LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread

[LakerBuff]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread

The Lakers will never be able to afford the kind of coach they want. They have champagne taste on a beer budget. Given all the school's financial woes; diminished attendance at games in an arena that's way too big; a major donor who's under investigation for fraud putting a badly needed arena renovation on hold indefinitely (if it even happens at all); and to top it off, they're in a league that's not at all prestigious. No one comes out to see the likes of Bemidji, UAH, etc. Doesn't paint a pretty picture for the kind of coach they're hoping to attract. Administration is going to find themselves in the same boat, if not worse, when it comes to the hockey program going forward. At least Jim Roque cared. He loved the place. Won't find that in anyone else.

 

[Truth Serum]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread

The Lakers will never be able to afford the kind of coach they want. They have champagne taste on a beer budget. Given all the school's financial woes; diminished attendance at games in an arena that's way too big; a major donor who's under investigation for fraud putting a badly needed arena renovation on hold indefinitely (if it even happens at all); and to top it off, they're in a league that's not at all prestigious. No one comes out to see the likes of Bemidji, UAH, etc. Doesn't paint a pretty picture for the kind of coach they're hoping to attract. Administration is going to find themselves in the same boat, if not worse, when it comes to the hockey program going forward. At least Jim Roque cared. He loved the place. Won't find that in anyone else.

I hope we hear soon from 3dognight and the "unnamed donor". I want my brick to go to good use.

Jim Roque sure did care, for 9 years, he cared. No one else will!

Year 10 would have been the best one yet for Lake Superior under his watch!!!

 

[LakerBuff]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread

From the top ...

"I believe the most important issue facing LSSU at this time is financial. For the past ten to fifteen years, LSSU has failed to successfully stabilize institutional finances and that failing continues to stifle us today. Repeated cuts in state funding and declining student enrollments have caused us to be reactive rather than proactive. Although our cash flow from year to year has been sufficient to cover basic costs, we have not had the resources that are necessary in order to pursue major projects, fund new strategic initiatives, and appropriately reward our employees."

Again, Lake State will be hard pressed to afford the kind of coach they want. Won't happen, unfortunately.

 

[DM2SM]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread

Just as interesting at Lake State, is that hey had a enormous banner hanging outside of the Taffy Abel for at least 5 years and finally took it down this past year. The Banner said The Future of Laker Hockey with a rendering of the renovation. Apparently, they jumped the gun on that one! How does a coaching staff explain that to their players year after year when they were using it for recruiting. Oh, sorry we told you five years ago when we recruited you that there was going to be a renovation but the university no longer has the money and according to the Blueliner talk the donor is being investigated for fraud. Another colossal leadership jumbo by the administration at LSSU. Not surprising though for a school that can't even get the 10 year Higher Learning Commission stamp for accreditation. Maybe Lake State isn't the titanic, a better analogy might be the Edmund Fitzgerald. And about attendance, Lake State had 10 home games this year when the Lake State students were on break, of course that is going to hurt your attendance. Winning may help but the Sault only has so many people.(less than 14,000 in case you weren't aware for a 4200 plus capacity rink).

Is there anyone on here that doesn’t think all these new posters supporting Coach Roque are not speaking for Coach Roque? I drank the cool-aid Coach Roque served because those closest to him, including Mr. 3dognight said “yes I am willing to give millions of dollars to the University because of this Coach”. I worried that the renovation could possibly be used as job security for Coach Roque and most of you said that’s ridiculous. I asked why the money wasn’t just turned over to the University to make sure the project stayed on course and was told that it’s bureaucratic red tape.
I asked why it took so many years to break ground on a project that was completely funded, albeit by anonymous donors, and was told the University is holding things up.
I bought all that and publicly said that $5M dollars makes up for a lot of collapses. I support Coach Roque.
Now Coach Roque’s group is turning on the donor? Are you kidding me? Mrs. Dunbar and the President were fine when they allowed themselves to be held hostage by this donation and now they are all of a sudden incompetent? Really? You think the banner should have stayed up? Don’t you have ethics?
Do you people have no conscience at all? To me , his job security was the renovation not his coaching ability. When that went, it was time to say good by.

