What's new
By:
USCHO Fan Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • The USCHO Fan Forum has migrated to a new plaform, xenForo. Most of the function of the forum should work in familiar ways. Please note that you can switch between light and dark modes by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right of the main menu bar. We are hoping that this new platform will prove to be faster and more reliable. Please feel free to explore its features.

UNH 2025 Offseason: Where in the World is MS7?

HockeyRef said:
Went to the barbeque Sunday nice to see Grouchy and his Mrs...Interesting afternoon! Grouchy can give a better synopsis on the site plans / design work that had to be re -configured? ...

Yes of course it was the typical event with the softball vibes but hey seeing those new players...10 of em...biggest class since Potsy's was good to see. Invasion of the boys from CA..Halifax to be more exact. Bring it!!

Coach acknowledged that things were not exactly 'picture perfect' the last decade but hey no one puts UNH in a corner (Dirty Dancing reference) when it comes to chasing down loose pucks...despite facilities. Hoping this 'no one tries harder than us' mantra turns into something big with the infusion of these new guys...

Most of the team was there..good to see them and be back at the 'Whit. Construction begins in 2026 tho from what I gathered they had to scrap some of the original plans due to site issues (the words 'crumbly') was brought up by Ms. Rich...

Over to you Grouchy or anyone else for your take. Marty Lavins for Capt!!! Nick Ring for one of the A's is HR's prediction.
Click to expand...
Good report. No gloating about return to playing a BiG10 team?
 
norbert said:
Anyone go to the BBQ for STH today? I am guessing MS7 gave his 5 minutes of typical pandering nothingness before leaving for a trip to find the next gem.

Starting out with two with the Spartans and not home until end of October should be a fun start to the season. Are there 10 Ws in the book?
Click to expand...
What is your realistic prediction?
 
Snively65 said:
Good report. No gloating about return to playing a BiG10 team?
Click to expand...
Well...he almost seemed (and this isn't a direct reflection of him as I know he hates talking in public) 'cautious' in his optimism? He is obviously looking forward to the rennovations.

If I could use the term mea culpa about the results of the past..that might sum it up. He gave kudos to his asst coaches and included the work of Jim T Who was not there due to illness.

Like I said...it was really a different feel when those Canadians introduced themselves...I mean we have a Felix on the team y'all!!
 
HockeyRef said:
Well...he almost seemed (and this isn't a direct reflection of him as I know he hates talking in public) 'cautious' in his optimism? He is obviously looking forward to the rennovations.

If I could use the term mea culpa about the results of the past..that might sum it up. He gave kudos to his asst coaches and included the work of Jim T Who was not there due to illness.

Like I said...it was really a different feel when those Canadians introduced themselves...I mean we have a Felix on the team y'all!!
Click to expand...
And we have an Oscar too Ref...:ROFLMAO:
 
Chuck Murray said:
He really is in the wrong business then. If he doesn't embrace the PR aspect of his job, then he should go back to being an anonymous assistant.
Click to expand...
I think he is well aware of the fan sentiment of how things have been going I mean how could he not be? We talked to him 1 on 1...hes very comfortable in that mode.

I guess he deserves kudos for acknowledging publicly how things have been going. Beats total arrogance and complete denial...Which isn't a river in Egypt last I looked 🤣😂😂
 
HockeyRef said:
I think he is well aware of the fan sentiment of how things have been going I mean how could he not be? We talked to him 1 on 1...hes very comfortable in that mode.

I guess he deserves kudos for acknowledging publicly how things have been going. Beats total arrogance and complete denial...Which isn't a river in Egypt last I looked 🤣😂😂
Click to expand...
Assistant coaches major in having fantastic 1-on-1 discussions. D-1 head coaches need to be able to communicate on a higher level. It's not an optional skill.

Souza may not even realize it, but he's been pretty lucky to be in his current job so long. Where we used to have local press who did regular interviews and asked challenging questions, now all we have is glorified stenographers who lob unoffensive and unchallenging creampuffs at a coach a few times a season. So the target guy at the top goes unchallenged too often, and the emperor can rule his kingdom without any clothes a little longer, if their AD lacks vision.

Just the standard of what qualifies as an effective UNH head coach has dropped precipitously. Look at it this way ... the three seasons before Blue Skies gave Coach Umile the "Long Goodbye", Umile's record was 61-49-10 (roughly) including two out of three winning seasons, a .500 season in the 3rd season, and a trip to the 2014 HEA Tourney Finals in between. If MS7 were ever to replicate that level of three year success, he'd be on "Easy Street" with many folks on here.

Some guys are just more comfortable as assistant coaches. As I often raise in discussions like this, consider the great Grant Standbrook. Mediocre early in his D-1 coaching career as Head Coach at Dartmouth, then after a stint with the 1976 US Olympic team assisting "Badger Bob" Johnson, he followed him to Wisconsin for a decade of glory there, and then hopped onto the Walshy train at UMaine for two more decades of excellence. That was never a coincidence. And even if Walshy picked up a ton of knowledge from his former father-in-law Ron Mason at MSU when he was a bench-warming goalie, there's no way Standbrook wasn't more knowledgeable than Walshy at his time of hire. Walshy was there to be the ringmaster of the circus, the human lightning rod as I used to call him, and he was absolutely in his element. Standbrook was incredibly proficient in his element as well, and knew enough to stay in that role when Walshy went out on suspension, avoiding the potential awkwardness when the ringmaster eventually returned to the big top. Even when ringmaster Walshy left for good, Standbrook propped up his earnest-yet-limited successor for a few years, earning the gratitude of UMaine fans, and the respect of fans all across D-1 when he eventually retired.

Like many sports/professions, D-1 hockey in general (and HEA more specifically) is loaded with former assistants trying to lead programs to some level of success, and for every Ben Barr or Nate Leaman, there are several long-standing assistants like MS7, Luce, Scotty Borek, Jerry Keefe and the like, who want badly (some more badly than others; looking at you, Luce) to succeed, and don't quite make it up to the levels attained by their more famous mentors. You can't blame any of them for trying, although in some cases it's more *entertaining* when a former assistant thinks he was better at that post than he really was. Rounding back to HR's point ... I'm sure at this point, MS7 is under no illusions about his job, and how far he has fallen short of his personal goals to seamlessly continue his original mentor's success at their alma mater. But like the guy at the craps table who's been on a long losing streak, he convinces himself that he's been unlucky, and his luck is about to turn any time now. At least until someone turns out the lights, and it's time to go home, short of glory.

I think that's kind of where MS7 is right now, and his last throw of the dice is the "Canadian Major Junior" strategy that's about to hit the ice in a few months ...
 
norbert said:
12-18-4 would be on the higher side for the year
Click to expand...
I have them at 15-15-4. But last year I thought you were pessimistic but you ended up being right.

Jellsville probably has them at 28-4-2.

Chuck will predict a trip to the garden after they start out ok. Even go so far as standing behind a long term Souza extension after a split with MSU. But then by the end of the season claim he was right when they only get 12 wins. And calling for Souza to fall on his sword.
 
Last edited:
Sparkee said:
I have them at 15-15-4. But last year I thought you were pessimistic but you ended up being right.

Jellsville probably has them at 28-4-2.

Chuck will predict a trip to the garden after they start out ok. Even go so far as standing behind a long term Souza extension after a split with MSU. But then by the end of the season claim he was right when they only get 12 wins. And calling for Souza to fall on his sword.
Click to expand...
fan2
/fan/
noun
noun: fan; plural noun: fans
  1. a person who has a strong interest in or admiration for a particular person or thing.
I happen to love UNH hockey! 19-10-5 (4th place above ME)!!
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top