FU17 gave me a good chuckle, haha! Whatever works best for you and the rest of the crew is fine by me!
Not that it matters more than anyone else's opinion, but some of us oldsters have noted the uptick in new posters this season, in a very positive way.
I’m not sure if it was me or someone else, but I think there is some merit to going to Jimmy T on an “interim” role. It is certainly dependent on him having the conversation with the AD/Souza on his thoughts and how the program has fallen etc. The other low hanging fruit I could foresee is giving Stewie a shot. He seems to be leading a lot of the recruiting efforts, so maybe there wouldn’t be a huge exit of players? As they were buying what he was trying to sell. He also predates MS7 a bit (2014 was his first year I believe?) I wonder if he was a bit hurt he got passed over for Souza in the first place, but perhaps the “master plan” for Umile’s replacement was already in the works…
Just spit balling here, but again there would likely be some cost savings with simply “promoting” Stewie, and trying to get MS7 to do a partial buyout or voluntary resignation. Maybe Jimmy T could try and convince him this option could help save his legacy? I imagine a number of younger fans don’t remember/know of his contributions to the team as a player and how he almost got them to the top of the mountain so many years ago… if he continues to drive the program into the ground, it will make it harder to remember the good old days. Even for Umile - while his early years were magnificent, it’s hard to get that “bad taste” of the last few years and his role with the MS7 tenure out of my mouth…
First of all, as I think I've made clear ... I don't buy the "we can't afford to buy Souza out" line that keeps seeping out into the public domain. I mean, only a few pages ago, we were discussing how the U has spent millions of dollars to do the "lipstick on a pig" routine with older legacy buildings, only to raze/plan to raze them at a later date. So they can't find $100K-$150K between the couch cushions to thank MS7 for his efforts, and wish him the best with someone else's program?!? Not buying ...
... but if we're just gonna play it out that an institution running an 8 figure annual budget can't find even $250K to end the current PR nightmare to their flagship athletics program (lol) ... we've already come up with several viable alternatives to get us from now to the year after next, when there should be a proverbial national search for the new guy. As far as the "legacy pitch" to convince Souza to move on ... I'm not sure there are any out there but the few of us diehards who even remember what MS7 did as a player 27 years ago. And ironically, no one has done more to ensure his dwindling legacy than MS7 himself. At least with Coach Umile ... we have more than two decades of competitive winning hockey and a few trophies to look back at, plus his playing career, where his output (adjusted for era) was similar to that of his coaching successor. With Souza as head coach, there is a decade of barren nothingness. Sad but true.
Back when the Umile "long goodbye" transpired, there was lots of speculation about Coach Stewart, who came in a year before the crap began to hit the fan, and whether he might be the designated successor in due time. And of course, after that one season, there was the arrival and anointing of Souza instead of Stewart (long time followers may recall one of my final offseason "epics" called
Fun with Souza, Dick & Stu, a monosyllabic masterpiece set at the Mount Hood GC in Melrose, fashioned after the old childhood reading primer series
Fun with Sally Dick & Jane) and many of us wondered whether Stewie had gotten the old Fredo treatment ("I was stepped over, Mike!!"), but over time it seems if there was any resentment, Glenn has made his peace with the situation, and now unfortunately, he is steeped in the stank of his current boss' ineptitude, which in turn has no doubt limited Stewie's catchment area out on the road in turn.
I touched on the loyalty piece, and the interpersonal mechanics between the guys in charge of the program now ... say what you will, but Souza cannot be held to have been anything but loyal to his guys ... the Souza hiring by Umile and Blue Skies had lots of
paisan overtones, and the same can probably also be said of Souza's subsequent loyalty to Stewart/Guiliano. Honorable, yet unsuccessful. The purported financial restrictions in Titletown are the only ruse which would possibly result in Jimmy T. stepping in for a year, short of Souza resigning early (mid March?) ... and the interim solution would only conceivably reach Stewart IF Tortorella refused it, for whatever reason (pay, workload, etc.), and Stewart got MS7's blessing to give it a whirl, possibly contingent on him keeping Guiliano in the mix?
It's complicated, and it's probably in fairness highly unlikely to begin with. If Stewart was a coaching genius in the shadows, one would imagine that player development would not be such an issue. Sure, it would be a fantastic story about how GS labored in the background as a long term assistant akin to Barr and Standbrook (or even Lombardi and Belichick in a different sport), only to emerge in full brilliance. But those other guys all supported winning programs (and NY Giants' title teams lol) ... there have been no hints of hidden greatness radiating out from Stewart's career to date. Like Souza, I'm sure he is a great guy, and at least with Stewart, he could prove to be a super recruiter in the future if his new boss has success and can open doors currently closed to Glenn.
WIS Latest Odds on UNH Coaching Outcomes for '26/'27 Season
Coach Souza resigns with one year left on his deal, walking away without a payout (best UNH result): 15-20% tops
Coach Souza agrees to a compromised buyout, giving UNH flexibility despite "financial limitations": 20-25% tops
Coach Souza won't budge, forcing him into "lame duck" season (again) or "gardening leave" scenario: 60%
Faced with the last option, UNH chooses to act on the "gardening leave" option to hire an interim HC: 33% tops
Interim head coach options in the "gardening leave" scenario: Jimmy T. 80% / Stewart 15% / TBD 4% / Guiliano 1%
Chances UNH will leave Hockey East in the next five (5) years due to uncertain D-1 landscape: 10%
Chances UNH will leave Hockey East in the next five (5) years if the next HC hire fails miserably: 5%
Again, my preference is certainly for what Grouchy was advocating for earlier - fresh blood and new faces. I just find it hard to fathom that would come to fruition before the contract ends (without voluntary resignation). Unless maybe they completely lose out the rest of the way, averaging 1 goal per game and allowing 4-5 goals per game.
It's truly a shame that the last two AD's have stood by with their collective thumbs up their a$$ and been complicit in this great program's total collapse. So yeah,
at least going outside the current team in charge is pretty much a must, unless bizarre circumstances reveal a genius has been hiding amongst them.
I'd still give guys like Boguniecki and Ayers an interview in a heartbeat. Both have been away from the program for roughly a generation, and have had their own independent experiences, especially with Bogie as an NHL player, AHL assistant and as an NHL scout. He's comfortably removed from the tainted pool like Souza (and Stewie to a lesser degree) that have landed the program in its current condition. And whereas the current HC couldn't stand up to the former AD, and has no standing to challenge the current AD, I can't foresee a world where Bogie wouldn't feel free (and obligated) to voice his opinion forcefully and convincingly. I mean, who could pull rank on him?
