UConn to apply to Hockey East

[J.D.]

Re: UConn to apply to Hockey East

Knew it wouldn't take long for someone to trumpet UConn football winning the pathetic Big East conference (whatever year it was) and making a BCS Bowl game. As if that automatically makes them better than any team that failed to reach a BCS game.

 

[joecct]

Re: UConn to apply to Hockey East

Knew it wouldn't take long for someone to trumpet UConn football winning the pathetic Big East conference (whatever year it was) and making a BCS Bowl game. As if that automatically makes them better than any team that failed to reach a BCS game.

Maryland got their coach and immediately went into the tank. MD also got Army's AD. Both appear to be over their heads, according to the local pundits.

 

[Priceless]

Re: UConn to apply to Hockey East

Oh good. This thread has devolved (again) to a pizzing match between UConn and BC fans.

 

[BU2K]

Oh good. This thread has devolved (again) to a pizzing match between UConn and BC fans.

Pass the popcorn.

 

[burgie12]

Re: UConn to apply to Hockey East

Their longest losing streak is 22 games so that isn't it either.

The Union women did not win an ECAC game between Feb 28, 2004 (vs Cornell, 3-1) and Jan 16, 2010 (at Brown, 3-0), a span of 97 games where they went 0-93-4.

Sources: ECAC History and Archives, Union's CHS Schedule 03-04, 09-10

 

[burgie12]

Re: UConn to apply to Hockey East

And I am not sure where you got the 2 year losing streak from. I believe they have won at least one conference game every year they have been in the ECAC.

The 1990-1 season was the last time that a team failed to record an ECAC victory (Dartmouth, 0-19-3). The 1984-5 season was the last time that a team failed to earn an ECAC point (Army, 0-11-0).

 

[MattS]

Re: UConn to apply to Hockey East

The Union women did not win an ECAC game between Feb 28, 2004 (vs Cornell, 3-1) and Jan 16, 2010 (at Brown, 3-0), a span of 97 games where they went 0-93-4.

Sources: ECAC History and Archives, Union's CHS Schedule 03-04, 09-10

Must be the 22 games is for a season then.

 

[UMLFan]

Re: UConn to apply to Hockey East

Oh good. This thread has devolved (again) to a pizzing match between UConn and BC fans.

Don't most threads end with [school] and BC fans arguing?

 

[claver2010]

Re: UConn to apply to Hockey East

Knew it wouldn't take long for someone to trumpet UConn football winning the pathetic Big East conference (whatever year it was) and making a BCS Bowl game. As if that automatically makes them better than any team that failed to reach a BCS game.

Well at least they're with peer schools like Memphis, Depaul, & Rutgers now

 

[kingdobbs]

Re: UConn to apply to Hockey East

Don't most threads end with a [school] and BC fans arguing?

Probably not BC threads.

 

[brassbonanza]

Re: UConn to apply to Hockey East

Well at least they're with peer schools like Memphis, Depaul, & Rutgers now

 

[claver2010]

Re: UConn to apply to Hockey East

Was actually thinking about going over to the puppypound to welcome you guys to HE

[serious post]
What's your vibe from them on realistic support for the team? I assume much will depend on location but I have a hard time believing people will actually show up considering:
1) It's the 3rd most popular winter sport
2) Freitas is a dump
3) Can't see too many students being gung ho about going to downtown Hartford on a Friday/Saturday night

[/serious post]

 

[RSTuthill]

Re: UConn to apply to Hockey East

Maryland got their coach and immediately went into the tank. MD also got Army's AD. Both appear to be over their heads, according to the local pundits.

Yup, and we are quite happy about that in CT HCPP is a big upgrade.

Of course, UConn plays at MD on 9/15 and we won't be so happy if it is not a W.

NC State at home on 9/8.

 

[brassbonanza]

Re: UConn to apply to Hockey East

[serious post]
What's your vibe from them on realistic support for the team? I assume much will depend on location but I have a hard time believing people will actually show up considering:
1) It's the 3rd most popular winter sport
2) Freitas is a dump
3) Can't see too many students being gung ho about going to downtown Hartford on a Friday/Saturday night

[/serious post]

I dont know, I agree playing in XL long term would be a terrible idea and the program would bomb from every perspective, the problem is, UConn loves outsourcing their sports to Hartford, and the governor likes it since it would make it look like he's doing something to revitalize that dump of a city.

As for institutional support, I also don't know, there is a new AD and president so they're not the same people that let the program languish in the gutter for a decade, and the new AD is a Michigan guy who apparently worked extensively with Red, so he's very familiar with top flight hockey and what it can be. My hope is that there is a plan in place to either massively renovate Freitas and expand it significantly, or just altogether build a new arena. It would be great for that part of the state to have that since youth hockey in that region is fairly good, but lacks facilities and anything to really follow - no one cares about the Whale. Also, the idea of afternoon basketball at Gampel on Saturday followed by a night hockey game up the street is a definite win for the school. If done correctly, I could definitely see it being the #2 winter sport behind basketball, and since so many games are on Friday nights, there's never a basketball game then. Depends entirely on how committed the school and state are to doing it right, and not doing it to appease voters. The "Storrs is too far away" logic is a load of crap, and while getting 40K people there for football would definitely have been a nightmare/impossible, getting 4-5K there for a hockey game is most definitely doable. It could turn out to be a very successful move for the university and they could build the program into a very competitive one in HE, or it could completely bomb and they'll end up playing in front of 1,500 people in a 15.5K garbage dump of an arena in a craphole city.

