BU 2011-2012 Season: The bar is low, boys!

[sterlippo1]

Re: BU 2011-2012 Season: The bar is low, boys!

Not sure if this has been posted earlier, but in Dec. 1972, Patriots President Billy Sullivan offered Paterno the head coaching and GM jobs, along with a piece of the action. I recall considerable popular excitement about the offer, which was eventually turned down.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...PdOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9wEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5988,4120974

wow, now that you mention it, i recall that as well....

 

[J.D.]

Re: BU 2011-2012 Season: The bar is low, boys!

I know there was talk, but was Parker ever offered the Bruins job? If so, what year?

 

[Friend_of_BU_Hockey]

I know there was talk, but was Parker ever offered the Bruins job? If so, what year?

1997 to replace Steve Kasper.

 

[ericredaxe]

Re: BU 2011-2012 Season: The bar is low, boys!

1997 to replace Steve Kasper.

This sounds correct, and in addition, I believe there were other years that Sinden spoke with him, inquired about his interest level, coveted him etc, but never formally offered it due to Parker's desire to stay at BU.

 

[TimP]

Re: BU 2011-2012 Season: The bar is low, boys!

Parker shared his thoughts today on the Penn State scandal: http://www.thebostonhockeyblog.com/2011/11/parker-disgusted-at-questions-timing-of.html

Also, for those of you who do not follow us on Twitter, Trivino will not play this weekend due to an ankle injury. Privitera will sit and Nicastro will replace him. Forward lines are in flux because of the Trivino injury (didn't know he'd miss the weekend until today).

Preview for the weekend (including goaltender info/quotes from Millan) should be up on the blog later tonight.

Of course JackPa would defend JoePa. They both should have been gone a long time ago but someone still wanted to pay the senile old coots to lose. If I were a BU fanboy (thank the Aqua Buddha I'm not,) I would want some sort of scandal to break so JackPa gets shown the door.

 

[pirate]

Re: BU 2011-2012 Season: The bar is low, boys!

Of course JackPa would defend JoePa. They both should have been gone a long time ago but someone still wanted to pay the senile old coots to lose. If I were a BU fanboy (thank the Aqua Buddha I'm not,) I would want some sort of scandal to break so JackPa gets shown the door.

you read that as a defense of Paterno? Really?

 

[ericredaxe]

Re: BU 2011-2012 Season: The bar is low, boys!

Of course JackPa would defend JoePa. They both should have been gone a long time ago but someone still wanted to pay the senile old coots to lose. If I were a BU fanboy (thank the Aqua Buddha I'm not,) I would want some sort of scandal to break so JackPa gets shown the door.

Only a superfanboy would read that as Parker defending Paterno's actions.

 

[mookie1995]

parker agreed to take the bruins job. sinden had scheduled a press conf to introduce him and jack changed his mind. they still had the presser and harry was left at the alter. kinda funny.

(don't forget jack also quit to take the ad job too about a decade before the b's thingy)

you read that as a defense of Paterno? Really?

while i would have expected someone to maybe jump on him for bringing up the church and yell, "DIG AT BC!!!", siding with joepa was not on my radar.

 

[Rover]

Re: BU 2011-2012 Season: The bar is low, boys!

I have certainly been critical of the coaching and general leadership of the program but agree that this is not a black and white issue and that Parker should not get credit for success when it occurs. Jack was a big part of the success of that team as a great blend of talent, good breaks, tradition, coaching, background players contributing behind the scenes, fan support, etc all came together for a magical run. So, with that said, of course Parker was a big part of the 09 national title as he should be as head coach and I give him his share of credit for that cohesive group accomplishment.

My concern is related to the long term trends of the program. I believe that most would agree that on paper BU consistently gets talent that would rank it in the top 10% of NCAA hockey programs programs. That translates to a top 5-6 program in the country. If that is a valid assumption we should be seeing at minimum trips to the NCAA tournament every year with a Frozen Four appearance at least every 3-4 years (see BC, North Dakota, DU as examples).

We are not seeing that type of result and in addition we are constantly disappointed by the apparent lack of effort, lack of focus, social media distractions, suspensions for breaking team rules, etc. by the plaers. That to me is a result of a general lack of respect by the players for the program and coaches that lead the program. Is that the right response from the players? I don't think so but it is what it is. If a coach can no longer put a program together where the entire team, coaches, supporting staff, etc are consistently on the same page rowing in the same direction with the same priorities and values one needs to assess that coaches effectiveness and demand accountability. That is why I worry that Parker isn't the right guy any longer. It's not black and white but the overall gray that comes from blending the good and bad into a final result, relative to what reasonable expecations should be for the Terrier hockey program suggests the current leadership is not getting the job done.

Very well put.

Regarding York, I've seen him play a style one year where everybody's crashing the net and the goalie's on his own. Then the next year he'll switch it up and lock it down in the defensive end and try to win 2-1 games. He seems a lot more flexible to adapt to whatever team he has (given early departures, etc).

