Ohio State Next Coach?

[MUhawks628]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

We're not going to beg him to come. If we do contact him, the conversation might go something like this, "Hi Coach, would you be interested in doubling your salary, having your program never have to worry about the cash constraints of being stuck in a broke-*** athletic department, have multiple games each year televised nationally in HD on the BTN and be in on the ground floor of a potential BTHC? No? OK, hope you haven't confused a great little five year run with actually being a hockey power with the tradition and resources to survive any potential down periods. Take Care."

"Would you like to play in a 18,000 seat arena containing 4,000 parents taking their young kids to a hockey game for 2 peroids then leaving to put them to bed, oh and we have a dedicated student section representing about 1% of our student body"

NCAA Tournament Appearences
tOSU (First Season 1964): 6
Miami (First Season 1979): 7

Sorry if I missed where the tradition and power of Ohio State hockey comes into play...

 

[nbetweennownthen]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

We're not going to beg him to come. If we do contact him, the conversation might go something like this, "Hi Coach, would you be interested in doubling your salary, having your program never have to worry about the cash constraints of being stuck in a broke-*** athletic department, have multiple games each year televised nationally in HD on the BTN and be in on the ground floor of a potential BTHC? No? OK, hope you haven't confused a great little five year run with actually being a hockey power with the tradition and resources to survive any potential down periods. Take Care."

The "broke-***" athletic department that built a state of the art facility while you play playoff games in an 800-seat arena? Gotcha. Oh, what's that? Games broadcast in HD? That's a huge selling point...if you're LG or Vizio, not a head coach. Hockey tradition and resources? I must have missed all those tOSU CCHA Championships since 1972 (all one of them) and all the National Championship banners hanging at your lovely bouncyball arena.

 

[ScoobyFanClub]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

I want whatever Sterling Cooper had for breakfast. I could use some good drugs.

You've got a better chance of resurrecting Herb Brooks to become the next coach - than enticing Blasi to leave Miami. Shouldn't even be a topic of conversation, it's so ridiculous.

 

[MUhawks628]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

I want whatever Sterling Cooper had for breakfast. I could use some good drugs.

BUCKEYE NUTS!

The poison must be getting to him...

He called me a bad word in his negative rep too =(

 

[Sterling Cooper]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

I never said Ohio State had great hockey tradition...far from it. I said that Rico shouldn't confuse the little five year run he's had as giving him the kind of tradition and stability that a Minnesota or Michigan have. Bowling Green had the same kind of run and even won a NC, yet last year their program came within a whisker of being eliminated. Yes, Miami built their little 3,000 seat arena. Good for them. It's a great place to watch hockey...even with all the stolen Big Ten cheers and songs. That doesn't negate the fact that your athletic department is in the red, and football and basketball are nowhere close to providing the kind of revenue streams to make it anywhere close to stable much less flush with funds.

The reality is that Ohio State's athletic department does have the resources to give its hockey program a level of stability that Miami of Ohio will never have regardless of what transitory success the program might currently be enjoying.

Odds are we won't hire Blasi. He's a Miami of Ohio alum, and he is on a hell of a run down there. The notion, however, that we have NOTHING to offer him is absurd.

 

[Sterling Cooper]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

BUCKEYE NUTS!

The poison must be getting to him...

He called me a bad word in his negative rep too =(

Funny, I didn't give you any bad rep. Somebody else out there must not like you. Oh well, you've proven that you're a true Miami of Ohio guy in that you don't let reality get in the way of a good story.

 

[MUhawks628]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

Funny, I didn't give you any bad rep. Somebody else out there must not like you. Oh well, you've proven that you're a true Miami of Ohio guy in that you don't let reality get in the way of a good story.

I wouldn't blame any OSU poster for giving me negative rep for that post, although the intent was more to highlight the ridiculousness of some of your arguments then to take a shot at OSU's athletic programs which are superior to Miami in nearly every way (not even debatable).

You are clearly taking this whole thing far more seriously then I am so i will just say best of luck with your coaching search and have a nice day.

 

[du78]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

Doug Woog or Craig Dahl

 

[Puck Swami]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

If OSU ever really got serious about funding hockey, they could hire almost any coach with the money they have and they money they could make from a full 17,500 seat building 20 games per year.

Fortunately for the rest of us, there are other athletic priorities there.

 

[ScoobyFanClub]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

If OSU ever really got serious about funding hockey, they could hire almost any coach with the money they have and they money they could make from a full 17,500 seat building 20 games per year.

Fortunately for the rest of us, there are other athletic priorities there.

What makes you think OSU could sell out 17,500 even if they were good. No college team does that. Maybe North Dakota could, occasionally. Maybe Wisconsin. But who else? So expecting that is nuts.

How do we know they haven't funded hockey? Maybe they are - and Markell simply didn't do a good job. But I don't expect any coach, even if it's Jack Parker, George Gwozdecky, Rico Blasi, or Scotty Bowman to automatically turn OSU into a dominant national power that sells out 17,500. I don't care how much money they pump in and pay.

