Maine 2012 - The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly??

[Ma#1ne Hky]

Re: Maine 2012 - The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly??

I could see Shore not sticking around either, couldn't be any worse playing Major Junior.

There's a good chance that the Dallas Stars are keeping a close eye on this situation and what may transpire at the end of the season,there in the Business of getting there players developed to play in the NHL...not to waste a pick in the 2nd round or have him hindered by 2-3 years of non-developement....no surprise here that he could be a goner at the end of this season...his goals are nowhere's in the area that Whiteheads are...BUYOUT/Fire this man at the end of the season...a NO Brainer...Let the REBUILDING start quickly after this dismal season.

 

[Drew S.]

Re: Maine 2012 - The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly??

There's a good chance that the Dallas Stars are keeping a close eye on this situation and what may transpire at the end of the season,there in the Business of getting there players developed to play in the NHL...not to waste a pick in the 2nd round or have him hindered by 2-3 years of non-developement....no surprise here that he could be a goner at the end of this season...his goals are nowhere's in the area that Whiteheads are...BUYOUT/Fire this man at the end of the season...a NO Brainer...Let the REBUILDING start quickly after this dismal season.

He's seeing a lot of ice time in every situation, how is that bad for his development?

 

[carltonbarrett]

Re: Maine 2012 - The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly??

Carlton, we had this same disussion last year, go away!
No one cares about BC and their big recruits-it's almost abnoxious.
You are like the Yankees...lots of money and a nice big upper class city school-how hard is recruiting there?

The only difference between BC Hockey and the Yankees is that we've actually won Championships with our talent lately.

 

[carltonbarrett]

Re: Maine 2012 - The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly??

All the CHN guys are a bunch of dopes who never played hockey, never involved at all besides Wodon who runs the place. Meloni is a complete dork who knows nothing about anything. Maine might not have the talent that they had in the Walsh days/early Whitehead days, but they have more talent on paper than a lot of the teams around them, at least offensively. Coach can't recruit and certainly can't coach.

I think you guys are completely missing the point. Nobody is suggesting that a 1-9 start is the new "norm" for Maine Hockey. What CHN is suggesting is that the success you had under Walsh was not the "norm" either. A lot of you fans grew up with Maine going to the FF on a regular basis and figure that that is how it's supposed to be. Unfortunately, as has been discussed ad nauseum on this board, the Walsh era was "lightening in a bottle", or the perfect storm of circumstances that allowed for the program's success. Everyone recruits in Canada now, the NCAA is getting stricter and stricter, and there will never again be another Shawn Walsh - PERIOD. I don't think Maine is going to sink to the level of those Merrimack teams of the 90's, but there is no reason in the world to think that they are ever going to be a premier program again over the long haul and you are much more likely to be in the UMASS, UVM, UNH (at best) grouping than consistently be competing with the BC's and BU's of the world.

 

[J.D.]

Re: Maine 2012 - The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly??

I agree that it will be difficult for Maine to become a consistent power again, but it's still all about the coach. There's no reason a new coach can't do better than Whitehead has the last five years or so.

 

[irishfan85]

Re: Maine 2012 - The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly??

Will Maine ever have the run of unbelievable, young talent like BC has and stockpile NHL draft picks like BU, Notre Dame, Minnesota also have done over past decade? No

Can Maine be a consistent top four program with a good coach? Yes

Why? Because the fan support is unreal and impressive to kids looking at going to school to play hockey and good coaches can sell that and get the job done. If Jim Montgomery, Nate Leaman, Rick Bennett, Guy Gadowski came to Maine, I think the job could be done. I'm not including older, established coaches that wouldn't come to Maine. Also, Gadowski probably wouldn't either now, but would have before and did good things at UAF and Princeton.

 

[FiveHole12]

Re: Maine 2012 - The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly??

I agree that it will be difficult for Maine to become a consistent power again, but it's still all about the coach. There's no reason a new coach can't do better than Whitehead has the last five years or so.

