Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2017 and Beyond
When it comes to college hockey players today, I would rather bring them in a year too early rather than a year too late.
After the fiascos with LaLeggia and Vecchione, the default position should be earlier not later. UNH is not in any position to defer any kid with a modicum of talent.
100% agree with both of you gentlemen. Mistakes made on this issue have cost the program dearly in recent seasons. And if you don't learn from your mistakes, you are only going to be bound to repeat them.
As for the speculation (Chuck's) that Umile might leave a year early, just don't see it. He's always been an ultra-competitive guy so, unless his DNA has been altered somehow, I think his pride would not allow him to quit.
Greg, I would ordinarily agree with you on this point. But I'm not sure it's altering his DNA, as opposed to wearing him down/out bit by bit. From observing others, and sprinkling in a bit of personal experience - and you are correct, this IS speculation tempered by some educated guesswork - if Umile looks around, this is a whole new world to him. This is going to be his second straight losing season where his team has fallen off a competitive cliff down the stretch. His team can't even win home ice in a postseason round that didn't even exist until the last few seasons. His coaching pals and peers from back in the day have either passed (Serino, Walshy), retired (Parker, Cahoon) or just plain moved on (McCloskey, Lassonde, Tortorella), while the split with Borek was by several accounts a difficult one. Less than two years ago, his direct boss managed to talk him off his "lifetime" contract. He's since had to choose between two young former players on which would succeed him, and lord knows how many others out there who probably had interest but whom he had to rebuff or dissuade at some point. Former players are now anxious (sometimes impatient, even demanding) alums who want to see the return of UNH's past glories. Yesterday.
That's all pretty exhausting, emotional stuff. Times, they are a changin' ... the comfort zone has shifted, and results on the ice have are not reflecting any progress from year to year. A month plus ago, I'm pretty sure Coach thought he had this all under control ... but it's been a LONG and frustrating stretch since then, and the last 7 periods' worth seems to have pushed him to (or past?) his limit for tolerance. And if you're an ultra-competitive person, and you're looking out there and seeing pretty much your six best players putting out max effort, while everyone else is either incapable, unwilling, or unavailable to match that effort ... well, that's going to eat you alive, and you are likely to at least start asking yourself, "Why am I persisting with this at this stage of my life?"
* Is it for the money? God, I hope not. He can take a buyout for next season, state pension kicks in, etc.
* Is it for the thrill of the job? Not seeing that, what with half-empty home games, the path to Boston blocked by the likes of York, Quinn, Bazin and Leaman for the foreseeable future, and no sniff of the NCAA's on the horizon.
* Is it the fun of working with the kids? Maybe ... but he's down to his final year, his guys (Borek's boys) have let him down badly on and off the ice - the latter when they got impatient and left to play elsewhere - basically because UNH wasn't the old UNH any more, and Umile didn't realize he lacked the cache to demand that they wait their turn.
* Is it for a chance to get to "the next round number"? Again, I hope not. What would that do to change anything? He's not gonna catch Parker or York ... he's got Walshy "beat", except for the trophies that really mean something. He's surpassed Charlie as the all-time most wins, trophies, FF appearances, Finals, etc. as a UNH head coach. Even if Souza turns out to be the greatest hire since Umile himself, he's not going to even get close to Umile's total wins at a rate of 24 per season until Umile is approaching his mid 90's.
* Is it pride? Well, as they say, "Pride goeth before the fall". Or as 'watcher has stated ... "Apres moi, le deluge".
If I was Coach Umile, and I knew I wasn't going to win the NC in my final season as UNH HC ... I would want my hand-picked successor to have the best chance possible to accomplish what I was never able to do, and I would want to live long enough to see him succeed at that.
Sticking around for one more year of torture like these last two, and in the process delaying Coach Souza's chances to get the program to that last big step Umile couldn't quite manage, accomplishes precisely nothing. For that matter, he might as well stick around until he's 80 in hopes he can get himself to the next next round number, because at the current rate of decline, it may take him that long to get there.
I'm not pretending to know the man OR know his mind. But short of an early March miracle, I know I'd be done.
