UMaine Hockey Offseason: Insert Funny Title Here

[Fishman'81]

Re: UMaine Hockey Offseason: Insert Funny Title Here

Expected & probably a good move at this point. Do any of us really want to start at ground zero...again? Best case scenario: Maine makes the NCAA tourney over the next couple of years & Gendron steps down at the end of his extension.

JSYK, "Ground Zero" is the exact point at which the A-bomb falls, not another starting-point. And Red has sited that bomb precisely on the Alfond for a while now.

Maine might be better-off back to get back to "Square One", as in: a genuine do-over. (Why the ***k not, anymore?!?)

I'm not at all encouraged that Red -a proven loser- has been rewarded for failing over 5 loooong years, with 3 more years of futility on the horizon.

Potential chaos or not, this was a very bad extension. Perhaps a death-knell for the program, as if that those bells haven't already been tolling for years.

My guess is that we're looking at more of the same futility for the rest of Red's tenure.

 

[NorthMike]

Re: UMaine Hockey Offseason: Insert Funny Title Here

The U has a real soft spot for anyone connected to the glory years, like Red. I dont think anyone there would fire him for that reason. I sort of understand that, a little small bit, but its time to move on and begin a new story.

I suspect in three years Red will retire, so they gave it to him and let him go out on his terms. Hopefully the young assistant coaches can carry the water and breath some life into things over the next few years. They are surely a bright spot in the situation.

 

[Fishman'81]

Re: UMaine Hockey Offseason: Insert Funny Title Here

The U has a real soft spot for anyone connected to the glory years, like Red. I dont think anyone there would fire him for that reason. I sort of understand that, a little small bit, but its time to move on and begin a new story.

I suspect in three years Red will retire, so they gave it to him and let him go out on his terms. Hopefully the young assistant coaches can carry the water and breath some life into things over the next few years. They are surely a bright spot in the situation.

I kinda hear you, but why waste three more years? That will just bury this program a few feet deeper.

I absolutely do not see the point in that.

 

[umhockey91]

Re: UMaine Hockey Offseason: Insert Funny Title Here

JSYK, "Ground Zero" is the exact point at which the A-bomb falls, not another starting-point. And Red has sited that bomb precisely on the Alfond for a while now.

Maine might be better-off back to get back to "Square One", as in: a genuine do-over. (Why the ***k not, anymore?!?)

I'm not at all encouraged that Red -a proven loser- has been rewarded for failing over 5 loooong years, with 3 more years of futility on the horizon.

Potential chaos or not, this was a very bad extension. Perhaps a death-knell for the program, as if that those bells haven't already been tolling for years.

My guess is that we're looking at more of the same futility for the rest of Red's tenure.

With powerhouses like St. Cloud State, Minnesota State, Princeton, Michigan Tech, Clarkson & Air Force populating the ice tourney now....one has to wonder if it really IS worth the investment or effort. One win by UMBC in the men's bouncy ball tourney earned them more money & recognition than Maine hockey would get if they made the next 10 Frozen 4s.....

 

[NorthMike]

I kinda hear you, but why waste three more years? That will just bury this program a few feet deeper.

I absolutely do not see the point in that.

Cant disagree. Personaly I gave Red the benefit of the doubt to see how the team did down the final regular season stretch. Maybe they were going to turn the corner. Nope, we all know how that went, not great, confirming low confidence in Reds program. I dont think Red is up for the task to get it back to a top ten program. It takes a huge amount of work and energy among many other things.

Now its wait and see and hope.

 

[Fishman'81]

Re: UMaine Hockey Offseason: Insert Funny Title Here

With powerhouses like St. Cloud State, Minnesota State, Princeton, Michigan Tech, Clarkson & Air Force populating the ice tourney now....one has to wonder if it really IS worth the investment or effort. One win by UMBC in the men's bouncy ball tourney earned them more money & recognition than Maine hockey would get if they made the next 10 Frozen 4s.....

Apples and oranges on that one. There's no real money in college hockey v. college hoops, one way or the other.

While I feel your pain, Maine has certainly decided to toss even more money down a rat-hole right now, and I don't see the logic there.

 

[Runsub5]

Re: UMaine Hockey Offseason: Insert Funny Title Here

The U has a real soft spot for anyone connected to the glory years, like Red......

Not so much for Cindy Blodgett.

 

[amkirby10]

JSYK, "Ground Zero" is the exact point at which the A-bomb falls, not another starting-point. And Red has sited that bomb precisely on the Alfond for a while now.

Maine might be better-off back to get back to "Square One", as in: a genuine do-over. (Why the ***k not, anymore?!?)

I'm not at all encouraged that Red -a proven loser- has been rewarded for failing over 5 loooong years, with 3 more years of futility on the horizon.

