UNH 2020 Off-Season Thread: That Rinky-Shrinky Thang And Other Lively Banter :D

[NCAA watcher]

The presumptuousness of this board, trying to tell the Master Recruiter how to do his job

https://www.uscho.com/2018/03/14/wit...ildcats-coach/

“Mike is a master recruiter and evaluates talent very well,” said Umile. “He is a hard worker and is well respected. As a graduate of UNH and a former student-athlete, he understands the school and the program. He brings respect, enthusiasm and hard work to the rink. Mike is a natural and will lead the program to tremendous success. I am very excited for him and his family.”

And if you can't just rely on another Master Recruiter like Coach Umile to give you an unbiased evaluation, then your name isn't Marty Scarano. It's management 101 to allow retiring people to hand pick their successors. Otherwise the proud tradition of nepotism dies, and you suddenly end up with a meritocracy.

Let's focus on the real problem. If we're quoting oldies, the line about who bears ultimate responsibility that rings in my head is "you screwed up, you trusted us"

 

[Chuck Murray]

The presumptuousness of this board, trying to tell the Master Recruiter how to do his job

https://www.uscho.com/2018/03/14/wit...ildcats-coach/

And if you can't just rely on another Master Recruiter like Coach Umile to give you an unbiased evaluation, then your name isn't Marty Scarano. It's management 101 to allow retiring people to hand pick their successors. Otherwise the proud tradition of nepotism dies, and you suddenly end up with a meritocracy.

Let's focus on the real problem. If we're quoting oldies, the line about who bears ultimate responsibility that rings in my head is "you screwed up, you trusted us"

I guess your pitch to my imaginary bambino hockey spawn goes something like this then, 'Watcher?

"Come ta UNH, if ya know what's good for ya, kid. I'm gonna make ya an offah ya can't refuse."

Not sure how that works for my kid ... he's not paisan like Souza, Umile nor Scarano?!? Just sayin' ...

 

[Chuck Murray]

BTW does anyone know what Brian McCloskey is doing these days?

Shame he (understandably) probably won't take BS' calls anymore ...

 

[Snively65]

BTW does anyone know what Brian McCloskey is doing these days?

Shame he (understandably) probably won't take BS' calls anymore ...

Is this a trick question? Assistant coach at Dartmouth the past three seasons, but likely hanging out in Newburyport this season, as Reid Cashman brought in his own assistants?

 

[NCAA watcher]

I guess your pitch to my imaginary bambino hockey spawn goes something like this then, 'Watcher?

"Come ta UNH, if ya know what's good for ya, kid. I'm gonna make ya an offah ya can't refuse."

Not sure how that works for my kid ... he's not paisan like Souza, Umile nor Scarano?!? Just sayin' ...

No, it's actually....

"Hi [recruit]. [___], my new recruiting assistant, who has been watching you while he was recruiting you for ____*** top 10 school ***, has told me you're his kind of player, and so you're now my guy. We share a vision, that I'll talk about in a few seconds. Since we share that vision, I trust ______, and have told him to make all the decisions before meeting with me as the HC. But otherwise he has my 100% faith to pick his new kids. Let me tell you a little bit about my situation. I used three years to evaluate the program and how I wanted to go, and have now decided this is unacceptable. I was young and made mistakes, just as you as a player will make mistakes your first two years. But you'll learn from them, and I have learned. Mistakes are OK, as long as we learn from them, so I will be hard on you if you repeat mistakes. I have learned, and I'm not going to repeat my mistakes, otherwise we'll never win HE, which is what I now have an urgency to do by the time you're a senior here. To do that, we have about 4 very good pieces in the pipeline, but we're blowing out all other parts of the existing organization. This is new start, and I want you to join with Ardanaz, Evans, Carfagna and Gagne as the core of my teams. We have about 8 kids who we have told we'll honor their scholarships but they are no longer on the team. That leaves lots of room for new kids, and ___ and I want you to be part of that reboot. You'll be able to tell people you helped restore UNH hockey to the HE finals. We're going to focus on small fast forward who can create turnovers and actually do something with the puck once they possess it. I envision you as having the skills that you'll be able to play on a line with Evans, who is exactly that sort of player. I can't promise you that, but I think you can earn it, and there's lots of opportunties, so scouts will see you a lot on top lines and PP right away. Because of where we are, you'll get more opportunity right away than at other HE schools. And that excitement will bring back the best fans, including the students. So I'd love it if you want to be part of this team, can I count on you?"

