Maine Offseason 2020: We Stay Home But Swayman Leaves

[walrus]

I'm glad Maine is not going to keep going down the same losing path and is bringing in a proven outsider.

 

[amkirby10]

Fingers crossed. I think a Barr led future will be bright for the program.

 

[KrbFlint]

Fingers crossed. I think a Barr led future will be bright for the program.

Fingers crossed for sure!

In no way do I intend to disrespect Ben Guite; I just think it’s time to move on.

 

[BlackBearFan19]

I'm really hoping for Barr. Outside of Montgomery I think he is the best fit for the job. Just from looking at public data, Barr made 130K at UMass as an assistant. 230K at UMaine and in Orono would be a nice pay bump. He checks all the boxes for me, even if he doesn't stay forever, I think he'll get us back to relevance. The biggest thing for Maine is to not lose their coach to another college program. If a guy moves on to the pros or bigger and better things so be it. However, there shouldn't be bigger and better things at the college level. This is a proud, two time national champion program. Like was said above, this is not Niagara (no offense to Niagara). All respect to Guite and Alfie but I think new blood and perspective is needed. I'm glad Ralph, Monty, Snow and co. are exhausting all resources to find our next coach.

 

[Chuck Murray]

I'm really hoping for Barr. Outside of Montgomery I think he is the best fit for the job. Just from looking at public data, Barr made 130K at UMass as an assistant. 230K at UMaine and in Orono would be a nice pay bump. He checks all the boxes for me, even if he doesn't stay forever, I think he'll get us back to relevance. The biggest thing for Maine is to not lose their coach to another college program. If a guy moves on to the pros or bigger and better things so be it. However, there shouldn't be bigger and better things at the college level. This is a proud, two time national champion program. Like was said above, this is not Niagara (no offense to Niagara). All respect to Guite and Alfie but I think new blood and perspective is needed. I'm glad Ralph, Monty, Snow and co. are exhausting all resources to find our next coach.

A partial list of the bigger and better things at the college level, not including a few close calls:

Boston College (York won't stay forever)
Boston University (AOC isn't established)
Harvard University (prestige maybe?)
RPI (past champs & Barr's alma mater)
Michigan (sleeping giant)
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Denver
North Dakota

Also, for the larger group of posters convinced of UMaine's status, try this exercise. Lake Superior State won a pair of D-1 titles not too far removed from UMaine's two titles, but after Jeff Jackson left - as with UMaine post-Walsh - Lake State has been largely irrelevant on the national scene. But they are very much a "proud two-time national champion program" too.

I didn't put Lake State on the above list of "bigger and better things" at this level. It would be folly to include them on that list, just because of a shiny but relatively short period of great success under a great coach who left long ago. You can see how those outside the Downeast might feel the same way about the current relevance of UMaine's time at or near the top?

Barr could absolutely find the UMaine job fascinating and compelling, and I have no doubt UMaine would (and should) offer their HC job to him. Question is, will he be happy to bide his time and wait in his current job, where he'd probably get some decent bump to keep him in town ($150K), as opposed to jumping for a relatively modest $230K in Orono? Bird in the hand, or two in the bush? Cost of living out in the Pioneer Valley isn't anywhere close to the cost of living at the eastern end of the Commonwealth, so some of that cost of living advantage you guys keep touting is not in play if he stays where he is.

 

[BlackBearFan19]

A partial list of the bigger and better things at the college level, not including a few close calls:

Boston College (York won't stay forever)
Boston University (AOC isn't established)
Harvard University (prestige maybe?)
RPI (past champs & Barr's alma mater)
Michigan (sleeping giant)
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Denver
North Dakota

Also, for the larger group of posters convinced of UMaine's status, try this exercise. Lake Superior State won a pair of D-1 titles not too far removed from UMaine's two titles, but after Jeff Jackson left - as with UMaine post-Walsh - Lake State has been largely irrelevant on the national scene. But they are very much a "proud two-time national champion program" too.

I didn't put Lake State on the above list of "bigger and better things" at this level. It would be folly to include them on that list, just because of a shiny but relatively short period of great success under a great coach who left long ago. You can see how those outside the Downeast might feel the same way about the current relevance of UMaine's time at or near the top?

