Dusting off an old thread: Fire Hakstol?

[The Sicatoka]

Friday, when Malone scored, I knew they'd go defensive, and I knew it would backfire because there was too much time left.

This team can play lock-down defensive for about five minutes. Anything more and bad things happen, namely, they'll give up a bad goal and they'll have shut down the offense for the night (meaning at best a tie will follow).

Best defense in my mind? Cycling the puck down low in the offensive end, with the defensemen looking utterly bored watching from the points.

[siouxperseven]

I personaly think Hak has done a good job this year. We just don't have the talent like in the past. We've gto grinders. Oor best player is out and another scorer is out. There aren't true scorers on this team...proven at this level. UND like other elite schools has players that light it up in USHL and other places but then to step it up takes another level...some have it and some don't and that's the recruiting gamble gamble (see Lucia). Plus we're very young. When you've got Mario out on the power play you're in trouble. IMO he should have sat a few shifts after he came out of the box for the stupid penalty he took after the guy leveled him to get a penalty. It's a frustrating year and we're losing ground. If Chay comes back that could make up for allot of negatives. I do agree though that this trap !@#$ is for the birds!!

[dagies]

I won't claim to speak for Speez, but the point I got was that some people on this forum deify Blais and act like he could do no wrong. Suggest that if Blais were still coaching at UND they would have won multiple National Championships during the past 5 years that Hak has actually been coaching. And suggest that the current team would have some special "killer instinct" that they don't have now to win games this season. Yet the same type comments, currently being made about Hakstol, were then being made about Blais. So maybe Blais isn't the perfect coach either. Blais led teams had problems of their own and many of them failed to live up to expectations, whether reasonable or not. Both Blais and Hakstol are very good college hockey coaches, and both have been great for the University of North Dakota.

This is what I took from it too.

[Five-HoleFrenzy]

Just some neutral observations...

North Dakota, for some of the time, did what teams need to do to beat a very underachieving Minnesota team. Attack it's defensemen. It is curious that they did sit back after getting the lead on Friday. Saturday just seemed like one of those games where it wasn't going to be their night however it took a great game by Kangas to keep North Dakota from scoring for most of the game. What might be debatable is was it Kangas being good or North Dakota's lack of finishing? Probably a little of both.

Hakstol, to me, should have less heat on him than Lucia but it is strange to see both North Dakota and Minnesota currently sitting in 6th and 7th place in the league.

[Oxbow6]

I personaly think Hak has done a good job this year. We just don't have the talent like in the past. We've gto grinders. Oor best player is out and another scorer is out. There aren't true scorers on this team...proven at this level. UND like other elite schools has players that light it up in USHL and other places but then to step it up takes another level...some have it and some don't and that's the recruiting gamble gamble to get a penalty. I do agree though that this trap !@#$ is for the birds!!

You are correct in the fact we have lots of grinders, but look at how many games we have had the lead in? You just need to have more goals than the other guys at the end of 60 minutes.

With that being said we've played 24 games and in only 10 games have we scored 4 or more goals. And only ONCE in the last 10.

[Siouxdonyms]

I'm not sure I get your point. The 01-02 season was really quite disappointing. Coming off back-to-back visits to the national championship game, finished under .500 and season ended by being swept by the Gophers in the WCHA tournament play-in round.

Were fans not supposed to be disappointed in that season? The Sioux weren't very good and fans were discussing such, I really don't know what else anyone could expect

I'm confused how people think the 01-02 season was a disappointment. Yes, it was a rough year compared to the previous 2 years, but as a fan, I remember thinking it was going to be an awful year. We had just lost a ton of talent, some to graduation, and some to early outs. I think we had something like 14 freshman that year. Bochenski was a freshman; Dave Lundbohm was a Sophomore; and Bayda was in his Jr year. Outside of that, no one really stuck out as far as talent. A lot of the freshman would become talented with experience, but I don't remember it being a disappointing year, because I knew it was going to be a rough year. I thought Blais did a great job as far as turning us around in the next 2 years to get us back into the heat of the competition in the NCAA's.

With that being said, this years team is similar to that years team, only they seem to be doing a little better. Do I think we'll go far this year in the NCAA's? Nope. Be lucky if we get out of the first round. But I do think next year, Hak will have a contender on his hand. Goaltending will be the ? again next year. Hak needs to go out and find a small goalie. These bigger goalies work for most schools, but for whatever reason, North Dakota has always seemed to do better (at least in the last 20 years) with the smaller goalie. Goehring, Kollar, Parise, etc.

