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Now. Who is coming to East Lansing

Re: Now. Who is coming to East Lansing

One name that I'm surprised that hasn't received much play is Ferris State Coach and MSU alum Bob Daniels. He's well respected. He keeps a D-II school competitive year in and year out, is a first class guy and you rarely hear of trouble in his program. I think he has to be every bit as viable a candidate as anyone else.
 
Re: Now. Who is coming to East Lansing

J.D. said:
A few million bucks?
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Easily, I heard OSU had sticker shock when they wooed Gwoz last year. PSU has been snooping around campuses and is also shocked at what the top coaches make and demand. It will be awfully hard to hit up their big alum donor after he donated the money for the new facility to toss in several more million to get a top 5 coach and staff in place that knows winning the first few years will not be easy.
 
Re: Now. Who is coming to East Lansing

I could see it really easily as well.

If MSU offers him $500K for 5 years, you're at $2.5 there. Some upgrades of some sort at Munn could burn through another mil or two quite easily. It's not hard to get to $4 mil. So, yeah, a few million.
 
Re: Now. Who is coming to East Lansing

J.D. said:
That he did, but I believe Roy Williams won his first national title with stars recruited by Doherty.



A few million bucks?
Click to expand...

State's neglected the hockey program somewhat, especially when compared to Denver. Munn alone could/should get a couple million in renovations, a coach looking at playing in a future BTHC may want an on-campus Olympic sized practice rink given Wisconsin and Minnesota's arenas. I'm sure a MSU fan would have a better idea.
 
Re: Now. Who is coming to East Lansing

bronconick said:
State's neglected the hockey program somewhat, especially when compared to Denver. Munn alone could/should get a couple million in renovations, a coach looking at playing in a future BTHC may want an on-campus Olympic sized practice rink given Wisconsin and Minnesota's arenas. I'm sure a MSU fan would have a better idea.
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Allow me to copy and paste...

Though Munn is old, it sets an excellent baseline for renovation.

The sightlines are already excellent, the luxury suites are pretty good, and the scoring electronics are fine despite being about a decade old.

If you put money toward expanding the concourse and the restrooms, build an high-capacity indoor ticket counter area, replace the rink and refrigeration system, rip out the fatigued lime green fiberglass benches and replace the old benches with chairback seating, add a practice facility with an olympic sheet, update the locker rooms, and, in general, make the place look less like a 1960s prop from a sci-fi alien invasion film, and you'll suddenly have one of the best facilities in college hockey again. It sounds like a lot of work, but it's really not compared to some of the other rinks I've visited in this league. The university has done a really great job taking care of the building, but elements of the facility are still straight out of 1974.

Following that, if you move the students down to the glass, drop the student season ticket price by 50 percent, and work a bit harder to promote hockey on campus, you'll suddenly have a great state-of-the-art rink with a good atmosphere that people (and potential recruits) would actually want to visit and experience on a regular basis.

It's not a necessity to pour a ton of money into Munn, but some funds need to be allocated.
 
Re: Now. Who is coming to East Lansing

Hammer said:
I could see it really easily as well.

If MSU offers him $500K for 5 years, you're at $2.5 there. Some upgrades of some sort at Munn could burn through another mil or two quite easily. It's not hard to get to $4 mil. So, yeah, a few million.
Click to expand...

There is also the buyout of his current contract at $300,000 plus per year which I believe runs through 2014. Paying 2 assistants and a director of hockey op $100,000 to $150,000 each per year. That doesn't include the extras like his summer hockey camp, radio show,etc. The other thing is pretty much every DU home game and a lot of road games are televised locally and nationally or webcast live over the internet. That is a big recruiting tool in that parents and relatives that can't be at the games can see their kids play in the comfort of their home. Historically, the Gophers are the only team that was seen on TV more nationally than DU. UND now has all their home games on Fox College Sports so they are catching up with DU and MN in that regard.
 
