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

[pirate]

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

To me it boils down to the assistants...if Parker is not as close to the pulse of the team as he may have been at one time...we've discussed the composition of the team going from hard-nosed Southie and MA prep school kids to many travel hockey kids over the years...I personally think he related better to the teams of 20 years ago. He knew their dads, he knew their HS and prep coaches, he could talk about previous players his team knew personally. So, his assistants should complement him in this area...he should have at least one guy who is younger and more attuned to today's player and where they come from mentally.

This isn't an age thing per se, he could be 90 and relate well to kids or be 30 and not relate well...I think his style has been his style but the necessity of recruiting more in Canada and more across the US has changed the audience.

Which could result in him truly being surprised at the performance he just saw. There was a time when he could rely on the kids just being tough enough to hang in against anybody, never giving up, grinding etc. That may not be the case anymore.

 

[defkit]

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

- I don't question any of Parker's team moves - dismissing players, etc. None of us can know all of the true facts, and it would be silly to a) assume that I know all the facts, and b) state that a move that I would recommend is better than that of Parker's.

- I also feel that when he says things like "we weren't ready to play" or "we didn't have the energy that our opponent had", that in his mind, he is actually blaming himself (or at least including himself in the "we"). What I don't like is the fact that it seems to be the same problems year in and year out. At some point, one has to look at the constant.

- With regards to "4 games in" and "last year, we were #1 10 games in" - you're missing the point. This has been a consistent problem for over a decade now. BU should be an elite program, given the facilities, history, etc. Personally, I feel that to be considered elite, you need to be make it to the Frozen Four somewhat consistently. In the last 14 years, we have made it once. We had some near misses in '98 and '00. In '06, we seemed on the way, but had one of those darn "we weren't ready to play" games against BC. Certainly, winning in 2009 was a great achievement and I was as thrilled as anyone. But if you asked me which of the following I would take for the next 14 years - 1 guaranteed NCAA title and no other Frozen Fours, or five/six frozen fours with a shot to win one or more titles, I would take the latter in a heartbeat. In the '90's we went to seven FF's in eight years. I don't expect that sort of excellence, but I certainly expect more than 1 in 14.

 

[candycanes99]

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

He's been throwing his team under the bus for years while at the same time refusing to take any responsibility. That's what some of your fellow BU fans don't like.

Breath of fresh air compared to listening to Andy Reid.

"That's my fault, I have to do a better job there." Rinse and repeat.

While it's tempting to look at the big picture over the last decade and what that means with the head coaching in perspective, the more specific look at this season shows there's a lot at fault with the defense. Quinn was not adequately replaced, but maybe because that's a difficult part to replace. Not sure what Buddy Powers brings to the table, and I had been hoping that was an interim position.

 

[Tater]

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

No, but makes even less sense to call for his head after four games this season. Unless you wanted him out before the season started, and you'd still be thinking that way - but not posting anything - if they were 4-0 instead of 2-2 with two strong performances and two stinkers.

In the past six years - BC has won 4 Hockey East titles and 2 NCAA championships; BU has won 2 Hockey East titles and 1 NCAA championship. The rest of Hockey East hasn't won anything.

The problem is that it is not 4 games, we have seen this same pattern of underacheivement, "we were not ready," throwing players under the bus, etc. since 1999. We just see the tell-tale signs of "here we go again." I had some guarded optimism going into this season, but unless we have another Matt Gilroy with special leadership skills rise up and become basically an assistant coach, my optimism is quickly fading. How we can beat a team like Denver and lose so convincingly to PC and Holy Cross befuddles me.

If you are satisfied with playing second fiddle to BC I don't know what to say to you. I couldn't care less about the other teams in Hockey East. BU Hockey is about being the top program in the East. BU Hockey's success is not measured by comparison to Maine, UNH, NU, Lowell, etc., it is how we do compared to BC. I don't know if you are a Red Sox fan or not, if you are, I'm sure you are not chest thumping that the Red Sox have had a better decade than Toronto or Baltimore.

All of us that think that it is time for Parker to step down post here win or lose and have been consistant. I am quite confident in saying that none of us would love nothing less to be proven wrong.

 

[Jacques Joubert]

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

Outside of 2009, you're just realizing this now?

No I'm not just realizing this now, but what happened to the 24-10-7 seasons? Why is it 0.500 or bust?

07/08 they didn't have strong goaltending, that can happen and the team misses the NCAAs
08/09 was amazing, no question, reminded me of the 1990s
09/10 was the "NC hangover year" that BC never seems to have, whatever that is. I'm still upset how this team played. Had way too much talent for a 0.500 record
10/11 was OK, 19-12, and if it weren't for a few brain freezes against RPI and Brown this team could have gotten off the bubble
11/12 A lot of talent coming back and some senior guys so time will tell. Maybe we're all overreacting to the HC loss?

