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Wisconsin Hockey Vol XXV: There's Hope! Or whatever...

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Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol XXV: There's Hope! Or whatever...

So, TV details (or lack thereof) have been released. Saturday is on the Wisconsin channel. Friday/Sunday UWBadgers.com webstream only.

What a joke.
 
Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol XXV: There's Hope! Or whatever...

Chuck Schwartz said:
So, TV details (or lack thereof) have been released. Saturday is on the Wisconsin channel. Friday/Sunday UWBadgers.com webstream only.

What a joke.
Click to expand...

I'd pay 4 bucks to go watch it on the screen @ Labahn, that would be kind of a cool thing. Of course, they would never do that on a non-sellout home game or ever as they aren't that imaginative.
 
Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol XXV: There's Hope! Or whatever...

As Gandalf the White said in LOTR, "There never was much hope. Just a fool's hope." That is how I feel every time hope rekindles, then they blow it again and I feel like a fool.

Can the cycle be broken?
 
Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol XXV: There's Hope! Or whatever...

Chuck Schwartz said:
So, TV details (or lack thereof) have been released. Saturday is on the Wisconsin channel. Friday/Sunday UWBadgers.com webstream only.

What a joke.
Click to expand...

The problem is, it has to be worth the tv stations trouble to broadcast a game...and judging by this years attendance...demand for the product is pretty depressed. If the Kohl were bursting at the seams with average attendance 12K and a hand full of sellouts this year, I bet we would see more extensive tv coverage.
 
Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol XXV: There's Hope! Or whatever...

markwojo said:
The problem is, it has to be worth the tv stations trouble to broadcast a game...and judging by this years attendance...demand for the product is pretty depressed. If the Kohl were bursting at the seams with average attendance 12K and a hand full of sellouts this year, I bet we would see more extensive tv coverage.
Click to expand...

Keeping playoff games off of TV isn't going to do anything to help that problem.
 
Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol XXV: There's Hope! Or whatever...

To be fair, The Wisconsin Channel is airing some riveting programming featuring the Japanese salamander and the Australian lungfish tomorrow night.

No doubt most will think I'm making that up. I'm not. You can tell because I would have said "featuring the Larch."
 
Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol XXV: There's Hope! Or whatever...

Chuck Schwartz said:
Keeping playoff games off of TV isn't going to do anything to help that problem.
Click to expand...

It's the chicken-and-the-egg nature of sports coverage. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. The Wisconsin Hockey experience sells itself, but you need exposure to get people into that cycle. It can only benefit the athletic department to try and do that.
 
Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol XXV: There's Hope! Or whatever...

I am just re-posting this from the end of the last thread because all my words are always so very super important and need to be read. Dammit.


I was encouraged by Buck'em's post in the WI-UMD thread regarding his shift from a downer to a more positive outlook on the Badgers after attending the games at the Coliseum last weekend. Also by WiscDC's posts and other folks I've spoken to about the atmosphere. I slapped together a long post regarding my hopes for that week (thanks for all those who responded privately and positively-btw) and I'm very pleased that so many who attended were able to enjoy a great Wisconsin Hockey atmosphere.

WiscDC said:
Saturday night at the Coliseum, one of my favorite moments of the game was when the Badgers kept pushing and pushing in the offensive zone, not letting up, and not letting the Huskies get down the ice. The fans, including all the non-student fans, started making all kinds of noise in encouragement.
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On Tuesday's Hockey hour show Mike Eaves commented about this very same thing, saying how not only did he feel it, but the kids on the bench were really energized by the crowd's cheering, and what a difference it makes for them. Good for all the people who were there, I'm proud of you. We could use some more of that this weekend! And too bad for those who couldn't be bothered because the arena's chairs don't recline and there's no butler service.

