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Northeastern Huskies 2023-24: Brave New World or New Beginning?

I’m not sure I think Keefe should go just yet but there have been some signs that have not been great.

Promising players have not been well developed and have left.
They really look lost all the time on the ice except sporadic periods where they have some hustle.
His coach of the year season was a Devon levi of the year season.
By the few accounts I’ve heard he doesn’t connect well with the players and the locker room is a mess.

it doesn’t help that matthews isn’t a tier 1 facility and might not be long for this world.
 
It is amazing how far this team has fallen. They were on a great upswing from 2015 forward, had one good year after JM left, and now seems to be spiraling in the wrong direction. Ifs and buts, candy and nuts, but what would this have all looked like if they hadn't ticked off Cronin, and brought in Gilles and Gaudreau?...........just thinking what might have been.
 
I agree that there have been troubling signs. Looking at the roster archive, since Gaudette, Sikura, Stevens and Davies left, there has been a shift in the composition of the team. NU has gone from a talented, entertaining team to a pack it in on D, ride the goalie one. Primeau, Levi, Harris and Struble hid a lot of weaknesses.
NU went from a period where the team produced a bunch of AHL/NHL level forwards to a team that either missed on or failed in developing offensive recruits.
Of the recruits that left NU, many seemed like recruiting 'misses'. A few more left for better situations, be it for playing time, better use of their ability or in a couple of instances, I suspect, issues with the Coach. The incoming transfers from the portal is more miss than hit, too. Losing a top commit doesn't help. Watching players commit game changing screw-ups repeatedly and seeing them put back out there or dressed for the next game tells me that the Coaches have no faith in the depth of talent on the team. None of this makes me feel like better days are right around the corner.
Coaches don't usually step away voluntarily. With NU needing talent NOW and recruiting done two to three years before the player steps on campus, it doesn't look good for Keefe long term.
 
And the Arena itself has to be addressed. What do you tell a recruit if he asks 'why is one end of the building empty?' Um, we can't let anyone sit there because it might collapse?
 
Here at the barn and watching them give up a goal on their PP. I am sorry but this team has far too many very untalented offensive players on it barely DIV 1 caliber. Not sure how they made it to HE. It seems clear to me the issue isn't he coach, it's the ability. Many of these players on full scholarships at 22 or 23 years old and nearly 20 years of hockey under their belts aren't going to get better. For this to be the product on the ice is a sad state of affairs. The program is in full reverse. However, you can't fault their effort. They just are a team tasked with opponents who are beyond their ability to beat. Not sure if that can be fixed but as it's NU it likely won't. They are the worst team in Hockey East for a reason and the reason is they aren't that good offensively. It's not lapses or coaching, it's 100% recruiting and talent. However, you have to ask yourself do you go to NU with Matthews falling down, to play for Keefe? I think not. I mean we are halfway thru and have 3 shots...lol. We look smaller and slower but we are still in the game because the D is actually pretty good and the goal tending has been excellent. They can play the game with anyone but just won't be able to generate offense cuz they don't have the goal scorers. You cant win scoring only one or two goals a night. They aren't fun to watch, but who knows a point here and their maybe they salvage a Bean Pot. They don't have one NHL caliber player on this team..not one. This will be the least # of games I have ever attended since 1990. They are like watching paint dry.
 
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I can’t totally disagree. Here as well. UMASS does look better to a small degree on an individual skill level but I don’t think it’s night and day. Where it is night and day is they seem to have some modicum of a game plan. If we have one it’s not designed to create offensive opportunities. For the most part they have done a good job limiting UMASS to weak opportunities.
 
