WISCONSIN Hockey Vol. 22 - Let's not have another cheesy thread title... Wait, What?

[Timothy A]

Re: WISCONSIN Hockey Vol. 22 - Let's not have another cheesy thread title... Wait, W

No offense, but I'm not willing to give up my upper deck seats for anybody. Certainly not for people paying $10. They were my seats of choice when the Kohl Center opened, and aside from the effing stairs, they remain so.

I wouldn't make them general admission, but still make them $10.00.

Friday the get outshot and put up 4, last night they outshoot and put up 0. That's hockey. The Zengerlee injury really has taken the sails out of the season, they weren't scoring a ton with him in the line-up.

I don't see any practicle way to shrink the width of the KC in terms of not screwing up the seating, and there sure as hell won't be any $$$$ for that anytime soon if they figured out a way to do it that wasn't some cobbled together deal.

With Labahn getting built, I was under the impression the boys would practice there the vast majority of the time, it was touted as thier practice facility afterall. I can see the logic of wanting to practice at a smaller rink when you are playing at a smaller that week. I just hope the boys can practice at the KC as much as they can/desire to, based on where they are playing that week. I get the impression they won't be able to from Eaves' comment.

 

[Gandalf the Red]

Re: WISCONSIN Hockey Vol. 22 - Let's not have another cheesy thread title... Wait, W

I just happy I don't have to see this team play again until December since I won't be around at Thanksgiving. I haven't seen them win in person yet this season, outside of exhibition, and if they don't sweep Mankato later this month, I wouldn't be able to take it.

Every season it is something else. Last season it was experience, this season it is defense. They look lost out there at times, this blue line is just not that good right now. Frankie Simonelli and Joe Faust are not the junior defense we expect based on the last 5+ years. I know they are not as talented either, but these kids need to step up IMO. The start of this season with basically the same team as last year besides Justin Schutlz, proves to me that Schultz should have won the Hobey. He meant more to the Badgers on both ends of the ice than any other player in the country did to their team, and he scored a crap ton of points to boot.

And the PWR scare me too, assuming they do turn it around they now lose comparisons to NMU and CC, unless they can win all three metrics, and I just don't see that happening. That will hurt unless they start to roll everyone as the season progresses.

 

[Carter]

Re: WISCONSIN Hockey Vol. 22 - Let's not have another cheesy thread title... Wait, W

I wouldn't make them general admission, but still make them $10.00.

If you're saying what I pay would drop from $24 per seat to $10 per seat, I'm all for it!

 

[Gandalf the Red]

Re: WISCONSIN Hockey Vol. 22 - Let's not have another cheesy thread title... Wait, W

If you're saying what I pay would drop from $24 per seat to $10 per seat, I'm all for it!

Same here! The 2nd deck seats are the best in the KC, I would pay more for them than to sit in the 100 level.

 

[wjefwhite]

Re: WISCONSIN Hockey Vol. 22 - Let's not have another cheesy thread title... Wait, W

TV coverage this year is the best it has been in years...23 games on live TV. 15 games on FS Wisconsin or FS Wisconsin +. Four games on Big Ten Network, two on the NBC Sports Network and two on the Fox College Sports Channel.

Only three home games (tonight vs CC, & Bemidji series) aren't on live TV.

Is Wisconsin supposed to send their own TV crew to Duluth or Denver or Omaha or Anchorage? You know that's never going to happen.

How that is step child TV coverage is beyond me.

When we match what Minnesota has that will be real TV coverage. You settle for 2nd best. Judging from the play of our team many others do too. 18K plus for this series , pathetic. Oh yes Wisconsin should send its own crew. They used to.

Want to know how successful we are as a program. Count the empty seats.

 

[Chuck Schwartz]

Re: WISCONSIN Hockey Vol. 22 - Let's not have another cheesy thread title... Wait, W

When we match what Minnesota has that will be real TV coverage.

Never going to happen. Ever. Ever, ever.

 

[wjefwhite]

Re: WISCONSIN Hockey Vol. 22 - Let's not have another cheesy thread title... Wait, W

Never going to happen. Ever. Ever, ever.

That is the perception that keeps it from happening. I wont go any farther with this. Too many on ice issues to discuss with this team.

