This is what I worry about as well. I read the quote from the Duluth players saying "This is why we came back" (after losing two straight regional finals - to BU and BC no less). Are those days gone? Yes, I'm proud of what the team did, but are we ever going to get to that point where there is enough continuity to develop a true team chemistry and leadership to get us past the regionals? Although the "philosophy" of recruiting so many "high end" players will "always" keep us "competitive," we need MORE than that to go all the way. Remember, take away the '09 team (which embodied exactly what I have been talking about - a perfect combination of older leadership and high-end talent), BU has won the whole thing ONCE in the last 22 years.
And I'm not BLAMING anyone. Unfortunately, I think this is the way it is today. There doesn't seem to be any value in a group of people working together to achieve something anymore...just the "I want to get mine" immediate gratification mentality. You can't tell me that guys like Boeser from North Dakota, for example, don't have their pro careers ALWAYS in their minds. I mean, the guy scored a goal in the NHL <b>less than 24 hours</b> after the loss to BU. How can one focus on the task at hand when he is always thinking about tomorrow? Nobody seems to live in the present anymore and the attention spans are miniscule. And I think this explains in part the inconsistent play. BU was able to focus for a couple of big games this weekend, but for the most part all season, they were "MIA" for long stretches in almost every game. In the majority of instances they were able to overcome this with their talent, but that only works for so long. Everyone wants to "rush" through their life and do everything immediately. I believe that the constant exposure to everything that is going on instantaneously, via technology, has distorted people's sense of reality. As I said yesterday, "What's the rush?" The contract will be there tomorrow. And if the argument is "What if I suffer a career-ending injury or something and didn't take the money when I had the chance?" my response is "So???? Does your life end? That's one of the reasons you are going to college, isn't it? To prepare yourself for LIFE."
Maybe it's the lack of good parenting. Of course, team representatives, agents, etc are going to expound upon the "advantages" of leaving school early, but that's because it benefits THEM. Who is looking out for the athlete? Sorry to say, that's the parents' responsibility, but they get seduced and enticed also.
I just hope we don't see season after season of "near misses" because nobody stays around to develop a TEAM long enough.