Re: Northeastern Huskies 2010-2011 Season Thread
The reality is that the best coach in the history of the program is still Fern Flaman.
2 NCAA tournaments, 1 Frozen Four, 4 bean pots and 1 ECAC crown and 1 Hockey East and 1 ECAC title including multiple seasons going deep in the ECAC and HE tournaments over his 19 years. I am told that when he started in 1971, there were only 8 full scholarships. By the time I arrived on the scene in the mid 1980’s he had pushed that number to 16. However, when I played we still had at least 2 shifts of some 3rd and 4th liners with no free rides. Yet night in and night out we competed, and we had a boat load of local talent up in the rafters too, heck we had a back up goalie form LA who never played much in terms of organized hockey before his arrival on campus. He was a walk on.
So from my perspective this unravling is quite unreal. The school was not as highly regarded academically when I attended for the fact that they were letting in 5,000 freshmen every year, yet only graduating 1800 per year. Freshmen were just a cash cow, and most of the hockey kids realized they were not going to the NHL and for the most part we didn’t. The school had overall enrollment of nearly 35,000 students including graduate, weekend and part timers. Now it’s really as good as BU and continues to climb. So, I don’t think we lose many players for that reason.
Fern was paid the same amount as an assistant professor perhaps 45k to 60k in 1988 at the end of his nearly 2 decade career. He got a lot out of undersized and overlooked kids from Boston’s neighborhoods too.
I am not sure what the issue is but the reality is the team is not very good. It should be far better for the talent we have recruited, yet they are so undisciplined. Tonight again, Ferriero, makes a dumb penalty crashing the Maine net. That kid doesn’t have ½ the talent and a quarter of the brain power of his brother Ben, and that’s why he’s not at Boston College. Don’t get me wrong, I loved to mix it up and subsequently play on the edge of the rules and committed my share of stupid penalties, just look at the records, but Fern would have benched me for a month if I played like Ferriero does. I played a bit dirty in college as a result of my small frame, when I got to the European leagues I was forced to clean it up. However, I had the ability to know the difference. I look at this kid and think he must be absolute moron.
Greg was legacies pick as head coach too as as his father and uncle were both great players on the teams of the late 1950's and 1960's. However, let's face it this is never a great idea. The issue I am told is that nobody else really wanted or applied for the job. I mean really, think about it, it's not really a very good job. You have to deal with the fact that you are literally in the same ring with not one but 2 other oversized hockey powerhouse Gorilla’s, right on Comm. Ave. who have used you as a door mat for nearly 80 years. So in case you are wondering not a fing soul with legitimate credentials applied for the job. Although let me be perfectly clear I am thinking all fingers must point to him and his staff directly if this team does not win 10 games, and if it does come to fruition it would truly be a travesty, an utter slap in the face to the talent they have recruited.