Mark Zengerle is a fine player. He will be missed. With a full team we will be competitive in the WCHA.
Until then it does not look good.

 

[Timothy A]

Re: WISCONSIN Hockey Vol. 22 - Let's not have another cheesy thread title... Wait, W

If you're saying what I pay would drop from $24 per seat to $10 per seat, I'm all for it!

That's exactly what I'm saying. Make the third deck a more family friendly price. With $50.00, I can take 4 people and pay for parking. If the tix are $24.00, well it's obvious what I can do with that.

 

[oldtyme25]

Re: WISCONSIN Hockey Vol. 22 - Let's not have another cheesy thread title... Wait, W

Some impressions so far:

1. 18,000 attendence for a WCHA series on a non-football weekend is embarassing!

2. Eaves whinning about the width of his practice rink, what a bull?@:t excuse.

3. My opinion of why the Badgers suck is that once Oz left we no longer get the top D-Men recruits in the country.

4. Think back to the last NCCA qualifing team in 09-10, 5 of our 6 D-Men were 1st or 2nd round picks. Family advisors and NHL teams are no longer directing their players to Wisco.

5. Mike Eaves ivory tower attitude has turned off the community to Badger Hockey. I for one can't wait for the Mark Johnson era of Wisconsin Mens Hockey to begin!

 

[solovsfett]

Re: WISCONSIN Hockey Vol. 22 - Let's not have another cheesy thread title... Wait, W

Some impressions so far:

1. 18,000 attendence for a WCHA series on a non-football weekend is embarassing!

2. Eaves whinning about the width of his practice rink, what a bull?@:t excuse.

3. My opinion of why the Badgers suck is that once Oz left we no longer get the top D-Men recruits in the country.

4. Think back to the last NCCA qualifing team in 09-10, 5 of our 6 D-Men were 1st or 2nd round picks. Family advisors and NHL teams are no longer directing their players to Wisco.

5. Mike Eaves ivory tower attitude has turned off the community to Badger Hockey. I for one can't wait for the Mark Johnson era of Wisconsin Mens Hockey to begin!

1. yes the attendance this weekend was an embarrassment
2. yes. tired of excuses, the practice rink excuse is a joke. I've never heard any other coach whine about the same. nodak goes from their little rink to mariucci or kc and are ready from the puck drop
3. talent level. that's what I harped on all year last year, but I meant the entire team, not just the d. let's see where the team winds up by the x-mas break
4. looks to me like UW has several skilled D committed over the next 2-3 years
5. not sure what you mean here re: ivory tower attitude but one thing is certain, if Coach Eaves is shown the door because they end up missing the ncaa's for the 5th time in 7 years I guarantee you Mark Johnson will not be the new coach. he was part of Sauer's coaching staff and an important part HEAD RECRUITER. I don't know about you but I recall the talent level dropped under his watch, he didn't travel outside WI to evaluate talent and I don't know of a successful recruiter anywhere who doesn't travel

bottom line is: yes this is an awful start, yes the fanbase is eroding most likely due to the performances
as far as recruiting that appears to be going well lately, esp the current frosh in kerdiles and zulinick, and besse coming in

but how long does Eaves get to turn things around in terms of wins and losses and getting to the NCAA and making noise? unknown

 

[mnstate0fhockey]

Some impressions so far:

1. 18,000 attendence for a WCHA series on a non-football weekend is embarassing!

2. Eaves whinning about the width of his practice rink, what a bull?@:t excuse.

3. My opinion of why the Badgers suck is that once Oz left we no longer get the top D-Men recruits in the country.

4. Think back to the last NCCA qualifing team in 09-10, 5 of our 6 D-Men were 1st or 2nd round picks. Family advisors and NHL teams are no longer directing their players to Wisco.

5. Mike Eaves ivory tower attitude has turned off the community to Badger Hockey. I for one can't wait for the Mark Johnson era of Wisconsin Mens Hockey to begin!

Most kids commit before they are drafted, so your point #4 holds especially little water. Not to mention, UW has some very good players on their team and in their pipeline.