 

[Meehan Popcorn Guy]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread

I've not followed the Lakers closely enough to comment on Jim Roque's tenure, but it is absurd to argue there is no coach good enough to win at Lake State who would accept the position for $80,000. It is just a puzzling assertion. On what is that assessment based? You really don't think there are any good hockey coaches willing to coach a WCHA team for $80,000?

Some people talk like coaching a college hockey team is rocket science that only Jack Parker, Red Berenson and a few others are capable of apprehending. That is nonsense. There are some mediocre hockey coaches who have lasted years in DI. Meanwhile, there are some excellent young coaches in juniors, DIII, Europe, minor leagues, and so on, who would jump at a chance to head coach a WCHA team. They are good coaches and some of them would do it, simple as that. Not all of them would, but some would. There are only 59 programs and some good coaches out there who are interested in coaching one of them. For a variety of reasons (one of them being the unfortunately insular nature of the business), Division I head coaching jobs come open very rarely. It's true you won't get George Gwozdecky for $80,000 -- you won't make a big splash with those resources -- but you can and should get somebody very good. That is the AD's primary responsibility: find and hire good coaches. It can be done. This idea that good hockey coaches are in such limited supply that there's no competition for a job like the head coach of Lake State is ludicrous. It's a non-issue. The focus should be on finding the right up-and-coming coach.

 

[Truth Squad]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread

Is there anyone on here that doesn’t think all these new posters supporting Coach Roque are not speaking for Coach Roque? I drank the cool-aid Coach Roque served because those closest to him, including Mr. 3dognight said “yes I am willing to give millions of dollars to the University because of this Coach”. I worried that the renovation could possibly be used as job security for Coach Roque and most of you said that’s ridiculous. I asked why the money wasn’t just turned over to the University to make sure the project stayed on course and was told that it’s bureaucratic red tape.
I asked why it took so many years to break ground on a project that was completely funded, albeit by anonymous donors, and was told the University is holding things up.
I bought all that and publicly said that $5M dollars makes up for a lot of collapses. I support Coach Roque.
Now Coach Roque’s group is turning on the donor? Are you kidding me? Mrs. Dunbar and the President were fine when they allowed themselves to be held hostage by this donation and now they are all of a sudden incompetent? Really? You think the banner should have stayed up? Don’t you have ethics?
Do you people have no conscience at all? To me , his job security was the renovation not his coaching ability. When that went, it was time to say good by.

The Truth Is Out There....
TBA

 

[Bill]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread

I've not followed the Lakers closely enough to comment on Jim Roque's tenure, but it is absurd to argue there is no coach good enough to win at Lake State who would accept the position for $80,000. It is just a puzzling assertion. On what is that assessment based? You really don't think there are any good hockey coaches willing to coach a WCHA team for $80,000?

Some people talk like coaching a college hockey team is rocket science that only Jack Parker, Red Berenson and a few others are capable of apprehending. That is nonsense. There are some mediocre hockey coaches who have lasted years in DI. Meanwhile, there are some excellent young coaches in juniors, DIII, Europe, minor leagues, and so on, who would jump at a chance to head coach a WCHA team. They are good coaches and some of them would do it, simple as that. Not all of them would, but some would. There are only 59 programs and some good coaches out there who are interested in coaching one of them. For a variety of reasons (one of them being the unfortunately insular nature of the business), Division I head coaching jobs come open very rarely. It's true you won't get George Gwozdecky for $80,000 -- you won't make a big splash with those resources -- but you can and should get somebody very good. That is the AD's primary responsibility: find and hire good coaches. It can be done. This idea that good hockey coaches are in such limited supply that there's no competition for a job like the head coach of Lake State is ludicrous. It's a non-issue. The focus should be on finding the right up-and-coming coach.

Most of us agree, but there are supporters of Jim Roque who have been on here disparaging the AD and the school's finances and they just haven't been willing to move on yet.

 

[AnchorsAway]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread

I've not followed the Lakers closely enough to comment on Jim Roque's tenure, but it is absurd to argue there is no coach good enough to win at Lake State who would accept the position for $80,000. It is just a puzzling assertion. On what is that assessment based? You really don't think there are any good hockey coaches willing to coach a WCHA team for $80,000?