Re: Now. Who is coming to East Lansing

aallenpollreisz said:
Allow me to copy and paste...

Though Munn is old, it sets an excellent baseline for renovation.

The sightlines are already excellent, the luxury suites are pretty good, and the scoring electronics are fine despite being about a decade old.

If you put money toward expanding the concourse and the restrooms, build an high-capacity indoor ticket counter area, replace the rink and refrigeration system, rip out the fatigued lime green fiberglass benches and replace the old benches with chairback seating, add a practice facility with an olympic sheet, update the locker rooms, and, in general, make the place look less like a 1960s prop from a sci-fi alien invasion film, and you'll suddenly have one of the best facilities in college hockey again. It sounds like a lot of work, but it's really not compared to some of the other rinks I've visited in this league. The university has done a really great job taking care of the building, but elements of the facility are still straight out of 1974.

Following that, if you move the students down to the glass, drop the student season ticket price by 50 percent, and work a bit harder to promote hockey on campus, you'll suddenly have a great state-of-the-art rink with a good atmosphere that people (and potential recruits) would actually want to visit and experience on a regular basis.

It's not a necessity to pour a ton of money into Munn, but some funds need to be allocated.
Click to expand...

The DU hockey team has their own practice facility, Joy Burns Arena, when ice is not available at Magness. The hockey team and the other varsity teams have a brand new state-of-the art physical training facility that was donated by Pat Bowlen, the owner of the Broncos. Part of that facility is a large theater for video teaching and game tape review. All of the training rooms are state of the art and the hockey team has a secondary training room in their locker room. The behind the scenes facilities for the team are some of the best around.
 
Re: Now. Who is coming to East Lansing

Wooing a current Head Coach is going to be VERY difficult unless they're about to be sacked where they are. Does this program want a coach that isn't cutting it now? I hope they look at some very talented assistants that area ready for the HC job. DU will probably step up and give Gwoz a healthy raise, so good for him. Serratore is well liked in Colorado Springs, so why would he leave? His brother Tom at Bemidji State would be a great candidate, but he's got a new facility and pretty much the key to the city (OK small city but it's good to be the big dog..). Maybe Don Lucia would be willing to come here, but is that a good thing? I don't know, maybe..

There is talent out there, they just need to be willing to attack this with the thought that they need someone who can take the program, and make it a short-term AND long-term success. The right coach can take the current team and make them a top-three team in the CCHA, the talent is there. The right coach can also make this program a BTHC top team when that happens. Someone who understands that beating MI every year is VERY important to the MSU faithful and prepares accordingly. They have to be able to attract the top players because they want to play for the guy. (think Serratore type of personality)

If Hollis doesn't talk to Guentzel and Hastings at UNO then they are not stepping out to the edges. Rud at Green Bay, another example. DON'T SETTLE, GO FIND!
 
Re: Now. Who is coming to East Lansing

du78 said:
The other thing is pretty much every DU home game and a lot of road games are televised locally and nationally or webcast live over the internet. That is a big recruiting tool in that parents and relatives that can't be at the games can see their kids play in the comfort of their home.
Click to expand...

Hmmm....we're already doing live webcasts of every game, home and away. Maybe that gives PSU an inside edge? ;)
 
Re: Now. Who is coming to East Lansing

Here's a new name: Tom Anastos:

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/articl...-questions-with-ccha-commissioner-tom-anastos

"A four-year hockey letter-winner at Michigan State (1981-85), Anastos has a bachelor’s degree in construction management. He was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 1981, and after a year in the team’s organization he became a hockey coach at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. He was head coach 1987-90, compiling a 68-37-7 record. He also was an assistant coach at Michigan State from 1990-92."
 