 

[Snively65]

No, it's actually....

"Hi [recruit]. [___], my new recruiting assistant, who has been watching you while he was recruiting you for ____*** top 10 school ***, has told me you're his kind of player, and so you're now my guy. We share a vision, that I'll talk about in a few seconds. Since we share that vision, I trust ______, and have told him to make all the decisions before meeting with me as the HC. But otherwise he has my 100% faith to pick his new kids. Let me tell you a little bit about my situation. I used three years to evaluate the program and how I wanted to go, and have now decided this is unacceptable. I was young and made mistakes, just as you as a player will make mistakes your first two years. But you'll learn from them, and I have learned. Mistakes are OK, as long as we learn from them, so I will be hard on you if you repeat mistakes. I have learned, and I'm not going to repeat my mistakes, otherwise we'll never win HE, which is what I now have an urgency to do by the time you're a senior here. To do that, we have about 4 very good pieces in the pipeline, but we're blowing out all other parts of the existing organization. This is new start, and I want you to join with Ardanaz, Evans, Carfagna and Gagne as the core of my teams. We have about 8 kids who we have told we'll honor their scholarships but they are no longer on the team. So, although we do not have any schollie money for you, that still leaves lots of room for new kids, and ___ and I want you to be part of that reboot. You'll be able to tell people you helped restore UNH hockey to the HE finals. We're going to focus on small fast forward who can create turnovers and actually do something with the puck once they possess it. I envision you as having the skills that you'll be able to play on a line with Evans, who is exactly that sort of player. I can't promise you that, but I think you can earn it, and there's lots of opportunties, so scouts will see you a lot on top lines and PP right away. Because of where we are, you'll get more opportunity right away than at other HE schools. And that excitement will bring back the best fans, including the students. So I'd love it if you want to be part of this team, can I count on you?"

Just editing your post.

 

[Dan]

Recruiting, like any sales job, starts with belief. I cannot create a Souza recruiting pitch to turn UNH Hockey around, because I do not believe that he believes in UNH as a top-10 program (if he did, we wouldn't be hearing whispers about rink size, not being in Boston, having to cross the street to lift or anything else the program wants but certainly doesn't need)...

I know how I'd sell it, and I know how I'd want a new staff/administration to sell it...

 

[Chuck Murray]

Is this a trick question? Assistant coach at Dartmouth the past three seasons, but likely hanging out in Newburyport this season, as Reid Cashman brought in his own assistants?

Yeah, I know both McCloskey and Lassonde (USNDT) left Dartmouth when the new guy came in. I knew where Lassonde landed, just wondering if the guy who was the best Men's recruiter AND the most successful Women's coach in UNH history was still available? Y'know, just because ...

 

[Whalers]

I have worked in an industry where competition is around every corner. Innovation can only separate you so much, the rest comes down to hard work and intangibles - perseverance, telling the consistent story, knowing your product, churning new prospects, tapping new resources, developing a network. I guess this sounds like …………. MOST industries AND LIFE in general. What separates us from the next person?

UNH has plenty to offer as far as far as facilities, academics, media reach, name recognition and past history. Sell them at home, get them on campus for a group visit, show them highlights of white out the Whitt games ON the jumbotron WITH 500 live, cheering students in attendance - How?? recruit the sororities with a tie-in for volunteerism, buy them pizza, and then go tell the fraternities that a bunch of 19-21 year old girls will all be in one place and would they like some free pizza, quota filled! Have the current NESN intermission babe from UNH interview the recruit about how the place would sound when THEY are the star and 12 times the people are in the stands cheering for THEM! Print up some of those Trading Cards with the recruits info and "stats", then ask 20 sorority girls from the crowd to come over and ask for an autograph.

Have Brad Flaishans attend and talk about how well respected the business school is, along with some other ex-players (not Garrett Stafford) who were also in the B-school. Get JvR, TvR and Pesce involved to feed the long range narrative. But most of all, let's go over to T-School and get a cattle prod to wake the coaching staff up and have them start to show some fire. Enthusiasm goes a LONG WAY.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Excellent responses from both 'Watcher, who outlines how MS7 could creatively shape a new message and strategy, hitched to some superstar recruiter who is currently plying his trade elsewhere ... and from Dan, who pragmatically opts for the "nuclear option", including the entire current staff AND admin.

