MS7 already received a 3-year extension through the 2026/27 season, so are you suggesting that remaining mid-pack in the HEA should earn MS7 an even lengthier extension? Umile earned his lifetime extension by taking his teams to four Frozen Fours in six years.
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UNH Offseason Contract Edition.
- Thread starter norbert
- Start date
MS7 already received a 3-year extension through the 2026/27 season, so are you suggesting that remaining mid-pack in the HEA should earn MS7 an even lengthier extension? Umile earned his lifetime extension by taking his teams to four Frozen Fours in six years.
HockeyRef
Well-known member
If all UNH can do is garner a 6-7 position in HE that is not something to be overly proud of, or, deserving of a lengthy contract. I think that's pretty low bar to shoot for.
I mean, in a 'rebuilding' season that might be pretty cool and given where we've been I guess its an accomplishment (a one season accomplishment). But to say that's going to be a feat that garners big excitement over a period of time? hmmm
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Sparkee
Blackbear
Probably. Think of the long haul. You need to wait 12 seasons to see if MS7 is the next Scott Sandelin.
It will likely be a bargain too. A win-win for you and Chuck.
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Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
'Ref, I continue to agree with you, what happened this past season should have only garnered MS7 a modest extension (if that?), based only on a single season basis. Personally, I still think it was time to cut the cord, and a braver AD who had a better sense of the program's history would have done so without blinking. But she's a sheltered newbie from the hockey wastelands that is Princeton, so instead of making the right call, like she did on Men's Hoops, she chickened out and took the easy way out with the 3 year extension. But what's done is done, right?
I know our friend from (Down?)east of the border is trying to pull our chain, and that's fine - to be fair, AD Rich has opened the door for that kind of speculation by caving on the MS7 extension. Now, with license for 3 more seasons, with most of his (first winning) team returning one year older and a year better, and perhaps some above-average additions - plus the stabilizing factor of Jim Tortorella now in place to open doors that have until now been largely if not entirely shut to MS7 and his crew - it's not difficult to foresee UNH scuffling around in what Euro soccer types refer to as "mid-table mediocrity" - not bad enough to be relegated, and not good enough to win trophies. Obviously, relegation isn't a thing in D-1 hockey, but if it were, then UNH would have been dispatched to play the likes of many of their would-be in-state "NH Beanpot" rivals on and off for the last few years.
So with MS7 and UNH joined at the hip for at least two, probably three more seasons ... we start to think about what the next negotiation is gonna look like. IF UNH does consolidate in between the 5-7 slots, or maybe peaks with a surprise breakout 3-4 finish next season (do-able) before settling back into a 6-8 finish in Year Two ... how much progress has UNH really made?!? For AD Rich, who is not used to having any semblance of UNH-level (glory days) success at Princeton ... is the Princeton standard good enough for another extension?!? It was last time around. Or at some point does she start measuring UNH against UNH past standards?
For a full year, I believed AD Rich would be appropriately ruthless with MS7 as she was with Bill Herrion in Men's Hoops. She wasn't. I make a lot of dumb jokes about why she didn't pull the trigger, but all I know is that now we cannot have any expectation that three more seasons of .500 hockey (give or take) with NO progress into real postseason games, which would have gotten even Coach Umile the sack (look at what it took to cut short his "lifetime contract" with a paisan in charge to boot), will see UNH moving on from MS7.
So whether it's sparkee or someone else from outside the program, or you, me, 'watcher, Dan, Grouch or Snives or a host of others ... it's fair game to speculate whether UNH will tolerate, and possibly even reward long-term mediocrity. Because that's exactly what the new AD decided to do this past Spring. Sad but unfortunately true. JMHO.
Darius
Go 'cats!
Is this fact? Did I miss the FOIA request has been fulfilled post? Thanks.
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
In fairness, I don't think we've seen the FOIA request post yet. It's pretty much reached urban myth status at this point.
deltabravo62
New member
Haven't put in the request yet, lots of upheaval in my work life since April that's finally coming to a close this week.
Scott Sandelin? Why not compare with Umile, much closer to home? FWIIW, Sandelin began his 24+ years as Bull Dogs HC for a losing team in 2000/21 and in his third and fourth seasons led his team to winning records, whereas it took MS7 six years to notch his first winning record. Sandelin went on to lead his team to 13 winning seasons, six visits to the FF, three NC’s, and two NC runners up. Umile began his 28-years as HC for a losing team in 1990/91 with five straight winning seasons, of 21 winning seasons total (20 with 20 or more wins), with 18 NCAA’s, four visits to the FF, with two NC runners up. If MS7 does not lead his team to winning records and a couple of NCAA’s the next three years, then that should be it, game over, as nine years should be more than enough time to prove whether you can recruit and coach.
Sparkee
Blackbear
Chuck’s saying around 5-7 finishes…. Say 6th place finish. Which is what UNH did this year with a record of 20-15-1. So if UNH finishes with two more years of that same level of performance… he likely gets a lengthy extension.
HockeyRef
Well-known member
Would agree that given the recent his history...you are prob right. Also given the fact they (AD etc) has already decided this was acceptable (seasons improvement) you are probably right.
Unless he totally bombs these next 3 seasons hes gotta job. But even that isnt a guarantee...how lengthy is lengthy in your eyes? 5 -8 years?
Say Souza does as well this season (needs to get to Garden but we've been begging and pleading for that since the 2015 season...) Struggles the following year due to D losses...rebounds abit in year 3...but gets back to a semblance of winning..hes in.
Mind you this fan wants to go to higher heights this coming season optimistic that would happen until Hellsten split. Of course am more than willing to give da Whale a chance and frankly have no more energy to put towards wheter or not MS7 is the HC or not.