Totally agree on the talent issue. The talent issue results in the 'game plan' they've been playing for the last few years. Five man team D, packed in to limit quality chances but give up quantity chances, and count on the Goalie to stop the tough ones. While hoping they get one more goal than the opponent. It is ALL about RECRUITING. As Rossi said: what player wants to come here to play that style in this arena? I've had Season Tickets since 01-02. Been following College Hockey since 1976. Been retired for 8 years and I love going to Prep and College games to pass the winter. Watching the last few years and reading the tea leaves looking forward, this may be my last season at NU.
 
this is a serious question…..does it come down to nil? Do y’all have a vault with that for your marquis sport? Mookie assumes the igles have that for hockey and separates that from the ACC 2 biggies?
Is this something that can be thrown at freshmen (honest question as mookie has been overseas since this all started and doesn’t follow it).
also, do you guys (school, not fans) go to the bruins and look for funding to support their ancestral home rink? Seems like Sweeney and Neely can do something since they ain’t winning Cups.
a good huskies team is important to have alongside good igles and terriors!
 
Mookie, I wish I could blame NIL, but it's deeper than that. As Rossi noted, the skills just aren't there. We have a handful of players that would play for many teams. After that, it's guys that are playing roles that are beyond their abilities. Your idea about approaching the Bruins is a novel idea. My son visited for the first time this season last week. I hadn't mentioned the building issue to him. When he saw the braces supporting the back wall, he pulled up short. The future of the Arena has to be decided by NU fairly soon.
 
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Every time I see the recruiting expression “looking for players who are hard to play against”, I get light-headed. You know who’s hard to play against? The players on the teams beating us……
 
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PullTheGoalie said:
...I could blame NIL...The future of the Arena has to be decided by NU fairly soon.
Click to expand...

BINGO!! IMHO, NIL and the state of the arena constitute a two-headed monster that directly and immediately threatens the ongoing viability of both hockey and hoops. And there do not appear to be any immediate solutions.

The arena all by itself looks to be a full-blown crisis, given the external steel buttressing and the blocked off seating sections. Actually, I'm wondering if the buttressing and seating limitation is some sort of compromise that kept the city from condemning the whole darn thing. The structural issues notwithstanding, the interior facilities (locker rooms/training facilities, video rooms, etc.) are downright primitive by 21st Century standards. No wonder NU is losing blue chip recruits to the Comm Ave. Axis, UMass, UConn, and more with their newer, more spacious digs full of the latest bells and whistles.

I think everybody knows that the arena needs to be replaced with a new, modern facility that includes a practice rink but that's easier said than done. One thing NU doesn't have is available land to build on and expanding the physical footprint would seem to be a non-starter with the Boston pols. The only thing I can think of would be to put a new addition on the back end of the old arena. I'm not sure the existing parking lot would provide enough space so maybe the old parking garage needs to go too. Assuming NU could even get permitting (let's not even bring up financing), the question of where M&W hockey would play is a separate issue if the existing arena could not be used while construction is ongoing.

As for NIL, remember--notwithstanding the platitudes about the best interests of student-athletes--NIL was foisted on the rest of us by the P5 (now P4) to ensure the rich keep getting richer. With the exception of the Notre Dames of this world, NIL does not and will not work for private institutions, especially mid-majors. BC and the state schools (especially UMass and UConn) should do OK but I'm not sure even BU can keep up with the money race over the long run. And although most of the seven- and eight-figure NIL payouts involve football and basketball, don't think for a minute that money isn't changing hands where the hockey blue chips are concerned. Up until recently, recruits could be attracted to NU by the Beanpot, life in the big city, and the value of an NU degree. These days, a degree means nothing to kids who think they'll make millions in the show and so the recruiting pitch more and more boils down to "Show Me the Money." Thanks, P4.

Solutions? I wish I had some.
 
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Split-N said:
I think everybody knows that the arena needs to be replaced with a new, modern facility that includes a practice rink but that's easier said than done. One thing NU doesn't have is available land to build on and expanding the physical footprint would seem to be a non-starter with the Boston pols. The only thing I can think of would be to put a new addition on the back end of the old arena. I'm not sure the existing parking lot would provide enough space so maybe the old parking garage needs to go too. Assuming NU could even get permitting (let's not even bring up financing), the question of where M&W hockey would play is a separate issue if the existing arena could not be used while construction is ongoing.
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Building up over the back and side parking lot is whats in the master plan but has been there since atleast the 2012 plan. Starts on page 28 of the link.

Also included is a tear down of that garage for a multi-purpose athletic facility to replace cabot.