'Watcher gets points for creativity in a tough situation, which basically requires MS7 to "thread the needle" in throwing himself under the bus AND yet not portraying himself as weak, all while coming across as sincere and genuine. For a guy who doesn't come across in the press as anything more than a cliche factory, I don't think MS7 could pull it off. It would take someone like Walshy ... now HE could pull that recruiting spiel off (probably did at some point early in his tenure).

Dan gets right to the point, and earns major bonus points for ditching the next guy up the ladder, which is where I believe the fault lies for the slow, painful slide UNH Hockey has experienced over the last 15 or so years. Waited too long the first time, we can't afford to wait too long a second time, or else no one will ever remember when UNH Hockey meant something.

If I'm the recruit, and I'm listening to MS7 giving me 'Watcher's pitch, I'm sniffing a line of BS (not Blue Skies, the real thing) and asking him for names of the kids in the pipeline, then comparing notes with those guys to see if they're really coming, or if this is just a hockey recruiting Ponzi scheme? Dan's guy comes in with a fresh slate, doesn't need to be creative to explain away what's been going on in Durham for the last half-decade on his watch, and can use the "8 kids to have their scholarships honored, but cut" without begging the question, "Geez, if you did this to your own guys, what stops you from doing it to me?"

Dan hasn't given away what his pitch would be, but I like his framework better. Much easier sell.

Now if the current AD has a "lifetime contract" similar to the Turtlenecked One, 'Watcher's pitch is making the best of a bad situation. Sadly, I suspect one of the current assistants will be sacrificed soon, and this will be the "solution" that keeps our AD from making the real tough call, that puts his own neck on the line for the quality of the guy HE - not Umile - brings in.

Thanks for chiming in from opposing perspectives, guys. Hopefully we'll get some more feedback ...

 

[Chuck Murray]

I have worked in an industry where competition is around every corner. Innovation can only separate you so much, the rest comes down to hard work and intangibles - perseverance, telling the consistent story, knowing your product, churning new prospects, tapping new resources, developing a network. I guess this sounds like …………. MOST industries AND LIFE in general. What separates us from the next person?

UNH has plenty to offer as far as far as facilities, academics, media reach, name recognition and past history. Sell them at home, get them on campus for a group visit, show them highlights of white out the Whitt games ON the jumbotron WITH 500 live, cheering students in attendance - How?? recruit the sororities with a tie-in for volunteerism, buy them pizza, and then go tell the fraternities that a bunch of 19-21 year old girls will all be in one place and would they like some free pizza, quota filled! Have the current NESN intermission babe from UNH interview the recruit about how the place would sound when THEY are the star and 12 times the people are in the stands cheering for THEM! Print up some of those Trading Cards with the recruits info and "stats", then ask 20 sorority girls from the crowd to come over and ask for an autograph.

Have Brad Flaishans attend and talk about how well respected the business school is, along with some other ex-players (not Garrett Stafford) who were also in the B-school. Get JvR, TvR and Pesce involved to feed the long range narrative. But most of all, let's go over to T-School and get a cattle prod to wake the coaching staff up and have them start to show some fire. Enthusiasm goes a LONG WAY.

As I pointed out earlier, my imaginary hockey stud spawn likes girls. He likes pizza, too. Figure out a way to get a keg into the picture, and Chuck WIS Jr. is a sucker for a flashy sell.

 

[Darius]

...small fast forward who can create turnovers and actually do something with the puck once they possess it.

So many thoughts: What a concept/Those were the days/Yes, please. Anyone else notice Crookshank had 12 SOG yesterday? Twelve.

...It would take someone like Walshy ...

No, thanks.

...sororities with a tie-in for volunteerism, buy them pizza, and then go tell the fraternities that a bunch of 19-21 year old girls will all be in one place and would they like some free pizza, quota filled!... ask 20 sorority girls from the crowd to come over and ask for an autograph.

Different than the sorority tie in to recruiting back in the good old days, but worth a shot.

...my imaginary hockey stud spawn likes girls. He likes pizza, too. Figure out a way to get a keg into the picture, and Chuck WIS Jr. is a sucker for a flashy sell.