Coz I'm just here for the hockey...
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
Sparkee, just think of it this way ... no one here - no one - is really happy with MS7 being extended. We are all suffering to differing degrees on the amount of agita the extension has caused us. Just like how most UMaine fans felt when Red (RIP) managed to stick around well past his sell-by date, and your former AD wouldn't pull the plug. Doesn't mean we agree with those decisions. Right now, it is what it is. And the depressing part for UNH fans now is, amazingly it appears the hockey programs' leadership groups are being graded on a more forgiving curve than hoops is. That's totally mind-blowing, given the long-term abject futility of UNH Hoops (still playing in a '70's state of the art facility LOL) as opposed to the one legitimate long term money-making program the school has ever managed to field, and the only one to ever challenge for national titles.
That says there is a very real, and very basic disconnect between our new AD and the history of UNH Athletics. I like that she raised the bar in certain areas, where it was well overdue. I thought that would mean she'd take similar action where a historically superior program has been lagging for about a decade now ... but she didn't. So I'm frankly not really optimistic for the short run of UNH Hockey (say, 2-3 years short run) and while I like the Tortorella hire, I'll concede that may be a "lipstick on a pig" move, too.
As I've said since the day it got done, UMaine nailed it when they hired Ben Barr. When all is said and done, I fear it'll take another decade (and at least one more HC firing) before UNH is in the same competitive ZIP code as UMaine. Unless there is an MS7 Mach 2.0 that's just starting up, and makes everyone forget about the 1.0 version, which objectively is a total longshot. We'll keep rooting out of hope and blind loyalty, but it is wearying for those of us who've been on board for a long time, and understand the reality of the situation.
That says there is a very real, and very basic disconnect between our new AD and the history of UNH Athletics. I like that she raised the bar in certain areas, where it was well overdue. I thought that would mean she'd take similar action where a historically superior program has been lagging for about a decade now ... but she didn't. So I'm frankly not really optimistic for the short run of UNH Hockey (say, 2-3 years short run) and while I like the Tortorella hire, I'll concede that may be a "lipstick on a pig" move, too.
As I've said since the day it got done, UMaine nailed it when they hired Ben Barr. When all is said and done, I fear it'll take another decade (and at least one more HC firing) before UNH is in the same competitive ZIP code as UMaine. Unless there is an MS7 Mach 2.0 that's just starting up, and makes everyone forget about the 1.0 version, which objectively is a total longshot. We'll keep rooting out of hope and blind loyalty, but it is wearying for those of us who've been on board for a long time, and understand the reality of the situation.
HockeyRef
Well-known member
EEK...10 more years? Let's see...that makes me...hmmm, 10 plus 65....
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
... I'm only a couple behind ya, 'Ref. It's funny, how urgency sets in when the retirement years arrive ...
I always have felt badly for those of you who missed out on the early to mid-Umile years, the Charlie Holt years, and even the Rube Bjorkman years. So sad that our AD was disinclined to do her homework on our proud history for arguably one of the two or three best Div 1 teams not to have won a Natty, which for the past decade we have not been further away from reaching since the mid-1980s.
OvahInDovah
New member
Brett Pesce signs with New Jersey and Warren Foegele with Los Angeles on the first day of NHL free agency.
Edit: Casey DeSmith off to Dallas.
Edit: Casey DeSmith off to Dallas.
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After the Whistle
Member
Just a couple of quick thoughts on the Return of JT. Yes it appears that Colin Shanks job is more than a handful. He did however stand behind the players during every game, leaving near the end of a period to make sure the visitors had whatever they needed between periods. The point being, he sees basically the entire game. Who is to say he can’t add his thoughts to the coaching staff and why not the players if that is deemed helpful. Most of us felt he added a lot in his time here.
BC fan here. I have a lot of respect for UNH historically and wish for them to challenge in the Hockey East tournament at the Garden again. However, this list of players is almost entirely alien to me. Usually, several players on every team I have known about and expect for them to be competitive, but even Merrimack is a better known entity and they were basically a goaltending team that has reached deeply into the transfer portal for known players.
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
In other words ... "These UNH players don't mingle with the BC blue chippahs, so your program must stink".
Gosh, it's been awhile since we were visited by a bloviating self-important BC fan. Unfortunately, it's our luck that we only have MS7 to defend UNH's honor (or what's left of it) against condescending tripe like this post.
In the old days, we'd rip this poster apart, and leave various bits and pieces of him all over the USCHO forums.
Nowadays, though, this wandering Chestnut Hillbilly gasbag marginally has made a semi-valid point here.
Which is why our new AD let us down so badly, and in doing so has extended our time in HEA purgatory ...
With the exception of two of the goalies who are incoming transfers, if you paid any attention to the last 1-2 HE seasons, a large number of those players should not be "alien" to you
But thanks for your support
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gj6apT-1Yjc
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With the exception of two of the goalies who are incoming transfers, if you paid any attention to the last 1-2 HE seasons, a large number of those players should not be "alien" to you
But thanks for your support
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gj6apT-1Yjc
Alien perhaps because in the 3 games at BC in the last 2 years UNH only scored 1 total goal and that was by someone named Blaisdell. I really want UNH to do well perhaps more than any other program in Hockey East but this lineup has me wondering how far they have to go to get back to when they were habitual participants at the Garden. There are no standouts that rank in the Hockey East charts. I am not putting UNH down because of any BC snottiness as Chuck Murray alluded to. My name BC/HE stands for BC and Hockey East. I just have concerns as to why UNH cannot recruit as well as Maine and UMass. They should be able to as Durham is not even as remote as either. If I was to question another team's lack of notoriety it would have to be UMass Lowell. Even Vermont has names that I recognize.