 

[DaveStPaul]

Re: BU 2011-2012 Season: The bar is low, boys!

Nice mention of Coyle (with photo!) during the Wild-Sharks game tonight, part of an "up-and-coming in the Wild organization" bit.

 

[defkit]

Re: BU 2011-2012 Season: The bar is low, boys!

I have certainly been critical of the coaching and general leadership of the program but agree that this is not a black and white issue and that Parker should not get credit for success when it occurs. Jack was a big part of the success of that team as a great blend of talent, good breaks, tradition, coaching, background players contributing behind the scenes, fan support, etc all came together for a magical run. So, with that said, of course Parker was a big part of the 09 national title as he should be as head coach and I give him his share of credit for that cohesive group accomplishment.

My concern is related to the long term trends of the program. I believe that most would agree that on paper BU consistently gets talent that would rank it in the top 10% of NCAA hockey programs programs. That translates to a top 5-6 program in the country. If that is a valid assumption we should be seeing at minimum trips to the NCAA tournament every year with a Frozen Four appearance at least every 3-4 years (see BC, North Dakota, DU as examples).

We are not seeing that type of result and in addition we are constantly disappointed by the apparent lack of effort, lack of focus, social media distractions, suspensions for breaking team rules, etc. by the plaers. That to me is a result of a general lack of respect by the players for the program and coaches that lead the program. Is that the right response from the players? I don't think so but it is what it is. If a coach can no longer put a program together where the entire team, coaches, supporting staff, etc are consistently on the same page rowing in the same direction with the same priorities and values one needs to assess that coaches effectiveness and demand accountability. That is why I worry that Parker isn't the right guy any longer. It's not black and white but the overall gray that comes from blending the good and bad into a final result, relative to what reasonable expecations should be for the Terrier hockey program suggests the current leadership is not getting the job done.

Excellent post #1

 

[defkit]

Re: BU 2011-2012 Season: The bar is low, boys!

Agreed on the certain style of play point. I don't think it's been as much of an issue in recent years as it was from about 2000 - 2005. There was certainly a trend during those years where BU recruited some high-end skill players (i.e. Sabo, Skladany, Johnson) who had potential to be impact players, yet were disappointments b/c there was a bad fit between BU's style of play and theirs. I think it was a reaction to BU not winning some of the recruiting battles they used to win and, as a result, landing players that were high on talent, but weren't necessarily "BU hockey players" in the truest sense of Parker's definition. There were other guys who had the size and hockey sense to play the dump-and-chase, grinding game, yet still didn't flourish as much as they could have (McConnell, Maiser, Magowan come to mind).

Disagree on the point about York. I think a big part of his success is that he has a certain philosophy and style of play he prefers, and he recruits players that are a strong fit for that style. As a result, many of those players are quite successful during their time at BC.

I think in the Agganis years leading up to the 2009 title, the majority of the 4-year players on those teams developed at or close to what was projected. The Senior classes of 2006 and 2007 weren't necessarily filled with studs, but some solid 4-year players whom improved each season (with the VDG/Zancanaro/LaLiberte/Spang/etc. class > Sullivan/Roche/Schaeffer/Morrow/Curry class IMO). The 2008 class had MacArthur and Ewing as very solid 4-year contributors; the some of the role players in that class could've developed a little more, but didn't necessarily hurt the team (Baby Tiger incident notwithstanding).

Excellent post #2

 

[defkit]

Re: BU 2011-2012 Season: The bar is low, boys!

With the tradition and resources BU has, the benchmark for each class of players, assuming a 4-year BU career, IMO, should be:

at least 1 FF appearance
at least 1 HE championship
at least 1 HE regular-season title
multiple Beanpot championships
95+ wins

The only class to meet/exceed those benchmarks in the post-Drury era is the 2009 Senior class (1 FF appearance, 2 HE Championships, 2 HE Regular-Season Championships, 3 Beanpots, 104 wins).

And, #3 - excellent analysis....

 

[Ryecheers]

Re: BU 2011-2012 Season: The bar is low, boys!

I have certainly been critical of the coaching and general leadership of the program but agree that this is not a black and white issue and that Parker should not get credit for success when it occurs. Jack was a big part of the success of that team as a great blend of talent, good breaks, tradition, coaching, background players contributing behind the scenes, fan support, etc all came together for a magical run. So, with that said, of course Parker was a big part of the 09 national title as he should be as head coach and I give him his share of credit for that cohesive group accomplishment.

My concern is related to the long term trends of the program. I believe that most would agree that on paper BU consistently gets talent that would rank it in the top 10% of NCAA hockey programs programs. That translates to a top 5-6 program in the country. If that is a valid assumption we should be seeing at minimum trips to the NCAA tournament every year with a Frozen Four appearance at least every 3-4 years (see BC, North Dakota, DU as examples).

