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Definitely saw numbers and sent him into the boards. With his shoulders turned I didn’t think they would call it a major. Don’t think he deserved a misconduct but that was the second review for that player so maybe the refs had seen enough.

I thought about this angle as well. However, in this situation I sure hope this was done to get the full picture prior to firing Berry. Schloss reported that many players and staff had already taken the opportunity to meet with Chaves (both in season and post-Berry dismissal). The other explanation is they might be interviewing plausible “finalists” they can name publicly to protect the identities of any external finalists. My guess is any currently employed coaches aren’t going to want their names on the finalist list if they don’t get it. So enter Simpson and Karl.

So which is it? Karl is a strong enough candidate to get an interview for HC. But if Jax is hired, he needs to clean house which would include Karl. I know logic isn’t a high priority around this place these days but it sure makes it tough to follow along at home.

A conference champion that loses in the first round does seem very on brand. 🤣 Completely kidding. He would be a great get if he would be willing to head west.

I did not see it last night but after the chatter I expected it to be far more egregious. Penalty early in the game…100%. I can see why in overtime it was let go being it was center ice, not an odd man situation, and he went down pretty easily. If you go back, I bet five or six similar no-calls were made in the third and early overtime. I personally wish they would consistently call the game from start to finish but once you start to look the other way then it has to continue. The only time you will see a penalty is on a breakaway or a loose puck in the slot.

Will KEM announce a NIL donation to coincide with the new coach presser? The lollipop to mask the disappointing trip to the doctor’s office…

Best AI could do on a quick turn. The Jolly Greene Giant?

https://waterlooblackhawks.com/news/2023/9/21/general-chyzyk-hawks-agree-on-extension.aspx “In May, Chyzyk was named the 2022/23 United States Hockey League General Manager of the Year. It was just his second season wielding the GM title and his third with the Black Hawks organization.” "Bryn's peers rightfully recognized what our organization learned very quickly: Bryn is very dedicated, talented, and has a bright future in the game," said Black Hawks Managing Director Eric Petersen. "Most importantly, Bryn puts players in situations where they can develop to their full potential, which is our fundamental mission as an organization.” If you read even one of the 50+ pages of the “Fire Berry” thread; it should be crystal clear that players not developing to their full potential is one of the biggest concerns with the program currently. Bringing in someone that has excelled with that exact thing at the next level down should be a no-brainer. Then you add that he is a UND guy.

Buy-out is the biggest piece to the puzzle. A longer deal is good optics for future commits that this is our guy. The safeguard is a low buy-out so if it doesn’t work out then that doesn’t become a barrier to making a change.

Definitely feel a little better about Jax after listening to them. If you are after the hockey update jump to 33 min. They cover Chyzyk as GM and what type of leader Dane will be. Trigger warning for some - there is a fair amount of BB love at the start.

In all seriousness, Jax is not Berry (nor is he Hak) so we really have no idea how he’ll lead this team. I’ll convince myself by next fall to give him the benefit of the doubt. Hopefully he makes a few statements between now and then that makes it clear he wants to return to a much more exciting brand of hockey and embrace the new age of NIL. It is a tough spot for him however because his leash will be very short with the baggage he brings from the last few years. Here’s to hoping we are pleasantly surprised which is certainly within the realm of possibility. We do know he is loyal.

Maybe they should structure the new contract like an AHL/NHL deal. “He signed a four year, two-way deal that will pay him $450k per year as HC/$225k as AC. Do the same thing with the top two assistants as well and they can just rotate them around when frustrations rise. It is essentially what happens now but without the buyouts. 😏

I agree we have been using the portal too much and not putting enough emphasis on letting our younger players develop. With that said, I was surprised to hear Western Michigan has 16 new players this year; 10 freshman and 6 from the portal. It isn’t an ideal situation but clearly they’ve made it work. New or returning; you need a program that the team buys into.

Picking up RJ Egna to join Raboin as his top assistant. According to sources, RJ is most interested in the job to “finally get the advantage of pucks being dropped closer to HIS team and the home stat crew skewing shots on goal in his favor.” 🤣

I need the lawyers to weight in. Does he get 50% credit on the “ties to either having attended or through employment” preferred qualification since his wife is an alum? 😏

Conquered UND in an exhibition game earlier this year. 🤣 He has an upstart Augustana team relevant already while starting from scratch. I’m no Rabion expert, but I think you would have to take a look if he was interested.

There is a separate WBB thread for in depth reaction but Chaves has been a busy man. Internal hire done immediately. https://fightinghawks.com/news/2025/3/24/womens-basketball-mallory-bernhard-to-step-down-dennis-hutter-named-next-head-coach.aspx

Can anyone recall an instance where they announced an assistant or head coach from a program still actively playing to fill a vacancy for another program? I know portal timing is changing the dynamic but I just don’t see it happening.

Close applications Wednesday the 26th; announcement on Thursday or Friday at the latest? With the portal opening on Sunday, they will want time for public comments on the new direction of the program. I have to imagine Dane is in the loop at least on the general direction they are leaning so he can reassure current team members and recruits. The longer they wait, the more likely something leaks from a player, agent, family member, etc. But I agree, with this short of a window they already know who the next coach will be. This also screams Fruechte vibes; meaning the interim will be retained for continuity. Who would be most likely to retain Dane? To me, this makes Hak the strong favorite with a former player a remote possibility.

If it was leaked that he has been quietly fighting Berry to install a more modern style of play…it would be slightly more palatable. But it would be seen is Berry 2.0.

Same exact press conference to announce both if memory serves correctly.

Bubba 1.0 in football and Bubba 2.0 in hockey are two people that absolutely bleed green. They seem to be great guys and all of this is very unfortunate. But results matter and athletic programs can fall behind very quickly. Most of the fanbase can recognize their many contributions and be sensitive to their love of the program. But all of us also have a high bar for what these programs should be. And I suspect, Brad would be the first to say that the teams the past few years haven’t lived up to expectation. Always sad to see this result but hopefully hockey gets a similar shot in the arm as football at least recruiting wise.

If Berry doesn’t leave, doesn’t something have to give? Swap out one or more of the assistant coaches? Bring in Chyzyk as GM? We have one NCAA tourney win in four years. This is the definition of insanity if we go another year without changes.

The latest they can change out an AD would be around December IMHO. In this current climate, you have to have a new HC in place almost immediately after you announce their predecessor’s dismissal. Basketball and hockey can’t have lame duck coaches during their respective early portal windows. Hopefully the way they handled football proves Armacost understands this dynamic.

Is the GM type of role different from a “Director of Hockey Operations”? I was trying to research which teams have a GM type of role and was surprised when UND was on the top of the list. I do remember when this was originally announced but somewhat assumed it got phased out. I was wrong in that assumption; https://fightinghawks.com/sports/mens-ice-hockey/roster/coaches/patrick-swanson/566 “Swanson, who had spent his previous five seasons as UND’s equipment manager, oversees the program’s day-to-day hockey operations, including budgeting and spending, travel arrangements and video analysis and scouting breakdown.” I would love to see carving out scouting, NIL, and player development under a new GM role. The portal, NIL, and CHL eligibility…are all new frontiers since this role was created. Winning on this front is going to be a differentiator.