I guess it's been awhile since I was walking into the arena to watch them play the likes of UMASS, Lowell, Brown, or *gasp* HC and was thinking, "This should be fun, if this team executes they should win easily."

What's been more disconcerting is some of the recent thuggery. BU teams have always hit hard, that's great. But last year's performance against RPI when that game was out of hand and last Saturday's against HC were kind of embarrassing. It's one thing to get beat. It's another to be classless.

FWIW I think this team played great against UNH and Denver. Don't get me started on PC.

I guess what I'm saying is that I expect the team to consistently be ready, work hard, and represent themselves and the University community well.

If they do all that and still get beat, so be it. I won't be ranting on a message board.

I just don't feel like they've been doing that lately.

To put where I'm coming from in perspective I haven't really missed a home game since the 92/93 season.

 

[buoldtimer]

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

What's been more disconcerting is some of the recent thuggery. BU teams have always hit hard, that's great. But last year's performance against RPI when that game was out of hand and last Saturday's against HC were kind of embarrassing. It's one thing to get beat. It's another to be classless.

To put where I'm coming from in perspective I haven't really missed a home game since the 92/93 season.

Excellent point on the thuggery. Don't forget the abomination in Worcester in 2006 when they ran the BC players as time ran down.

Congratulations on your attendance record.

 

[Friend_of_BU_Hockey]

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

09/10 was the "NC hangover year" that BC never seems to have, whatever that is. I'm still upset how this team played. Had way too much talent for a 0.500 record

I'll gladly refute that BC had 2 NC hangover seasons (after the '01 and '08 titles). They finished 6th in HE in 2001-02 and were eliminated by Maine in the HE Quarterfinals, and finished 5th in HE in 2008-09 when BU took care of BC's season w/ the 3 goals in 44 seconds in the HE Semis.

Agreed that the 2009-10 BU team had way too much talent to be a .500 team, especially on defense and between the pipes. That team lost a ton of firepower up front but still managed to be a decent offensive team b/c of the offense generated from the blue line. Unfortunately those same defensemen and the goaltending was way subpar (notwithstanding the lack of effort, preparation, focus, and the well-known off-ice issues throughout the team).

 

[Friend_of_BU_Hockey]

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

Quinn was not adequately replaced, but maybe because that's a difficult part to replace. Not sure what Buddy Powers brings to the table, and I had been hoping that was an interim position.

This, IMO, is one of the most important and overlooked aspects of the program's regression the past 2 seasons. In some ways this situation is akin to the Sox' pitching staff under John Farrell vs. Curt Young.

Quinn brought a lot to the program - recruiting prowess, ability to relate to today's players, strong teaching and communication skills, and the "fear" factor. Quinn had a presence about him; IMO the players on the team at the time respected and feared him.

Powers, IMO, was an odd hire. In the July 2009 USHR issue, it was reported that John Hynes was initially offered the open position on the BU coaching staff, but turned it down. I was really surprised when I learned Powers was hired; he had been out of the coaching ranks since 2002 and aside from being a former BU player in the early years of Coach Parker, I just didn't see a good fit between Coach Powers and the BU Hockey program as it is today.

It's my understanding that Coach Powers is responsible for working with the defensemen at practices. If so, I think it's no coincidence that we've seen a major regression in the development of BU's defensemen the past 2 years. I get the sense that the players don't really respect nor fear Powers; I suspect much of it is attributed to his reserved, laid-back coaching style.

 

[mookie1995]

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

-I recall asking what a guy who was doing radio analysis and driving the zamboni for bowling green was bringing to the table.... I was told here "he has strong connections in Canada, he'll help and do just fine".

-yes, JackPa probably did use the same lines in 1973 when BU lost. (it wasnt coincidence I left the yr off the dates with the quotes I listed below )

 

[SteveF]

2002 wasn't really a hangover for BC, it was just a bad team depleted by graduation and early defection. Injuries wiped out any remaining chance of hope as march rolled around and forwards played D. Though it was actually one of the more gritty BC teams of memory.

Despite the 30 wins last year, that CC game had more feelings of a hangover for sure. 2009 was just a travesty; too little, too late.

Anyway, I hope Parker coaches forever

 

[defkit]

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

quinn brought a lot to the program - recruiting prowess, ability to relate to today's players, strong teaching and communication skills, and the "fear" factor. Quinn had a presence about him; imo the players on the team at the time respected and feared him.

bingo!