Barr could absolutely find the UMaine job fascinating and compelling, and I have no doubt UMaine would (and should) offer their HC job to him. Question is, will he be happy to bide his time and wait in his current job, where he'd probably get some decent bump to keep him in town ($150K), as opposed to jumping for a relatively modest $230K in Orono? Bird in the hand, or two in the bush? Cost of living out in the Pioneer Valley isn't anywhere close to the cost of living at the eastern end of the Commonwealth, so some of that cost of living advantage you guys keep touting is not in play if he stays where he is.

Agreed on many of the things said. My point wasn't about Maine being the best job or program in college hockey, it was more about us not being able to retain a coach because of money/program concerns. Nate Leaman has been arguably the best coach in college hockey over the past 5-10 years. Is Providence the most sought after job in college hockey? No chance. But as Providence has continued to have success, they've thrown the kitchen sink at him to not lose him. I'm saying if Maine gets Barr and gets back to national relevance, they have to have a similar mindset to not lose him to other college programs. If they move out of the college ranks that's fine.

UNH should have a similar mindset. For 15+ years, these were top 10 programs year in and year out. Now we just sit here and feel bad for ourselves. I'm not ashamed to admit it, I find myself rooting for UNH when they're not playing Maine. I hope we get our hire right and you guys do too, whether it's Souza or someone new. I miss being at games when the Alfond and Whit are rocking with major hockey east and national implications.

 

[Drew S.]

A partial list of the bigger and better things at the college level, not including a few close calls:

Boston College (York won't stay forever)
Boston University (AOC isn't established)
Harvard University (prestige maybe?)
RPI (past champs & Barr's alma mater)
Michigan (sleeping giant)
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Denver
North Dakota

Also, for the larger group of posters convinced of UMaine's status, try this exercise. Lake Superior State won a pair of D-1 titles not too far removed from UMaine's two titles, but after Jeff Jackson left - as with UMaine post-Walsh - Lake State has been largely irrelevant on the national scene. But they are very much a "proud two-time national champion program" too.

I didn't put Lake State on the above list of "bigger and better things" at this level. It would be folly to include them on that list, just because of a shiny but relatively short period of great success under a great coach who left long ago. You can see how those outside the Downeast might feel the same way about the current relevance of UMaine's time at or near the top?

Barr could absolutely find the UMaine job fascinating and compelling, and I have no doubt UMaine would (and should) offer their HC job to him. Question is, will he be happy to bide his time and wait in his current job, where he'd probably get some decent bump to keep him in town ($150K), as opposed to jumping for a relatively modest $230K in Orono? Bird in the hand, or two in the bush? Cost of living out in the Pioneer Valley isn't anywhere close to the cost of living at the eastern end of the Commonwealth, so some of that cost of living advantage you guys keep touting is not in play if he stays where he is.

Maybe he’s waiting to see what Stevie Y does? No doubt RPI would hire him but not sure any of the other schools would without any head coaching experience. A much more realistic scenario would be BC hiring Cavanaugh and Barr taking over Uconn.

I would love to see Maine hire him and think he will be a success but fully realize he has never been a head coach and it might not work out. If you have the resources of the schools you listed it is likely you hire someone with head coaching experience(if you don’t promote someone who is already on the staff.)

 

[Fishman'81]

I'm really hoping for Barr. Outside of Montgomery I think he is the best fit for the job. Just from looking at public data, Barr made 130K at UMass as an assistant. 230K at UMaine and in Orono would be a nice pay bump. He checks all the boxes for me, even if he doesn't stay forever, I think he'll get us back to relevance. The biggest thing for Maine is to not lose their coach to another college program. If a guy moves on to the pros or bigger and better things so be it. However, there shouldn't be bigger and better things at the college level. This is a proud, two time national champion program. Like was said above, this is not Niagara (no offense to Niagara). All respect to Guite and Alfie but I think new blood and perspective is needed. I'm glad Ralph, Monty, Snow and co. are exhausting all resources to find our next coach.

The more I think about it, the less attractive the Maine job sounds to me.

With all of Red's recruits to get rid of, and the Covid rules making that even more difficult than before, this gig is at least a 6-year plan.