Completely agree. Put the right man in charge and he will win wherever he's coaching.
I happen to believe a Jerry York could build a national contender at Alabama-Hunstville. Maine would be a cream puff in comparison.

 

[FiveHole12]

Re: Maine 2012 - The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly??

If Jim Montgomery, Nate Leaman, Rick Bennett, Guy Gadowski came to Maine, I think the job could be done. I'm not including older, established coaches that wouldn't come to Maine. Also, Gadowski probably wouldn't either now, but would have before and did good things at UAF and Princeton.

Don't underestimate Dennehy. What he has accomplished in a high school rink is pretty impressive. Problem for everyone else is, Merrrimack knew what they had and signed him long term.

 

[J.D.]

Re: Maine 2012 - The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly??

Top four Hockey East program? I'd agree with that.

 

[carltonbarrett]

Re: Maine 2012 - The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly??

Again, I agree that Maine can be a successful program, I just think that the new definition of success is more like a 20-22 win season, a top 3 or 4 finish in HE, an NCAA tourney appearance every 3 or so years and that rare FF appearance. Short of getting the best coach there is, I just don't see Maine being able to compete with BC and BU on a consistent basis and I think at best the program's ceiling is more like what UNH has done over the past 10 years.

 

[J.D.]

Re: Maine 2012 - The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly??

Outside of one great year in the last 10+ years, BU hasn't been anything special. It's been BC and everyone else. If Maine gets the right coach, at the very least they can get back to having consistent winning seasons. Whitehead hasn't even been able to do that in the last five or so years.

 

[irishfan85]

Re: Maine 2012 - The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly??

Don't underestimate Dennehy. What he has accomplished in a high school rink is pretty impressive. Problem for everyone else is, Merrrimack knew what they had and signed him long term.

I didn't include him because he is from Boston, lives in nice town near MC, has contract til 2019, isn't leaving MC for Maine. The only place Dennehy is leaving MC for is BC. (and please don't tell me BC doesn't want him, etc...that's not what I'm saying)

 

[AMC]

Re: Maine 2012 - The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly??

Again, I agree that Maine can be a successful program, I just think that the new definition of success is more like a 20-22 win season, a top 3 or 4 finish in HE, an NCAA tourney appearance every 3 or so years and that rare FF appearance. Short of getting the best coach there is, I just don't see Maine being able to compete with BC and BU on a consistent basis and I think at best the program's ceiling is more like what UNH has done over the past 10 years.

I think you are skewing the definition of "success." BC is on a level by itself, with its 3 titles in 5 years. BU has one title, and some mediocre years where Timmay beat them in the HEA tournament and had better years. Sure, they've had more impressive recruiting classes, and maybe an NHL'er or two, but other than '08-'09 they haven't done a lot. What other NCAA program is "successful"

 

[sterlippo1]

Re: Maine 2012 - The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly??

Completely agree. Put the right man in charge and he will win wherever he's coaching.
I happen to believe a Jerry York could build a national contender at Alabama-Hunstville. Maine would be a cream puff in comparison.

He did it at Bowling Green so your point is a valid one

 

[BoSox3066]

Re: Maine 2012 - The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly??

I think you guys are completely missing the point. Nobody is suggesting that a 1-9 start is the new "norm" for Maine Hockey. What CHN is suggesting is that the success you had under Walsh was not the "norm" either. A lot of you fans grew up with Maine going to the FF on a regular basis and figure that that is how it's supposed to be. Unfortunately, as has been discussed ad nauseum on this board, the Walsh era was "lightening in a bottle", or the perfect storm of circumstances that allowed for the program's success. Everyone recruits in Canada now, the NCAA is getting stricter and stricter, and there will never again be another Shawn Walsh - PERIOD. I don't think Maine is going to sink to the level of those Merrimack teams of the 90's, but there is no reason in the world to think that they are ever going to be a premier program again over the long haul and you are much more likely to be in the UMASS, UVM, UNH (at best) grouping than consistently be competing with the BC's and BU's of the world.