Some people talk like coaching a college hockey team is rocket science that only Jack Parker, Red Berenson and a few others are capable of apprehending. That is nonsense. There are some mediocre hockey coaches who have lasted years in DI. Meanwhile, there are some excellent young coaches in juniors, DIII, Europe, minor leagues, and so on, who would jump at a chance to head coach a WCHA team. They are good coaches and some of them would do it, simple as that. Not all of them would, but some would. There are only 59 programs and some good coaches out there who are interested in coaching one of them. For a variety of reasons (one of them being the unfortunately insular nature of the business), Division I head coaching jobs come open very rarely. It's true you won't get George Gwozdecky for $80,000 -- you won't make a big splash with those resources -- but you can and should get somebody very good. That is the AD's primary responsibility: find and hire good coaches. It can be done. This idea that good hockey coaches are in such limited supply that there's no competition for a job like the head coach of Lake State is ludicrous. It's a non-issue. The focus should be on finding the right up-and-coming coach.

This. There are plenty of hockey coaches out there looking for springboards to higher levels of hockey, and if you play your cards right it can happen very fast, a perfect example being Jon Cooper, the coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning who 5 seasons ago was in his first year as a USHL coach, and he is now in the NHL...why? Because he took jobs where he was able to be successful in a short amount of time, and that is what Lake State offers.

The bottom line is we are in one of the conferences that has an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where the spotlight shines, and there is no juggernaut in this conference, it is well within the realm of possibility for any team to go from last place to a championship in a couple of years in this conference, that very feasible upward mobility is attractive. Besides the fact that there is no active financial or result based juggernaut in this conference, there is also no overly attractive school locations in this conference, so although the Soo is not a vacation destination, neither is the locations of our league opponents, and furthermore, we have the best championship tradition (along with MTU) of any school in our league. We have a recent tradition of sending several players to the pros, many before they even graduate, proving that very good players can be convinced to play at a less than "flashy school" where they have the chance to play from day 1 and move on to the pros and that has been true even while we have been a middling program....get a hot coach and have a successful season or two and that would add more fuel to the recruiting fire.

A chance for an up and coming coach to stop at a school for a handful of years with the ability for a quick rise and NCAA showings with the proven recent ability to get pro-quality players as a recruiting plus can be a big attraction for many potential candidates, and that could compensate for a taking a lower salary for a few years, with the promise of future promotion to higher paying jobs within the game if it all works out. $80,000 is not a kings ransom but it's not going to put anyone in the poorhouse either, especially in the Soo where the cost of living is crazy low, which is a fact that has been glossed over....$80,000 goes a lot farther in SSM than in just about any other location in the midwest or the northeast

The onus is now on the search committee to do their due diligence and truly run a nationwide search, leaving no stone unturned, and not sell themselves short, cast a ridiculously big net and see what you catch for interest. Lake State the school's cache is not nearly what it once was but I would argue that Lake State's position conference wise is better than it has ever been with regards to the chance for a fast gain, and that is exactly what coaching candidates on the rise would be looking for. This is a golden opportunity, lets not waste it!

 

[Bill]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread

This. There are plenty of hockey coaches out there looking for springboards to higher levels of hockey, and if you play your cards right it can happen very fast, a perfect example being Jon Cooper, the coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning who 5 seasons ago was in his first year as a USHL coach, and he is now in the NHL...why? Because he took jobs where he was able to be successful in a short amount of time, and that is what Lake State offers.

The bottom line is we are in one of the conferences that has an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where the spotlight shines, and there is no juggernaut in this conference, it is well within the realm of possibility for any team to go from last place to a championship in a couple of years in this conference, that very feasible upward mobility is attractive. Besides the fact that there is no active financial or result based juggernaut in this conference, there is also no overly attractive school locations in this conference, so although the Soo is not a vacation destination, neither is the locations of our league opponents, and furthermore, we have the best championship tradition (along with MTU) of any school in our league. We have a recent tradition of sending several players to the pros, many before they even graduate, proving that very good players can be convinced to play at a less than "flashy school" where they have the chance to play from day 1 and move on to the pros and that has been true even while we have been a middling program....get a hot coach and have a successful season or two and that would add more fuel to the recruiting fire.