 

[Chuck Schwartz]

Re: WISCONSIN Hockey Vol. 22 - Let's not have another cheesy thread title... Wait, W

Some impressions so far:

1. 18,000 attendence for a WCHA series on a non-football weekend is embarassing!

2. Eaves whinning about the width of his practice rink, what a bull?@:t excuse.

3. My opinion of why the Badgers suck is that once Oz left we no longer get the top D-Men recruits in the country.

4. Think back to the last NCCA qualifing team in 09-10, 5 of our 6 D-Men were 1st or 2nd round picks. Family advisors and NHL teams are no longer directing their players to Wisco.

5. Mike Eaves ivory tower attitude has turned off the community to Badger Hockey. I for one can't wait for the Mark Johnson era of Wisconsin Mens Hockey to begin!

1.) Agree.

2.) I don't think this was as much of an excuse, as it was a shot at the powers that be in an effort to get them more time on the Kohl Center ice.

3.) Simply not true. Jake McCabe would have had an offer from every team in the country had he let it play out. Eddie Wittchow was pursued by many of the top programs in the country as well. Down the road, guys like Tischke, Linhart, and Ford are all high major guy who basically had their pick of schools. It's not a mistake that all three have spent time in the USHL at 16 years old this season.

4.) Simply not true that NHL teams and family advisors are steering kids away. That's just a flat out lie. Wisconsin has changed up their recruiting a bit in an effort to bring in players they feel will give them the best chance to win long term. You can't win with freshmen and sophomores, need to find a mix of elite talent and four year guys so you can't simply just recruit blue chip kids across the board.

5.) I'd be disappointed if Johnson was the next guy in line, and that's not a knock on him. There are better options out there, but we've gone over that here many times.

 

[oldtyme25]

Most kids commit before they are drafted, so your point #4 holds especially little water. Not to mention, UW has some very good players on their team and in their pipeline.

Yes most are committed before the draft, but do you think that the family advisor is not involved with the decision on what school their players attend? And do you think that the advisors don't know what the players need to do to improve enough to sign a professional contract? When you are talking about D-Men who are drafted in the 1st or 2nd round it is because of their offensive skills/upside. Think McBain, Smith Gardiner and Schultz, you don't think part of the attraction to Wisco for the kid/advisor was learning how to be a NHL D-Man from Oz (who was considered one of the top D teachers in the country). I bet you don't hear advisors saying go learn how to be a NHL D-man from Bill Butters!

 

[oldtyme25]

1.) Agree.

2.) I don't think this was as much of an excuse, as it was a shot at the powers that be in an effort to get them more time on the Kohl Center ice.

3.) Simply not true. Jake McCabe would have had an offer from every team in the country had he let it play out. Eddie Wittchow was pursued by many of the top programs in the country as well. Down the road, guys like Tischke, Linhart, and Ford are all high major guy who basically had their pick of schools. It's not a mistake that all three have spent time in the USHL at 16 years old this season.

4.) Simply not true that NHL teams and family advisors are steering kids away. That's just a flat out lie. Wisconsin has changed up their recruiting a bit in an effort to bring in players they feel will give them the best chance to win long term. You can't win with freshmen and sophomores, need to find a mix of elite talent and four year guys so you can't simply just recruit blue chip kids across the board.

5.) I'd be disappointed if Johnson was the next guy in line, and that's not a knock on him. There are better options out there, but we've gone over that here many times.

In responce to # 3: McCabe is the only Badger Bluliner who has any shot at playing in the NHL. They have resorted to playing Derek Lee on the point on the powerplay. That should tell you how strong the D-men are.

#4. The excuse that they have changed up their recruiting to players who will stay longer. Boston College, North Dakota, Michigan and other powerhouses win that battle because players stick around as upper classmen. So it is either bad coaching/atmosphere or just **** poor recruiting.

A couple more years of bad hockey and 8600 fans will be the new norm!

 

[Almington]

Re: WISCONSIN Hockey Vol. 22 - Let's not have another cheesy thread title... Wait, W

Some impressions so far:

1. 18,000 attendence for a WCHA series on a non-football weekend is embarrassing!

The attendance is just a reflection of the performance on the ice over the last 2 seasons, that's what has been embarrassment.