Getting there...

 

[GrouchyUNHer]

Charlie Murray.....Good God, I should hope that any spawn of yours would be imaginary!! Now don't get your panties in a bunch, I'm just messin' with ya! (DANG IT....how come the damm smileys don't work on this galdurned format.....what in God's creation has happened to this place since I was here???)

DAN - you hit the nail on the head, son! And I quote:

I cannot create a Souza recruiting pitch to turn UNH Hockey around, because I do not believe that he believes in UNH as a top-10 program

THIS.....THIS IS THE ROOT CAUSE, MY FRIENDS!! And if Smahty Mahty has given his full endorsement of Soooza and this belief, well.....t'aint much of any of our collective belly-aching is going to change this sitch-ee-ation one iota!!! Hockey, as we know it, is dead. Smahty Mahty milked it, then starved it, and then abandoned it just like an old Holstein. Git rid of the "farmer", bring in young aggressive types who want to win and know how to cultivate and grow talent and WIN, then mebbe you have the makin's of a future top 10 team. Will it happen in our lifetimes? Well, sheee-it, I'm just trying to stay low and avoid COVID whilst my aging body continues to age and whither!!

I may not give a rat's derriere about my lawn right now, but for the love of Pete, WEAR YOUR DANG MASKS!!! (where's those DANGED EMOJIS????????)

 

[Snively65]

Yeah, I know both McCloskey and Lassonde (USNDT) left Dartmouth when the new guy came in. I knew where Lassonde landed, just wondering if the guy who was the best Men's recruiter AND the most successful Women's coach in UNH history was still available? Y'know, just because ...

Newburyport is less than an hour away from the Whitt.

BTW, JvR assisted on all four goals including the OT GWG last night; he's on a roll.

 

[ClOuD 9]

Yeah, I know both McCloskey and Lassonde (USNDT) left Dartmouth when the new guy came in. I knew where Lassonde landed, just wondering if the guy who was the best Men's recruiter AND the most successful Women's coach in UNH history was still available? Y'know, just because ...

Russ McCurdy? He's probably enjoying retirement.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Russ McCurdy? He's probably enjoying retirement.

Maybe I should have edited it and said "recent UNH history", eh Cloud?

 

[Chuck Murray]

Charlie Murray.....Good God, I should hope that any spawn of yours would be imaginary!! Now don't get your panties in a bunch, I'm just messin' with ya! (DANG IT....how come the damm smileys don't work on this galdurned format.....what in God's creation has happened to this place since I was here???)

DAN - you hit the nail on the head, son! And I quote: THIS.....THIS IS THE ROOT CAUSE, MY FRIENDS!! And if Smahty Mahty has given his full endorsement of Soooza and this belief, well.....t'aint much of any of our collective belly-aching is going to change this sitch-ee-ation one iota!!! Hockey, as we know it, is dead. Smahty Mahty milked it, then starved it, and then abandoned it just like an old Holstein. Git rid of the "farmer", bring in young aggressive types who want to win and know how to cultivate and grow talent and WIN, then mebbe you have the makin's of a future top 10 team. Will it happen in our lifetimes? Well, sheee-it, I'm just trying to stay low and avoid COVID whilst my aging body continues to age and whither!!

I may not give a rat's derriere about my lawn right now, but for the love of Pete, WEAR YOUR DANG MASKS!!! (where's those DANGED EMOJIS????????)

Great ta hear from ya, Grouchy. You know where you can stick that gol danged mask, eh?!?

 

[HockeyRef]

It's UML this weekend according to wmur....

 

[Chuck Murray]

It's UML this weekend according to wmur....

Any idea when & where, Ref?

EDIT: I'll answer me own question, mateys!!!

Friday 6:00 p.m. @ Lowell
Saturday 5:00 p.m. @ UNH

​​​​​​​Courtesy of the Union-Leader

 

[Snively65]

Any idea when & where, Ref?

EDIT: I'll answer me own question, mateys!!!

Friday 6:00 p.m. @ Lowell
Saturday 5:00 p.m. @ UNH

Courtesy of the Union-Leader

Looks like NESN has Bruins on their Schedule both evenings. What about NESN+?

But, tonight it is round three between B's and Flyers, with JvR coming off a four-assist game.