Re: Now. Who is coming to East Lansing

I'm not sure what it is with fans from the State of Michigan, but when it comes to your University sports teams, you're dillusional! Just like Michigan is no longer a top 5, 10 or 15 program in football, MSU is not a top 5 or 10 program in hockey. The glory days are beind you. Anyone who thinks MSU is going to go out and snag a top coach who already has a good gig with an elite program needs a reality check. Danton Cole is an MSU alum with a Stanley Cup ring.....and that's settling? He played for the NJ Devils, who until this season, have been regarded as one of the best run professional hockey organizations in the NHL in the past 15-20 years. I don't know if it's possible to learn from better teachers? He has proven he can win in the minor leagues as a head coach(go ahead, hockeydb him), was responsible for most of the limited talent BGSU was able to bring in while he was recruiting their(keep in mind he did this with almost no resources, funds or program direction) and was able to have success at UAH, even if it was modest at best. He is respected by all in the hockey community, has the credentials to attract top notch players to MSU, has in's with the USNDTP and has the track record of being a succesful head coach to back it up...so remind me, how is that settling again? Let him bring in some bright up and coming assistant coaches and re-charge the program with some youthful enthusiam and the fan base will respond and the program just might be able to battle its way back to elite status.
 
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Re: Now. Who is coming to East Lansing

pierre maguire said:
I'm not sure what it is with fans from the State of Michigan, but when it comes to your University sports teams, you're dillusional! Just like Michigan is no longer a top 5, 10 or 15 program in football, MSU is not a top 5 or 10 program in hockey. The glory days are beind you. Anyone who thinks MSU is going to go out and snag a top coach who already has a good gig with an elite program needs a reality check. Danton Cole is an MSU alum with a Stanley Cup ring.....and that's settling? He played for the NJ Devils, who until this season, have been regarded as one of the best run professional hockey organizations in the NHL in the past 15-20 years. I don't know if it's possible to learn from better teachers? He has proven he can win in the minor leagues as a head coach(go ahead, hockeydb him), was responsible for most of the limited talent BGSU was able to bring in while he was recruiting their(keep in mind he did this with almost no resources, funds or program direction) and was able to have success at UAH, even if it was modest at best. He is respected by all in the hockey community, has the credentials to attract top notch players to MSU, has in's with the USNDTP and has the track record of being a succesful head coach to back it up...so remind me, how is that settling again? Let him bring in some bright up and coming assistant coaches and re-charge the program with some youthful enthusiam and the fan base will respond and the program just might be able to battle its way back to elite status.
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You say this like fans in Michigan are any different than anywhere else. Fans in Minnesota are the same, as are fans in Indiana, Ohio, Alabama (ok, maybe not), etc.. When I said not to settle, what I meant was to really go out and do a thorough job of looking, and not just jump at Cole without the effort. Hey, if Danton Cole is the right solution after doing a complete job of looking, then I don't think anyone will be unhappy. If the school says to Ron Mason, "who do we hire?" and then just does that, then failure is eminent... But I digress, it's important that given a situation with a little time, then go to work and get the right fit. I said earlier that there is no way a coach that is in a good spot will jump ship just to land in East Lansing. That doesn't mean that the school has to accept a solution without researching the options.

How high is that horse anyway? Get nosebleeds up there? ;-)
 
Re: Now. Who is coming to East Lansing

"How high is that horse anyway? Get nosebleeds up there? ;-)"

Hilarious and a great saying! I deserved it! BTW, the view from the top is pretty good! :D Everyone looks so small?! :p

Point taken!
 
Re: Now. Who is coming to East Lansing

From today's Lansing State Journal:

COLE INTERESTED: Former Spartan forward Danton Cole, considered one of the top candidates, to replace Comley said he's interested in discussing the job "when the time is right.''

"I think it's the best job in college hockey and I'm a Michigan State guy,'' said Cole, who's in his first season as the U.S. Under-17 team in Ann Arbor. "But you want to respect their team. They still have a season to play and Rick has a lot of coaching to do.

"When the time is right, I'll definitely look into it. In the meantime, I have my hands full here with our team and what we're trying to do with the kids here.''
 
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