Potential chaos or not, this was a very bad extension. Perhaps a death-knell for the program, as if that those bells haven't already been tolling for years.

My guess is that we're looking at more of the same futility for the rest of Red's tenure.

Oh, please. Could you be any more over dramatic?

 

[Ma#1ne Hky]

Re: UMaine Hockey Offseason: Insert Funny Title Here

Why....well they should put it to him that they are in charge and that these are the terms...like it or not...not like if he balks at it that Minnesota/Merrimack or any opening now would beg to get Gendron to leave Maine. Its called a Contract and what is put in it is to protect what may go wrong down the road and his track record has not made any thing to get too giddy about. I am not for Firing him just make him understand that more is needed to move this program forward...time to earn his keep. You and others can read into it anyway you want....but the focus is moving forward not just talk at the end of the season there was progress in the right direction.

 

[ticapnews]

Re: UMaine Hockey Offseason: Insert Funny Title Here

It's a contract *negotiation* where both sides try to get what they want using leverage.

The most important asset Red had in this negotiation was stability. The university has no president. The university has no AD. Want to add hockey coach to that list? Who replaces Red if he were let go? Ben? If you didn't like Red why would you want his assistant? If Ben, is he an interim coach or permanent? Who decides? If he's temporary who hires the permanent coach? The president who is leaving? The interim AD? Do we wait for a permanent AD? When does that happen? The calendar doesn't stop to wait.

This was the only option open to the university and it was obvious a month ago at the moment Kreech announced he was going to Denver.

 

[AMC]

Re: UMaine Hockey Offseason: Insert Funny Title Here

It's a contract *negotiation* where both sides try to get what they want using leverage.

The most important asset Red had in this negotiation was stability. The university has no president. The university has no AD. Want to add hockey coach to that list? Who replaces Red if he were let go? Ben? If you didn't like Red why would you want his assistant? If Ben, is he an interim coach or permanent? Who decides? If he's temporary who hires the permanent coach? The president who is leaving? The interim AD? Do we wait for a permanent AD? When does that happen? The calendar doesn't stop to wait.

This was the only option open to the university and it was obvious a month ago at the moment Kreech announced he was going to Denver.

I'd like to know the percentage of time in the last ten years in which Maine had either an interim or no President or AD. Seems abnormally high.

Maine wouldn't even be able to take advantage of a sudden influx of national attention like UMBC got- their president has been in office since 1992! His whole life's work is making UMBC as great as he can. Maine just keeps hiring people for their first President or AD job, which is fine since its all we can afford, but you can't expect stability and you can't expect to take advantage of many opportunities requiring long term planning.

 

[BoSox3066]

Re: UMaine Hockey Offseason: Insert Funny Title Here

I said two months ago I hope the extension has U friendly buy out terms we dont know about so we can cry about it here and the program can have an out if they suck next year. Im not conceding that didnt happen. Who knows whats the buy out terms are/were even if they “didnt change.”

I also want to ammend my last statement about NCAA odds. What are even the odds this team makes the Garden in the next 3 years? 35 percent ish? Its been 6 years already. Has to be the longest in Maine history.

 

[walrus]

Re: UMaine Hockey Offseason: Insert Funny Title Here

I said two months ago I hope the extension has U friendly buy out terms we dont know about so we can cry about it here and the program can have an out if they suck next year. Im not conceding that didnt happen. Who knows whats the buy out terms are/were even if they “didnt change.”

I also want to ammend my last statement about NCAA odds. What are even the odds this team makes the Garden in the next 3 years? 35 percent ish? Its been 6 years already. Has to be the longest in Maine history.

Not sure what odds are but I'll bet they don't finish in top 4 in HE

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[ticapnews]

I'd like to know the percentage of time in the last ten years in which Maine had either an interim or no President or AD. Seems abnormally high.

Maine wouldn't even be able to take advantage of a sudden influx of national attention like UMBC got- their president has been in office since 1992! His whole life's work is making UMBC as great as he can. Maine just keeps hiring people for their first President or AD job, which is fine since its all we can afford, but you can't expect stability and you can't expect to take advantage of many opportunities requiring long term planning.

We're a stepping stone university. We're not big enough to be a destination but we're too big to be a small school like UMBC where a top administrator settles down and builds a career. It was obvious when Blake James, Steve Abbott and Kreech took the job it was only going to be short term. Even then I was begging the university to hire someone who will lay out a 10, 15 or 20 year plan and still be here to see it through to the end. We haven't had that vision and we have suffered for it. I know he ruffled a lot of feathers but Kreech at least had a plan to lead the athletics department out of the wilderness. Now he's gone and we'll hire the next person and just as they start to implement plans they'll depart for greener pastures as we'll be back at square one.