A chance for an up and coming coach to stop at a school for a handful of years with the ability for a quick rise and NCAA showings with the proven recent ability to get pro-quality players as a recruiting plus can be a big attraction for many potential candidates, and that could compensate for a taking a lower salary for a few years, with the promise of future promotion to higher paying jobs within the game if it all works out. $80,000 is not a kings ransom but it's not going to put anyone in the poorhouse either, especially in the Soo where the cost of living is crazy low, which is a fact that has been glossed over....$80,000 goes a lot farther in SSM than in just about any other location in the midwest or the northeast

The onus is now on the search committee to do their due diligence and truly run a nationwide search, leaving no stone unturned, and not sell themselves short, cast a ridiculously big net and see what you catch for interest. Lake State the school's cache is not nearly what it once was but I would argue that Lake State's position conference wise is better than it has ever been with regards to the chance for a fast gain, and that is exactly what coaching candidates on the rise would be looking for. This is a golden opportunity, lets not waste it!

Good post. Let's hope the search committee moves out and gets a new coach in place within the next month or two. Although we want them use due diligence, dragging it out too long won't be helpful either.

 

[davyd83]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread

This. There are plenty of hockey coaches out there looking for springboards to higher levels of hockey, and if you play your cards right it can happen very fast, a perfect example being Jon Cooper, the coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning who 5 seasons ago was in his first year as a USHL coach, and he is now in the NHL...why? Because he took jobs where he was able to be successful in a short amount of time, and that is what Lake State offers.

The bottom line is we are in one of the conferences that has an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where the spotlight shines, and there is no juggernaut in this conference, it is well within the realm of possibility for any team to go from last place to a championship in a couple of years in this conference, that very feasible upward mobility is attractive. Besides the fact that there is no active financial or result based juggernaut in this conference, there is also no overly attractive school locations in this conference, so although the Soo is not a vacation destination, neither is the locations of our league opponents, and furthermore, we have the best championship tradition (along with MTU) of any school in our league. We have a recent tradition of sending several players to the pros, many before they even graduate, proving that very good players can be convinced to play at a less than "flashy school" where they have the chance to play from day 1 and move on to the pros and that has been true even while we have been a middling program....get a hot coach and have a successful season or two and that would add more fuel to the recruiting fire.

A chance for an up and coming coach to stop at a school for a handful of years with the ability for a quick rise and NCAA showings with the proven recent ability to get pro-quality players as a recruiting plus can be a big attraction for many potential candidates, and that could compensate for a taking a lower salary for a few years, with the promise of future promotion to higher paying jobs within the game if it all works out. $80,000 is not a kings ransom but it's not going to put anyone in the poorhouse either, especially in the Soo where the cost of living is crazy low, which is a fact that has been glossed over....$80,000 goes a lot farther in SSM than in just about any other location in the midwest or the northeast

The onus is now on the search committee to do their due diligence and truly run a nationwide search, leaving no stone unturned, and not sell themselves short, cast a ridiculously big net and see what you catch for interest. Lake State the school's cache is not nearly what it once was but I would argue that Lake State's position conference wise is better than it has ever been with regards to the chance for a fast gain, and that is exactly what coaching candidates on the rise would be looking for. This is a golden opportunity, lets not waste it!

