Maine Black Bears 2019: Offseason Approaching

[Runsub5]

Re: Maine Black Bears 2019: Offseason Approaching

I know. And the bulk of recruits past and present say the reason they came to Maine was because of the atmosphere. The building and the fans are the selling point. Quite a sad article, completely delusional leadership evidently.......

That's the word, "delusional". A complete lack of administrative leadership in regards to the hockey program. Those and other excuses are an insult to the hockey fan base.

 

[rufus]

Re: Maine Black Bears 2019: Offseason Approaching

Someday Maine will have the same extravagant budget as AIC.

But elite players don't want to come to Maine and play. They'd rather go to hockey hotbeds like NU, Providence, Lowell, and AIC.

 

[Ma#1ne Hky]

Re: Maine Black Bears 2019: Offseason Approaching

https://bangordailynews.com/2019/03...eshc#Echobox=1554036253&var=1554039248_0_0_19

Here we go AGAIN....always some ones else fault/problem...etc/etc. The right thing to do is flush the toilet as that's what that article amounts to. Excuses 101...…………..pretty futile when you have the AD backing the problems...………..

 

[chickod]

Re: Maine Black Bears 2019: Offseason Approaching

But elite players don't want to come to Maine and play. They'd rather go to hockey hotbeds like NU, Providence, Lowell, and AIC.

You left out Princeton, Alabama-Huntsville and Merrimack.

 

[Ma#1ne Hky]

Re: Maine Black Bears 2019: Offseason Approaching

But elite players don't want to come to Maine and play. They'd rather go to hockey hotbeds like NU, Providence, Lowell, and AIC.

You hit the nail right on....but listening to the AD and Gendron....they are on track....I mean inches away....awful to take us the fans as fools.

 

[rufus]

Re: Maine Black Bears 2019: Offseason Approaching

https://bangordailynews.com/2019/03...eshc#Echobox=1554036253&var=1554039248_0_0_19

“We have taken huge steps the last two years in terms of our ability to compete at the top level in our league. We haven’t cracked the top level yet, but we know we’re inches away,” Gendron said.

Didn't Red say we'd be in the final four at this point?

“It’s not always a question of dollars and cents. You’re seeing more programs having a chance to succeed,” Ralph said.

So why aren't you?

You blame the entire thing on not having the money to have top tier facilities or higher paid coaches, and then you turn around and say that money doesn't really matter. So why aren't you getting the job done with the resources you have, like those other powerhouse programs Clarkson and AIC?

 

[Ma#1ne Hky]

Re: Maine Black Bears 2019: Offseason Approaching

You left out Princeton, Alabama-Huntsville and Merrimack.

Bowling Green

 

[Ma#1ne Hky]

Re: Maine Black Bears 2019: Offseason Approaching

Didn't Red say we'd be in the final four at this point?



So why aren't you?

Frozen 4 in 4 years...win Hockey East last year....can't back his words....he's a wind-BAG and getting paid for it....he's a FAILURE.

 

[Ma#1ne Hky]

Re: Maine Black Bears 2019: Offseason Approaching

That's the word, "delusional". A complete lack of administrative leadership in regards to the hockey program. Those and other excuses are an insult to the hockey fan base.

+1 by a mile.

 

[BlackI]

Didn't Red say we'd be in the final four at this point?



So why aren't you?

You blame the entire thing on not having the money to have top tier facilities or higher paid coaches, and then you turn around and say that money doesn't really matter. So why aren't you getting the job done with the resources you have, like those other powerhouse programs Clarkson and AIC?

Well why didn’t they say so... just inches away? Ha, let’s just each give a few thousand extra and truly get there!

Yeah right, Larry with a ****ty arse article. And the excuses from athletic leadership and Red... go sell crazy somewhere else. The fans at Alfond won’t buy this hogwash.

