What's new
By:
USCHO Fan Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • The USCHO Fan Forum has migrated to a new plaform, xenForo. Most of the function of the forum should work in familiar ways. Please note that you can switch between light and dark modes by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right of the main menu bar. We are hoping that this new platform will prove to be faster and more reliable. Please feel free to explore its features.

The Barr Has Been Raised at UMaine

Status
Not open for further replies.
amkirby10 said:
Name, and details? And 9th ranked among European goalies or 9th ranked overall?

EDIT: Nevermind, I found him. Got great stats over in Russia...
Click to expand...

9th ranked international goalie. Probably a late round pick. In his picture on Twitter he is signing something, does that mean he is coming this year? Maybe Thiessen is leaving?
 
Drew S. said:
9th ranked international goalie. Probably a late round pick. In his picture on Twitter he is signing something, does that mean he is coming this year? Maybe Thiessen is leaving?
Click to expand...

I heard from someone I know worked with the team headed into COVID that Theissen is kind of an oddball. Maybe it's some sort of attitude problem, or maybe him and Barr just didn't mesh well? Or maybe it's nothing, this guy is only 18 and it might be a year or two out from coming stateside.
 
amkirby10 said:
I heard from someone I know worked with the team headed into COVID that Theissen is kind of an oddball. Maybe it's some sort of attitude problem, or maybe him and Barr just didn't mesh well? Or maybe it's nothing, this guy is only 18 and it might be a year or two out from coming stateside.
Click to expand...

Twitter hockey commitments says next year FWIW
 
walrus said:
No but it sure was fun watching Maine play the russian teams way back when.
Click to expand...

I remember Sokol Kiev. There were others too I think. They sure could control the tempo, great puck handling skills. I think Maine managed a tie that night ?

Fertile recruiting grounds. Barr seems to be hard at work….reminds me of another hard working coach we used to have
 
Another commitment, small dman from junior nordiques named Luke Antonacci. It sounds like he is more of a depth guy.
 
acs64 said:
Has Maine ever recruited a Russian player at any position ? I can’t think of one.
Click to expand...

I don't believe the men's team ever has. The women have.

acs64 said:
I remember Sokol Kiev. There were others too I think. They sure could control the tempo, great puck handling skills. I think Maine managed a tie that night ?
Click to expand...

In 1985 Maine lost to Sokol Kiev 11-1.
In 1986 Maine lost to Spartak 4-1.
In 1989 Maine lost to Sokol Kiev 8-3.
 
Coach Barr seems to be busy on the recruiting front. Obviously it's hard to judge anything until you see it, but it gets me excited. He undeniably has an eye for talent, so let's hope the development part comes along too! Great start.
 
walrus said:
Chuck, lets see these guys play before we get too excited.
Click to expand...

I'm not saying any of these guys are destined for the HHOF ... but it's nice to see when a new guy comes in and starts to generate a positive buzz around a down-and-out program. You'd have to go back over 30+ years for a time at UNH when anything even remotely similar took place (Kullen for Holt), since Umile was basically an interim hire post-Kullen, and then Souza (MS7) had been on Umile's staff for 3 seasons before he took over. The only recent comparison I can come up with from my various rooting interests across the sports landscape was when 'Bama hired Nick Saban, and you just knew things were going to be very different, right from the outset. Not saying Barr is going to be Saban, but both guys walked into new jobs with established powers that were down on their luck, brought immediate energy and optimism, and I suspect Barr will have UMaine back in the upper tier of Hockey East within 3-4 seasons. Maybe sooner?

There is a pattern of success here with Barr. That doesn't happen by accident. There was another (football) coach over a half century ago, who had this long string of successes wherever he went - multiple state titles in HS, national prominence as a college assistant, then an NFL title as an assistant, before he finally got his chance to run the show in the NFL. Five NFL titles in nine years, including an unprecedented three in a row, never a single losing season anywhere, unrivaled excellence to the point where they named the sport's championship trophy after the guy. Barr may become the modern day Vince Lombardi. And even in the likelihood he doesn't succeed on that high a level, he's still bringing energy and excitement to the program, and allowing you folks to think the glory days of Walshy may be returning in the not too distant future. Fun times.
 
Chuck Murray said:
I'm not saying any of these guys are destined for the HHOF ... but it's nice to see when a new guy comes in and starts to generate a positive buzz around a down-and-out program. You'd have to go back over 30+ years for a time at UNH when anything even remotely similar took place (Kullen for Holt), since Umile was basically an interim hire post-Kullen, and then Souza (MS7) had been on Umile's staff for 3 seasons before he took over. The only recent comparison I can come up with from my various rooting interests across the sports landscape was when 'Bama hired Nick Saban, and you just knew things were going to be very different, right from the outset. Not saying Barr is going to be Saban, but both guys walked into new jobs with established powers that were down on their luck, brought immediate energy and optimism, and I suspect Barr will have UMaine back in the upper tier of Hockey East within 3-4 seasons. Maybe sooner?

There is a pattern of success here with Barr. That doesn't happen by accident. There was another (football) coach over a half century ago, who had this long string of successes wherever he went - multiple state titles in HS, national prominence as a college assistant, then an NFL title as an assistant, before he finally got his chance to run the show in the NFL. Five NFL titles in nine years, including an unprecedented three in a row, never a single losing season anywhere, unrivaled excellence to the point where they named the sport's championship trophy after the guy. Barr may become the modern day Vince Lombardi. And even in the likelihood he doesn't succeed on that high a level, he's still bringing energy and excitement to the program, and allowing you folks to think the glory days of Walshy may be returning in the not too distant future. Fun times.
Click to expand...

Alright Chuck, I hope you're right but lets do some serious brake pumping here. If I didn't know better I'd think this sounds like a jinx attempt in the making by you
 
amkirby10 said:
Alright Chuck, I hope you're right but lets do some serious brake pumping here. If I didn't know better I'd think this sounds like a jinx attempt in the making by you
Click to expand...

I don't operate that way, and if my favored program/team is led by a coach who isn't good enough to compete with the top teams in their competition ... well, that's not the other folks' fault, is it? You play to win the game, as they say, and if you can't win the game on your own, why get angry and wish ill upon those who've managed to figure it all out, right?

I'm plenty angry with UNH's current AD, who long ago walked into my favorite program at the height of its success, and has watched it fall into a state of disrepair. On top of that, he shanked the UNH version of Grant Standbrook when the opportunity showed itself, and refused to make the tough call that was needed when Coach Umile's succession became unavoidable. He's still got his finger up his you-know-where. None of that is UMaine's fault, or BC's fault, or even UConn's and Luce Canaan's fault (although he remains a loathsome figure). I wanted to be PO'ed that former nothing programs from Yale and Union made it to the top before UNH, ditto a peer level program like PC, and now a relative start-up like UMass, too. But why get mad at folks for being successful, when the root cause of frustration is in your own AD's office?

So to those who have figured it out, I say "good for you". Most of my favorite sports teams spent my formative years in the tank, but eventually figured things out due to guys like Parcells, Coughlin, Bowman and Popovich. Others like UNH haven't gotten there yet, and my late lamented Expos (barring expansion or relocation) will never, ever make it there. It's a tough climb, and not everyone is up to the challenge. It's not supposed to be easy. It's all about merit, and not about how things are "unfair" or somehow out of turn. Barr seems to have been a talismanic figure at several programs now, and we're going to find out soon enough if that's going to extend to his time at UMaine. And I think we'll find out he's good, not lucky.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top