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Fire Mike Eaves?

I heard a story this season (at least I believe it was from this season.) Eaves called a team meeting in the locker room. He brought in a stack of wood. Flint. Lighter fluid. Matches. The whole 9 yards to start a fire. He set it up in front of the team. The message was, we have everything in this room to start a fire. We just need to do it. Apparently the guys on the team looked at him like he had 9 heads. Obviously the lesson didn't work.

Depends on the type of fire one wants to start.
 
Re: Fire Mike Eaves?

I heard a story this season (at least I believe it was from this season.) Eaves called a team meeting in the locker room. He brought in a stack of wood. Flint. Lighter fluid. Matches. The whole 9 yards to start a fire. He set it up in front of the team. The message was, we have everything in this room to start a fire. We just need to do it. Apparently the guys on the team looked at him like he had 9 heads. Obviously the lesson didn't work.

I assume you look at that as a sort of ridiculous anecdote that indicates Eaves is out of touch? Could be a good example and that's fair enough.
Could also be that in the context of the 42 other ways this simple message was communicated, the kids still refused to respond and this is what it came to. A coach can choose to keep communicating a message in the same way that hasn't worked so far, or try whatever he can think of that might be of use. The latter is a better road by far, but perhaps you're right. I don't know as I don't have any special peek into the locker room anymore as occasionally some folks do.
 
Re: Fire Mike Eaves?

Interesting.

No one has suggested Mike Guentzel?

Because I have a better chance at becoming head coach. There's no way the guy is going to leave Minnesota. He's next in line for his dream job. And why would Wisconsin want to hire him knowing that as soon as the Minnesota position opens up he would likely jump ship.
 
Re: Fire Mike Eaves?

Because I have a better chance at becoming head coach. There's no way the guy is going to leave Minnesota. He's next in line for his dream job. And why would Wisconsin want to hire him knowing that as soon as the Minnesota position opens up he would likely jump ship.

At least he wouldn't be leaving for Arkansas or Oregon State?
 
Because I have a better chance at becoming head coach. There's no way the guy is going to leave Minnesota. He's next in line for his dream job. And why would Wisconsin want to hire him knowing that as soon as the Minnesota position opens up he would likely jump ship.

Dunno.

He's left the Gophers once already.

He's about the same age as Lucia and Lucia doesn't appear to be going anywhere, anytime soon.
 
Re: Fire Mike Eaves?

I don't think anyone is saying Eaves is a bad coach or anything like that, but at a certain point when players start tuning you out, leadership has to realize that the best thing to do is head a new direction.
I don't think Wisconsin needs a "Wisco Guy" but everyone wants a guy that wants their job to be his last. Alvarez wasn't a Wisco guy but he wanted to be there and made it his last stop. Bo has wisconsin ties with Plattville and Milwaukee but he wasn't really a Wisco guy either.
 
Re: Fire Mike Eaves?

I don't think anyone is saying Eaves is a bad coach or anything like that, but at a certain point when players start tuning you out, leadership has to realize that the best thing to do is head a new direction.
I don't think Wisconsin needs a "Wisco Guy" but everyone wants a guy that wants their job to be his last. Alvarez wasn't a Wisco guy but he wanted to be there and made it his last stop. Bo has wisconsin ties with Plattville and Milwaukee but he wasn't really a Wisco guy either.

I think that's fair and I don't object to it on those grounds or the argument that you can fire anyone after a bad season. I have some objections to the idea that Eaves hasn't done a reasonably good job under circumstances if you can only point to one or two guys who have done an "acceptable" job in all of college hockey.

I should maybe rephrase the Wisco guy thing to I strongly prefer a Wisco guy given that there are several very qualified candidates. If there were none, well, I'd still be opposed to a rodent just on principle. Football was a terrible program with a history to get away from. Hockey isn't. Fair that Bo was not an alum but he was an assistant at UW for 8 years, '76-'84
 
Re: Fire Mike Eaves?

I don't think anyone is saying Eaves is a bad coach or anything like that, but at a certain point when players start tuning you out, leadership has to realize that the best thing to do is head a new direction.
I don't think Wisconsin needs a "Wisco Guy" but everyone wants a guy that wants their job to be his last. Alvarez wasn't a Wisco guy but he wanted to be there and made it his last stop. Bo has wisconsin ties with Plattville and Milwaukee but he wasn't really a Wisco guy either.
Bo was an assistant here before he became a head coach.
 
I don't think anyone is saying Eaves is a bad coach or anything like that, but at a certain point when players start tuning you out, leadership has to realize that the best thing to do is head a new direction.
I don't think Wisconsin needs a "Wisco Guy" but everyone wants a guy that wants their job to be his last. Alvarez wasn't a Wisco guy but he wanted to be there and made it his last stop. Bo has wisconsin ties with Plattville and Milwaukee but he wasn't really a Wisco guy either.

Lucia wasn't an "M" guy either. Gotta go for the best coach. Connections to the program is just gravy.

Bob Johnson was a Gopher. Look at how well that turned out for UW.
 
Re: Fire Mike Eaves?

Lucia wasn't an "M" guy either. Gotta go for the best coach. Connections to the program is just gravy.

Bob Johnson was a Gopher. Look at how well that turned out for UW.
I completely agree, I'm thrill Mel Pearson has Michigan Tech ties, but beyond him, we would have needed to go outside of the program to find someone. I was on the Cary Eades bandwagon and I would think a program like Wisconsin would be fortunate to have him if they decide to move on from Eaves.
 
I should maybe rephrase the Wisco guy thing to I strongly prefer a Wisco guy given that there are several very qualified candidates. If there were none, well, I'd still be opposed to a rodent just on principle. Football was a terrible program with a history to get away from. Hockey isn't. Fair that Bo was not an alum but he was an assistant at UW for 8 years, '76-'84

FYI-

Your most successful coach, Bob Johnson was a "rodent".

You currently enjoy a "Wisco Guy".

How's that working out?
 
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Re: Fire Mike Eaves?

FYI-

Your two most successful coaches, Bob Johnson and Jeff Sauer, were "rodents".

You currently enjoy a "Wisco Guy".

How's that working out?

Thanks. I don't know what we would do without you here to teach us Badger hockey history. Sauer is from Ft. Atkinson WI and went to CC to play for Johnson. He then signed on as an assistant at CC and stayed with Bob at Wisconsin until taking over at CC. Then returned to Wisconsin as HC.
 
Re: Fire Mike Eaves?

Thanks. I don't know what we would do without you here to teach us Badger hockey history. Sauer is from Ft. Atkinson WI and went to CC to play for Johnson. He then signed on as an assistant at CC and stayed with Bob at Wisconsin until taking over at CC. Then returned to Wisconsin as HC.

So you're saying a Tiger isn't a rodent?
 
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