Michigan Tech

[choyt3]

Listened to Beyond the Pond on KFAN this morning... (had many great things to say about North Dakota, btw).

Interesting speculation about who will be the next coach of Tech. One name brought up was Dean Blais. I don't know which hour it was in, so here's links to both. As I said, interesting.

Hour One

Hour Two

[dagies]

Wow, that doesn't make any sense to me from my vantage point, but I think that would be great for Tech.

[sioux rube]

I have heard on another web site that Hill from minny is in the mix. All I can say is why?

[coach daddy]

Don't believe there is any way Blais goes to Tech. The people at UNO are committed to hockey, hell they just dropped football and wrestling to make hockey their deal. He'll get paid to stay in Omaha.

[jodcon]

I have heard on another web site that Hill from minny is in the mix. All I can say is why?

Hill?

Haven't they suffered enough?

[tho0505]

Blais to MTU? Hahaha, I needed a good laugh today.

[sioux rube]

Hill?

Haven't they suffered enough?

My thoughts exactly.

[redwing77]

Hill?

Haven't they suffered enough?

Maybe someone needs to tell the MTU AD that hiring a coach that can guarantee you last place isn't a good thing. Why?

1. Unlike professional sports, finishing dead last doesn't get you the first pick of the following year's crop of players.

2. Just because this would guarantee the team something doesn't mean that the guarantee is worth having.

On the other side of the coin:

Every Minnesota fan is secretly going "DO IT, MTU! DO IT!"

For what it is worth, if MTU doesn't go after Mel Pearson again, they're stupid.

[MafiaMan]

There is ZERO chance of Dean Blais going to Michigan Tech. Zero.

[ScottM]

Maybe they can lure Craig Dahl or Doug Woog.

[NorthDakotaHockey]

Everyone worries about what kids are leaving early. I have said for a long time that the next Michigan Tech coach is going to be our own Coach Eades.

Will hate to see him go for sure, but will not be surprised to see him go at all. He deserves a head job. If he wants one, this is it.

[Ranger]

Steve Johnson?

[Goon]

Everyone worries about what kids are leaving early. I have said for a long time that the next Michigan Tech coach is going to be our own Coach Eades.

Will hate to see him go for sure, but will not be surprised to see him go at all. He deserves a head job. If he wants one, this is it.

Carey's name was mentioned in the Minning Gazette or an UP newspaper a while back as being one option.

[Chewey]

Why would anyone want to coach at Tech? It's not a career boost, to be sure. It's not like the coaches they've had have been bad. It's not like the olden days when Tech got some really good players from Northern Michigan and Ontario who wanted to stay close to home. They've had some great players over the years, like Tony Esposito and Andy Sutton and Jamie Ram and many others. Now, top notch players don't want to be stuck way up in Houghton. That's just my kind of area though. I've heard that Michigan Tech has a pretty rigorous curriculum and I'm sure they do but I am not sure what potential athletes have to do. Are they obligated to take all of the math and science and physics courses there or can they take things like psychology or sociology or history? Michigan Tech is, after all, a technical school so I am not sure if it even offers many courses in the Humanities or social sciences. Like me, not every one is cracked up to be an engineer or physicist (thank God). I'd like to see MTU good again like they were in the 60's and 70's when they spanked their national title opponents by 5 and 6 goal margins. They were .500 a couple of years ago and they had some good teams in the 90's, so it's not like it can't be done I guess. Players of some years back such as David Backes and Mike Peluso, Junior Lessard, etc. could have thrived there because of their love of fishing and the outdoors but Houghton is not for everyone. The are probably THE founding member of the WCHA so I'd like to see them stay in the league rather than bolting to the CCHA. It would make sense to get NMU back into the league, I think.

[MafiaMan]

They are probably THE founding member of the WCHA so I'd like to see them stay in the league rather than bolting to the CCHA. It would make sense to get NMU back into the league, I think.

