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Maine Offseason 2020: We Stay Home But Swayman Leaves

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If Monty will take the job and they can afford him its him. Has to be. Would be absurdly dumb not to do it.

if he wont take it and they have money, maybe call Greg Moore.

if they have slightly less money and want to go outside I saw Ben Barr’s name.... was at Union and PC with Leaman and at Umass now, on the young side and good resume

if they want to go cheap instead look at Swallow.
 
amkirby10 said:
I've said before that I don't think Montgomery is likely, and in fact I said that I think its close to 0%. I still don't think it's all that likely, but the more I've thought about it the more I could at least see it happening. He might want to try and prove he can be a leader again, and going back to an NHL head job seems unlikely. Maybe stopping in college somewhere, being the head coach, and building up a program and helping some young men through a formative time can prove to people that he's gotten over the hump and conquered his demons. A safe, out of the way, and familiar place like Maine could be the way he gets back to where he wants to be. Taking a struggling program back to relevance wouldn't hurt the resume either. I still don't think its a very likely scenario, but they should at least give him a call and see what he says, assuming that they do actually move on from Red.
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Yeah, he's had some personal issues, and they may well re-occur, but his hockey resume is pretty stellar.

I'd love to see him get a shot at this job. No way in the world he'd recruit and coach as poorly as Red has. There is absolutely nothing to lose.
 
If Montgomery is available and you don't hire him, again - you'll be making a MASSIVE mistake. He was phenomenal at Denver (where I had season tickets the last handful+ of years) - breathing new life into a program that had gotten stale. He recruited at a high level, he developed his athletes, and he had the team playing hard in all three zones every night. His winning speaks for itself...

He'd be a terrific hire and, while a rebuild may take time, I'd consider your program 100% back on track. It would be great for Maine and an awful turn of events for UNH.

If you pass because of his mistake, his STL timeline, a 'desire' to go outside the Maine family or over concerns he might want to return to the NHL - you're flat out dropping the ball. With UNH in the dumps I hope you do, but don't say I didn't warn you. With his connection to the program, you would be crazy not to do whatever you could to entice him back to Orono.

I'd replace Souza with Montgomery in half a heart beat. If Montgomery coaches in college again, he'll recruit and he'll win. Period.
 
Dan said:
If Montgomery is available and you don't hire him, again - you'll be making a MASSIVE mistake. He was phenomenal at Denver (where I had season tickets the last handful+ of years) - breathing new life into a program that had gotten stale. He recruited at a high level, he developed his athletes, and he had the team playing hard in all three zones every night. His winning speaks for itself...

He'd be a terrific hire and, while a rebuild may take time, I'd consider your program 100% back on track. It would be great for Maine and an awful turn of events for UNH.

If you pass because of his mistake, his STL timeline, a 'desire' to go outside the Maine family or over concerns he might want to return to the NHL - you're flat out dropping the ball. With UNH in the dumps I hope you do, but don't say I didn't warn you. With his connection to the program, you would be crazy not to do whatever you could to entice him back to Orono.

I'd replace Souza with Montgomery in half a heart beat. If Montgomery coaches in college again, he'll recruit and he'll win. Period.
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Yeah and he will bring in Kariya as an asst, along with Jean Yves and Pelly etc etc. He made more in Denver in one year then he would make in 3 in Orono, so why would he come to Orono again?
 
walrus said:
Yeah and he will bring in Kariya as an asst, along with Jean Yves and Pelly etc etc. He made more in Denver in one year then he would make in 3 in Orono, so why would he come to Orono again?
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On the surface, Wally is right. But, a lot has happened to him personally that may cause him to bite at applying. He has been to the top. He surely isn’t there now, and that’s my point. If he still wants the big bucks and a head NHL coaching job, good for him, but stay away from Maine. His negotiating position has lost all the power he once had.....
 
Wayuphere said:
On the surface, Wally is right. But, a lot has happened to him personally that may cause him to bite at applying. He has been to the top. He surely isn't there now, and that's my point. If he still wants the big bucks and a head NHL coaching job, good for him, but stay away from Maine. His negotiating position has lost all the power he once had.....
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Totally agree. What Monty made in Denver or Dallas doesn't matter any more. I know he's been through a lot since, but hopefully he didn't squander the high earnings he would have made at those places, and can afford to not necessarily have to chase the biggest payday available. He's already done that (Dallas), and it didn't turn out too well for him. My understanding is that on average, NHL assistants make something in the range of $300K-$400K annually. I'm guessing that the top job at UMaine should at least be able to scrape the lower end of that range. And in the Downeast, there would likely be plenty of (modest but helpful) opportunities to supplement that salary, immediately becoming the biggest celebrity in the area and all. I'm pretty sure Monty isn't doing any commercials or paying gigs off-ice out in St. Loo right now.

