Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXII: No Where To Go But Up!

[Gurtholfin]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXII: No Where To Go But Up!

The ignore function works so much better if you idiots stop quoting him.

Et tu, Brute?


First Shuey and now you? My self esteem is taking a real hit here.

 

[markwojo]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXII: No Where To Go But Up!

It boggles the mind that anyone can actually try to defend/rationalize this train wreck as anything but Eaves fault. 4 Wisconsin born kids playing in the WJC...not a single one playing for Eaves. 2 legacy kids bail on the program in the span of 2 months. 4 freaking wins in an entire season playing in a down Big 6 (Minnesota and Michigan are mediocre by their normal standards and the rest is garbage...well, unless they are playing the Badgers). Regularly outshot (and shots are almost always indicative of how this team plays) 2 or 3 to one. Eaves is 100% responsible for the seniors. He is also responsible for the lack of seniors every 4 years for the third time since he has been in charge here. Are there a handful of pretty good youngin's....sure. But there are also easily a half dozen (I'm probably being generous) guys on the roster that have no business being on an upper level D1 college hockey roster (even if they are not costing a penny of scholarship money).

I did a goggle search to see whatever happened to Baghdad Bob, because that is the only guy I can remember being so overly optimistic and oblivious to the obvious. Bombs going off everywhere in the Kohl...but the Badgers will slaughter the infidel...lol. My research on goggle found that Bob was last seen terminally ill in a hospital in November....seems he might have made a recovery and is a Badger fan posting on this very board.

 

[oldtyme25]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXII: No Where To Go But Up!

In Baggott's celebrated article he points out that UW's 4 most veteran forwards have a combined 13 goals this year.

Well let's just guess who recruited these 4 veteran forwards?

Age, class size, too many freshman, NHL size rink, bad puck luck.....I don't care what the excuse is, one person and only one person is ultimately responsible for the quality of the on ice product. That is Coach Eaves and he has pooped the bed!

Eaves should be fired the day after the Big10 tournament, and an offer should be extended to Oz the following day.

 

[oldtyme25]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXII: No Where To Go But Up!

It boggles the mind that anyone can actually try to defend/rationalize this train wreck as anything but Eaves fault. 4 Wisconsin born kids playing in the WJC...not a single one playing for Eaves. 2 legacy kids bail on the program in the span of 2 months. 4 freaking wins in an entire season playing in a down Big 6 (Minnesota and Michigan are mediocre by their normal standards and the rest is garbage...well, unless they are playing the Badgers). Regularly outshot (and shots are almost always indicative of how this team plays) 2 or 3 to one. Eaves is 100% responsible for the seniors. He is also responsible for the lack of seniors every 4 years for the third time since he has been in charge here. Are there a handful of pretty good youngin's....sure. But there are also easily a half dozen (I'm probably being generous) guys on the roster that have no business being on an upper level D1 college hockey roster (even if they are not costing a penny of scholarship money).

Best post I have read in months!

 

[markwojo]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXII: No Where To Go But Up!

Well let's just guess who recruited these 4 veteran forwards?

Age, class size, too many freshman, NHL size rink, bad puck luck.....I don't care what the excuse is, one person and only one person is ultimately responsible for the quality of the on ice product. That is Coach Eaves and he has pooped the bed!

Eaves should be fired the day after the Big10 tournament, and an offer should be extended to Oz the following day.

Oz looked vibrant and up to such a task when I spotted him sitting in the stands last night watching warmups at the Icehog game.

 

[oldtyme25]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXII: No Where To Go But Up!

One last Badger Hockey thought to ponder for the day.........

It is March and Robert Morris University is a full 30 spots ahead of the UW in the Pairwise Rankings!!!!

Barry, PLEASE FIRE MIKE EAVES!!!!!!

 

[solovsfett]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXII: No Where To Go But Up!

this is more of an aside...has anyone else noticed the Milwaukee Journal has basically stopped covering Badger hockey? I took a look for a preview yesterday and found none. I wouldn't blame them for not covering the team at this point but wow...they used to at least pretend to be aware of UW Hockey.

Osiecki, Granato's, Hastings, start the list. No more excuses for losing. Wisconsin hockey hasn't been a national power in 21 years now, it's beyond time to get the ship righted...or get further up the mountain, or let the puppies loose, or...

 

[Gurtholfin]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXII: No Where To Go But Up!

Would be interesting to hear the student section take up a "We want OZ!" chant.

Just sayin'

 

[HarleyMC]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXII: No Where To Go But Up!

In Baggott's celebrated article he points out that UW's 4 most veteran forwards have a combined 13 goals this year. I again read another comparison to MN last year bringing in a bunch of freshman and being great. MN's 5 most veteran forwards combined for over 60 goals last year. Two of them each had more than 13 by themselves. Anyone can certainly blame Eaves all they want for the having an empty cupboard, that's fine. But separate from the blaming, that IS the primary reason this team has struggled so much and hasn't won.

It's not primarily because the freshman are all terrible players and won't be/aren't getting better. 97% of freshman in D-1 are terrible on their own.

If the veteran forwards referred to are LaBate, Paape, Zulinick and Navin, those are unrealistic expectations. Zulinick's game in the BCHL never transferred over into D1. The Badgers had their 3rd best regular season record under Eaves last year and he had 4 goals. What you see out of LaBate this season is very close to his average 6-8 Gs/season...a low B player. Paape and Navin? Forget it...they're at best role players on a Gopher 4th line. In all fairness, a couple of these guys showed a lot of promise before the Badgers (i.e. Navin, Zulinick), but their game just hasn't translated into success in D1, which happens quite a bit. Besse is a key guy, but he needs a good supporting cast to help him tap into his true potential.