Cooper made more in St Louis and Green Bay than Roque. There will be some decent candidates. I'm sure Ron Fogarty will apply. If he doesn't, that's not a good sign. The same goes for Damon Whitten. But would a guy like Green Bay head coach Derek LaLonde, who was a finalist at Denver take the big pay cut and cut in recruiting resources as well to leave Green Bay for the Soo? Check out the numbers that Matt Thomas got at Alaska-Anchorage to see where you need to be when it comes to coaching salaries. Check the assistant salaries in the middle of the pack in the WCHA. Any coach is going to want the resources necessary for travel, recruiting and equipment and such. LSSU needs a campaign like Tech put together to go and get Mel Pearson away from Michigan. In that situation, the dollars and cents for the head coach were not the prime part, but giving Mel the resources for assistants and the other areas needed to improve the program. Now I'm not saying LSSU has to come up with a $275,000 head coaches salary, but like someone said in a prior post, you can't shop at St Vinnie's and hope for Sak's Fifth Avenue. You'd be lucky to get WalMart. Is that bargain candidate out there? He could very well be. But are the chances of greatly improving the program without greatly improving the infrastructure significant, not likely. I'm sure some will point to Ferris right now. But take a look at Bob's record overall. How many times would they have been calling for his head to roll? He had 12 seasons of 15 wins or fewer going into the 09 season. And speaking of Ferris, a look at Mark Kaufman might be a good starting point as well. Best of luck in the search.

 

[sm2pk]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread

To all the coaches out there not making big money . I am not sure how to say this and so I just will. You suck as coaches if you are not making the big bucks and your best bet would be just quit coaching. Hell , Lake State would be a fool to take a coach who will work for what they will pay him. Any coach applying and not making over 125,000 has to be the bottom of the barrel and not worth the coach he claims to be.

Mel Pearson and his 275,000 bucks. Are they in the final four this weekend ?

 

[davyd83]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread

To all the coaches out there not making big money . I am not sure how to say this and so I just will. You suck as coaches if you are not making the big bucks and your best bet would be just quit coaching. Hell , Lake State would be a fool to take a coach who will work for what they will pay him. Any coach applying and not making over 125,000 has to be the bottom of the barrel and not worth the coach he claims to be.

Mel Pearson and his 275,000 bucks. Are they in the final four this weekend ?

No one is even remotely talking "big money" for LSSU. No one is saying coaches not making big money suck. But somewhere near average, even somewhat around the next lowest in the league might be a starting point. Who would your suggestions be for a head coach candidate who might come to LSSU for what Roque made with the same resources for assistants and for operations? I've offered a couple that might consider it. The pool of quality candidates who are either assistants or coaching junior (USHL/NAHL) would siginificantly improve if they don't have to take a pay cut. Was Mel in the Final Five. No. But his team did finish 4 spots above LSSU and they have improved by a great deal since he's been there. in the three years before Mel, Tech won a TOTAL of 15 games. They won 14 this year. And were one point from a home ice playoff which they haven't seen much of in the last 20 years. Again, no one is saying go out and spend 275 on a head coach. But 225 for a staff isn't a bad idea. Show the type of coaches who would likely be available for the current dollar structure.

It would be good to put together a search committee like Anchorage did the second time. Get the alumni involved. There are alums who are willing to back good candidates. At least give them a voice. Many of them are far better connected in the hockey world than the President or AD. Who do you have on campus that would be good at identifying that diamond in the rough you hope to find?

 

[jnacc]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread

Why don't we wait and see the list of candidates being interviewed before we disparage them and state we cannot afford a quality head coach. I think some of you will be surprised...I would say pleasantly surprised but we know that you want Lake State to fail. I am also certain that Lake State will pay the prospective coach a little more than what Roque was making in order to attract quality applicants. Some of you Roque apologists will laugh and say well why didn't the pay Roque more then, to which there is a very simple answer. Due to his lackluster results, he didn't deserve a penny more!

 

[davyd83]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread

Why don't we wait and see the list of candidates being interviewed before we disparage them and state we cannot afford a quality head coach. I think some of you will be surprised...I would say pleasantly surprised but we know that you want Lake State to fail. I am also certain that Lake State will pay the prospective coach a little more than what Roque was making in order to attract quality applicants. Some of you Roque apologists will laugh and say well why didn't the pay Roque more then, to which there is a very simple answer. Due to his lackluster results, he didn't deserve a penny more!

No one has been disparaged. Has the job been posted yet? Want LSSU to fail? Actually if I had my way, we'd all be in Grand Rapids this weekend along with the Tech crowd too. You see, strong programs at all three UP schools makes for better hockey, better rivalries and more butts in the seats. Would love to see them all in the 20 win category each year.

