Wisconsin Hockey XXXVI: Stop looking for the silver lining and ignoring the problem!!

[Timothy A]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVI: Stop looking for the silver lining and ignoring the probl

OK, time for a contrarian apologist point of view.

I'm sure that there are things that are said in private and there are complete different things that are said in public.

Alright, you can all tell me how wrong I am now.

I think you are right in that a good leader, (maybe BA?) isn't going to throw an employee/MM under the bus and mash the gas during the season, even if he was planning on making a change in the future.

I think he should have said, "Yeah, we know hockey revenues are down and continue to be projected to be down, but we aren't taking this lightly. Hockey can and has been a profitable/successful sport for UW and we will evaluate how things went after the season is complete, like we always do. Our goal is to have the hockey team be successful on the ice and hopefully the fans will respond. At this point we cannot project an improvement until we are successful on the ice".

How does that sound?

 

[KaMiGo]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVI: Stop looking for the silver lining and ignoring the probl

I think you are right in that a good leader, (maybe BA?) isn't going to throw an employee/MM under the bus and mash the gas during the season, even if he was planning on making a change in the future.

I think he should have said, "Yeah, we know hockey revenues are down and continue to be projected to be down, but we aren't taking this lightly. Hockey can and has been a profitable/successful sport for UW and we will evaluate how things went after the season is complete, like we always do. Our goal is to have the hockey team be successful on the ice and hopefully the fans will respond. At this point we cannot project an improvement until we are successful on the ice".

How does that sound?

Yup, that would have been a fantastic response!

Thank you for taking the time to provide that thoughtful idea.

 

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVI: Stop looking for the silver lining and ignoring the probl

OK, time for a contrarian apologist point of view.

What would any of you expect Barry to say right now? What would have been acceptable to you?

He's not going to come out and say "Yeah, we've had people staying away from hockey games by the thousands" or "Yup, we need to put in a new coach at the end of the season" or "You know, I am completely out of my depth right now...I took the tidal wave of support from turning the football program around and rode that into this sweet position that I am entirely unqualified for".

It is his job to represent the entirety of the Athletic Department (but he's said that "he's not a hockey guy", he doesn't care about anything outside of his 2 favorites, he only cares about making money). He isn't going to do anyone any favors by showing his hand now in regards to any upcoming changes or admitting fault in any approach that the administration has taken.

I'm sure that there are things that are said in private and there are complete different things that are said in public. Personally, I would tend to give him the benefit of the doubt (but he has done nothing to deserve it! He's let Eaves kill the proud hockey program!) and reserve my judgement until after the season has ended and the proper time to address any changes arrives.

Alright, you can all tell me how wrong I am now.

There's publicly discussing plans to fix the hockey program a month too early, committing the ultimate faux pas in AD-coach relations.

And then there's shrugging off the utter dismantling of a hockey program as a revenue sport by saying that it really only matters that people are going to football and basketball games.

Let's not confuse the two.

(So, basically a considerably less refined version of what TimA came up with)

 

[KaMiGo]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVI: Stop looking for the silver lining and ignoring the probl

There's publicly discussing plans to fix the hockey program a month too early, committing the ultimate faux pas in AD-coach relations.

And then there's shrugging off the utter dismantling of a hockey program as a revenue sport by saying that it really only matters that people are going to football and basketball games.

Let's not confuse the two.

(So, basically a considerably less refined version of what TimA came up with)

I understand all of that and I don't disagree with you.

My question was "What would any of you expect Barry to say right now? What would have been acceptable to you?"

It is easy to sit here and be outraged and say "He shouldn't have said that!!!".

It takes a bit more to look at what he said and come back with a constructive statement of "I get the position that he is in, and the facts that are in front of him. He really could have helped himself if he had presented this as 'X Y Z'".

I know that pretty much everyone wants Eaves gone, and a growing number want to see Alvarez gone too. And I know I'm not going to change any minds. I'm just trying to see what happens when people try to be constructive rather than destructive.

 

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVI: Stop looking for the silver lining and ignoring the probl

I think I gave up being constructive 5 years ago.

That "bring back Pat Richter" bit of my sig has been there longer than it's ever really made any sense.

 

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVI: Stop looking for the silver lining and ignoring the probl

On another front, an amusing e-mail from a friend of mine who has season tickets for Friday:

"Apparently at Friday's hockey game the t.v. broadcast had me staring blankly at the camera with my mouth open looking like a fool for like 8 seconds. So yeah."

If any of you can deliver a screen shot, I will be forever in your imaginary internet debt.

 

[solovsfett]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVI: Stop looking for the silver lining and ignoring the probl

There's publicly discussing plans to fix the hockey program a month too early, committing the ultimate faux pas in AD-coach relations.

