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Wisconsin Hockey 22-23 Empty Dreams & Empty Seats

srkbadger said:
I think that if the program can return to a consistent winner and compete with the best programs in the country, people will return. People love a winner. Being a winner will draw back many that are looking for an exciting event to fill their winter weekend evenings. Those people in turn will draw in the more casual fans who are there for the spectacle as much as the shots, goals, and checks. If (and this may be a big if) the hoopla returns when a competent on ice product returns, the people will return. It may take a few years, so we can't have 1 up year followed by 4 down. That will not turn it around. We need 3-4 up years with an occasional rebuild year. I don't mind an occasional down year as long as competence is demonstrated, and there is a history to suggest an upward trajectory. Kind of like Eaves' first year. They didn't win much, but you could see some budding talent growing each weekend. Mistakes were made, but you saw them corrected in game or by the next series. I truly haven't seen much growth or improvement in the last 3-4 years. Same dumb passes, same dumb puck watching, same dumb results.
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Great post. I tend to be a debbie downer, but I think fans will come back. Someone above asked about where will the new fans come from? I was a hockey newbie in the 90's and started attending games at the coliseum. I never saw Bob Johnson coach. I was hooked immediately and to this day as you all know, I follow Badger hockey. But you won't get hooked with attendance / atmosphere as it is at the Kohl Center today. We need a consistent winner again, fans start returning and I think it can be great again. Sell out the Kohl level great again? Maybe not, but I think selling out levels 1 and 2 would be doable.

Your bold line is so right on. They have talent thru recruiting, but they don't get developed. And the puck watching in the defensive end is just unacceptable. I coached high school lacrosse defense. If my high school players (a lot of them played hockey too) watched the ball like they watch the puck, they got removed from the game. Head on a swivel, protect the front of the net. It's no different in my mind in hockey and it's a simple thing....
 
Hand in hand with the puck watching is that they all seem to gravitate to whoever has the puck, leaving the front and backside wide open. My only explanation for it is that they don't have confidence in their teammate to defend, so they all try to make a play on the puck carrier, leaving too many opponents uncovered.
 
GoBucky18 said:
It was a few weeks ago we were talking about how the legacy is gone. And I agree with that. The more we talk about Badger Bob and how amazing he was (in my opinion), the less room we have to move forward and make decisions on the future. We are far enough removed from Badger Bob that it should have no influence or qbility to cast a shadow on the next hire. And I agree that fans that attended the Coliseum. They are all gone. No sense even talking about em anymore because the simply dont factor. That fan base existed at a time when the rest of UW sports was awful, before social media, and before sports/TV entertainment options were blasted across the universe.

I think the Ath Dept became arrogant about hockey. They looked at it as self sustaining and the hands off approach has been disastarous. They said, "here is Kohl Center, here is LaBahn. Now go to your ice sheeta and leave us alone while we focus on basketball and football".

The ice aheet at Kohl HAS to be shrunk to a closer version of NHL size. Its a net negative.

New start needed, wholesale program change outside of Nate LaPoint (equipment mgr, who is the best of the best in that profession)
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it’s not a shadow. It’s the gold standard. You can’t just forget Badger Bob because he hasn’t coached in 40 years in Madison. He is IT. Like Lombardi. My god the NFL awards the Lombardi trophy to super bowl winners. Not the Belichek trophy or the Carroll trophy or the Reid trophy (honoring more recent super bowl winning coaches). Lombardi was the gold standard and everyone still knows that.

Bob set the bar. If you want someone to raise that bar I’m all for it but you can’t just say forget the man who built the program and forget all he did for the university, college hockey, hockey in Madison and the NHL because it was 4 decades ago. And it’s not Bob’s fault the U sucked at other sports. Shit if he’d have coached baseball (his first love) he’d have won titles there too.

we all want a winner. I’m saying the U should look to Bob as the standard. 3 titles in less than 10 years. That’s what I’m talking about. Like York at BC or Brooks at Minnesota. Those are the gold standards. Reach for those heights or raise the bar but you don’t forget them or ignore them because they haven’t coached in x years or have passed on.
 
It's amazing watching Fickell and staff rebuild the offense for the football team. It's been a long time since I have been this excited for football. It gives me hope a new coach and a refresh of the hockey program could do the same.
 
WiscTJK said:
It's amazing watching Fickell and staff rebuild the offense for the football team. It's been a long time since I have been this excited for football. It gives me hope a new coach and a refresh of the hockey program could do the same.
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I sure as heck hope King is noticing the energy and enthusiasm being created by the change. On the plus ledger, hockey is not lacking talent like football is, it's purely motivation and coaching issues. A new coach could spin this team around in a hurry as in have a winning record next season.
 
Wow, TG's rolling out the big guns for this game....not. Newton is playing d lol. The person running their Twitter feed isn't even live tweeting the game either.
 
Timothy A said:
Wow, TG's rolling out the big guns for this game....not. Newton is playing d lol. The person running their Twitter feed isn't even live tweeting the game either.
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After I called him or her out they've been doing a few tweets now. Haha. Had 2 break away that period failed to convert.
 
One of the gold post pegs is stuck in the ice and it's zamboni drivers are having to drive around them as they try to pull this thing out lol. Even trying a torch. And it looked like they poured hot water down there too. This is symbolic of this whole program right here. Finally After the whole ice is practically resurfaced I they got it.
 
And now the badgers are just taking their normal stupid frustration penalties. Of course there's no beat writer anymore so we don't know why TG used these zani defensive pairings.
 
And now we run their goalie and start a huge fight. Like throwing punches. Complete lack of composure. Not surprising at all. Bantle's gonna get suspended for a bunch of games after this one.
 
solovsfett said:
Posick REALLY tried to put a positive spin on the loss. Jesus. They got steamrolled.
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The 3rd period was nothing short of embarrassing. Down 3 to 1 they were out shot 18 8 and took dumb penalties that basically took away any chance to try to win.
 
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Timothy A said:
The 3rd period was nothing short of embarrassing
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Yeah I caught the rough stuff on the radio re goaltender interference and Posick was getting incredibly pollyanish. I know it’s his job but this is why I loved Howie and Bill Brophy they would be a bit more on point about what’s really happening.

ugh.
 
solovsfett said:
Yeah I caught the rough stuff on the radio re goaltender interference and Posick was getting incredibly pollyanish. I know it’s his job but this is why I loved Howie and Bill Brophy they would be a bit more on point about what’s really happening.

ugh.
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It was a pretty rough goal tender interference... Not just an oops play.
 
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