What hot-shot coach would take that chance, and risk watching his career die?

 

[Sean Pickett]

Also, for the larger group of posters convinced of UMaine's status, try this exercise. Lake Superior State won a pair of D-1 titles not too far removed from UMaine's two titles, but after Jeff Jackson left - as with UMaine post-Walsh - Lake State has been largely irrelevant on the national scene. But they are very much a "proud two-time national champion program" too.

Having been in attendance for all of their titles I must correct you: Lake Superior is a proud three-time national champion program.

Sean

 

[NorthMike]

When I hear the press release that its Barr then, OK cool. In the meantime what does anyone really know about whats going on and its wishful thinking. Im braced for something more realistic. Those on here who claim to have some sort of insight could simply be trolling under an alias. Lol

 

[Fishman'81]

When I hear the press release that its Barr then, OK cool. In the meantime what does anyone really know about whats going on and its wishful thinking. Im braced for something more realistic. Those on here who claim to have some sort of insight could simply be trolling under an alias. Lol

Quite likely. Plenty of trolling in the mix already. Some people might want to cultivate a hobby, or simply stick to their own sad threads.

 

[KrbFlint]

Quite likely. Plenty of trolling in the mix already. Some people might want to cultivate a hobby, or simply stick to their own sad threads.

I can't speak for anyone else. I've been sharing with you folks, in good faith, what I've been hearing from multiple "sources" inside D1/Hockey East. Could they be wrong? Sure. Nonetheless, the first time I was told "Ben Barr is going to Maine" was weeks ago, and I was told the same thing yesterday *shrug* The good news is, we'll know soon enough.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Having been in attendance for all of their titles I must correct you: Lake Superior is a proud three-time national champion program.

Sean

Of course, I stand corrected. It does further solidify my point about how quickly even the brightest D-1 meteors can burn out into irrelevancy/obscurity if the driving force isn't there anymore.

 

[Blackbear96]

The more I think about it, the less attractive the Maine job sounds to me.

With all of Red's recruits to get rid of, and the Covid rules making that even more difficult than before, this gig is at least a 6-year plan.

What hot-shot coach would take that chance, and risk watching his career die?

I think the points you make are valid, but still, it's a Division One job in a power conference. - national relevancy +++ If you get the program back to relevancy, the Alfond will be slammed - fan support +++. There has been NHL talent to still come out of Orono, despite the overall lack of talent & poor coaching - NHL opportunities +++. Ken Ralph seems serious about rebuilding the program - job security +++.

I actually think the transfer rule(s) will help too - whether that's grad transfers or some merely seeking better exposure or immediate playing time. There are some recruits that might be likely to jump over to Maine to play with Barr, or even some fringe recruits that were interested in UMass. Obviously there are no blue chip talents that would pass up the opportunity to play on the reigning national champs over the middling Black Bears at the moment, but hopefully Barr would have a decent footing in the recruiting world. It will be challenging giving the timing of everything, but I would imagine that's being discussed in interviews and if Monty & Garth Snow approve, then who the hell are we to criticize?

If any of Red's recruits leave, then I guess so be it. I think there is *some* individual talent on the current roster, but it's very poor compared to the rest of HE. It would just be nice to have a couple of players come in and actually get better throughout their time at Maine. Greenway sticks out to me as a player with a lot of talent that for lack of better words, turned into a Goon-type defender under Red. Incredibly frustrating.

Just excited to see us turn over a new leaf in Orono.

 

[KrbFlint]

Of course, I stand corrected. It does further solidify my point about how quickly even the brightest D-1 meteors can burn out into irrelevancy/obscurity if the driving force isn't there anymore.

At least Lake State made the tourney* this year

*weird year/tourney

 

[AMC]

I am as big of a UMaine athletics pessimist as anyone, but I do think that if a superstar coach comes in here and starts winning (really winning, not 17-14-4 and finishing fifth in Hockey East winning), that the upside for Maine hockey is enormous. The fans will come back, the energy will come back, and the money will come back.