And then there's shrugging off the utter dismantling of a hockey program as a revenue sport by saying that it really only matters that people are going to football and basketball games.

Let's not confuse the two.

(So, basically a considerably less refined version of what TimA came up with)

well put.

Again, you can't have the leader of the Athletic Department, at best telling fans he's apathetic towards hockey, or at worst telling them to get bent. I'm not certain I've ever heard or read where an AD has said the types of things Alvarez is saying about teams on their own campus.

And while we're on the subject of sports that seem to be neglected by his attention...how do you feel about Wisconsin Baseball? Anyone want to see that come back?

A friend was at a luncheon w/Barry and brought it up to him. BA said he doesn't hear from people who want baseball back at the University. Did all the Wisconsin baseball fans just give up?

Where I'm going with this is if he doesn't make a change and fire the staff this year for Men's Hockey I can see the hardcore fans wasting away to nothing like (evidently) baseball fans have. Here forever and ever and then vanishing a bit at a time and then one year whooosh. Where'd they all go?

 

[GBBadger14]

On another front, an amusing e-mail from a friend of mine who has season tickets for Friday:

"Apparently at Friday's hockey game the t.v. broadcast had me staring blankly at the camera with my mouth open looking like a fool for like 8 seconds. So yeah."

If any of you can deliver a screen shot, I will be forever in your imaginary internet debt.

You can check it out on demand on <a href="http://www.btn2go.com/game/michigan-at-wisconsin-on-20160212">BTN2GO.com</a> and its free.

 

[burd]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVI: Stop looking for the silver lining and ignoring the probl

I know that pretty much everyone wants Eaves gone, and a growing number want to see Alvarez gone too. And I know I'm not going to change any minds. I'm just trying to see what happens when people try to be constructive rather than destructive.

Removing a gangrenous toe to save the foot is constructive. Putting ointment on the toe is destructive.

 

[LordofBrewtown]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVI: Stop looking for the silver lining and ignoring the probl

Average UW fans think BA is doing a good job.

And I would argue that they are wrong - or more likely they haven't really thought about it and/or analyzed it.
If you only pay attention to Football and Men's basketball, things appear to great - especially to older fans who can remember when both programs were poor/consistently in the bottom half of the conference.

However, I would argue that has little to do with BA as athletic director. Credit for the health of those programs has to go to his predecessor, who made the hires to put those programs in good position.

Furthermore, you can make the argument that things may be about to take a downward turn. BA clearly didn't and doesn't want to hire Gard. Luckily, he may be saved from himself if results continue, and the public pressure to keep Gard may be too much. Furthermore, with football, Anderson has to be considered a bad hire. It may be a bad hire that BA gets away with; but, a coach leaving after two years cannot be considered a successful hire. That's with a neutral analysis of BB - and one has to wonder how much BA played into his leaving.

If football and/or basketball have a couple of bad years - which is very possible - fans views could change drastically…and I think we are much closer to that as a lot of the "Good" BA inherited is retiring/leaving…and the cracks mostly caused by BA are becoming more apparent.

And that's without getting into the so-called lesser sports.

 

[Red_Rob]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVI: Stop looking for the silver lining and ignoring the probl

If the man who us supposed to care for all things Badger athletics doesn't. What kind of message does that send to the fan base

 

[BuB]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVI: Stop looking for the silver lining and ignoring the probl

Short of a huge scandal - BA won't be leaving the UW Athletic Office until he wants to. I think it stinks, most people here think it stinks, but in my opinion that is the probable reality of the situation.

So the next logical step then is trying to make sure that Alvarez & Company find us a new hockey coach after this season is completed. He will regain some respect here on this board (maybe?) if he at least gets rid of MM and brings in a replacement we are excited about.

Lastly - not trying to kick the hornet's nest here, but is Mark Johnson a viable option of the Men's HC position, or has that opportunity already come and gone for him and UW?

 

[burd]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVI: Stop looking for the silver lining and ignoring the probl

It's probably late for this question, but how good was Michigan's top line? Were the Badgers able to keep them in check?

 

[solovsfett]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVI: Stop looking for the silver lining and ignoring the probl

If the man who us supposed to care for all things Badger athletics doesn't. What kind of message does that send to the fan base

And this is absolutely why I was so enraged over the weekend. But it goes beyond what kind of message does that sends to us and other fans. How is his message perceived by the student-athletes in hockey and other sports Alvarez could care less about? How is it perceived by the Coaches and then the Coaches they have to face in recruiting? How does this message play on the national recruiting scene?