2. Eaves whinning about the width of his practice rink, what a bull?@:t excuse.

Meh, what Eaves says to the media is FAR less important than what he actually BELIEVES is the problem. In many ways he was just trying to focus the media to the fact that the hockey team doesn't get the support and resources from the athletic department as many people believe. The fact that we are now a MONTH into the season and this was the FIRST opportunity that the team had to skate on the Kohl Center ice is ludicrous.

3. My opinion of why the Badgers suck is that once Oz left we no longer get the top D-Men recruits in the country.

4. Think back to the last NCCA qualifing team in 09-10, 5 of our 6 D-Men were 1st or 2nd round picks. Family advisors and NHL teams are no longer directing their players to Wisco.

Talent isn't the problem, other than Eaves first season UW has had as much talent as any other team in the nation. The problem is that UW has REPEATEDLY under-performed relative to the cumulative talent on the team (in fact, you could argue that UW has under achieved relative to talent in EACH AND EVERY season under Eaves). Even the most talented team, if it has a poor collective attitude or isn't unified towards a single goal, isn't going to be able to put up anything more than above average results.

5. Mike Eaves ivory tower attitude has turned off the community to Badger Hockey. I for one can't wait for the Mark Johnson era of Wisconsin Mens Hockey to begin!

Eaves attitude isn't the problem, the on-ice results are the problem. I don't know what the solution to the Badger's problems are, but I'm confident that Mark Johnson isn't the answer (he wasn't the answer back in 2002, he isn't the answer in 2012)

 

[Gandalf the Red]

Re: WISCONSIN Hockey Vol. 22 - Let's not have another cheesy thread title... Wait, W

This Mark Johnson thing is always comical. IF Eaves got canned, Gwoz better be the first person they call and offer him whatever he wants.

Attendance isn't an issue just for hockey, they are selling ticket 4 packs for basketball, and it wasn't long ago that you'd have to donate huge $$$ just to get a chance to get season tickets. While I certainly think attendence is down due to poor play, I think there is more to it than that. Besides the economy, UW is nearly raping people for parking now, w/ the closest lots going up $10 a few years back. I think there is a bunch of factors in the attendence woes, and they all hit at the same time.

 

[Chuck Schwartz]

Re: WISCONSIN Hockey Vol. 22 - Let's not have another cheesy thread title... Wait, W

Funny seeing opinions when UW is struggling. Some people blame recruiting too many NHL guys (early departures), others say not enough NHL talent!

That's what makes America beautiful.

 

[burd]

Re: WISCONSIN Hockey Vol. 22 - Let's not have another cheesy thread title... Wait, W

Funny seeing opinions when UW is struggling. Some people blame recruiting too many NHL guys (early departures), others say not enough NHL talent!

That's what makes America beautiful.

I was about to post something about how beautiful the discussion (Badger fan frustration) is from a Sioux fan's perspective, but that's not true, especially in this last year with these two teams competing in the same conference. It has been a great, FUN rivalry, and both programs are proud. I don't know any Sioux fans who don't love the Madison road trip. They will continue to play each other, but it will be different, and I will miss this rivalry/relationship a LOT. Both need to be as good as they can be this year and leave nothing on the ice.

So, I hope the Badgers turn it around and start smoking some folks. If they don't you might just as well stay your sorry arses at home the first weekend in February.

 

[icehawk]

Re: WISCONSIN Hockey Vol. 22 - Let's not have another cheesy thread title... Wait, W

That is the perception that keeps it from happening. I wont go any farther with this. Too many on ice issues to discuss with this team.

Mark Zengerle is a fine player. He will be missed. With a full team we will be competitive in the WCHA.
Until then it does not look good.

Injuries happen. The Sioux played with 15-16 players for the 27 games last year and won the final five. Other players need to step up. It's as simple as that.

 

[Gurtholfin]

Re: WISCONSIN Hockey Vol. 22 - Let's not have another cheesy thread title... Wait, W

Funny seeing opinions when UW is struggling. Some people blame recruiting too many NHL guys (early departures), others say not enough NHL talent!

Either way, there's one person who is ultimately responsible for team makeup. Eaves' inability to put teams together that work has become the norm. Doesn't really matter why - it's his job and he's failing.