Re: Providence College 2010-2011 - Things are looking up.
McShane and Pooley failed before Army. Both have bounced back nicely once leaving PC. It has to tell yo something.
The only thing I would say to counter that is that even now Pooley isn't a head coach. I am not sure given his interpersonal skills he's ever going to be able to handle that job. A guy who obviously was good at a few things but couldn't handle being a head coach -- or at least not a head coach at PC. I don't know what went wrong with McShane -- he was here too long, got burned out, had off-ice issues -- because as you and I have said before, the program had a major measure of success (20 win seasons, extremely close to the Frozen Four in 89, etc.) before it went bad for him. Yet he clearly still could recruit because look at what Pooley was able to do with mostly McShane's players over Pooley's first two seasons -- pretty much the most successful in Pooley's entire time here. Yet those players were struggling under McShane at the end before he got the axe.
I agree with everything else wholeheartedly. The program clearly has issues with the rink, lack of promotion, attendance and simple care. I think they under the illusion at PC if people come back everything is going to magically turn around. Surely selling tickets is a huge factor but that is not going to change a dated venue (and it is dated; I love Schneider and basically grew up in that rink but it hasn't significantly changed since before I was born basically) or the fact that hockey is an afterthought amongst PC's athletic dept. As much as Army's record is horrible, and I had my doubts as I did at the end of his first season that he could actually do the job, I recognize PC's problems go far beyond the simple coaching of the team. And like 91, I also commend Army for stepping down and seemingly making things easier for PC to start the change of process for the future.
This is going to be a tough hire unless you really sell Hockey East on the prospective coach. I also agree the Friars are going to be near the basement for the forseeable future. Someone looking in from the outside is going to look at the last 20 years at PC and see only fleeting success that was never sustained by any coach who's been here. Even Pooley's two truly good years were surrounded by mediocrity. And Army's record of futility speaks for itself. The facilities need work, the program isn't being supported by the school as it ought to be -- and unless the school decides to push it, and upgrade it, I agree PC is going to be forever struggling up the hill. Not that they're going to cut it -- but let's be honest, the amount of attention they have given it compared with other school surely leads you to wonder what they are thinking.
As far as coaching goes, I'm not as high on bringing in a juniors-coach, but then again, I also recognize what current head coach elsewhere would want to come here. And I am firmly against bringing in yet another assistant or someone without college experience. No matter how gaudy their resume might appear -- and Pooley looked to be a great catch, as did Army -- the fact they had not been a head coach in college really was like rolling the dice. They can't afford to go down that road another time...but who does that leave?
I see the Union guy being a target amongst folks on the board here, for obvious reasons, but why would the coach at Union want to leave what he has going on there and come here? Because frankly it's a whole lot easier to win in the ECAC than it is to battle the big boys in Hockey East at a school like Providence, to say nothing of the fact that it looks like he has a good thing going there right now.
Five years left on Davis' contract. Did Army have remaining years on his? This is costing somebody some dollars.