 

[Harry Cleverly]

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

This, IMO, is one of the most important and overlooked aspects of the program's regression the past 2 seasons. In some ways this situation is akin to the Sox' pitching staff under John Farrell vs. Curt Young.

Quinn brought a lot to the program - recruiting prowess, ability to relate to today's players, strong teaching and communication skills, and the "fear" factor. Quinn had a presence about him; IMO the players on the team at the time respected and feared him.

Powers, IMO, was an odd hire. In the July 2009 USHR issue, it was reported that John Hynes was initially offered the open position on the BU coaching staff, but turned it down. I was really surprised when I learned Powers was hired; he had been out of the coaching ranks since 2002 and aside from being a former BU player in the early years of Coach Parker, I just didn't see a good fit between Coach Powers and the BU Hockey program as it is today.

It's my understanding that Coach Powers is responsible for working with the defensemen at practices. If so, I think it's no coincidence that we've seen a major regression in the development of BU's defensemen the past 2 years. I get the sense that the players don't really respect nor fear Powers; I suspect much of it is attributed to his reserved, laid-back coaching style.

We might be being a bit unfair to Buddy Powers here, and in other posts. The guy was a successful head coach at RPI and had a mixed tenure as head coach at Bowling Green, who started to cut back on resources while he was there. He probably stayed as rink manager and radio announcer as a way of seeing out his contract. But those two things do not run high on his resume. Being ECAC and CCHA Coach of the Year, of which he has been both, do.

It should also be noted that Bavis replaced Quinn as associate head coach, and Powers replaced Bavis as fulltime assistant. Former assistant Pertti Hassanen has also been brought back as operations manager.

I'm surprised that people are talking about players fearing Quinn. In a good cop/bad cop scenarios (and teams should have both, ie, the Red Sox had too many good cops this year), isn't Parker the authority figure here?
Seems like he has always had that role for, oh, about 39 years.

This is not to defend the coaches. God knows the powerplay remains woeful and the defensive play has been far short of stellar in the two losses.
Improvements can be made.
I don't think I'd lay all of the blame on Buddy Powers.

 

[brassbonanza]

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

As far as Parker's comments to the media, I think there's something to be said for the consistency of his excuses, but as some others have said, we shouldn't take it with too much of a grain of salt. If he's taking responsibility in the locker room in front of the team and the other coaches, that's the most important thing. We don't know if that's the case or not. I also agree on the Powers hire, though admittedly, I don't know too much about his coaching pedigree, and what not, but looking at where he has been, it seems a bit odd, almost as if they couldn't find anyone else to take the job. If he's also the one consistently working with the defenders, then it's hard to view it as a conincidence that some of the same defenders who were part of the all-world 09 defense turned into lazy hacks just a year later under a new coach. Perhaps this is one specific move that could be made, not necessarily firing Powers, but assigning someone in addition to him to work with defensemen.

 

[J.D.]

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

No, but makes even less sense to call for his head after four games this season. Unless you wanted him out before the season started, and you'd still be thinking that way - but not posting anything - if they were 4-0 instead of 2-2 with two strong performances and two stinkers.

In the past six years - BC has won 4 Hockey East titles and 2 NCAA championships; BU has won 2 Hockey East titles and 1 NCAA championship. The rest of Hockey East hasn't won anything.

BU fans aren't just upset about the start to this season--come on, that's obvious here. And as Gentry pointed out, you guys shouldn't be comparing yourself to the rest of Hockey East. Now, BC's gone/going through their Golden Age. There is, however, a middle ground. BU is currently in that middle ground (last 10 years or so), but don't you think they should have performed better?

1. Regarding Parker's refusal to fix the blame on coaching: No one knows what he says in meetings among himself, Bavis, Powers and Geragosian (as well as their predecessors over the years). Aside from Bill Belichick, can anyone cite an instance in which any coach in any sport has cited bad coaching as the cause of a loss or sub-standard performance? I can't recall any. My speculation is that coaches do not want to give players an excuse or crutch for losing a game or giving less than 100%. In the privacy of the coaching office, perhaps coaching failures are a topic of discussion.

I think you have this all twisted. If a Coach was blaming himself behind closed doors, why on earth would he throw his team under the bus on a consistent basis to the media when that could **** those players off and have an impact on who wants to play for him in the future? That makes zero sense. Belichick always says "we have to coach better/play better". Fans might not like it, but it's a lot better than what Parker does. Plus, comparing pro sports to college is risky at best.

Breath of fresh air compared to listening to Andy Reid.

"That's my fault, I have to do a better job there." Rinse and repeat.