The dream is there, but the funding and politics are completely different matters. Is athletics meaningful at this point to Northeastern's brand such that these plans get prioritized? Probably not. Do we have mega donors lined up like the Alfonds to support Northeastern athletics? Also unlikely.

https://www.bostonplans.org/getattachment/77ac8c43-d77e-444e-9c60-5f8a13f4374a
 
I think they could knock down Matthews and play somewhere else for 2 or 3 seasons. Maybe Walter Brown or even a prep school or larger MDC rink. I believe BC practices at the MDC Reilly Rink in Cleveland Circle. The fact is that the fan experience is pretty poor. The prior Alumni Club bar in Matthews is now a vacant. The taps, bars, flooring and all wall decor and furnishings are now gone. It's literally a big concrete box. I popped my head in last night with my son looking for a beverage and was pretty surprised. The club seats were all unsold with the exception of a gathering of a half dozen or so of prior Husky football alum who were pretty vocal that they go to more games at Agganis to see the meatheads they played against. Also, there isn't a watering hole within three blocks, Pizza Uno now a bank and Our House East now a coffee shop. I could easily see hockey going the way of football within 10 years if these issues aren't addressed. Also the 1/2 mile walk from the free Columbus lot in the 10 degree wind chill is just plain fun. Its not likely but I'm thinking it's a possibility with the right administration in place, I could see NU very much like let's say Emory/NYU in the South/NYC with virtually no competitive team sports nationally or even regionally. The condition of barn is as much a reflection of the state of the program itself and it's importance to the administration.
 
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BU bought some school a decade ago for their land and integrated that. Is there anything left for you guys to do the same? Did pine mattress close? Far but you get the picture…
think mookie asked this before, but what was the sports bar that was on Huntington near the mass ave intersection? Mookie and pals use to visit that late 80s all the time. tvs everywhere. Good place to watch Larry, dj & Mchale lead the Cs.
 
mookie1995 said:
BU bought some school a decade ago for their land and integrated that. Is there anything left for you guys to do the same? Did pine mattress close? Far but you get the picture…
think mookie asked this before, but what was the sports bar that was on Huntington near the mass ave intersection? Mookie and pals use to visit that late 80s all the time. tvs everywhere. Good place to watch Larry, dj & Mchale lead the Cs.
Click to expand...

BC took over the land and campus of Pine Manor which closed in 2020. UMass Amherst took over Mt Ida as well. NU had land in Dedham. The bar you are thinking of is likely Plunkett's which existed on Huntington Ave between the YMCA and Mass Ave from the early 70s thru the 80s. It was also Huskies and more recently a Pizza Uno until shortly after the pandemic and shuttered in early 2021. It was recently turned into yet another bank Chase who are trying to get a foot print in Boston.
 
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OnePack said:
...The dream is there, but the funding and politics are completely different matters. Is athletics meaningful at this point to Northeastern's brand such that these plans get prioritized? Probably not. Do we have mega donors lined up like the Alfonds to support Northeastern athletics? Also unlikely...
Click to expand...

From what I can infer from my distant (~400 mi) perch, the spending priority seems to be throwing money at so-called new "campuses" in galaxies far, far away that make us look (IMO) like just another University of Phoenix/Devry/Grand Canyon/ITT Tech. And there are likely some in the upper echelons of the administration that would be happy to see NU go the way of Emory/NYU/Chicago/etc. in terms of intercollegiate athletics.

Wondering if the bigger problem re the arena is financing or the traditionally hostile Boston pols.

Going back to NIL, I just don't see that NU has a critical mass of deep pockets that would be willing to fund and sustain an NU NIL collective on a scale of what's already in place at BC/BU/UMass/UConn.

All of this from a (usually) glass-half-full guy.

For Mookie: The watering hole in question has gone by several names over the decades, starting with the Lobster Claw (where I was never carded--even once--as an undergrad). After that, Huskies, Jim Plunkett's, Pizzeria Uno, and probably a few others. To my horror on a recent visit, the place is now a Chase Bank branch. Still fondly remembering the days of occasional liquid breakfasts at The Dugout on Comm Ave.
 
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