Maine Hockey Thread II: The Search for Spock

[rufus]

Re: Maine Hockey Thread II: The Search for Spock

Red is better friends with Tim Whitehead than he is with Bob Corkum. The last coach to give Corkum a chance got bashed in a letter upon his firing. Whitehead has an awful lot of friends in hockey and is well liked...that was the wrong move by corkum, big time....no chance Red keeps him on nor should he...

If they have a disagreement, what will corkum send more letters? There are ways to handle things and there are ways not to handle things....orkum showed little to no loyality to the man that give him an opportunity---now he will face the music...my guess is he is not working in college hockey next year.

I think Corkum showed a lot of loyalty by keeping his mouth shut and doing what he was told while TIMMAY ran the program into the ground for five years. And let's not forget that even with a 'perfect storm' of two Hobey candidates and a heavily senior-laden team, TIMMAY couldn't motivate this team to be anything more than they'd been the past few seasons(4-6-2) until Corkum did a Herb Brooks on them in TIMMAY's absence after a dismal road trip in November. As well as the tongue-lashing he gave them during a listless performance against Ala-Huntsville that salvaged a win in OT.

I respect what Red's done in the game and am sure he's a great assistant. But his record as a head man is not stellar, and maybe he's just not cut out for that, which is why he's been a career assistant. We'll find out. But I do hope Corkum stays, by all accounts the players will go through walls for him, and his fire and passion is certainly needed, especially if let off the leash by a new coach.

 

[rufus]

Re: Maine Hockey Thread II: The Search for Spock

Yalewhaler says he worked with the defense.....that's exciting since that's clearly been Maine's biggest weakness the last 5-6 years.

Well, that and scoring goals. Hope he can teach these guys to put the puck on net, instead of constantly shooting wide or high.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Re: Maine Hockey Thread II: The Search for Spock

The problem isn't the message, it was the messenger and the forum. If a reporter, or an outsider, made those comments everyone would acknowledge that they were factually correct. The biggest problem he faces with those comments is that he completely threw Whitehead under the bus and now every potential boss he could have is going to struggle to trust him. He could've separated himself from Whitehead in his job interview, behind closed doors. Instead, he decided to try and win the job in the public and that never works. The second issue is that his comments show no accountability. At the end of the day, he bears some of the responsibility (everyone associated does) for what happened during Whitehead's tenure. Either way, I'm sure it's a move he regrets the tact he took and will learn from it.

Focusing on the more important news, you guys are getting arguably the best teacher of the game in all of hockey...congrats & good luck!

Had a sneaking suspicion it would be Gendron, and I honestly think UMaine got this one right.

 

[Priceless]

Re: Maine Hockey Thread II: The Search for Spock

I think Corkum showed a lot of loyalty by keeping his mouth shut and doing what he was told while TIMMAY ran the program into the ground for five years.

So he showed loyalty by remaining on the job and keeping his mouth shut.

So what does that say about Guy and Grant? Can't have it both ways...

 

[irishfan85]

Re: Maine Hockey Thread II: The Search for Spock

Who stays of current assistants?

 

[revoman]

Re: Maine Hockey Thread II: The Search for Spock

So he showed loyalty by remaining on the job and keeping his mouth shut.

So what does that say about Guy and Grant? Can't have it both ways...

The only thing Guy has ever said is that it was time to move on. He does not say anything else.

 

[revoman]

Re: Maine Hockey Thread II: The Search for Spock

Who stays of current assistants?

D) none of the above

The exception would be if any were told they were welcome to re-apply for their position and if they were the 'best' candidate after the interview and the vetting process they could be considered. This would allow Corkum to address his post in the Facebook forum and on here and clear up any misconceptions or interpretations of what he did and why.

I do, however, think it would be good to keep Corkum on as an assistant to keep some continuity with the team and help to hold them responsible for the off-season conditioning goals he set for them coming into next season...

 

[Priceless]

Re: Maine Hockey Thread II: The Search for Spock

The only thing Guy has ever said is that it was time to move on. He does not say anything else.

That, to me, is loyalty. It may be time to come back.

 

[walrus]

Re: Maine Hockey Thread II: The Search for Spock

Who stays of current assistants?

I don't see either of them coming back, but we'll have to wait and see. he may want one of them for continuity???

 

[MEbear]

Re: Maine Hockey Thread II: The Search for Spock

My sentiments exactly. Well stated and thanks for the good wishes. I hope that Red succeeds as a head coach. Most Maine fans blame Tim for everything that went wrong the last few years and rightfully so, he is the head coach. However, there are other issues that no one will ever know about that caused the program to drop in stature the last few years. In fairness to Tim, he was working to correct the weaknesses and Red is going to inherit a pretty good team. Corkum was paid to coach players and shares responsibility as well. Tim is well liked and does have many friends in the college hockey community (as another poster stated). Corkum's tactics were very unprofessional in my mind and I'm sure other coaches in the league perceived it the same way.

Corkum stated the truth and what all of us already knew and there's nothing unprofessional about that, and he waited to say it until it wouldn't undermine Whitehead as the coach and hurt the program. If you can imagine the extreme frustration he must have endured, I think he should be commended for not blurting it out a few years ago and it might have helped the team if he had. I frankly get sick of coaches and sports media who are always sugarcoating everything and never really assigning or taking responsibility for even obvious failures.

