Wisconsin Women's Hockey 2024-2025

[Lindsay]

It occurred to me….what if Johnson is one of those people that can’t leave the game? I have no idea. Never really seen him as loose with the media as he was this weekend. It made me think: retiring.

Ironically Geno Auriemma had a quote about sports teams as paintings this week too. But his wasn’t to call a game a masterpiece. He said “only the artist can see the blemishes in the painting.” Oh my. I find myself rooting for UCONN this year.

I think Peter Elander will never leave the game. He’s back coaching in Europe.

 

[Ooftah]

I was at the pep rally event at LaBahn on Monday, and I noticed that when the athletic director was introduced, there was a decent amount of booing along with the polite applause. Is there a specific reason that women’s hockey fans wouldn’t like him?

No, there is not A specific reason. There are many. That there was not more booing is only because of Wisconsin niceness.

 

[Lindsay]

The other thing is… of course people like to go out on top and he is human so he’s no different.

Unless he is different.

Maybe he does everything he can do to put himself and his team in a position to win next year, and then although not reaching the ultimate goal would sting, he’d be at peace with it. Isn’t that what truly respecting the game is (once you get past the insane drive and competitiveness that gets you in the game to begin with.) and that’s the vibe I get from him, that you want to put yourself in the opportunity for something great to happen, and then you live with the results.

 

[ARM]

What he wants for a successor could factor into it. If he steps away now, Dan Koch is the heir apparent. He leaves Koch with a roster that has a great chance of kicking off his tenure with a title.

 

[robertearle]

What he wants for a successor could factor into it. If he steps away now, Dan Koch is the heir apparent. He leaves Koch with a roster that has a great chance of kicking off his tenure with a title.

There was a 'celebration' at La Bahn on Monday night, with Badger men's radio guy Brian Posick (and Badger from a couple years ago Maddie Posick's father) as the emcee. He was talking with Casey O'Brien and asked her about her long-term goal of becoming a coach. She said something like "So, Mark, when you're ready ...", and Posick said something joking about Dan Koch and his imagined reaction that I didn't quite catch.

 

[Ooftah]

What he wants for a successor could factor into it. If he steps away now, Dan Koch is the heir apparent. He leaves Koch with a roster that has a great chance of kicking off his tenure with a title.

Leaving things to a so-called heir apparent, with or without a stacked roster, is not the way to go out. Waiting for the correct successor, regardless of how the roster is, is a better way to leave.

 

[ARM]

Koch left. He came back. He was named Associate Head Coach. If he's not the ultimately the guy, then I wonder why he has passed on so many jobs that would have been his for the asking over the years. And yes, I understand that being an assistant in Madison is better than being the #1 at a lot of places.

 

[davearm]

What he wants for a successor could factor into it. If he steps away now, Dan Koch is the heir apparent. He leaves Koch with a roster that has a great chance of kicking off his tenure with a title.

Both Dick Bennett (Brad Soderberg) and Bo Ryan (Greg Gard) walked away at the start of the season (rather than the end), ensuring their longtime right-hand men would get the job.

Perhaps Johnson plans to steal from that playbook.

 

[Lindsay]

Leaving things to a so-called heir apparent, with or without a stacked roster, is not the way to go out. Waiting for the correct successor, regardless of how the roster is, is a better way to leave.

Do you have anyone specific in mind?

 

[robertearle]

Koch left. He came back. He was named Associate Head Coach. If he's not the ultimately the guy, then I wonder why he has passed on so many jobs that would have been his for the asking over the years. And yes, I understand that being an assistant in Madison is better than being the #1 at a lot of places.

The only way it wouldn't be Koch is if AD Chris McIntosh sticks his nose in and messes that up, too. (IMO)

 

[Ooftah]

Koch left. He came back. He was named Associate Head Coach. If he's not the ultimately the guy, then I wonder why he has passed on so many jobs that would have been his for the asking over the years. And yes, I understand that being an assistant in Madison is better than being the #1 at a lot of places.

The question is what has Koch proved that qualifies him for what is arguably the best job in women’s hockey. I don’t think any of us on the outside know. MJ has a coaching tree of accomplished people, not all of whom have lived in his direct shadow. Therefore, handing the job over to the person who stuck around the longest and waited for it is not necessarily the best way to go.

 

[Ooftah]

Do you have anyone specific in mind?

Yes

 

[Lindsay]

Yes

Who do you think would make a good successor?

 

[davearm]

Yes

Not Tony Granato I hope

 

[Ooftah]

The only way it wouldn't be Koch is if AD Chris McIntosh sticks his nose in and messes that up, too. (IMO)

If the AD has a chance to screw this up, he will. Our best shot is that he'll stay as far away from this decision as he can. MJ is conflicted because of family considerations but he is still the only adult in the room.

 

[Ooftah]

Who do you think would make a good successor?

The best choices are obvious if they are available. If they aren't, they are worth waiting for.

 

[ARM]

The question is what has Koch proved that qualifies him for what is arguably the best job in women’s hockey.

It's hard to prove much as an assistant coach. When the team wins, the HC and the players get the credit. It's only after the assistant leaves and the program declines that people say, "Maybe that assistant contributed a lot." Johnson would know far better than I would how valuable Koch is to the program.

 

[Lindsay]

If the AD has a chance to screw this up, he will. Our best shot is that he'll stay as far away from this decision as he can. MJ is conflicted because of family considerations but he is still the only adult in the room.

If he’s the only adult in the room that’s on him as the head coach isn’t it?

I’m very curious to see what potential realignment of national powers happens when he retires. Casey O’Brien not making team usa suggests there is such a thing as too many good players on one team, from a making the national team perspective.

Penn State and BC both sort of underperform compared to their brands, Minnesota and OSU have their issues, and the ECAC can’t seem to get over the hump, despite some very good teams. Can/Will anyone emerge as a new Wisconsin? Because if Johnson is the GOAT, and I agree he is, there is likely to be a drop off when he retires, no matter who the next coach is.

 

[Ooftah]

As I said, I don’t think any of us on the outside know.

It's hard to prove much as an assistant coach. When the team wins, the HC and the players get the credit. It's only after the assistant leaves and the program declines that people say, "Maybe that assistant contributed a lot." Johnson would know far better than I would how valuable Koch is to the program.

As I said, I don’t think any of us on the outside know. If I knew anything, I wouldn't reveal it to fans of rodents or their rodent-like mascots.

 

[ARM]

I agree; don't tell me. I can wait to read the official release.

It will be interesting to see if the next coach makes it look like UW really is the best job in the country. It didn't appear so in the years when MJ wasn't there, although that was prior to LaBahn, so can't conclude much.