So for any of those big name college coaches to go there, they would have to be convinced that doing so would make them better off than where they are. And how much better off do Blasi or Gwoz need to be than where they are now? So OSU pays them $2 million/year? OK, maybe that would entice someone - but it won't make those guys' situations any better hockey wise. So why bother?

 

[Sterling Cooper]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

I actually agree with Scooby on this one. We'll never sell out the Schott with the exception of the occasional big series with Michigan or Sparty.

What we can do is bring in the type of coach who can build a program where attendance is consistently averaging in the 8-9 thousand range, which isn't too far from reality since we were still averaging close to 5K after the program's collapse in 2005. If we can get attendance up to that point on a consistent basis, we've paid down the athletic department's current debt load from previous construction projects and we have a coach we want (NEED) to keep, toss in that ever expanding pot of Big Ten Network gold and then you might find the necessary critical mass to get that 8K hockey specific arena built.

The first step in that scenario is this coaching hire, which is why I just can't fathom rushing out and pulling a quick trigger for any assistant whether at Miami of Ohio or anywhere else.

 

[Puck Swami]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

What makes you think OSU could sell out 17,500 even if they were good. No college team does that. Maybe North Dakota could, occasionally. Maybe Wisconsin. But who else? So expecting that is nuts.

How do we know they haven't funded hockey? Maybe they are - and Markell simply didn't do a good job. But I don't expect any coach, even if it's Jack Parker, George Gwozdecky, Rico Blasi, or Scotty Bowman to automatically turn OSU into a dominant national power that sells out 17,500. I don't care how much money they pump in and pay.

So for any of those big name college coaches to go there, they would have to be convinced that doing so would make them better off than where they are. And how much better off do Blasi or Gwoz need to be than where they are now? So OSU pays them $2 million/year? OK, maybe that would entice someone - but it won't make those guys' situations any better hockey wise. So why bother?

You can make almost any school a powerhouse in any sport if you invest enough money into it. When you look at the schools that win in D-I hockey, there is usually a strong instutional committment to the game and a multi-million investment in coaches, facilities, TV, etc. The winners in the arms race are among the winners on the ice, year after year. This goes for football, hoops and any other sport. With big money invested, you can get the best coaches and assistants, you can buy media and promotion, and you can build jaw-dropping facilities that will bring in top players. Over time, the investment pays off and you build a tradition that becomes self-perpetuating. Stop or slow the investment, and the program declines.

My own school, Denver, has been a national power when the insitutional investment in the program was/is high, and a mediocre-to-worse program when the investment was low.

Columbus has a small hockey culture now, but a huge emotional investment in OSU. I think OSU, like Notre Dame, is a potential giant in the sport if the school would spend the money. Right now, Buckeye Hockey is a low visibility entity with the same 6,000 fans, but they've drawn big crowds for big teams. If OSU were to really invest in marketing and promoting hockey, getting them on TV and invest in top notch coaches, they could be a dominant program.

 

[ScoobyFanClub]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

I actually agree with Scooby on this one. We'll never sell out the Schott with the exception of the occasional big series with Michigan or Sparty.

What we can do is bring in the type of coach who can build a program where attendance is consistently averaging in the 8-9 thousand range, which isn't too far from reality since we were still averaging close to 5K after the program's collapse in 2005. If we can get attendance up to that point on a consistent basis, we've paid down the athletic department's current debt load from previous construction projects and we have a coach we want (NEED) to keep, toss in that ever expanding pot of Big Ten Network gold and then you might find the necessary critical mass to get that 8K hockey specific arena built.

The first step in that scenario is this coaching hire, which is why I just can't fathom rushing out and pulling a quick trigger for any assistant whether at Miami of Ohio or anywhere else.

THEY won't pull the quick trigger. They'll do their homework. I'm just saying that getting Blasi or anyone else like that, is a pipe dream. That's my contention with what you're saying. And I think you're over-valuing the worth of "BTHC" - which I think is meaningless to a current big-name college hockey coach.

But Sterling - do you have information that the plan is to build a smaller hockey building? Where was it stated that this is their goal? Is it rumblings - or is this just hope on your part? ... And why would they do that when they poured all that money into the Schott? What happens with the Schott then?

 

[ScoobyFanClub]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

You can make almost any school a powerhouse in any sport if you invest enough money into it. When you look at the schools that win in D-I hockey, there is usually a strong instutional committment to the game and a multi-million investment in coaches, facilities, TV, etc. The winners in the arms race are among the winners on the ice, year after year. This goes for football, hoops and any other sport. With big money invested, you can get the best coaches and assistants, you can buy media and promotion, and you can build jaw-dropping facilities that will bring in top players. Over time, the investment pays off and you build a tradition that becomes self-perpetuating. Stop or slow the investment, and the program declines.

I agree, of course - I'm just saying, what evidence are we pointing to that suggests OSU isn't already putting a lot of resources in? Perhaps its mediocrity was because of its coach, not lack of resources.