 

[BoSox3066]

The part about "parity" was very interesting. Billy Jaffe had a different take on that. He says there is not necessarily parity, but that some schools have figured out that a different "recruiting strategy' (essentially older players with a couple of blue chippers thrown in) seems to be what wins in the post-season now. The "old" paradigm of grabbing five NHL draft picks that will be one and done does not lend itself to providing stability, continuity and leadership.

Was that ever the model? The Minnesota teams that had Kessel and Wheeler won nothing and Maine used to get ragged on for having 25 year olds and that was 15 years ago.

I guess you could point to BC but their national title teams had undersized big time scorers that were never going to be one and done sprinkled in

 

[Runsub5]

Re: Maine Black Bears 2019: Offseason Approaching

Well why didn’t they say so... just inches away? Ha, let’s just each give a few thousand extra and truly get there!

Yeah right, Larry with a ****ty arse article. And the excuses from athletic leadership and Red... go sell crazy somewhere else. The fans at Alfond won’t buy this hogwash.

Unfortunately, most fans will buy it. Attendance will still be 3500-3800 for each game. Change will only occur if fans stop supporting the program.

 

[ticapnews]

Re: Maine Black Bears 2019: Offseason Approaching

“We beat the best team in our league [regular-season champion Massachusetts] this year and went 5-1 against Boston University and Boston College. When was the last time that happened?” Gendron asked

1992-93 when Maine was 7-1 combined against BU and BC (and Maine was the top team in Hockey East). Of course, BU and BC finished in 7th and 5th this season (and still made it to TD Garden).

“We have a responsibility. We have to put certain elements back into the program to give this team a chance,” Ralph said. “We’re going to have to be creative about how we find it."

Mending fences with our most famous and incredibly generous alumnus would be a good way.

It must be pointed out that UMaine also has the lowest-paid coaching staff and smallest recruiting budget among Hockey East programs, according to a league source. Gendron last March signed at two-year contract extension through June 30, 2021, that pays him $213,282.08 per year. Assistants Ben Guite and Alfie Michaud combine to earn $160,906.60.
A handful of Hockey East coaches earn more individually than the entire UMaine coaching staff. They include longtime Boston College coach Jerry York, who reportedly earns in excess of $1.2 million and Norm Bazin at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell takes home $465,000.

The recruiting budget is a joke. And while a favorite topic in this thread has been the need to hire a young, hungry coach, even Greg Carvel who had four years of mediocre results in the ECAC earned 50% more than Gendron...and that was before the contract extension he signed through 2023.

As for Alfond, yeah the game-day atmosphere is great but for many of the recruits it isn't about atmosphere. Every player is different, but fancy facilities get their attention.

I know. And the bulk of recruits past and present say the reason they came to Maine was because of the atmosphere. The building and the fans are the selling point.

These are the same recruits you all say aren't good enough. Maybe ask the kids who looked at Maine but chose other schools what they think of UMaine's facilities.

 

[walrus]

Re: Maine Black Bears 2019: Offseason Approaching

Alfond matches the campus.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[Ma#1ne Hky]

Re: Maine Black Bears 2019: Offseason Approaching

Alfond matches the campus.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

ouch..

 

[Runsub5]

Re: Maine Black Bears 2019: Offseason Approaching

Many of these talented players don't make the decision to attend a particular school in a vacuum. They have family advisors who help make decisions that are in the players long term interests. It would be interesting to know what their opinion of Maine is.

 

[rufus]

Re: Maine Black Bears 2019: Offseason Approaching

These are the same recruits you all say aren't good enough. Maybe ask the kids who looked at Maine but chose other schools what they think of UMaine's facilities.

Are our recruits better than AIC's? If yes, why are we underachieving?


If no, why? Their recruiting budget must be fantastical.

 

[rufus]

Re: Maine Black Bears 2019: Offseason Approaching

Many of these talented players don't make the decision to attend a particular school in a vacuum. They have family advisors who help make decisions that are in the players long term interests. It would be interesting to know what their opinion of Maine is.

"Got a coach who's always in your grill and yelling at you".

