Northeastern Huskies 2011-2012 Season Thread: Year of the Mad Dog

[Happy Husky Victory!]

Re: Northeastern Huskies 2011-2012 Season Thread: Year of the Mad Dog

I dont want to be a jerk, but is Jim Madigan already starting to sound like Bruce Crowder? This is a quote from him after last nights game.

"I liked our compete,” he said. “I liked our effort. We worked hard. We were on pucks. They kept us to the outside a little bit on our shots, but we were on pucks down low and tried to create some offense. I just liked the way our guys responded from last Monday."

Um....this is starting to get embarassing and you liked our "compete"??? Tried to create some offense? You liked the way we responded from last Monday huh?? Did you especially like how Chris Rawlings responded Coach?? Give me a break! I'm so tired of this bull. This is unacceptable and I urge everyone who cares to call the Athletic Director and explain to him, in terms he can understand, why this is no longer acceptable for Northeastern Hockey.

 

[Carmine Scarpaglia]

Re: Northeastern Huskies 2011-2012 Season Thread: Year of the Mad Dog

I dont want to be a jerk, but is Jim Madigan already starting to sound like Bruce Crowder? This is a quote from him after last nights game.

"I liked our compete,” he said. “I liked our effort. We worked hard. We were on pucks. They kept us to the outside a little bit on our shots, but we were on pucks down low and tried to create some offense. I just liked the way our guys responded from last Monday."

Um....this is starting to get embarassing and you liked our "compete"??? Tried to create some offense? You liked the way we responded from last Monday huh?? Did you especially like how Chris Rawlings responded Coach?? Give me a break! I'm so tired of this bull. This is unacceptable and I urge everyone who cares to call the Athletic Director and explain to him, in terms he can understand, why this is no longer acceptable for Northeastern Hockey.

Whoa. Overreact much? Calm down.

 

[RossiRules]

Re: Northeastern Huskies 2011-2012 Season Thread: Year of the Mad Dog

I don't think it's an over reaction. I think it's a dead balls on accurate statement. What major university would put a guy who has been in a desk job completely outside of hockey in charge of a DIV 1 program in the top league after 20 years away from the game. Roby should be given his walking papers...both the basketball team and the hockey team a marginally mediocre in comparison to their league and the NU of the 21st century can’t focus on playing athletics like the doormat that played in the ECAC and America East of the early 1980's. It’s time the alumni finally put their proverbial foot down and say enough is enough. Aside from the final decade of the Jim Calhoun era and a few great years in rowing, this university has not performed well in any era. That should no longer be accepted. A top tier national university, located in the #2 sports market in the nation, whose deep pockets have grown to produce a nearly top 100 in the USA endowment of some 1 billion if you include the value of real estate and physical plant which only now surpassed by the likes of perhaps only a dozen other schools in the entire nation should be producing athletic teams that are successful, year in and year out. The issue is that a lot of the plum jobs at Northeastern are still evidently being handed down in a old crony style method of patronage, example OMG, We did a national search for a hockey coach and the best candidate that we could come up with is Jim Madigan. Give me a fing break.

 

[fahey4prez]

Re: Northeastern Huskies 2011-2012 Season Thread: Year of the Mad Dog

Because the game was on WBIN I sadly Tivo'd it, so I have watched those 2 1st period crappers over and over. I guarantee that 90% of you if you ever played hockey could have stopped those. This loss is on Rawlings alone, those 2 goals should have been stopped. His weaknesses as a tall goalie are being exploited. He is not good at the pipe and that is the bottom line. He never will be. He is terrific straight on up and down but if he has to move or hold the post he can be beat with a low shot. The worst news is we are likely stuck with him again next year! However, what do you all think of 9th place?, Get used to it! I am still thinking about the 2 MPH trickler he let through his 5 hole against BC. The reason they don’t start Witt is because he is f’ing worse and so is Mountain.

Totally agree this loss is on Rawlings...again. You just can't handicap the team with soft goals and expect them to compete at the level they need to. I have no doubt that Rawlings is better overall than Witt...but, what have you done for us lately, Chris Rawlings? At this point, give Witt a chance. Maybe it will change the intangible dynamics of the team and mental attitude and the team will respond positively. Harvard is a good game to let him warm up. If Witt can't stop pucks against Harvard, then I guess you have to play Rawlings in HE games.

Will Gillies still come next year if Rawlings is still here? I hope he does and he gives Rawlings the competition he needs.