 

[Puck Swami]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

I agree, of course - I'm just saying, what evidence are we pointing to that suggests OSU isn't already putting a lot of resources in? Perhaps its mediocrity was because of its coach, not lack of resources.

There are a number of financial clues that tell me OSU isn't as serious about hockey as they could be.

1) If OSU really cared more about hockey, it wouldn't be renting out its own building during hockey playoffs or when high profile opponents come to town and forcing the Bucks to play elsewhere.

2) It would also be a program we'd see on TV more. TV game can be purchased by those schools wishing to improve exposure. Denver is one team that buys some of its TV games each year from FSN. OSU could buy more games.

3) I've been to Columbus, and the marketing presense of Buckeye Hockey is pretty low. They also could do much more to get students into their barn than they do now.

Add it all up, and you can surmise that Buckeye Hockey is seen as nice afterthought, but not really a strategic asset...

 

[Sterling Cooper]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

But Sterling - do you have information that the plan is to build a smaller hockey building? Where was it stated that this is their goal? Is it rumblings - or is this just hope on your part? ... And why would they do that when they poured all that money into the Schott? What happens with the Schott then?

Moving men's hockey into its own facility doesn't change the Schott a bit. If you think about it, hockey is fourth on the raison d'etre list for building the Schott after men's basketball, women's basketball and providing a concert/entertainment venue for campus.

The only thing that I've heard from within the athletic department is that there is an acknowledgement that the Schott didn't provide the hockey program with the hoped for attendance boost or recruiting advantage that was originally envisioned and that--given a lower debt load, better economic climate and program worthy of the investment--a hockey facility would be considered. Gordon Gee doesn't think small. That being said, it's years from fruition. While you're right that any proposed BTHC is pretty much meaningless at this point, the Big Ten Network's increasing interest in hockey and growing pot of gold that it's pumping into B10 schools is quite relevant in the here and now.

At the end of the day, I don't believe that we can lure Blasi to Ohio State, but I want Ohio State to think big with this hire. If we get turned down, so be it. It's not an embarrassment to get turned down by a guy who has a hot program and doesn't want to leave his alma mater for an in-state rival. I just want Ohio State to swing for the fences, and contacting Blasi would be a good place to start.

 

[klbaum1077]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

I know the Athletic Department told the hockey program that when the contract with the State High School Wrestling contract was up after next year the situation with them having to play that first round playoff series in the Ice Rink would be resolved. I have also been told blue prints are out there for a hockey only facility where the Jack Nicholas Museum sits. It would seat 6-7K.

 

[osualum86]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

I certainly agree with the fans on here that are saying we are not getting Enrico Blasi. We are definitely not going to lure Enrico up here. However, I don't quite agree with the implied notion by some here that we're some ****-ant program that should settle for someone else's assistant. I don't think I am being arrogant saying this, but we have made some NCAA Tournament appearances this decade, so I think we're a little past the point of hiring an assistant and letting him get his feet wet with his first head coaching job. I don't want someone learning on the job. I want someone who is going to hit the ground running. As for a hockey-only facility, nothing is written in stone yet, but I have heard from a number of persons that a study is being done on that. If we are going to get to the next level, we need to take the plunge and get that built. I'll buy a brick when they do. A new coach may demand a hockey-only facility. And, as has been alluded to here, I've gotten weary of seeing our team get kicked out of its own facility for state wrestling when we are hosting a first round series. I'm just happy that Gene Smith had the courage to make this necessary coaching change. However, and we've all had this discussion, if the university doesn't make a legitimate committment to hockey, we'll get the same results we are getting now, regardless of who is brought in.

 

[Sterling Cooper]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

I certainly agree with the fans on here that are saying we are not getting Enrico Blasi. We are definitely not going to lure Enrico up here. However, I don't quite agree with the implied notion by some here that we're some ****-ant program that should settle for someone else's assistant.

I agree entirely. I think some at little brother are just a little too smitten with and emotionally invested in the notion that we would have to settle for one of their assistants when making a head coaching hire that it's clouded their judgement. I'll say it again. Miami of Ohio hires Ohio State assistant coaches to be head coaches, not the other way around.

And for the Miamite who so eloquently stated, "your an idiot" in my negative rep, it's always best to nail down that pesky grammar when knocking someone else's intelligence.

 

[redeagle]

Re: Ohio State Next Coach?

Coach Blasi's "nice little five year run" is more like a nice little eight year run. Since Blasi has had his (and Bergeron, Blashill, and Brekke's) own players, he is 191-99-33 with a program that had only flashes of success before his arrival. Based on that evidence, IMO OSU would be crazy not to contact him. Why not? I also think OSU would be lucky to get any of the last three Miami assistants, and in five or ten years, if I live that long, I'll be back being an I told you so.

By the way, I think some had questions whether Miami would maintain after the Jones and Davis class (and two early departures that year). So far, so good. And don't underestimate Miami compensation packages. There is more there than meets the eye. This AD is big on incentives in contracts, and has the luxury of having to pay them all to one sport.