Getting there, though, will be a chore.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Maybe he's waiting to see what Stevie Y does? No doubt RPI would hire him but not sure any of the other schools would without any head coaching experience. A much more realistic scenario would be BC hiring Cavanaugh and Barr taking over Uconn.

I would love to see Maine hire him and think he will be a success but fully realize he has never been a head coach and it might not work out. If you have the resources of the schools you listed it is likely you hire someone with head coaching experience(if you don't promote someone who is already on the staff.)

You'll have to clarify the Stevie Y. comment - are you poking fun at me for my DRW/Yzerman devotion (if so, well played) or is there truly some link between whether Blashill gets another year, and what happens with Barr and the UMaine HC job?

I'm not sure what Luce has done down at UConn these last eight years to prove himself worthy of succeeding York at BC? He's not even a BC alum (as you probably know, he's a Bowdoin alum), and his next winning season at UConn will be his first (other than his first year in the AHA). Barr has been part of recruiting three (3) D-1 champions at three different programs in a time period slightly longer than that. I know Luce would probably make the same claim for his work at BC, pointing out how York hasn't won without him yet - overlooking the fact the BC program's reputation itself does (and did) most of the recruiting "heavy lifting", regardless of who's got the title of lead recruiter. Luce is more like Joe Mallen, another former BC assistant who was dying to run a program, left BC for a resurrected UMass program when they joined HEA 25 plus years ago, and never got them to .500 before being let go. Luce has won a few more games than Mallen, but the different is relatively slight.

I think you may be underestimating Barr's desirability to the more prominent D-1 power programs. His success cannot have gone unnoticed, save for Ken Ralph and his hiring committee. Granted, most of those programs aren't looking right now, but odds are a few of them may be looking relatively soon (next year or two?), and Barr has been a patient guy up to this point.

We'll see soon enough. Where there's smoke (Barr to UMaine rumors) there may well be a fire ...

 

[Chuck Murray]

Agreed on many of the things said. My point wasn't about Maine being the best job or program in college hockey, it was more about us not being able to retain a coach because of money/program concerns. Nate Leaman has been arguably the best coach in college hockey over the past 5-10 years. Is Providence the most sought after job in college hockey? No chance. But as Providence has continued to have success, they've thrown the kitchen sink at him to not lose him. I'm saying if Maine gets Barr and gets back to national relevance, they have to have a similar mindset to not lose him to other college programs. If they move out of the college ranks that's fine.

UNH should have a similar mindset. For 15+ years, these were top 10 programs year in and year out. Now we just sit here and feel bad for ourselves. I'm not ashamed to admit it, I find myself rooting for UNH when they're not playing Maine. I hope we get our hire right and you guys do too, whether it's Souza or someone new. I miss being at games when the Alfond and Whit are rocking with major hockey east and national implications.

I find myself with the same thoughts about UMaine. It was a special time when UNH and UMaine were playing games that really mattered, and I miss it. Even the losses. Being in a packed building filled with rabid rival fans, with something on the line, that's a special thing. And sometimes you don't realize just how special it is (was) until it's not there anymore ...

 

[Jackcurtis23]

If my memory serves correctly Barr was one of two finalists for the UVM absolute dumpster fire job, and UVM hired the Woodcroft from Winnipeg out of left field. Complete speculation on my part, but if Barr was willing to take UVM, how on earth wouldn't he be willing to go to Maine to an AD he has history with and the promise of more funding and improvements? AIC's Lang removed his name from both the Vermont and Maine searches, something Barr as not done. IMO Lang will be the top of every list when the top tier HE jobs come open. Waiting for a "better" opportunity at say Denver or BC as has been suggested is in my opinion crazy. Who knows what the coaching landscape will look like in 2-3 years. I'm bias as I have rooted for the Bears since I was a kid, but it kinda looks like all the dominos are in place to go in a fresh direction with Barr.

 

[BoSox3066]

The more I think about it, the less attractive the Maine job sounds to me.

With all of Red's recruits to get rid of, and the Covid rules making that even more difficult than before, this gig is at least a 6-year plan.

What hot-shot coach would take that chance, and risk watching his career die?

Because actual hot shot don’t think this way. They think they can win with anybody, anywhere. Thats why Belichick thinks he can win with any QB. Urban Meyer won at Utah.