 

[J.D.]

Re: UConn to apply to Hockey East

Maryland got their coach and immediately went into the tank. MD also got Army's AD. Both appear to be over their heads, according to the local pundits.

I'm not following your point...

Oh good. This thread has devolved (again) to a pizzing match between UConn and BC fans.

Hey, be fair to the UConn fans. I think this ****ing match only involves one of them.

Try to keep up. We were talking about UConn football. But if you want to talk about UConn hoops, why don't we start with their rulebreaking dink of a head coach? Perhaps take a look at the list of schools hit with a postseason ban due to pathetic academics? One school on the list stands out compared to all the rest...

Yup, and we are quite happy about that in CT HCPP is a big upgrade.

OK, I knew you were a yahoo, but saying an aging PP is a better head coach than the guy that built your program from nothing to at least respectability? Now I'm certain you've gone off the deep end.

 

[Jim]

Re: UConn to apply to Hockey East

Was actually thinking about going over to the puppypound to welcome you guys to HE

[serious post]
What's your vibe from them on realistic support for the team? I assume much will depend on location but I have a hard time believing people will actually show up considering:
1) It's the 3rd most popular winter sport
2) Freitas is a dump
3) Can't see too many students being gung ho about going to downtown Hartford on a Friday/Saturday night

[/serious post]

1. Remember there are 20,000 people on the UCONN campus. So with even a little effort, it shouldn't be that hard to generate a reasonable level of support. Right now there is virtually no effort put into it. I can't say for sure, of course, but it wouldn't shock me to see a modest bump in attendance this upcoming season, and a slightly larger one next year.
2. Not sure that Freitas is a dump. it is relatively new, and generally speaking in pretty good shape. If you want to say its bare bones, with the metal bleachers, no luxury boxes and so forth, that I think would be a fairer description. Again, I've been there on a few occassions when the Athletic Department pushed an event, and the students showed up, and the place rocked. So if they upgrade the facility, bring in some good teams and do a little marketing, I think attendance will be fine.
3. I agree and I hope/suspect that the XL Center option is strictly a short term alternative. Maybe they play 2-3 games there each year to attract their statewide fans, maybe they move the holiday tournament there, but I don't think of it as a permanent solution.

I have a question for the BC folks here, though...is it true that Gene is signed up for learn to skate at Hockeytown in Saugus so he can "help"Jerry York like he helps the football and basketball coaches?

 

[RSTuthill]

Re: UConn to apply to Hockey East

What's your vibe from them on realistic support for the team? I assume much will depend on location but I have a hard time believing people will actually show up considering:
1) It's the 3rd most popular winter sport
2) Freitas is a dump
3) Can't see too many students being gung ho about going to downtown Hartford on a Friday/Saturday night

Kinda think they will go all out in promoting hockey, having the band there at every game, etc. Those of us who are longtime fans will probably not recognize the program shortly. This is Warde Manuel's signature move to date until he hires Shaka Smart.

Freitas is actually not a dump. It is only ten years old, and it is bright and clean. It is just too small, and the soccer teams have locker rooms there as well. I think the two biggests criticisms are its lack of size and lack of character (wish we had the fireplace back from the old place). But it is way better than any MDC rink I have been to.

UConn has never really marketed their bigtime sports to the students. They want students there and make it easy for them to attend, but the bigtime sports thrive on the corporate professionals and blue collar workers in the CT manufacturing and services base.

 

[Nick Papagiorgio]

Re: UConn to apply to Hockey East

Someone who never won the league or went to a BCS Bowl perhaps?

You sure about that? I mean, it might have been easily missed without BC passing out co-championship rings to players and selling co-championship tshirts in the bookstore like some other programs have been known to do. Someone is having a tough time with facts today.

 

[brassbonanza]

Re: UConn to apply to Hockey East

Try to keep up. We were talking about UConn football. But if you want to talk about UConn hoops, why don't we start with their rulebreaking dink of a head coach? Perhaps take a look at the list of schools hit with a postseason ban due to pathetic academics? One school on the list stands out compared to all the rest...

1. Claver humorously associated UConn with three schools, only one of which currently plays football in the BE, one of which is a basketball-only, and the third was added strictly to bolster the basketball side of the league, thus, my references are appropriate.

2. The rules the basketball staff broke and were punished for, excessive calls and text messages, have since been taken off the books by the NCAA and would not be violations today.

3. Everyone with half a brain knows the APR is the biggest joke in the world. (Mind you, BU is one of two hockey teams with a perfect APR, so anytime you bring up academics with respect to BU, I'll be happy to quote you using it to your advantage here.) Anybody with half a brain also knows that retroactively applying a postseason ban rule based on a set of statistical data that was accumulated when no such rule was on the books and ignoring more recent data that was collected when the rule WAS on the books is also the biggest joke in the world. That doesn't take away from the fact that the basketball program mishandled the academics for a couple of seasons and the majority of the issues stemmed from transfers and players leaving early/completing their athletic eligibility and the staff not making sure they were in good academic standing.

So in sum, try to keep up with the facts.

 

[RSTuthill]

Re: UConn to apply to Hockey East

You sure about that? I mean, it might have been easily missed without BC passing out co-championship rings to players and selling co-championship tshirts in the bookstore like some other programs have been known to do. Someone is having a tough time with facts today.

Actually, no. Pitt won the four way tiebreaker that year. By your standards UConn won it twice. Nope, in reality only once.