[Speez]

I won't claim to speak for Speez, but the point I got was that some people on this forum deify Blais and act like he could do no wrong. Suggest that if Blais were still coaching at UND they would have won multiple National Championships during the past 5 years that Hak has actually been coaching. And suggest that the current team would have some special "killer instinct" that they don't have now to win games this season. Yet the same type comments, currently being made about Hakstol, were then being made about Blais. So maybe Blais isn't the perfect coach either. Blais led teams had problems of their own and many of them failed to live up to expectations, whether reasonable or not. Both Blais and Hakstol are very good college hockey coaches, and both have been great for the University of North Dakota.

This exactly what I wanted to get across.

If the 1999-2000 & 2000-2001 forum wasn't lost in cyberspace,IIRC, I could find the same criticisms of those teams.

I even remember ranting that the Sioux's best defense was a continued pressure offense & not sitting back & protecting

the lead.

[siouxnami]

Ok Big Picture. Sweep Cornell (maybe get 2 points) and we basically will walk into the NCAAs.

We have a very good goaltender who can get hot for 4 games. Our team would be MUCH better with Hextall, Knight, and Genoway, obviously.

Based on what I say on the ice I also question if Rowney, Trupp, and Marto are healthy. I was wondering who would sit if Chay can get back and after attending both games in MSP unfortunately the choice is easy. LaPoint is not giving this team anything, he is not hitting, skating, passing, or shooting well, I don't know if the injury is still an issue, but he was awful in MSP.

[jimdahl]

I'm confused how people think the 01-02 season was a disappointment. Yes, it was a rough year compared to the previous 2 years, but as a fan, I remember thinking it was going to be an awful year. We had just lost a ton of talent, some to graduation, and some to early outs. I think we had something like 14 freshman that year. Bochenski was a freshman; Dave Lundbohm was a Sophomore; and Bayda was in his Jr year. Outside of that, no one really stuck out as far as talent. A lot of the freshman would become talented with experience, but I don't remember it being a disappointing year, because I knew it was going to be a rough year. I thought Blais did a great job as far as turning us around in the next 2 years to get us back into the heat of the competition in the NCAA's.

With that being said, this years team is similar to that years team, only they seem to be doing a little better. Do I think we'll go far this year in the NCAA's? Nope. Be lucky if we get out of the first round. But I do think next year, Hak will have a contender on his hand. Goaltending will be the ? again next year. Hak needs to go out and find a small goalie. These bigger goalies work for most schools, but for whatever reason, North Dakota has always seemed to do better (at least in the last 20 years) with the smaller goalie. Goehring, Kollar, Parise, etc.

I think that's just a semantic quibble over the definition of "disappoint" -- whether something that's not entirely a surprise can still be a disappointment. I'm just calling that emotion of sadness(?) as a fan that comes from your team struggling when you've become recently accustomed to huge success "disappointment". Perhaps there's a better word for hoping for a better outcome than you expect, knowing the talent you've lost, but not getting it; but, "disappointment" is what came to mind.

Anyway, as I said above, I get what Speez was saying now. I really misunderstood it as criticizing the fans for even picking on one of Blais's teams, whereas he was instead (rightfully) challenging the deification of Blais and misconception that everything was always sunshine and roses when he was coach. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and all that.

[uptownlakes]

Well, I've been saving up this rant for awhile but the recruits for next year do not look to be the quality of years past. I looked to see how each recruit was doing respectively and to date....no one looks like they are having a good year. Comparatively, Dean Blais has 3 of the top 15 scorers in the USHL coming to Nebraska Omaha.

Bottom line, we need more scorers and exceptional players like Kristo. They guys coming in next year from what I can tell are far from stellar. As we know from guys like Cichy, Rowny, etc......even the best scorers in a league don't necessarily score in College hockey so how in the world is a mediocre player.

Any thoughts or am I delusional? If any of you have done more research than me and have some perspective of hope than please share, I'm all ears.

Dave

[brianvf]

Well, I've been saving up this rant for awhile but the recruits for next year do not look to be the quality of years past. I looked to see how each recruit was doing respectively and to date....no one looks like they are having a good year. Comparatively, Dean Blais has 3 of the top 15 scorers in the USHL coming to Nebraska Omaha.

Bottom line, we need more scorers and exceptional players like Kristo. They guys coming in next year from what I can tell are far from stellar. As we know from guys like Cichy, Rowny, etc......even the best scorers in a league don't necessarily score in College hockey so how in the world is a mediocre player.

Any thoughts or am I delusional? If any of you have done more research than me and have some perspective of hope than please share, I'm all ears.

Dave

Next year's class is very small, more than likely only four players at most due to us only having three seniors right now (possibly two if Genoway gets a medical redshirt).

That said, next year's class is EXCELLENT on the defensive side. Forbort is one of the top-rated players for the next draft, and Nick Mattson was up there as well (they were ranked 11th and 95th in the latest CSB rankings). Danny Mattson and Rodwell are both players that will turn into great 3-4 year players at UND. So while the class is small, they will be good.

[redwing77]

We could always recruit all the top tier players in Minnesota and be as good as UMN the past few yea... oh wait.