Roby should be given his walking papers...both the basketball team and the hockey team a marginally mediocre in comparison to their league and the NU of the 21st century can’t focus on playing athletics like the doormat that played in the ECAC and America East of the early 1980's. It’s time the alumni finally put their proverbial foot down and say enough is enough. Aside from the final decade of the Jim Calhoun era and a few great years in rowing, this university has not performed well in any era. That should no longer be accepted. A top tier national university, located in the #2 sports market in the nation, whose deep pockets have grown to produce a nearly top 100 in the USA endowment of some 1 billion if you include the value of real estate and physical plant which only now surpassed by the likes of perhaps only a dozen other schools in the entire nation should be producing athletic teams that are successful, year in and year out.

Totally agree with you again here. Northeastern has reached the stage where it is a major player on a national level and the athletics programs are light years behind. Basketball is regressing as the season goes on and just got their asses beat against an atrocious William & Mary team tonight. How embarrassing.

Roby isn't getting the job done. Nothing has improved with the "major" programs since football was disbanded. I guess the olympic sports have seen some success and most teams are supported with more scholarships (soccer, baseball, etc.). Women's hockey is returning to glory (which is one program you left out, Rossi). ALL of the money being saved from football should be getting pumped into the major programs, facilities, and giving all teams a full allotment of scholarships. Overall, it is just so frustrating to be an NU fan.

I don't know if Madigan is the answer but it is too early to send him packing. It's not fair to not give him some time to prove what he can (or can't) do.

 

[RossiRules]

Re: Northeastern Huskies 2011-2012 Season Thread: Year of the Mad Dog

Totally agree this loss is on Rawlings...again. You just can't handicap the team with soft goals and expect them to compete at the level they need to. I have no doubt that Rawlings is better overall than Witt...but, what have you done for us lately, Chris Rawlings? At this point, give Witt a chance. Maybe it will change the intangible dynamics of the team and mental attitude and the team will respond positively. Harvard is a good game to let him warm up. If Witt can't stop pucks against Harvard, then I guess you have to play Rawlings in HE games.

Will Gillies still come next year if Rawlings is still here? I hope he does and he gives Rawlings the competition he needs.



Totally agree with you again here. Northeastern has reached the stage where it is a major player on a national level and the athletics programs are light years behind. Basketball is regressing as the season goes on and just got their asses beat against an atrocious William & Mary team tonight. How embarrassing.

Roby isn't getting the job done. Nothing has improved with the "major" programs since football was disbanded. I guess the olympic sports have seen some success and most teams are supported with more scholarships (soccer, baseball, etc.). Women's hockey is returning to glory (which is one program you left out, Rossi). ALL of the money being saved from football should be getting pumped into the major programs, facilities, and giving all teams a full allotment of scholarships. Overall, it is just so frustrating to be an NU fan.

I don't know if Madigan is the answer but it is too early to send him packing. It's not fair to not give him some time to prove what he can (or can't) do.

I never said get rid of Madigan, I say he has 5 years to do any one of the following, Win a HE championship, a Beanpot or go deep in the NCAA Tournament, if he does not accomplish any of those things in the next 4 years you send him packing and let the door hit him on his butt on the way out. I am not blaming him, he seems like a nice guy, but Crowder was a nice guy too. We don’t need a nice guy, we need a pr-ick and trust me having known York, Parker and Umile for >2 decades they are pr-icks when it comes to hockey! They do everything as far as the rules will allow them to get talented kids, Hell that stuff that went on last season and got Greg suspended has been going on at NH for 20 years. When their AD and Board of Dir found out about it you didn’t see Dick watching form the rafters. My point was that I can’t believe that a national search could not yield a better selection then Madigan, of course not, because there was no national search. They had an insider, in fact Madigan may have picked Cronin. Thus, to some extent, the position likely has always been his until he was ready to take it. I think that’s really the issue. I am not saying he does not deserve a chance, however, .500 with this level of talent is not acceptable. He basically says the same thing every game and goes on about how he liked the compete level. I don’t give a fat rat’s arse, if they compete and lose by one goal or 10. It does not matter to me, not one iota. Just win baby! He has 4 years left the clock is running.

 

[Happy Husky Victory!]

Re: Northeastern Huskies 2011-2012 Season Thread: Year of the Mad Dog

I'm not saying get rid of Madigan either, but I think there has to be a very frank conversation from fans/boosters to Roby, and Roby needs to be very clear with Madigan that this is not acceptable moving forward. I'd just like to see Madigan express his outrage and frustrations in public. Call out the team at the press conference after the game, maybe that will light a fire under somebody. I think pretty much everyone is tired of "we just didnt get the bounces tonight" from the coach after the game.

At this point, we need to sweep Providence next weekend at home to have any chance at the playoffs.

 

[SkinsFan09]

Re: Northeastern Huskies 2011-2012 Season Thread: Year of the Mad Dog

I dont want to be a jerk, but is Jim Madigan already starting to sound like Bruce Crowder? This is a quote from him after last nights game.

