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UNH Hockey 2023-2024 Season Thread - End Of The Cellar-Dweller Era??

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Robert Balin said:
The goalie of the future. Ryan Grout has commited to UNH. A 2007 birth date 16 years old. He has a 2.04 ga and a .931 save percentage. He plays behind a 20 year old Minn St recruit and has better numbers. He's had impressive numbers at every level. Plays in the BCHL for Salmon Arm.
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I can already picture a sign on the glass in the student end “I am Grout”.
 
Drew S. said:
People are fooling themselves if they think they know what he is going to do. The price has def gone up but I'm not sure much else has changed.
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I think what Drew is saying (and he's 100% correct) is that a month or two ago, UNH Soccer thought they had super successful Coach Hubbard committed to his hometown school/alma mater for the long term too. And a month or two later? Oops, maybe not. You never know, especially in these turbulent NCAA times, what's behind Door Number Two ...

... but in defense of UMaine, this was something they HAD to do. Anytime a deal starts leaning lopsided, it has to be adjusted. Overachieve and get a bump (somewhere?) ... underachieve and get a push (out the door).

If nothing else, they've bought a little more time for Barr to embed his successful ways into their program. And to think, when UMaine was hiring Barr, Blue Skies was extending his paisan. Fan-flippin'-tastic decision, eh??
 
OT win for the Wildcats tonight. You heard it here first:-)

UNH Hockey: You can check out any time you like but you can never leave!
 
Chuck Murray said:
I think what Drew is saying (and he's 100% correct) is that a month or two ago, UNH Soccer thought they had super successful Coach Hubbard committed to his hometown school/alma mater for the long term too. And a month or two later? Oops, maybe not. You never know, especially in these turbulent NCAA times, what's behind Door Number Two ...

... but in defense of UMaine, this was something they HAD to do. Anytime a deal starts leaning lopsided, it has to be adjusted. Overachieve and get a bump (somewhere?) ... underachieve and get a push (out the door).

If nothing else, they've bought a little more time for Barr to embed his successful ways into their program. And to think, when UMaine was hiring Barr, Blue Skies was extending his paisan. Fan-flippin'-tastic decision, eh??
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I think the extension makes all the sense in the world and don’t see any downside. With that being said I’m not really sure if it changes how long he stays at Maine.

It’s really impossible for us to know how happy him and his family are and what sort of opportunities will come along. Obviously him leaving to coach a Big 10 or NCHC school would make a lot of sense but I could see him leaving for some sort of out left field opportunity. As a coach I think where he truly excels is player development and wonder if an NHL team would hire him for some sort of front office role in that capacity.
 
e.cat said:
OT win for the Wildcats tonight. You heard it here first:-)

UNH Hockey: You can check out any time you like but you can never leave!
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Woaaahh! Much bolder win prediction than the one you made for second game at UVM last Saturday, e.cat! If you are correct, one ramification might be that the AD extends MS7’s contract two years on the spot?
 
Snively65 said:
Woaaahh! Much bolder win prediction than the one you made for second game at UVM last Saturday, e.cat! If you are correct, one ramification might be that the AD extends MS7’s contract two years on the spot?
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That would make those that are all in on UNH happy. Chuck, for example, would be delighted.
 
Love the optimism around here today! Ecat if you are.correct you'll never have to buy another drink in this town again I'll personally see to it ;)

If UNH can come out and play like their lives depend on it could be interesting. If they do then hey I think we have a shot.

Kind of feelin Felgers Ground Hog Day reference...but the litttle rascal did predict Spring is right around the corner so given that...anything is possible!
 
Drew S. said:
It's really impossible for us to know how happy him and his family are and what sort of opportunities will come along. Obviously him leaving to coach a Big 10 or NCHC school would make a lot of sense but I could see him leaving for some sort of out left field opportunity. As a coach I think where he truly excels is player development and wonder if an NHL team would hire him for some sort of front office role in that capacity.
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I think we agree on almost everything here, Drew. The proactive move to extend Barr with a significant raise (100%?) is a very public thank you from UMaine to the Barr Family, no doubt, and they will no doubt appreciate that gesture - anyone would. UMaine will want to have a laundry list of similar gestures lined up for future seasons - some impacting salary and term, others just for publicly (and maybe even privately?) letting this very valuable asset for the U know he is appreciated and trusted, and wanted long-term. Barr needs only be passingly familiar with D-1 hockey to see that a very good coach can often find a "sweet spot" for the long term IF that's what they're looking for. Parker at BU, York at BC, Umile at UNH, and more recently Bazin at Lowell and Leaman at Providence, each has either spent a generation at their "sweet spot" or will be closing in on that in the not-so-distant future. Is that something that carries value for a guy like Barr? Like you said, who know, but ...

(1) in favor of future movement ... Barr has "gotten around", and has not been shy about leaving one successful project in the works to go build another one elsewhere. Whether this has been because Barr is a "rolling stone gathers no moss" kinda guy OR it was a means to an end, which is finally getting to that HC "sweet spot" - possibly in Orono - well, that remains to be seen. He is an RPI guy, and they'll be looking again soon ...

(2) in favor of no future movement ... Barr has a young family, and some level of continuity likely carries some value, if not to Barr himself, then quite possibly his better half. And the older their kids get, they will probably become more attached to friends, schools, activities, and maybe even watching Dad at that funky rink with the weird roof (and even weirder fans). As to the NHL possibility ... to date, he's shown no interest in pursuing that avenue, and being in his 40's now, most NHL coaches or front office folks are already in an organization by then, and that hasn't been the case for Barr. Also, I would completely discount the NHL front office gig at this point. The entry point salary-wise would be below him, and since he's not already in an NHL organization, he's not focused on pro personnel. Could he be an asset for a draft board? Sure, he could. But overall, he doesn't have that pro background, and he doesn't strike me as one of the stats geek/nerds that are populating front offices these days. He seems to be a people person ... and with that being the case, being a D-1 Head Coach may very well be the pot of gold at the end of Barr's personal hockey rainbow. And having been rejected earlier by RPI, he may hold a grudge there, or maybe just come to terms that Barr is not meant to coach in Troy?

But successful people generate attention from others, because other successful people usually want to surround themselves with successful people. Jobs and job offers will always be coming at him, at least for the next 5-10 years, because that is his career wheelhouse. As he gets older, even if the program continues to be an elite D-1 program ... he may tire of the roadwork - especially the year-round recruiting work, and that doesn't appear to be something that's going to get any easier (it's actually pretty clear it's only gonna get busier) - so other opportunities may begin to appeal to him? But if I were the UMaine AD, I would do everything I possibly could to keep Barr happy, especially for the next 5, maybe 10 years. I think the longer he stays, the chances he leaves gradually drops, if not fades out entirely. So this recent extension is great news for UMaine fans. I'm jealous, I really am ...
 
Can we end the Fitzgerald experience. He obviously missed playing defense 101. 3 on 1 is tough but he looks beyond confused.
 
norbert said:
Can we end the Fitzgerald experience. He obviously missed playing defense 101. 3 on 1 is tough but he looks beyond confused.
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Not there, but instead watching NESN as NU Fuskies have taken a 1-0 lead over Black Bears at Matthews after one. But curious how Fitzgerald’s 3 on 1 snafu compared to those 3 on 1’s that Gildon used to create by getting stripped of the puck on the PP (actually I guess those were typically 3 on 0 rushes as Gildon usually did not pursue)? Yeah, I know, Gildon was overall our best player those three years.
 
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