it's time to move on from the Gendron era.
True ... but isn't the bigger question - the true elephant in the room -
is it time to move on from the Walsh era? Grant was an integral part and stayed on long-term, and Tim was hand-picked by Walsh prior to his passing to lead the program if Walsh didn't make it through his ordeal. Red was part of the Walsh program earlier; Corkum and Guite were SW's players. Walsh era extensions, one and all.
In essence, I think UMaine Hockey to date has largely been the story of one man - a guy who took a fledgling D-1 program from nowhere to the very top of the mountain, and whose legacy has since lasted for another two full decades, with Tim and Red and various player/assistants all trying to replicate the magic of the original. Arguably Standbrook was the last true link inside of Walsh's inner sanctum, and when he retired, UMaine's fading results predictably began to fall off more quickly. But all in all, the overall approach by the UMaine athletic department was to draft off Walsh's memory as long as possible. Not that there's anything wrong with that; clearly, Walsh's planning and presence kept UMaine competitive for some time after.
Even now, looking at the folks being discussed ... in addition to some of those mentioned above, there's Monty and Capuano and Moore who get mentioned, and at least two of those guys seemingly have moved on for good. So people are still not wanting to move away from the Walsh legacy, and I totally get that. But 20 years after his passing, the succession plan of "hire Walsh's guys to run the program like Walshy" seems to be running on fumes. Mind you, we had our own HC at UNH who fancied the idea of creating his own long-term legacy. I don't think it lasted more than 20 months, or 20 weeks even.
It remains to be seen if UMaine hires a guy like Cam Ellsworth. Ironically, like Walsh, his playing experience as a nondescript goalie (albeit a 4 year starter at Michigan Tech) is his foundation. But only if/when UMaine does hire someone from outside the large Walsh umbrella that has since served the program for the last 20 years, will there be a break from the Walsh Era.
+++++++++++++++
As an aside ... when folks say Walshy was a next-level planner, the Whitehead hire has to be Exhibit A in his favor; can you even begin to imagine the process, where SW is in the fight of his life, knows it down to the ground, and finds the energy to pursue his own replacement?!? First, there's probably a discussion with GS where Grant confirms he's quite content with his regular #2 role, then there's a discussion with the AD regarding the need to add another full-salary coach to the staff, due to his perilous medical condition, and THEN there are discussions with TW, other staff and the returning players on how this will all be playing out? While most HEA coaches were chilling by the lake during the offseason, Walsh was protecting his legacy.