"I liked our compete,” he said. “I liked our effort. We worked hard. We were on pucks. They kept us to the outside a little bit on our shots, but we were on pucks down low and tried to create some offense. I just liked the way our guys responded from last Monday."

Um....this is starting to get embarassing and you liked our "compete"??? Tried to create some offense? You liked the way we responded from last Monday huh?? Did you especially like how Chris Rawlings responded Coach?? Give me a break! I'm so tired of this bull. This is unacceptable and I urge everyone who cares to call the Athletic Director and explain to him, in terms he can understand, why this is no longer acceptable for Northeastern Hockey.

Lol, post game press conferences where you try not to call out your team mean nothing. What he really feels will be said at practice and in the locker room.

 

[Happy Husky Victory!]

Re: Northeastern Huskies 2011-2012 Season Thread: Year of the Mad Dog

What he really feels will be said at practice and in the locker room.

Not always

 

[Greg Ambrose]

Re: Northeastern Huskies 2011-2012 Season Thread: Year of the Mad Dog

Hell that stuff that went on last season and got Greg suspended has been going on at NH for 20 years. When their AD and Board of Dir found out about it you didn’t see Dick watching form the rafters.

I'm assuming that you are talking about the illegal texting that Borek did two years ago? As I recall, UNH self-reported this violation and, in the end, it hobbled UNH's recruiting for three months last year. So I can't see where you get off on your implication that UNH swept it under the rug. It may be, as you say, that UNH (and everybody else) skirts up the edges of the recruiting no-nos, but to say that the coaching staff has been basically violating the rules for 20 years and that the AD (that would be AD's btw) looked the other way is nonsense. And, who is this board of directors you refer to? If it is who I think you are talking about, you're flat out wrong.

 

[Huskies01]

Re: Northeastern Huskies 2011-2012 Season Thread: Year of the Mad Dog

Madigan is going to be NU's version of Tim Army. Why wait 5 years? Hopefully he is man enough to realize that he is not the right man for the job and steps down out of his love for the university.

 

[citydog]

Re: Northeastern Huskies 2011-2012 Season Thread: Year of the Mad Dog

Madigan is going to be NU's version of Tim Army. Why wait 5 years? Hopefully he is man enough to realize that he is not the right man for the job and steps down out of his love for the university.

Deathly afraid of this...

 

[PPGuru]

Re: Northeastern Huskies 2011-2012 Season Thread: Year of the Mad Dog

Also afraid of this scenario. Been there, done that...it's why I can't agree with Rossi when he says that Madigan should have five years to succeed. I'd draw the line at three years, tops. I enjoy reading Rossi's remarks. They're heartfelt and meant for the betterment of NU Hockey. I have to disagree with his claim that it's not time to give Witt a start. I went to the HE website and watched the first two goals from the UNH game. Witt woulda got at least one of those

 

[Split-N]

Re: Northeastern Huskies 2011-2012 Season Thread: Year of the Mad Dog

You and I would have had at least one of those also! (And maybe both.) The only problem with the Witt scenario is that--like a lot of other guys--he seems to have regressed this year. Mountain and Rawlings both played much better than Witt in the preseason exhibition and he looked horrible in the U18 exhibition. And his start against UNH earlier this year was less than stellar. Ditto for the couple of mop-up jobs he's been in. Still, I'd be in favor of seeing him start the rest of the way. Sadly, we're at the point where there's nothing to lose.

 

[Ryecheers]

Re: Northeastern Huskies 2011-2012 Season Thread: Year of the Mad Dog

I'm assuming that you are talking about the illegal texting that Borek did two years ago? As I recall, UNH self-reported this violation and, in the end, it hobbled UNH's recruiting for three months last year. So I can't see where you get off on your implication that UNH swept it under the rug. It may be, as you say, that UNH (and everybody else) skirts up the edges of the recruiting no-nos, but to say that the coaching staff has been basically violating the rules for 20 years and that the AD (that would be AD's btw) looked the other way is nonsense. And, who is this board of directors you refer to? If it is who I think you are talking about, you're flat out wrong.

Mr. Ambrose
Count your blessings. You have a nice program up there and it got off with a reasonable punishment for a very modest error. You're having a bit of a down year by your standards, but you still have some magic in your sticks. How else could you have scored just two legitimate goals in two games and come away with three points. Mr. Rawlings may know the answer!


The texting to committed recruits was allegedly being done by many other schools, including some of the D1 "royalty". Either their compliance staffs didn't microanalyze their phone bills the way we do or perhaps they didn't know/care about such a petty rule violation. I can't possibly know. I understand that things tightened up in many places after our news broke.

What I can say is that Roby (a.k.a.) the "hockey assasin") inflicted more punishment on the hockey program than the NC$$ was likely to have mandated. He began by making the coaches' working environment so unpleasant that each one felt, for his own reasons, that he had to leave a team that should have been outstanding. (Just consider the players who should have been on the roster this year starting with Gaudreau and Oleksiak). He then kept the program in Limbo long enough into the summer that several recruits defected and our coaching candidate pool was limited.

