Re: Boston University 2012-13 Season Thread -- Part II
It has been so long since BU was an elite program for a sustained period, that many BU fans don't get why some of the older folk around here have lost their patience. I didn't experience the 70's, but I did experience the 90's, and we have fallen so far from there, that it is sad. I get the fact that you can't be on top forever, and I know that our run in the 90's was helped by the fact that BC fell off the face of the earth for several years. But if you look at the trend, for the first few years of the FF drought, we were close. OT loss in 98 Regional Final, 4OT loss in 2000 Regional Final, I think we also lost to UNH in 2003 in the Regional final (is that the right year, when we lost 4-0)? 2006 we ran into a fired up BC team in the Regional final. But if you take out 2009, which was fully loaded with NHL talent, the trend is that we have gotten worse. If this year's squad doesn't reach the FF (a very good bet at this point), that will mean 1 FF in 16 years!!!!
In addition to the fact that we haven't had national level success other than 2009, the following issues have been consistent themes through these lean years:
- a lack of discipline on the ice - dumb penalties, often at the worst times. Why can't this problem be fixed?
- off ice issues - clearly last year was the worst example, but there have been others - we used to get character guys that were also really good hockey played (see Mike Grier). Has the priority shifted here?
- weak on faceoffs - this may seem like nit-picking, but again, we consistently are poor in this area. Every now and then we get someone who is great at them, but other than that, we seem to be on the short end in most games. With all the years of coaching behind the bench, doesn't anyone know how to teach these?
- 60-minute effort - this years team has been a welcome change in this regard, but prior teams have seemed to have trouble giving their all for 60 minutes.
The answer is to most of these issues is so clear that even Parker has admitted it himself - he can't relate to players anymore. They are SO much younger than him. His approach doesn't work with this generation. But he has not tried to adapt, at least in a meaningful way. Unfortunately, the longer he refuses to give in to the obvious changes going on around him, the more he is hurting the institution that is BU Hockey. Other posters are right, while I wish he had stepped down about 12 years ago, 2009 would have ben his perfect opportunity. Most fans would have forgotten the drought from '98 to '09, given the magical ride that 2009 was. But that ship has sailed, and now problems and a lack of success are grabbing the headlines again.
The worse part is that if he doesn't pass the torch soon, we are going to have no shot at the guys we really want to take it - Sullivan or Quinn.