Monty can be PO'ed at UMaine for not asking last time. UMaine can have questions about Monty's off-ice problems. Fine. Like Dan said, if the news got out that Monty was open to a return to D-1, there would likely be long line of interested schools (which should include your "old enemy" down at UNH, but our AD is a blithering, do-nothing idiot, so that won't happen). This will probably be the last best shot both sides get at a "reconciliation", and truth be told, each needs the other now - UMaine likely even more so than Monty.

If I'm UMaine, I make that call - if not for this year, maybe a year or two down the road? And if I'm Monty, I take that call, and listen intently with interest. And if you kids can't work things out, tell Monty I'll personally drive out to St. Loo to pick him up and bring him back East to the WIS Estate, where he can live 15 traffic-free minutes from The Whitt rent-free ('cuz that's just the kind of giving guy I am). Consider it UNH's version of retroactive financial aid. ;-)
 
All that I said must include an open, competitive selection process. There are plenty of quality coaches looking to move up but I lean to Monty again, based on how both his teammates reacted to him as a Captain, but even more, how his players reacted to him as a coach. I’ve harped about lack of effort and desire/discipline for years. Benching a 1st line player for stupid, selfish play would warrant spectator status for a game under the old HE regimes. Monty had that fire while Red, well, never mind....makes me think back to watching SW crouch behind a player after a dumb shift and trying to be discrete while reaming them a new one but has face and head bobs gave away the butt chewing. Watching the offending player go out next shift and excel completed the entertainment factor for me....we need that.
 
Monty isn't Walshy but I agree on the entertainment factor with Walshy. Maybe the Alfond foundation can set up an endowment to supplement the salary so we can lure Monty back to Orono. Alfond would be full the first game next season thats for sure. I'd probably get season tickets again.
 
walrus said:
Yeah and he will bring in Kariya as an asst, along with Jean Yves and Pelly etc etc. He made more in Denver in one year then he would make in 3 in Orono, so why would he come to Orono again?
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Hey, if Maine would prefer to make jokes and fell sorry for themselves - declining to even ask Montgomery, AGAIN, that would be fine with me. Imagine how you'll feel when the Blackbears are still fighting to avoid the HE cellar, Montgomery is winning elsewhere, and you never even tried because 'why would he come to Orono'...

It will make it that much easier for the school he ends up with to rocket back onto the radar of top recruits and into National contention.

The Denver Post reported in 2017 that his extension paid him 'around 300K' - if Maine matched that number it would be equivalent to 500K living in Denver. Gendron's salary was likely already higher than Montgomery's at DU, in terms of cost of living.

But, Maine passing without any effort and Monty ending up at UNH is pretty much the dream scenario - So more of these Kariya's not walking through that door jokes!

Worst case, your AD should be tripping over him or herself to get an answer, even if it means you're turned down - at least then you'll know and can live with whatever else comes to fruition. Assuming and passing is a loser mentality and wouldn't bode well for your athletic leadership/program...
 
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Dan said:
Hey, if Maine would prefer to make jokes and fell sorry for themselves - declining to even ask Montgomery, AGAIN, that would be fine with me. Imagine how you'll feel when the Blackbears are still fighting to avoid the HE cellar, Montgomery is winning elsewhere, and you never even tried because 'why would he come to Orono'...

It will make it that much easier for the school he ends up with to rocket back onto the radar of top recruits and into National contention.

The Denver Post reported in 2017 that his extension paid him 'around 300K' - if Maine matched that number it would be equivalent to 500K living in Denver. Gendron's salary was likely already higher than Montgomery's at DU, in terms of cost of living.

But, Maine passing without any effort and Monty ending up at UNH is pretty much the dream scenario - So more of these Kariya's not walking through that door jokes!