MadCityRich said:
Something has to give. What's it going to take to get back to those deafening days at the Coliseum and the Kohl Center? Better recruits? Change of system? The boys are playing better since Penn St., but one bad game can end it all.
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There's plenty of blame to go around, but the fact is, the team really has done it's part since their horrible start. If the season started November 30th, (DU series)the Badgers would be 4th in the PWR behind only Q, MN St., and HE champ Mass-Lowell. And AHEAD of the mighty Goofs, Miami, UND, and DU despite having series against four of the top six teams, and six of the top ten. While we can't change the start, at some point maybe fans just need to let it go and realize that right now, this is a very good team. It could be argued that after doing his worst coaching job in his tenure at WI, Eaves has turned around and perhaps done his best. If you watched Eaves' and the player's attitude and body language going into last weekend, it was very different than it's been all season. You could just about see they expected to sweep. And frankly, without the flukiness of Friday's game with (right or wrong), Little getting tossed on a weird play and the lines being scrambled, I think we certainly could have won Friday. We took it to them on Saturday. We can debate all off season about how Eaves should be axed, but it seems to me these kids have worked their tails off through a lot of adversity and deserve some fan appreciation.

It's a bit discouraging that more folks around here and in Madison haven't come to this conclusion, but rather remain in as Buck'em put it, in 'Debbie Downer' mode. We may lose this weekend, but I'll be shocked if we drop a 3 game series, albeit to a pretty decent UMD team. After that we still need to win more to pay for the sins of the first five weeks, but unlike some years when we've been on the bubble, if this team can get in they are certainly capable of beating anyone in the NCAA's. If they don't make it, they don't. Such is life and you have to play every game. Still, I think that it's certainly time for fans to come around a bit and do their part this weekend.
 
Wisko McBadgerton said:
I am just re-posting this from the end of the last thread because all my words are always so very super important and need to be read. Dammit.


I was encouraged by Buck'em's post in the WI-UMD thread regarding his shift from a downer to a more positive outlook on the Badgers after attending the games at the Coliseum last weekend. Also by WiscDC's posts and other folks I've spoken to about the atmosphere. I slapped together a long post regarding my hopes for that week (thanks for all those who responded privately and positively-btw) and I'm very pleased that so many who attended were able to enjoy a great Wisconsin Hockey atmosphere.


On Tuesday's Hockey hour show Mike Eaves commented about this very same thing, saying how not only did he feel it, but the kids on the bench were really energized by the crowd's cheering, and what a difference it makes for them. Good for all the people who were there, I'm proud of you. We could use some more of that this weekend! And too bad for those who couldn't be bothered because the arena's chairs don't recline and there's no butler service.


There's plenty of blame to go around, but the fact is, the team really has done it's part since their horrible start. If the season started November 30th, (DU series)the Badgers would be 4th in the PWR behind only Q, MN St., and HE champ Mass-Lowell. And AHEAD of the mighty Goofs, Miami, UND, and DU despite having series against four of the top six teams, and six of the top ten. While we can't change the start, at some point maybe fans just need to let it go and realize that right now, this is a very good team. It could be argued that after doing his worst coaching job in his tenure at WI, Eaves has turned around and perhaps done his best. If you watched Eaves' and the player's attitude and body language going into last weekend, it was very different than it's been all season. You could just about see they expected to sweep. And frankly, without the flukiness of Friday's game with (right or wrong), Little getting tossed on a weird play and the lines being scrambled, I think we certainly could have won Friday. We took it to them on Saturday. We can debate all off season about how Eaves should be axed, but it seems to me these kids have worked their tails off through a lot of adversity and deserve some fan appreciation.

It's a bit discouraging that more folks around here and in Madison haven't come to this conclusion, but rather remain in as Buck'em put it, in 'Debbie Downer' mode. We may lose this weekend, but I'll be shocked if we drop a 3 game series, albeit to a pretty decent UMD team. After that we still need to win more to pay for the sins of the first five weeks, but unlike some years when we've been on the bubble, if this team can get in they are certainly capable of beating anyone in the NCAA's. If they don't make it, they don't. Such is life and you have to play every game. Still, I think that it's certainly time for fans to come around a bit and do their part this weekend.
Click to expand...

It's not just the embarrassment first 10 games of this season. That came on the heals of last season's abysmal failure and the ho-hum disappointment of the previous season.

In the 2nd half of the season they got fat beating bottom ten teams like UAA, UAH, BSU, and PSU. Oh wait, the LOST to PSU in what might be the biggest collective failure in the history of badger athletics.
This team has an anemic offense that meshes nearly perfectly with its impotent power play. A defense first style of play that strives to prevent anything exciting from actually happening.

An athletic department that I suspect would let the home games be played on the road if someone were to write a large enough check.
 
Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol XXV: There's Hope! Or whatever...

Almington said:
It's not just the embarrassment first 10 games of this season. That came on the heals of last season's abysmal failure and the ho-hum disappointment of the previous season.

In the 2nd half of the season they got fat beating bottom ten teams like UAA, UAH, BSU, and PSU. Oh wait, the LOST to PSU in what might be the biggest collective failure in the history of badger athletics.
This team has an anemic offense that meshes nearly perfectly with its impotent power play. A defense first style of play that strives to prevent anything exciting from actually happening.

An athletic department that I suspect would let the home games be played on the road if someone were to write a large enough check.
Click to expand...

that sums it up nicely.

while I'd love to see UW win 2 games this weekend and make the F5/6 the fact remains we've watched lousy hockey the past several years and winning this weekend won't cure all the problems set forth above.
 
Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol XXV: There's Hope! Or whatever...

Just imagine if the girl's bb tourney wasn't in Green Bay this year, UW would be on the road at home again for the playoffs. From talking to girl's hs bb fans, plenty are unhappy about that.
 
Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol XXV: There's Hope! Or whatever...

I'll remain a "glass half full" guy. After a poor start, the team is winning right now. The pp is better than it was (I know, not great). I'd sure rather win ugly than lose playing "acceptable" hockey style.

I'm with you, Wisko.
 
Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol XXV: There's Hope! Or whatever...

Guaranteed win tonight. As a gift from the Badger's to me on my Birthday.
 
Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol XXV: There's Hope! Or whatever...

Almington said:
It's not just the embarrassment first 10 games of this season. That came on the heals of last season's abysmal failure and the ho-hum disappointment of the previous season.

In the 2nd half of the season they got fat beating bottom ten teams like UAA, UAH, BSU, and PSU. Oh wait, the LOST to PSU in what might be the biggest collective failure in the history of badger athletics.
This team has an anemic offense that meshes nearly perfectly with its impotent power play. A defense first style of play that strives to prevent anything exciting from actually happening.

An athletic department that I suspect would let the home games be played on the road if someone were to write a large enough check.
Click to expand...

Probably the Eaves thing that riled you guys the most! ;)


So our top 4 PWR number over the last twenty six games would only come from beating up on the worst teams? How is that Niagarapossible? Ok so winning against those teams gives us a RPI jump, but we're 6-4-2 against top ten teams over the same period. Would I like/expect better? Sure. But we're getting wins against the best teams. They don't just pass those out on the corner like recall Walker flyers.

And don't you think that "the biggest collective failure in the history..." is perhaps just a tiny bit of an exaggeration? It's not like PSU was 0-26 coming in. They beat Ohio St and Mich. State in much the same way they beat us, by sucking horribly the night before, and then not so much the next day. Heck, maybe it's not much, but PSU crushed Air Force, who in turn just had an 11-3 weekend against the vaunted Niagara, a team that sits 5 ahead of us in the PWR. PSU isn't UAH. (In fact they had a 8-3 weekend in 2 W's against UAH) I'm not proud of it. We played bad, and we lost to a team we should have easily beaten. But it happens quite often to teams in hockey. Perhaps the end result was an important lesson learned. If so, good.

To me, watching the last several games it really does seem as though things are finally coming together for the boys. The biggest reason I'm high on the Badgers chances is simply that the kids are making the system their playing work for them. It's as though something has clicked for them down the stretch and they're finally getting what they're supposed to be doing. Like everyone, I'm not big on the style, (although to be fair, Miami seems to be having good success playing a similar one) but we're seeing more rushes and much better chances 5 on 5. The pp still sucks, but we've at least worked up to controlling the puck and sending in shots more, something we couldn't do at all two months ago.

I get that no one is pleased with the AD and for good reason. And that no one is pleased with Eaves. He hasn't won enough and last year was terrible. I have stated before my feelings that both Eaves and the Badgers would be better off parting ways as I believe Eaves would do well in the pros. Regardless, the kids on the ice representing UW are working hard, having some success lately and deserve some credit. But rather than give it to them, folks are deep down hoping for more catastrophic failure on the ice in hopes it will somehow facilitate change. I simply dislike that stance, especially as it relates to the players.
 
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