We are not seeing that type of result and in addition we are constantly disappointed by the apparent lack of effort, lack of focus, social media distractions, suspensions for breaking team rules, etc. by the plaers. That to me is a result of a general lack of respect by the players for the program and coaches that lead the program. Is that the right response from the players? I don't think so but it is what it is. If a coach can no longer put a program together where the entire team, coaches, supporting staff, etc are consistently on the same page rowing in the same direction with the same priorities and values one needs to assess that coaches effectiveness and demand accountability. That is why I worry that Parker isn't the right guy any longer. It's not black and white but the overall gray that comes from blending the good and bad into a final result, relative to what reasonable expecations should be for the Terrier hockey program suggests the current leadership is not getting the job done.

I agree that this was a carefully considered and well crafted post. My question concerns the ability to obtain top flight talent. Is Parker the primary attraction or is the educational opportunities or the attractive facilities a larger factor? Is the fact that Parker has sent enough players to the NHL to stock a very competitive team the hook that brings in top talent, and is that type of talent more self centered and less of a "team player"? The school offers a superior education (as do the other Beanpot schools and about 2/3 of HEA), but does that attract the player who is offered a full scholarship to train for a career on the ice?

 

[mookie1995]

I agree that this was a carefully considered and well crafted post. My question concerns the ability to obtain top flight talent. Is Parker the primary attraction or is the educational opportunities or the attractive facilities a larger factor? Is the fact that Parker has sent enough players to the NHL to stock a very competitive team the hook that brings in top talent, and is that type of talent more self centered and less of a "team player"? The school offers a superior education (as do the other Beanpot schools and about 2/3 of HEA), but does that attract the player who is offered a full scholarship to train for a career on the ice?

it is a combination (mr obvious, am i ), and the ratio will vary depending on the recruit. parker has a resume. the program offers the ability -if the player seeks it out- to prepare yourself for the next step. the facilities are top notch, top notch. the city is one of the best in the world. the school is decent enough if you want to utilize the opportunities there too (or if you want to enroll in met college, you can do that as well) you can set yourself up for post-playing day careers.

i think the history and tradition add something too and have to be included.

 

[Jacques Joubert]

Re: BU 2011-2012 Season: The bar is low, boys!

Of course JackPa would defend JoePa. They both should have been gone a long time ago but someone still wanted to pay the senile old coots to lose. If I were a BU fanboy (thank the Aqua Buddha I'm not,) I would want some sort of scandal to break so JackPa gets shown the door.

Doesn't look like he defended him at all to me. Seemed concerned for the kids. Geez...I'm not even a huge Jack fan, but he wasn't condoning this at all.

 

[Bomber]

Re: BU 2011-2012 Season: The bar is low, boys!

Doesn't look like he defended him at all to me. Seemed concerned for the kids. Geez...I'm not even a huge Jack fan, but he wasn't condoning this at all.

Jack Parker could take a bullet for TimP and TimP would ***** about the mess he made on his carpet.

 

[Scarlet]

Re: BU 2011-2012 Season: The bar is low, boys!

Jack Parker could take a bullet for TimP and TimP would ***** about the mess he made on his carpet.

 

[mookie1995]

Re: BU 2011-2012 Season: The bar is low, boys!

Fri. Nov. 11 7:00 ET Merrimack __LOST OT- 3-4-1
Sun. Nov. 13 4:00 ET @ Boston College __3-5-1
Fri. Nov. 18 7:00 ET Vermont __4-5-1 (maybe)
Sat. Nov. 19 7:00 ET New Hampshire __4-6-1
Sat. Nov. 26 8:00 ET vs. Cornell __4-7-1
Fri. Dec. 2 7:00 ET @ Boston College __4-8-1
Sat. Dec. 3 7:00 ET Boston College __4-9-1
Thu. Dec. 8 7:00 ET @ New Hampshire __4-10-1
Sat. Dec. 10 7:30 ET @ Maine __4-11-1
Sat. Dec. 31 7:05 ET @ Notre Dame __4-12-1
Sat. Jan. 7 7:00 ET Merrimack __4-13-1

 

[Bumbles]

Re: BU 2011-2012 Season: The bar is low, boys!

Fri. Nov. 11 7:00 ET Merrimack __LOST OT- 3-4-1
Sun. Nov. 13 4:00 ET @ Boston College __3-5-1
Fri. Nov. 18 7:00 ET Vermont __4-5-1 (maybe)
Sat. Nov. 19 7:00 ET New Hampshire __4-6-1
Sat. Nov. 26 8:00 ET vs. Cornell __4-7-1
Fri. Dec. 2 7:00 ET @ Boston College __4-8-1
Sat. Dec. 3 7:00 ET Boston College __4-9-1
Thu. Dec. 8 7:00 ET @ New Hampshire __4-10-1
Sat. Dec. 10 7:30 ET @ Maine __4-11-1
Sat. Dec. 31 7:05 ET @ Notre Dame __4-12-1
Sat. Jan. 7 7:00 ET Merrimack __4-13-1

I'd argue these predictions but I'd probably lose the argument....,badly.