Worst case, your AD should be tripping over him or herself to get an answer, even if it means you're turned down - at least then you'll know and can live with whatever else comes to fruition. Assuming and passing is a loser mentality and wouldn't bode well for your athletic leadership/program...
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Gendron is around 230 to 250. The Coach at DU before Monty was making way more than 300 so I figured Monty was closer to 500. I'm not in the position to ask Monty anything. Gendron is still under contract so this talk is all speculation. So passing without any effort is a moot point right now. The one good thing is our current AD came from CC and is a hockey guy so I have hope he lets Red ride off into the sunset , At that point we can speculate about Montys chances in Orono.
 
I think it was Drew said that we need somebody completely new, and I would say that I agree unless it's Montgomery. Any candidate previously connected to UMaine or Walsh I think should be ruled out other than him. A new direction is needed, instead of trying to remake the past.
 
walrus said:
Gendron is around 230 to 250. The Coach at DU before Monty was making way more than 300 so I figured Monty was closer to 500. I'm not in the position to ask Monty anything. Gendron is still under contract so this talk is all speculation. So passing without any effort is a moot point right now. The one good thing is our current AD came from CC and is a hockey guy so I have hope he lets Red ride off into the sunset , At that point we can speculate about Montys chances in Orono.
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I'm not sure that's a "good thing", Wally. We (UNH) have one of those too, and it's been broken for a long time. Based on what you're telling me, and on my own personal experiences, I wouldn't hire an AD out of CC if you paid me, AND my life depended on it. Just sayin' ...
 
amkirby10 said:
I think it was Drew said that we need somebody completely new, and I would say that I agree unless it's Montgomery. Any candidate previously connected to UMaine or Walsh I think should be ruled out other than him. A new direction is needed, instead of trying to remake the past.
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Moore?
Mainer and not part of the glory days.
No College coaching experience.
 
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amkirby10 said:
I think it was Drew said that we need somebody completely new, and I would say that I agree unless it's Montgomery. Any candidate previously connected to UMaine or Walsh I think should be ruled out other than him. A new direction is needed, instead of trying to remake the past.
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I think Swallow and Barr would be my top two candidates right now. It’s really impressive what Swallow has done with the two programs where he has been head coach. I like that both guys are in their 30’s as well.

Moore would be a huge wildcard and honestly I’m not sure I would want to see someone with zero college coaching experience. At the college level recruiting is probably 2/3 of what makes you successful and he doesn’t have any experience with that.

Ive got mixed feelings on Monty. It would have great if it happened eight years ago but I’m not sure how well it would work now. It’s hard to believe but he turns 52 in June so that hurts his candidacy a little as well.
 
Drew S. said:
Ive got mixed feelings on Monty. It would have great if it happened eight years ago but I'm not sure how well it would work now. It's hard to believe but he turns 52 in June so that hurts his candidacy a little as well.
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Monty still had NHL ambitions 8 years ago, and in his mid-40's he would likely still have wanted to explore that option at some point. He spent 5 seasons at Denver, a program that was better positioned than UMaine even then, got them to the top, and left a year later. Even if he's enjoyed that same success at UMaine - a big assumption - it would have taken him longer, and he may have lost his patience by then, and still opted to scratch that NHL itch anyway.

The best reasons why Monty-UMaine works better now than it would have then is precisely because Monty has lived the NHL life, and he's almost 10 years older now than he was then. He's climbed all those mountains, and fallen into the deepest of valleys. There are less itches that he hasn't scratched already. You get to his age, and many folks start thinking differently about the final stages of their professional life. Turning UMaine around is going to be tougher than what he did in Denver, and if he gives UMaine 10-15 years of hockey that floats somewhere south of Walshy but north of Whitehead, that's pretty good.

There are no guarantees in life, but if I was a D-1 AD and I knew Monty (or another former D-1 champion coach who also did it as a player) was available, he'd be on my call list, and near the top of the hire list before all required interviews even began.

In short, it would basically be his job to lose at this level.
 
Chuck Murray said:
I'm not sure that's a "good thing", Wally. We (UNH) have one of those too, and it's been broken for a long time. Based on what you're telling me, and on my own personal experiences, I wouldn't hire an AD out of CC if you paid me, AND my life depended on it. Just sayin' ...
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People up here were excited as all get out over the hire. I guess his fund raising skills are pretty good, not sure on his judgement of head coaches
 
walrus said:
People up here were excited as all get out over the hire. I guess his fund raising skills are pretty good, not sure on his judgement of head coaches
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Lets see.
Im encouraged by KRalph, look at our last several ADs.
Keep in mind his financial constraints. Amy needs a big raise. Big.
 
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