It's rinse and repeat with Parker as well...there's no difference.

 

[pirate]

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

Any AC can be helpful in the right setting...just as any leader, such as POTUS, can be successful in the right setting. Sometimes it works perfectly...Charlie Manuel in Philly early on and Tito in Boston early on are cases of guys being perfectly suited for a situation even if they were unsuccessful elsewhere. We've seen how one turned for the worse and it is possible it will happen in Philly on a similar schedule. I'd mention BB but I think he chose to lose in cleveland so he could end up in NE someday.

Sometimes a great coach or leader gets a bad assignment and sometimes a bad coach gets a good assignment. The thing about building a leadership team is that it has to be balanced. Powers might be great with a 35 yo HC in his first assignment, maybe too much of the same with parker.

I can't speak for Quinn's style but sometimes the guy closer to you actually is more 'feared' (depending on how you use that term). We all know it is easier to tune out yelling or somebody that "doesn't get it" than it is to tune out somebody effectively presenting the truth to you in a manner that it hits to the bone. Maybe you don't 'fear' him in the classic sense but you are afraid to disappoint somebody who has trust in you, who treats you appropriately and who sets expectations you both want to meet. That can be your HC, AC, your grandpa, your spouse, your bowling team...doesn't matter...but you have to have the relationship first...it doesn't just happen in the moment.

 

[Friend_of_BU_Hockey]

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

We might be being a bit unfair to Buddy Powers here, and in other posts. The guy was a successful head coach at RPI and had a mixed tenure as head coach at Bowling Green, who started to cut back on resources while he was there. He probably stayed as rink manager and radio announcer as a way of seeing out his contract. But those two things do not run high on his resume. Being ECAC and CCHA Coach of the Year, of which he has been both, do.

It should also be noted that Bavis replaced Quinn as associate head coach, and Powers replaced Bavis as fulltime assistant. Former assistant Pertti Hassanen has also been brought back as operations manager.

I'm surprised that people are talking about players fearing Quinn. In a good cop/bad cop scenarios (and teams should have both, ie, the Red Sox had too many good cops this year), isn't Parker the authority figure here?
Seems like he has always had that role for, oh, about 39 years.

This is not to defend the coaches. God knows the powerplay remains woeful and the defensive play has been far short of stellar in the two losses.
Improvements can be made.
I don't think I'd lay all of the blame on Buddy Powers.

I don't think I'm laying all of the blame on Powers. I know he was quite successful as a head coach at RPI and then for the first few years of his Bowling Green tenure, and was also considered a top young assistant coach under Jerry York at BG in the '80s. Powers was instrumental in recruiting and helping York develop their '84 NCAA title team as well as subsequently bringing in players like future NHL HOFer Rob Blake.

I firmly believe that at a different time, different place, Powers would be a much better fit than he is for the needs of the BU program in its current state. I also believe that Powers doesn't have the same ability to relate to today's players as perhaps a younger assistant, thus not necessarily addressing a significant issue that many of Parker's critics have cited. I have no doubt that Powers has a wealth of knowledge; I'm just not confident whether there's been effective sharing of that knowledge as well as holding players accountable for learning/development that needs to be in place.

 

[reBlur]

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

If I read in tomorrow's paper that Jack was going to retire at the end of this eason, and David Quinn was going to be the new head coach, I would be more elated than I can put into words.

You have no idea how much I wanted to tell you about the column that came out today (which was not written by any member of the BHB staff) in the Freep.

Anyways, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE email us with any questions you have about the team, the coaching, the personalities, ourselves, discussion points, anything on your mind for our first mailbag. This is a chance for you as our readers to help us create something compelling and fun on the blog. Don't miss out on the opportunitiy.

Email us at sports@dailyfreepress.com with "mailbag" in the subject line and your question in the email. This can be anonymous if you want it to be.

 

[brassbonanza]

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

You have no idea how much I wanted to tell you about the column that came out today (which was not written by any member of the BHB staff) in the Freep.

Anyways, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE email us with any questions you have about the team, the coaching, the personalities, ourselves, discussion points, anything on your mind for our first mailbag. This is a chance for you as our readers to help us create something compelling and fun on the blog. Don't miss out on the opportunitiy.

Email us at sports@dailyfreepress.com with "mailbag" in the subject line and your question in the email. This can be anonymous if you want it to be.

Interesting article. I'm not 100% on board with him just yet, but he brings up some valid points. What I'd pay to be in the hockey office when the staff read that for the first time.

 

[claver2010]

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

The author's picture is priceless

 

[Nick Papagiorgio]

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

I bet when you buy a hat like that you get a free bowl of soup!

edit - **** you claver.