Next, he chose a coach who, while short on HC experience, was long on sales and people skills. More important to Roby was the fact that he knew Jimmy for years and felt that he could get along well (control??) him.
He arranged a presser for Jimmy that was a cross between a lovefest and a coronation. Before Jimmy spoke, Roby gave a protracted lecture about his personal principles for administering our athletes and teams. Sure, that was what we all came to hear.

Jimmy's "signing bonus" (perhaps this was determined prior to signing - I simply don't know) was Roby's own imposed sanctions. For example, He severely limited the number of paid recruit visits JM was allowed. They've had fewer than four this year. Another example has curtailed our scouting by only allowing one scout to be on the road at any given time. I wonder if Jimmy's scouting of the Milton Academy's Christmas Tournament counted as being "on the road" as he lives close enough that he could attend while staying on the sidewalk. I hate to imagine what other punishments Roby meted out until he was satified that our debt to hockey society would be paid and that we would never transgress again.

If you add the early season suspensions of Quailer and Ferriero (Cronin's doing, with Roby's approval) and their unfortunate season ending injuries, Mr. Madigan and his staff should get kudos if they somehow can register a .500 season. For those of you calling for JM's resignation, I hope I've given you some perspective.

 

[PPGuru]

Re: Northeastern Huskies 2011-2012 Season Thread: Year of the Mad Dog

Ryecheers - Nice reply. Didn't know that Madigan was fighting with one hand tied behind his back by Roby. Curtailed visits and curtailed scouting/recruiting. Yup, that will help you replenish the talent cupboard, right? (Why would Madigan even take the job under those restrictions?) I've posted in the past, this situation won't really turn around as long as Roby, and the people he works for, do business as they have been doing it. That said, I agree with you that Madigan shouldn't be fired after this season. How long do you think Madigan can/should stay as coach if Roby and the Admin's don't change the way they run the Athletics? How do the people in charge view the Hockey Program? Does the hockey Program lose money for the school? Does Matthews make money for the school? Do they continue to have a hockey team, cuz, well, they own a rink, so why not? Can you ever see the school deciding to try to allow the Hockey Program to succeed on a higher level? Or do you think it is more than a suspicion of yours that they would like to kill off the Hockey Program, too? Not trying to incite, just trying to understand.

 

[Happy Husky]

Re: Northeastern Huskies 2011-2012 Season Thread: Year of the Mad Dog

Hi,I'm the new guy,it's great to be here and I look forward to learning from my fellow Huskies fans and hopefully offer some positive feedback on our team,I've only been a fan for a couple of years now but have loved them since,esp. since attending the games have given my family great bonding time and to raise them up with some great hockey,I know these are tough times but there are brighter times ahead,just remember many of us here were Bruins fans and endured despite decades of frustrations the Huskies are no different except their time is coming soon and when it does it will be sweet!

Thanks for letting me join in!

 

[kcnuloyal]

Re: Northeastern Huskies 2011-2012 Season Thread: Year of the Mad Dog

Do Madigan's in-game facial expressions terrify anybody else? I haven't had as much of a chance to catch games this year, but he seems to give off the vibe of a guy who was trying to find his balcony seats and wound up behind the bench instead. I'm pretty sure the cameras caught him chewing his finger nails about four times last week during the Beanpot. Maybe I just miss Cronin's permanent scowl.

 

[fahey4prez]

Re: Northeastern Huskies 2011-2012 Season Thread: Year of the Mad Dog

Hi,I'm the new guy,it's great to be here and I look forward to learning from my fellow Huskies fans and hopefully offer some positive feedback on our team,I've only been a fan for a couple of years now but have loved them since,esp. since attending the games have given my family great bonding time and to raise them up with some great hockey,I know these are tough times but there are brighter times ahead,just remember many of us here were Bruins fans and endured despite decades of frustrations the Huskies are no different except their time is coming soon and when it does it will be sweet!

Thanks for letting me join in!

I want what he's having...

Just kidding, welcome aboard. You may also be interested in the message boards on dieharddogs.com. They are alot more active than this and usually there is much better information. However, it costs $30/year to access.

 

[SkinsFan09]

Re: Northeastern Huskies 2011-2012 Season Thread: Year of the Mad Dog

Quailer should be ready to go this weekend.

 

[northeastern]

Re: Northeastern Huskies 2011-2012 Season Thread: Year of the Mad Dog

Quailer should be ready to go this weekend.

That is great news.. Providence just won their last 2 (including 'W' over Maine).. take all the help team can get at this point.
I still do not see us beating the Crimson tonight; not that it matters.