keikla

I can see Gwoz going ECAC, Hockey East, NCHC, or Big Ten, but I just can't see him choosing a 'new WCHA' school.

I'm not up on the all legal mumbo-jumbo of who can talk to whom while they are or are not committed. Is there anything that prohibits Gwoz from talking to Ausmus right now? It's not a completely unheard of notion for recruits/players to follow a coach who leaves. Maybe Ausmus knows more about Gwoz's prospective plans and is waiting on that.

No, no...definitely peanut butter and maple syrup! Or nutella!!

I know the parity card gets used a lot, but that's the huge difference between your UConn example and men's hockey. Though I do think it's a valid question as to whether or not the 'it factor' is totally random.

I know (though I prefer the Camden harbor). I agree it's a very desirable job; I was just being a little facetious. He's spent 20 years in a metro area near mountains. A small town without much more than hockey, trees, and moose (meese? moosen?) to its name might be a bit of a culture shock. Maybe Gwoz takes a year off and waits for Red to retire? That'd be a big time program.

Exactly. And they could seduce him with the fine shopping, decadent restaurants, and cultural excitement. Oh, wait... Maybe he really likes potatoes?

In all honesty, probably not. The BDN article from early March that first told of the program review had quotes from Whitehead about how much fundraising he had to do because of recent budget cuts. That being said, they might get a lot more boosters for a coach with a winning reputation. That same article noted that Whitehead's salary was 190K. That's 30k under what Gwoz made at DU, though the price of living is also significantly lower.

What? You mean the administration had someone else in mind when they fired the current head coach? What a novel idea! (*cough Denver cough*)

Well, there is now officially a head coach position available at Maine...come on, Gwoz. You know you want the credit of bringing that program back.

CHN also had an interesting commentary on the firing...suggesting that perhaps there are legal issues being dealt with behind closed doors, which is playing a role in why Peg has kept her mouth shut thus far.

I wouldn't hold your breath on that one. Granted, everyone is different, but I've been gone a decade and still don't have the 'get out of MN' thing out of me yet.

Normally, I am wholly opposed to players opting out of commitments, whether written or verbal. You gave your word, so make that word mean something. But in situations with coaching changes, specifically head coach changes, I have a lot more sympathy and understanding when a kid withdraws a commitment. I'm sure he'll have no problem finding a new home quickly, wherever that may be. As for DU, per Merrium-Webster: Implode verb 2. to collapse inward as if from external pressure, 3. to break down or fall apart from within

Haha I totally missed that part! That makes me feel a lot better.

Not necessarily; but with their recent track record with commits, it probably doesn't bode well that he's headed for NTDP next year. After being drafted, Evers said, "Thanks for all of the congratulations and the support. I can't wait to see how things play out in the next couple of years," which also doesn't bode well. It just sounds a little too non-committal for my taste.

Hey! Don't insult the rest of us chicks who couldn't care less about his suits and ties!

Maybe I should come back for that, just so we can convince Cratter that we're not all a bunch of old farts around here (no offense intended to those of you who are ). "A long way" is a very relative phrase. For example, I have to travel two and a half hours to get to the nearest mexican restaurant not named Taco Bell. 20-30min to the Hogg = not so bad.

I would kind of like SCSU to win it, solely because it gives a little legitimacy to the WCHA in a year when 4 of the other 5 teams who made it lost the opening game (several of whom lost very, very badly).

True; but it's a much more manageable situation when you aren't simultaneously searching for a head coach.

Olkinuora signs with the Jets

But the pro to college transition isn't always a successful one...also a lesson learned from Callahan during his Nebraska football days.

That was pressure? I thought it was supposed to be incentive. As cute as those clothes may be, I'll forfeit them to someone else (paging Morley...).

Throughout the whole 'Fire Hak' conversation, I keep thinking of Nebraska football...probably because I lived there in the Callahan years. It's not always safe to assume that the replacement will be better.

Yeah; I know some people who have purchased Sioux baby clothes for the grandkids they don't even have yet...

Interesting. I guess I had missed that. Below is the link to the Bangor Daily News story on it. If he only has one more year on his contract, maybe they wait it out. But if they're dropping 190K for him to coach a rather pathetic program, I'm sure they can scrounge up another 30k to have Gwoz turn it around. http://bangordailynews.com/2013/03/16/sports/tim-whiteheads-job-not-immediately-on-chopping-block-despite-planned-review-of-um-hockey-program/

Yep, same here. Unless they've given up hope of being a top-tier program ever again. I'd like them to get a new coach and turn the program around solely because they're my only option for live college hockey viewing that doesn't involve taking an extensive trip. But, if I'm going to drive 2.5h each way to see a game or two, I'd prefer to not sit there and watch them get spanked at the hands of BC, BU, UNH, Vermont...well, I'm pretty sure they got killed by just about everyone this year.