing a communicated strategy from Souza and I am not seeing a track record of success on the ice.

Au contraire, mon ami ... two years ago, when the hero of our story was coaching out the final year of his previous contract, the strategy was pretty clear for all to see. Hanging out on NESN with his UNH pals Jack & Brick, slathering on the BS about how he was turning the program around in real time, and voicing his pleas for a new deal so he could finish the job he'd started in Durham. And of course, our bookworm AD f/k/a SB was star struck to see her man in charge of hockey, hanging out in the bright lights of the big city. And ball-washers like potty will insist he's entitled to another extension, because, y'know ... money, and lots of it. And committees and consultants, and subject matter experts to bloviate and pontificate ... only to find out, a few more irretrievable seasons further down the track to eternal mediocrity, spending further millions on facility upgrades ... the guy just doesn't know how to run a successful D-1 Hockey program.

Or maybe he's just about to run the table through the semester break, and drag his team to Boston and beyond in March by the sheer force of indominatable willpower. As the good folks of Missouri are known to say from time to time ... "show me". A decade should be enough on the job training to make a difference, no?!?

 

[HockeyRef]

A little over 24 hours from now the battle for the HEA basement begins at the Whitt. Who will it be, who it will be?

UNH sweeps. You heard it here first...