 

[chickod]

Re: UMaine Hockey Offseason: Insert Funny Title Here

We're a stepping stone university. We're not big enough to be a destination but we're too big to be a small school like UMBC where a top administrator settles down and builds a career. It was obvious when Blake James, Steve Abbott and Kreech took the job it was only going to be short term. Even then I was begging the university to hire someone who will lay out a 10, 15 or 20 year plan and still be here to see it through to the end. We haven't had that vision and we have suffered for it. I know he ruffled a lot of feathers but Kreech at least had a plan to lead the athletics department out of the wilderness. Now he's gone and we'll hire the next person and just as they start to implement plans they'll depart for greener pastures as we'll be back at square one.

Yup. It's the same at BU in everything other than hockey. The basketball HC job has been a revolving door for decades, with a litany of coaches "passing through" to use as a stepping stone (Rick Pitino, Mike Jarvis and Pat Chambers, now at Penn State, just to name a few). The only reason that Joe Jones is likely to stay longer is that he is sort of at the end of his career and may not be interested in pursuing other positions. It's the way it is when you are a "mid-major." And you have to be realistic: Maine is simply not as attractive as it was when there were only, say, 20 schools playing Division 1 hockey. There are too many options now. You can go to Arizona State and have warm weather all year. And you know, being in the Pac-12, how much longer will it be until the California schools join the party? Then it will be impossible to sell some of these isolated cold-weather schools. I think all of us have to realize that the days of "sustained" domination are over. Now it's a big deal just to make the tournament, when it used to be a "right of passage" for schools like BU and BC. BU had to win two heart-stopping games to gain the automatic bid, and BC has missed the tournament two straight years. I'm not "comparing" them to Maine (I know you will say, "Gee, I really feel sorry for you but we haven't even gotten to the Garden.") But my point is, with the parity today, EVERYONE has a tougher time. You can't be a big fish in a small pond anymore, because the pond has become an ocean.

 

[ticapnews]

Re: UMaine Hockey Offseason: Insert Funny Title Here

Or parody.

 

[AMC]

Re: UMaine Hockey Offseason: Insert Funny Title Here

Yup. It's the same at BU in everything other than hockey. The basketball HC job has been a revolving door for decades, with a litany of coaches "passing through" to use as a stepping stone (Rick Pitino, Mike Jarvis and Pat Chambers, now at Penn State, just to name a few). The only reason that Joe Jones is likely to stay longer is that he is sort of at the end of his career and may not be interested in pursuing other positions. It's the way it is when you are a "mid-major." And you have to be realistic: Maine is simply not as attractive as it was when there were only, say, 20 schools playing Division 1 hockey. There are too many options now. You can go to Arizona State and have warm weather all year. And you know, being in the Pac-12, how much longer will it be until the California schools join the party? Then it will be impossible to sell some of these isolated cold-weather schools. I think all of us have to realize that the days of "sustained" domination are over. Now it's a big deal just to make the tournament, when it used to be a "right of passage" for schools like BU and BC. BU had to win two heart-stopping games to gain the automatic bid, and BC has missed the tournament two straight years. I'm not "comparing" them to Maine (I know you will say, "Gee, I really feel sorry for you but we haven't even gotten to the Garden.") But my point is, with the parity today, EVERYONE has a tougher time. You can't be a big fish in a small pond anymore, because the pond has become an ocean.

My point isn't just about athletics though- I was at Maine for four years, had two permanent presidents and one interim, and there were three different master plans for the future of the university.

Say what you will about Silber, but that man knew what he wanted BU to look like and carried it out.

AD, President, whoever. SOMEONE needs to stay for longer than 4 years at some point.

 

[walrus]

Re: UMaine Hockey Offseason: Insert Funny Title Here

My point isn't just about athletics though- I was at Maine for four years, had two permanent presidents and one interim, and there were three different master plans for the future of the university.

Say what you will about Silber, but that man knew what he wanted BU to look like and carried it out.

AD, President, whoever. SOMEONE needs to stay for longer than 4 years at some point.

You still have chancellor and board of trustees. Just because president changes does t mean long range vision has to. I was born and raised in orono, presidents moving on has happened for a long time. Maybe not as much as now but it still happened.

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[AMC]

Re: UMaine Hockey Offseason: Insert Funny Title Here

You still have chancellor and board of trustees. Just because president changes does t mean long range vision has to. I was born and raised in orono, presidents moving on has happened for a long time. Maybe not as much as now but it still happened.

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Chancellors keep turning over, too, they and the BoT are political appointments so every time the governor changes... Also they are looking over multiple campuses.

I realize that's the life of the public school, but it's still frustrating.

 

[BlackI]

Re: UMaine Hockey Offseason: Insert Funny Title Here

Looks like Keeper is gone...

https://world.hockeyfeed.com/nhl-news/canucks-in-the-running-for-two-top-ncaa-free-agents