I have no idea, but I remain confident that Barr will be the next coach.
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Maine Offseason 2020: We Stay Home But Swayman Leaves
- Thread starter AMC
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I have no idea, but I remain confident that Barr will be the next coach.
NorthMike
Well-known member
You dont suppose the Univ as part of a negotiation would require that Ben and Alfie be retained? To keep the peace and codify the glory days base. That would most certainly likely be a deal breaker.
I could possibly see them wanting Michaud retained, but you'd have to think that keeping Guite is out of the question given the circumstances.
If Barr, or any “outsider”, he needs to be able to assemble his own staff for the simple reason that if a failure, it was 100% his doing and he’s to blame. If a success, credit is 100% his to take. If he elects to keep some of current staff, then he lives with the results good or bad, no excuses as it was his choice. Hire him no strings attached and see how talented he is in rebuilding. I personally think that the selected should just be handed the keys to drive the machine and go wherever they want and with whom ever they want to take along for the ride.
DavidNardolillo
Member
Barr has indeed been regularly mentioned for openings for about four years, and a finalist in at least one or two situations, only to have it not work out. My guess is that he's had bad luck with matching the timing and context of certain opportunities with his resume at the time, and that's mostly out of his control. For example, I think some recent searches he's been mentioned for prioritized previous head coaching or NHL assistant experience, and he does not have either.
Fans shouldn't be too thrown off by that. Barr is an appealing candidate on many levels, enjoys a good reputation, and his recruiting record is just too strong to be ignored. I just don't know how he stacks up to Maine's own hiring checklist.
walrus
Wind up workin' in a gas station
That would be ignorant on the U's part. Coach has to bring in his own people and if not a deal breaker for sure
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
If UMaine decides that Barr is their man, the "negotiations" should be relatively simple. First, you pay him whatever you have budgeted for the HC salary - slightly more if they can take it out of the assistants' line item if necessary - and then it's just a matter of term (length of contract), and my guess is that should be at least five years. He has to be allowed to choose his own staff (if he's willing to hire Michaud, good for him; hiring a guy who competed for the job - Guite - rarely works). Set him up with the key alums to allow Barr and his family to get settled. Lastly, give him your best shot with a recruiting budget, as this will assure Barr that UMaine will support his efforts. If they try to cut corners on him, he won't take UMaine seriously.
UMaine will need to sell themselves more to Barr, than Barr will need to sell himself to UMaine.
Maybe if this was 2001, or even 2013, when UMaine was in a position of relative strength, it would be different. Right now, the candidates (especially Barr) are in the stronger position.
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NorthMike
Well-known member
Ideally yes but the Univ has this bizarre hold on the past that worries me in this process. This is a true test to see if they can break that or willing to.
I agree its on the Univ to sell it's wares to Barr or whoever the prime candidate is. They need to roll out the red carpet and literally court the candidate. I suspect Ralph knows this.
Fishman'81
Black Bear since D-2
I have ignored half (if not more) of the text on this thread lately -for understandable reasons- since much of it amounts to crocodile tears from a old gas-bag instigator who doesn't give a flying crap about Maine hockey.
Having cleared that up, is there any evidence that Barr has actually been interviewed? Or is all this just hopeful speculation?
For my part, I'd welcome some young blood at Maine. There's nothing to lose. I probably won't live long enough to survive another Red-type regime.
Fishman'81
Black Bear since D-2
Just because we're (largely) old and crusty bastids doesn't mean we can't have an opinion. There are some younger and smarter guys on the Maine thread lately, too, and that's good to see; Twitter and Facebook aren't as good at college hockey as is USCHO.
Fishman'81
Black Bear since D-2
Thank you for that.
I thought I saw on Twitter one of the local sports guys in Bangor confirm Barr was in the mix. With his ties to Ralph it would be shocking if he wasn’t.
My official position is that I’m happy with either Ben. I think Guite is a lot stronger candidate than most folks on here are giving him credit for, and I think there is less potential downside if he gets the job. Barr could absolutely hit it out of the park if he gets it though.
Fishman'81
Black Bear since D-2
No matter who takes the job, it's going to be a slog for a few years. Even Walshie got his ass kicked for a while there. (Didn't Maine lose to Minny like 15-2 in Shawn's first season?)
This isn't going to happen overnight; Maine has a lousy roster right now, and almost all of it will remain intact for at least 3 years... But more of the same means more of the same. Time to install a new look, and hope for the best.
Ma#1ne Hky
New member
TBA no later then Wednesday May 12th...with that said I hope but figure they won't say who applied and who they(UMAINE search team)asked...so far to date and there could be more but Montgomery/Moore/Lang/Capuano have asked not to be considered for the Job. Barr is the BIG FISH if Maine can land him/imo...but one guy that will land a Div.1 job either next year or the year after will be former UML assistant and current HC @ Norwich Cam Ellsworth.
umhockey91
Well-known member
You are not alone in that regard.....I think that a lot of us feel that way.
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
Fishy, can you please give it a frickin' rest? My God, you are ponderous. I get it - you don't like me. Fine. I'm pretty sure I'll manage to survive the insult. I've been roasted many times before by those far more talented than you (some who've posted on this very same thread recently). The outward signaling of your apparent disgust does nothing to advance the discussion. If it were clever, I'd play along, but this is as clever as someone hitting their thumb with a hammer repeatedly.
Just goes to show that even if we disagree on much, we can agree 100% on this.
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
Understood and agree. It will indeed be a test of where UMaine stands with regards to its past. Don't get me wrong, most schools/programs in the same shoes as UMaine would probably struggle to cut ties with such a successful and storied run, but it's been 20 years since Walshy passed. They've understandably followed that with Whitehead, which I don't think anyone had questioned at the time - having been picked by Walsh (I think?) - so maybe the only previous time there was a question on the direction of the hockey program was 12 years later when Red was hired?
Walsh1.0 was one of the great hires in college hockey history. Walsh2.0 (Whitehead) was a pretty darned good hire, as he kept the program nationally relevant for some time after. We can debate whether it was down to Standbrook's ongoing role, or if Timmy had an actual hand in it, until the cows come home. In retrospect, Walsh3.0 (Gendron) was a step too far with the old formula. A Walsh4.0 (Guite) would probably be disastrous, looking at program's trend since 2001.
If Umile ever managed to win the D-1 title at UNH, I have no doubt he'd still be there running the show, probably well into his 80's. As it was, UNH felt it was necessary to extend the "almost but not quite" Umile Era by hiring one of his former players, who had only enjoyed marginal "success" at both Brown and UConn before he was hired for his first head coaching job.
There was nothing "bizarre" about UMaine's decision to run with Whitehead, or even with Gendron, given his ties to the '93 team. At least they were attached to Walsh, who managed to win the big enchilada. That's understandable, up to a point. UMaine isn't the first school to have fallen into this.
What's truly "bizarre" is a school looking to build on the also-ran "legacy" of a good-but-not-great coach, as the folks 3 hours SW of Orono appear to be doing now. So, as you see, it could be worse ...
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