Wisconsin has an uphill road now with recruiting in Men's Hockey because they've won all but 10 games in 2 seasons, there is a negative perception of the Coach in many circles and now the AD comes out and says yeah, we've lost a lot of the fanbase but screw em, we need to worry about football and basketball attendance and maintaining what we have there.

Anyway, you nailed what is the cruz of the matter imo.

As to Mark Johnson....I used to be anti-Mark Johnson due to his part in the failure of Sauer's final years. He was lead recruiter and in his final year in that position he did not travel out-of-state once evidently to see recruits.

HOWEVER...I've been thinking about this more lately. While I'd rather have Don Granato, Tony Granato, Mark Osiecki, or perhaps an Enrico Blasi or another young successful coach w/out Badger ties, Mark Johnson *could* possibly be a good Men's Coach if he were paired with the right (diligent and proactive) recruiters. If it's not incumbent upon him to travel and he just needs to seal the deal when the recruiters bring kids to Madison, well...then maybe, just maybe Mark could work out.

His Coaching style wouldn't chafe the kids and I'd suspect he'd bring a more wide open style of play as well.

Wisconsin Hockey: changing my tune a bit

 

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVI: Stop looking for the silver lining and ignoring the probl

At this point, the only negative of Coach Johnson 2.0 is that we would lose a great Women's Coach.

There's no question about his character, though, and I agree: give him a solid recruiter (frankly, I wouldn't be disappointed to see more of what Strand can do on that front), and he may very well be what most of us would like to see.

 

[cskowen]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVI: Stop looking for the silver lining and ignoring the probl

On another front, an amusing e-mail from a friend of mine who has season tickets for Friday:

"Apparently at Friday's hockey game the t.v. broadcast had me staring blankly at the camera with my mouth open looking like a fool for like 8 seconds. So yeah."

If any of you can deliver a screen shot, I will be forever in your imaginary internet debt.

I could probably get it for you if it wasn't during an intermission. Per GBBadger14's suggestion I watched some of the BTN2Go replay, but they strip the intermissions.

 

[bucky15]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVI: Stop looking for the silver lining and ignoring the probl

It's probably late for this question, but how good was Michigan's top line? Were the Badgers able to keep them in check?

3 future NHLers that stuck out every time they stepped on the ice. Mich also had one player that could absolutely fly, I like it was Nieves.

Mich has some top end talent on their team. I don't know how they will fare in a one and done playoff format, but they are a very fun team to watch.

 

[drop_the_puck]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVI: Stop looking for the silver lining and ignoring the probl

3 future NHLers that stuck out every time they stepped on the ice. Mich also had one player that could absolutely fly, I like it was Nieves.

Mich has some top end talent on their team. I don't know how they will fare in a one and done playoff format, but they are a very fun team to watch.

Michigan's goalie seemed very shaky in the first two periods, lots of rebounds that a more talented team would have put home. Maybe it was an off night, I haven't watched much Michigan hockey this year. In a series I'd like Michigan's talent, in a one and done, not so much.

That was a very fun game to be at Saturday night. It seemed like a different team than I'd seen much of the last two years. It reminded me of what fun competitive hockey was like at the Kohl. Too bad it's been few and far between lately.

Anyone know which coach is in charge the defensemen this year? Man were they shaky. I was impressed with Jurusik, pretty solid for a freshman goalie and the situation.

 

[Badger Booster]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVI: Stop looking for the silver lining and ignoring the probl

Michigan's goalie seemed very shaky in the first two periods, lots of rebounds that a more talented team would have put home. Maybe it was an off night, I haven't watched much Michigan hockey this year. In a series I'd like Michigan's talent, in a one and done, not so much.

That was a very fun game to be at Saturday night. It seemed like a different team than I'd seen much of the last two years. It reminded me of what fun competitive hockey was like at the Kohl. Too bad it's been few and far between lately.

Anyone know which coach is in charge the defensemen this year? Man were they shaky. I was impressed with Jurusik, pretty solid for a freshman goalie and the situation.

I also went to the Saturday night game and was at least entertained, which was in stark contrast to my prior two games where they got routed. Michigan was clearly the better team (their top line is scary good), but the Badgers showed that if they play hard for 60 (65 with OT) minutes good things happen. The 10,000 (give or take) that were there made a h-ll of a lot of noise when Kunin scored with under a minute left. To me it shows that the fan base is ready for a winning (or at least competitive) team. However, games like Saturday have to be the norm, not the exception.

 

[RedStripes]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXXVI: Stop looking for the silver lining and ignoring the probl

The Athletic Department sent out an email to season ticket holders this afternoon, clarifying Barry's statement about hockey not "making or breaking us". I would link to it if I knew how. But basically it says that he was just referring to the budget and that restoring Badger hockey as an elite program is of the utmost importance.