 

[Sean Pickett]

Re: Maine Black Bears 2019: Offseason Approaching

It's unbelievable to me how the AD and Gendron blame the facility for Maine's lack of success.

More so as the lack of support by the school could be solved by the school providing more support. The article mentioned Maine having the lowest paid coaching staff and that Coach Bazin at UML is paid more than all the Maine coaches combined. But what the article fails to mention is that part of the reason for Coach Bazin's salary is his team's success. It also fails to mention that when Coach Bazin was hired UML increased its financial support of the program by $756 thousand, from $1.375 million to $2.131 million, a 55% increase. And the total head coach compensation only increased $20,000 Coach Bazin's first season, although UML did payout $242 thousand in severance to Coach MacDonald that season, but which was then invested in the hockey program the following seasons. On the other hand, Maine's total coaching compensation slightly increased when Coach Gendron took over ($32,000), but the overall program budget was reduced slightly ($38,000). So besides hiring a new coach UML also stepped up with additional support, while Maine did not. My now out of date NCAA financial information for 2010-16 is available if anyone is interested in looking at.

As for Coach Gendron's progress, I have compiled the cumulative coaching records for the first eight seasons of every Hockey East coach who started at or after the formation of the league (so no Coaches Ceglarski, Parker, Flaman, Holt, Riley or Sterling). There have been 32 first year coaches since 1984 and Coach Gendron had the seventh best first season. But as the seasons have progressed his overall position dropped quite a lot (12 out of 29 second seasons, 19 out of 27 third season, 21 out of 25 fourth seasons, 18 out of 24 fifth seasons and 15 out of 20 sixth seasons). It can also be seen that most of the coaches considered among the best in the league were among the top within 6 seasons and winning the regular season and/or making postseason runs. This historical data indicates that it is unlikely that Coach Gendron will be any more successful in future seasons. If interested my spreadsheet also has every team's seasonal records and recent and all time cumulative records. Maine has not fared well over the past 5 and 10 seasons when compared to the other league teams.

Sean

 

[Ma#1ne Hky]

Re: Maine Black Bears 2019: Offseason Approaching

More so as the lack of support by the school could be solved by the school providing more support. The article mentioned Maine having the lowest paid coaching staff and that Coach Bazin at UML is paid more than all the Maine coaches combined. But what the article fails to mention is that part of the reason for Coach Bazin's salary is his team's success. It also fails to mention that when Coach Bazin was hired UML increased its financial support of the program by $756 thousand, from $1.375 million to $2.131 million, a 55% increase. And the total head coach compensation only increased $20,000 Coach Bazin's first season, although UML did payout $242 thousand in severance to Coach MacDonald that season, but which was then invested in the hockey program the following seasons. On the other hand, Maine's total coaching compensation slightly increased when Coach Gendron took over ($32,000), but the overall program budget was reduced slightly ($38,000). So besides hiring a new coach UML also stepped up with additional support, while Maine did not. My now out of date NCAA financial information for 2010-16 is available if anyone is interested in looking at.

As for Coach Gendron's progress, I have compiled the cumulative coaching records for the first eight seasons of every Hockey East coach who started at or after the formation of the league (so no Coaches Ceglarski, Parker, Flaman, Holt, Riley or Sterling). There have been 32 first year coaches since 1984 and Coach Gendron had the seventh best first season. But as the seasons have progressed his overall position dropped quite a lot (12 out of 29 second seasons, 19 out of 27 third season, 21 out of 25 fourth seasons, 18 out of 24 fifth seasons and 15 out of 20 sixth seasons). It can also be seen that most of the coaches considered among the best in the league were among the top within 6 seasons and winning the regular season and/or making postseason runs. This historical data indicates that it is unlikely that Coach Gendron will be any more successful in future seasons. If interested my spreadsheet also has every team's seasonal records and recent and all time cumulative records. Maine has not fared well over the past 5 and 10 seasons when compared to the other league teams.

Sean

Thanks for the info.