 

[Bill]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread

No one has been disparaged. Has the job been posted yet? Want LSSU to fail? Actually if I had my way, we'd all be in Grand Rapids this weekend along with the Tech crowd too. You see, strong programs at all three UP schools makes for better hockey, better rivalries and more butts in the seats. Would love to see them all in the 20 win category each year.

Davy, jnaac is referring to the Roque apologists wanting the Lakers to fail. They've been on here for the last 9 or so days disparaging Dunbar and LSSU in general.

 

[RapidsCity]

No one has been disparaged. Has the job been posted yet? Want LSSU to fail? Actually if I had my way, we'd all be in Grand Rapids this weekend along with the Tech crowd too. You see, strong programs at all three UP schools makes for better hockey, better rivalries and more butts in the seats. Would love to see them all in the 20 win category each year.

What kind of fool are you to think a better salary and better resources would lead to a better pool of candidates? Don't you realize the hockey geniuses on the LSSU campus who kept Roque here too long should easily be able to identify that guy who will be a consistent winner under the current conditions. It's a piece of cake to walk onto the lot with Chevy cash in your pocket and drive off with a Cadillac. I'm surprised George Gwozdecky hasn't called and that Mason & Comley aren't licking their chops to come out of retirement. I bet Dean Blais or Jeff Blashill are ringing Dunbar's phone off the hook.

 

[RapidsCity]

Davy, jnaac is referring to the Roque apologists wanting the Lakers to fail. They've been on here for the last 9 or so days disparaging Dunbar and LSSU in general.

It's interesting to see all the brand new screen names that have popped up. I wonder how many of the are close to the coach.

I did like davyd's suggestion of a Kaufman from Ferris. A guy from a smaller school, good recruiting network, NHL credentials.

 

[DM2SM]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread

Cooper made more in St Louis and Green Bay than Roque. There will be some decent candidates. I'm sure Ron Fogarty will apply. If he doesn't, that's not a good sign. The same goes for Damon Whitten. But would a guy like Green Bay head coach Derek LaLonde, who was a finalist at Denver take the big pay cut and cut in recruiting resources as well to leave Green Bay for the Soo? Check out the numbers that Matt Thomas got at Alaska-Anchorage to see where you need to be when it comes to coaching salaries. Check the assistant salaries in the middle of the pack in the WCHA. Any coach is going to want the resources necessary for travel, recruiting and equipment and such. LSSU needs a campaign like Tech put together to go and get Mel Pearson away from Michigan. In that situation, the dollars and cents for the head coach were not the prime part, but giving Mel the resources for assistants and the other areas needed to improve the program. Now I'm not saying LSSU has to come up with a $275,000 head coaches salary, but like someone said in a prior post, you can't shop at St Vinnie's and hope for Sak's Fifth Avenue. You'd be lucky to get WalMart. Is that bargain candidate out there? He could very well be. But are the chances of greatly improving the program without greatly improving the infrastructure significant, not likely. I'm sure some will point to Ferris right now. But take a look at Bob's record overall. How many times would they have been calling for his head to roll? He had 12 seasons of 15 wins or fewer going into the 09 season. And speaking of Ferris, a look at Mark Kaufman might be a good starting point as well. Best of luck in the search.

You mention alot of good names but the favorite with the Laker faithful is Joey Shawhan. Could you give us your thoughts or is there any talk in Marquette? I've heard he doesn't want to leave NMU. Do you ever talk to him?

 

[PerkyforPrez]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread

You mention alot of good names but the favorite with the Laker faithful is Joey Shawhan. Could you give us your thoughts or is there any talk in Marquette? I've heard he doesn't want to leave NMU. Do you ever talk to him?

Davyd please answer these questions.

 

[davyd83]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2014 off season thread

You mention alot of good names but the favorite with the Laker faithful is Joey Shawhan. Could you give us your thoughts or is there any talk in Marquette? I've heard he doesn't want to leave NMU. Do you ever talk to him?

I talk to him quite often. But those conversations will remain between us. What I will say is that I do think he would give it consideration if contacted by LSSU in regards to the position. I do think he would be a good candidate.