As far as "other issues," that deserve blame for the decline in our hockey program, every program at every other school Maine competes against also has "other issues" to deal with and it's part of the head coaches job to do that. Maybe Tim WAS working to correct the weaknesses, but he'd been there plenty long enough so he owned those weaknesses and it's right that he be held fully responsible for their existence. You probably should have quit at "Most Maine fans blame Tim for everything that went wrong the last few years and rightfully so, he is the head coach," instead of going on to try to muddy the water and spread the blame beyond where it rightfully lies, with the man who was at the helm of Maine hockey for more than a decade.

 

[john g]

Re: Maine Hockey Thread II: The Search for Spock

I don't see either of them coming back, but we'll have to wait and see. he may want one of them for continuity???

Continuity of shooting high and wide (something Kerluke did quite well as a player)? Continuity of not knowing what to do when crossing the attacking blue line? Continuity of not completing 3 consecutive passes - at least early in the season? I will admit they got much better at passing as the season went on.

Of the assistants, I would like to see Kerluke go. I like him as a person but I question his in game strategies and teaching qualities not to mention his ability to bring in recruits. The practice regimen has to be stepped-up too.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Re: Maine Hockey Thread II: The Search for Spock

Corkum stated the truth and what all of us already knew and there's nothing unprofessional about that, and he waited to say it until it wouldn't undermine Whitehead as the coach and hurt the program. If you can imagine the extreme frustration he must have endured, I think he should be commended for not blurting it out a few years ago and it might have helped the team if he had. I frankly get sick of coaches and sports media who are always sugarcoating everything and never really assigning or taking responsibility for even obvious failures.

So he spoke the truth. Congrats. He was the ASSISTANT. His job was to ASSIST. Whitehead was running the program, and Corkum reported to him. If Corkum didn't like it, no one was forcing him to stay at UMaine. There are other jobs out there, and he would always have been able to interview at UMaine at a later date if the job opened up.

IF you are a head coach, and you need assistants you can trust ... are you going to hire a guy who has his own agenda, and will bury you the first chance he gets??????????

 

[CollegeHockeyRinkReport]

Re: Maine Hockey Thread II: The Search for Spock

http://www.westerncollegehockeyblog...-whitehead-bob-corkum-black-bears-hockey-east

Our timeline of Red Gendron's career, year-by-year.

 

[WIrinkrat]

That, to me, is loyalty. It may be time to come back.

Assuming he were interested that would be a great move for Maine

 

[walrus]

Re: Maine Hockey Thread II: The Search for Spock

IF you are a head coach, and you need assistants you can trust ... are you going to hire a guy who has his own agenda, and will bury you the first chance he gets??????????

He was no longer head coach when Corkum spoke up.

 

[WIrinkrat]

He was no longer head coach when Corkum spoke up.

I think the point is more that its clear from BCs comments that he wasnt supportive of TW when he was the coach. Whether TW was doing the right things or not he is doomed to fail if he an asst or assts who are undermining his authority from within. BC may not have spoken out publicly before but he clearly had not bought in....and you cant hide that from people no matter how hard you try.

That would absolutely be a red flag for me...

 

[walrus]

Re: Maine Hockey Thread II: The Search for Spock

I think the point is more that its clear from BCs comments that he wasnt supportive of TW when he was the coach. Whether TW was doing the right things or not he is doomed to fail if he an asst or assts who are undermining his authority from within. BC may not have spoken out publicly before but he clearly had not bought in....and you cant hide that from people no matter how hard you try.

That would absolutely be a red flag for me...

if he wasn't supportive while Tim was coach why didn't Tim fire him? You guys want to blame everyone but the man himself.

 

[all bear]

Re: Maine Hockey Thread II: The Search for Spock

He was no longer head coach when Corkum spoke up.

Exactly. At least Corkum had the ballz to tell it like it was without hurting Timmay's feelings, sniff, sniff. More than can be said for most of the UHN fans who seemed strangely obssessed with this whole matter....maybe they had their feelings touched up a bit

 

[MEbear]

Re: Maine Hockey Thread II: The Search for Spock

So he spoke the truth. Congrats. He was the ASSISTANT. His job was to ASSIST. Whitehead was running the program, and Corkum reported to him. If Corkum didn't like it, no one was forcing him to stay at UMaine. There are other jobs out there, and he would always have been able to interview at UMaine at a later date if the job opened up.

IF you are a head coach, and you need assistants you can trust ... are you going to hire a guy who has his own agenda, and will bury you the first chance he gets??????????

This wasn't his first chance, he had plenty of chances long before this spring! As long as Whitehead was Maine's head coach and was his boss, he was entirely loyal, but once Whitehead was no longer connected with the UMaine program, his loyalty properly shifted to those who WERE still a part of Maine hockey, the players and the fans. We all saw over and over that there was a lack of accountability and taking responsibility and that needed to change, and I don't see Corkum saying that as being anything too terrible, especially when we all know it's true.

 

[WIrinkrat]

if he wasn't supportive while Tim was coach why didn't Tim fire him? You guys want to blame everyone but the man himself.

Tim may not have realized how disgruntled he was? Players arent winning and arent happy....BC isnt happy....who knows what was said or done behind the scenes and whatever facade of support may have been there.

Possible to hide from a head coach if you dont buy in? Absolutely. From 30 players on the team? Definitely not. Im not saying Tim shouldnt have been let go but who knows what might have happened if everyone had just sucked up their pride and bought in instead of pulling in different directions on the same rope?