Comparing the 2014-15 veteran Badgers to the 2013-14 veteran Gophers just doesn't work. The talent differential is night and day and style of play is radically different.

 

[Almington]

If the veteran forwards referred to are LaBate, Paape, Zulinick and Navin, those are unrealistic expectations.

Comparing the 2014-15 veteran Badgers to the 2013-14 veteran Gophers just doesn't work. The talent differential is night and day and style of play is radically different.

I think that was his point: UW has recruited very poorly since they make the F4 in Detroit.

Poor set of remaining upperclassmen + tons of freshmen = disaster of a season.

The day Eaves hired Butters as his top assistant, was the day he set himself up to be fired after this season.

 

[NEWI Badger Fan]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXII: No Where To Go But Up!

If the veteran forwards referred to are LaBate, Paape, Zulinick and Navin, those are unrealistic expectations. Zulinick's game in the BCHL never transferred over into D1. The Badgers had their 3rd best regular season record under Eaves last year and he had 4 goals. What you see out of LaBate this season is very close to his average 6-8 Gs/season...a low B player. Paape and Navin? Forget it...they're at best role players on a Gopher 4th line. In all fairness, a couple of these guys showed a lot of promise before the Badgers (i.e. Navin, Zulinick), but their game just hasn't translated into success in D1, which happens quite a bit. Besse is a key guy, but he needs a good supporting cast to help him tap into his true potential.

Comparing the 2014-15 veteran Badgers to the 2013-14 veteran Gophers just doesn't work. The talent differential is night and day and style of play is radically different.

This Idiot agrees.

 

[Chuck Schwartz]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXII: No Where To Go But Up!

Harley and Wisko are making my point. I've said the whole season the problem is a significant lack of talent in the non freshman class. Yet all we hear is the youth excuse. Bringing up last year's Gophers is saying you can win with a large group of freshmen. The problem is how poorly this team was recruited in the years leading up to this. And that's on the coaching staff. I mean even look back on the last 4-year cycle when they were freshmen (Zengerle class). 10 of them played double digit games that season and they still went 21-16-4. You can win -- or at least not be the laughing stock of college hockey with freshmen.

 

[RedFreak]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXII: No Where To Go But Up!

"Real hockey people know what’s going on,” said Shuchuk, who oversees recruiting and academics. “The idiot fans out there that just care about the wins and losses and all that stuff, they don’t understand what’s happening.”

Wow. 30 year season ticket holder here, over 20 years on both nights. I've been very understanding of the team's struggle this year, but that comment is just disgraceful.

 

[Chuck Schwartz]

I think that was his point: UW has recruited very poorly since they make the F4 in Detroit.

Poor set of remaining upperclassmen + tons of freshmen = disaster of a season.

The day Eaves hired Butters as his top assistant, was the day he set himself up to be fired after this season.

Exactly.

 

[Wisko McBadgerton]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXII: No Where To Go But Up!

If the veteran forwards referred to are LaBate, Paape, Zulinick and Navin, those are unrealistic expectations. Zulinick's game in the BCHL never transferred over into D1. The Badgers had their 3rd best regular season record under Eaves last year and he had 4 goals. What you see out of LaBate this season is very close to his average 6-8 Gs/season...a low B player. Paape and Navin? Forget it...they're at best role players on a Gopher 4th line. In all fairness, a couple of these guys showed a lot of promise before the Badgers (i.e. Navin, Zulinick), but their game just hasn't translated into success in D1, which happens quite a bit. Besse is a key guy, but he needs a good supporting cast to help him tap into his true potential.

Comparing the 2014-15 veteran Badgers to the 2013-14 veteran Gophers just doesn't work. The talent differential is night and day and style of play is radically different.

This is the only point I was attempting make. Twist it into a defense of Eaves if you want, but it certainly wasn't meant to be.

 

[RedFreak]

You cannot call fans idiots with a reporter around period. Whatever the context it was an incredibly stupid PR move. Say it to your wife at home all you want, but not in public when ticket sales are tanking and you have a whopping 4 wins to brag about.

I was listening to Shuey's post-game interview on WIBA after an away game a few weeks ago (they're always entertaining) and he used a very similar line about "idiot fans". Either he's made it a habit or, more likely IMO, that's where Baggot got the quote from.

 

[RedFreak]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXII: No Where To Go But Up!

We were sitting next to a pro scout at a Saturday night game a month or two back. His comment was "This team's got no talent".

 

[UWisco]

We were sitting next to a pro scout at a Saturday night game a month or two back. His comment was "This team's got no talent".

That made me laugh. I wonder which scout that was. Besse has a shot that you never see.

 

[RedFreak]

That made me laugh. I wonder which scout that was. Besse has a shot that you never see.

Of course it was a bit of hyperbole. He was speaking of the team as a whole.

 

[IndianaBadger1995]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey Vol. XXXII: No Where To Go But Up!

Can we try a lineup like this:

Soleway-Hughes-Besse
Wagner-Rockwood-Zulinick
Ford-LaBate-Ustaski
McGuire-Cavallini-Navin

Schulze-Dougherty
Drake-Davison
Wittchow-Linhart

Rumpel (Friday)
Peterson (Saturday)


If we have an issue with terrible upperclassmen scoring then we shouldn't be putting them in scoring positions like we have. You have to put the team in a position to succeed.