Who's talking about the Walsh era? We'll take the "success" of the early Whitehead era. This is a team that in a 7 year period is looking like its going to have 2 non-appearances in the Hockey East tourney, one year as an 8 seed, and only two Garden trips. There's absolutely no reason that has to the new normal for Maine.

 

[KnowItAll]

Re: Maine 2012 - The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly??

He's seeing a lot of ice time in every situation, how is that bad for his development?

when he NEVER goes to the weak side on offence in order to receive a pass or to pick up a rebound?

when he NEVER passes to the forehand side of an open teammate ( because nobody is ever open, they are aloways shoulder to shoulder with him)

when he bunches up in the neutral zone with both other forwards and maybe a defenseman during a "breakout"

I can see that Dallas might want him to play sound hockey somewhere... he is not doing it under Timmy's "system"

you mentioned that Timmy was talking about posting players on the weak side in order to receive a pass... maine NEVER DID THAT ONCE last night.
even when there were "only" two forwards on the puck in the corner or behind the net, the other forward was on the same side of the ice as the puck... sure, it is difficult to thread a needle and get a pass though the D to an open man on the weak side... but if Maine can get the puck there, then the goalie has to move.... THEN if maine either get a shot off, or get the puck back to the other side of the ice, there is a great chance of scoring.

Giant mites never develop

 

[irishfan85]

Re: Maine 2012 - The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly??

Besides Flynn, who has developed more than expected since Penner? No one.


On a more positive note for Maine hockey, Flynn and Abbott have both been playing real well last few weekends.

 

[sandiegoblkbr]

Re: Maine 2012 - The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly??

I think you guys are completely missing the point. Nobody is suggesting that a 1-9 start is the new "norm" for Maine Hockey. What CHN is suggesting is that the success you had under Walsh was not the "norm" either. A lot of you fans grew up with Maine going to the FF on a regular basis and figure that that is how it's supposed to be. Unfortunately, as has been discussed ad nauseum on this board, the Walsh era was "lightening in a bottle", or the perfect storm of circumstances that allowed for the program's success. Everyone recruits in Canada now, the NCAA is getting stricter and stricter, and there will never again be another Shawn Walsh - PERIOD. I don't think Maine is going to sink to the level of those Merrimack teams of the 90's, but there is no reason in the world to think that they are ever going to be a premier program again over the long haul and you are much more likely to be in the UMASS, UVM, UNH (at best) grouping than consistently be competing with the BC's and BU's of the world.

You wish.

Maine can consistently compete with the upper crust of college hockey........but it ain't happening while TW is coach. I'm sure that opposing fans, coaches and some media are trying their best however to see that Maine stays down for as long as possible.

 

[Ma#1ne Hky]

Re: Maine 2012 - The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly??

He's seeing a lot of ice time in every situation, how is that bad for his development?

Playing every situation....so what....what is he learning...???? Just getting into bad habits/accepting it and more or less not being in the best shape/conditioning he would get from a driven Coach...he's a player with talent/skills....but it needs to be seen not talked about in the BDNews or when TW hands out his 3 keys of the game speech....

 

[Drew S.]

Re: Maine 2012 - The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly??

Playing every situation....so what....what is he learning...???? Just getting into bad habits/accepting it and more or less not being in the best shape/conditioning he would get from a driven Coach...he's a player with talent/skills....but it needs to be seen not talked about in the BDNews or when TW hands out his 3 keys of the game speech....

I'm sure a lot of people are going to disagree with me on this, but I think you either of the talent and desire to make it or you don't. Its up to Devin Shore if he makes it in the NHL, not Tim Whitehead. If he needs Timmy telling him to work harder he probably doesn't have much of a chance anyway, which I hope isn't the case.