In Hak I trust.

Remember: It's not the BEST players that wins games, it is the RIGHT players.

[stickboy1956]

Next year's class is very small, more than likely only four players at most due to us only having three seniors right now (possibly two if Genoway gets a medical redshirt).

That said, next year's class is EXCELLENT on the defensive side. Forbort is one of the top-rated players for the next draft, and Nick Mattson was up there as well (they were ranked 11th and 95th in the latest CSB rankings). Danny Mattson and Rodwell are both players that will turn into great 3-4 year players at UND. So while the class is small, they will be good.

Add Brock Nelson to the list (probably coming in 2011) and we will have 2 of the top 3 players from Minn that will be drafted this year.

[OLE YOULKININ]

Does anyone know what Hak's total compensation package amounts to annually?

[yzerman19]

$210,000 base, $52,500 in bonus incentives, and $50,000 in deferred compensation. So he makes $260,000 in a bad year and $312,500 if we win it all.

[brianvf]

I need to get into head coaching at a major college.

Hmm, new career path for brianvf?

[yzerman19]

Hak makes market for a big-time college hockey program.

Big time football and basketball coaches make 7 figures.

It is a 24 hour job. Hak is always the head coach of UND hockey. He must constantly sell it, promote it, and be an ambassador of it. He doesn't get to leave work at the office, so the freebies he gets in terms of rounds of golf, drinks, lunches, etc are all work related. I have no problem with his salary.

[siouxnami]

I need to get into head coaching at a major college.

Hmm, new career path for brianvf?

Unfortunately, qualifications are required...

[brianvf]

Unfortunately, qualifications are required...

Thanks for ruining my dream.

Thanks a lot.

[oldralph]

Thanks for ruining my dream.

Thanks a lot.

Maybe you could be a goalie coach. Lord knows we need one. How is Eidsness supposed to get any better without someone that knows how to coach goalies? To me he's regressed since last year. If you look at the schools that consistently put out good goalies (for instance Denver and Wisconsin) they have goalie coaches. Why doesn't UND? I just want to know. Eidsness needs work going side to side and no one seems to be addressing the issue. It's an easy fault to spot to someone trained to see it (no, not me but I have my sources) or so I've been told. Because he doesn't use the inside of his blades well he loses his balance often and doesn't move side to side gracefully. He also needs work on positioning as he's often out of position. And finally, maybe he needs glasses because how'd he lose sight of the puck on the faceoff Saturday night? Did he close his eyes?

[Goon]

Maybe you could be a goalie coach. Lord knows we need one. How is Eidsness supposed to get any better without someone that knows how to coach goalies? To me he's regressed since last year. If you look at the schools that consistently put out good goalies (for instance Denver and Wisconsin) they have goalie coaches. Why doesn't UND? I just want to know. Eidsness needs work going side to side and no one seems to be addressing the issue. It's an easy fault to spot to someone trained to see it (no, not me but I have my sources) or so I've been told. Because he doesn't use the inside of his blades well he loses his balance often and doesn't move side to side gracefully. He also needs work on positioning as he's often out of position. And finally, maybe he needs glasses because how'd he lose sight of the puck on the faceoff Saturday night? Did he close his eyes?

I was told by someone that one that asked one of the fighting sioux coaches why we don't have a goalie coach at UND. Apparently, all of these guys have their own private coach that they send video to and they get evaluated and they send them info back on their reviews of the video.

[xI Hammer Ix]

Hmm, while that is better than nothing, an actual coach would probably work a lot better. Unless these video coachs have been working with BE/Dell for a while i.e. before coming to UND.

[oldralph]

I was told by someone that one that asked one of the fighting sioux coaches why we don't have a goalie coach at UND. Apparently, all of these guys have their own private coach that they send video to and they get evaluated and they send them info back on their reviews of the video.

I guess that's one way to do it, but I'm guessing a hands on approach with the goalie coach there during games and practices would be more productive. Instant feedback as opposed to a mail it in approach. We have lots of former tenders and some in the area that would probably donate their time to help out with our goalies. I've heard Pierre Lamoureux is a great technical goalie and he's in town. Anyone ever ask him? He did a pretty good job with Phil... I'm not trying to volunteer him, I'm just saying we have some good past goalies that could help out with minimal costs to the program. The cost/benefit might be worth the effort.

[sprig]

And finally, maybe he needs glasses because how'd he lose sight of the puck on the faceoff Saturday night? Did he close his eyes?

Looked like noone in the TV picture on the ice knew where it was. Seemed that the first was Eids when he heard it bounce on the ice behind him. Suprised a referee didn't blow a whistle because he lost sight of it (or maybe the referee saw it).

[dagies]

Unfortunately, qualifications are required...

Hey, every one of us is as smart about the game as he is.