I couldn't agree more with your first statement. I have heard lots of younger fans gripe about how the WCHA should just kick Michigan Tech out of the conference. I always tell them to read their WCHA history books and reconsider. However, Northern Michigan might have screwed its own pooch this time.

1977-78 - NMU joins CCHA.

1984-1985 - NMU leaves CCHA for WCHA.

1997-1998 - NMU decides to head back to the CCHA.

I'm sure if the WCHA wanted the Wildcats back in the conference bad enough, there would have been feelers put out there before Bemidji State and Nebraska Omaha joined. From a travel standpoint, NMU is a long ways away from most WCHA schools.

[Runninwiththedogs]

Why would anyone want to coach at Tech? It's not a career boost, to be sure.

It is if the coach turns the program around. A young, ambitious, energetic guy would definitely see this as a challenge to be tackled, not a problem to be avoided.

[star2city]

I couldn't agree more with your first statement. I have heard lots of younger fans gripe about how the WCHA should just kick Michigan Tech out of the conference. I always tell them to read their WCHA history books and reconsider. However, Northern Michigan might have screwed its own pooch this time.

1977-78 - NMU joins CCHA.

1984-1985 - NMU leaves CCHA for WCHA.

1997-1998 - NMU decides to head back to the CCHA.

I'm sure if the WCHA wanted the Wildcats back in the conference bad enough, there would have been feelers put out there before Bemidji State and Nebraska Omaha joined. From a travel standpoint, NMU is a long ways away from most WCHA schools.

Really, to get the MTU program back on track, it almost has to leave the WCHA for a much more weakened CCHA. In the CCHA, it would have a chance to escape the basement. Escaping the basement in the WCHA would be much more difficult. In the 70's and 80's, coaching could overcome MTU's geographical and demographic issues. Not anymore as Houghton's disadvantages are growing only more pronounced. It's more important now for MTU to maintain annual games with Michigan and Mich State, than with Minnesota and Wisconsin, as Mich and Mich St may be tying up their holiday tournaments that previously included MTU with other CCHA schools. But more than anything, MTU needs a reasonable chance of winning, which will be provided by playing against schools with similar rink/facility situations like NMU, LSSU, Ferris, and WMU.

The truth is: MTU leaving the WCHA would be helpful for both. The WCHA then has an open slot to attract another higher profile school, like Iowa State, for example. Michigan Tech would get better attendance from more wins and more games with local rivals NMU and LSSU.

[Runninwiththedogs]

Really, to get the MTU program back on track, it almost has to leave the WCHA for a much more weakened CCHA. In the CCHA, it would have a chance to escape the basement. Escaping the basement in the WCHA would be much more difficult. In the 70's and 80's, coaching could overcome MTU's geographical and demographic issues. Not anymore as Houghton's disadvantages are growing only more pronounced. It's more important now for MTU to maintain annual games with Michigan and Mich State, than with Minnesota and Wisconsin, as Mich and Mich St may be tying up their holiday tournaments that previously included MTU with other CCHA schools. But more than anything, MTU needs a reasonable chance of winning, which will be provided by playing against schools with similar rink/facility situations like NMU, LSSU, Ferris, and WMU.

The truth is: MTU leaving the WCHA would be helpful for both. The WCHA then has an open slot to attract another higher profile school, like Iowa State, for example. Michigan Tech would get better attendance from more wins and more games with local rivals NMU and LSSU.

The GLI is Michigan Tech's tournament, not UMAA or MSU's. And I'm sorry, but I'd rather have Michigan Tech than Iowa State any day of the year. Why trade a program with history and with our league's TROPHY for a program with no history, no fan base, and a team that won't be any better? The Small6 will have plenty of non-conference opportunities that they won't need to ditch Tech; if they wanted to pull out of the GLI they would have a long, long time ago.

[The Sicatoka]

Steve Johnson?

Steve took an assistant job at a WCHA school for a reason. Normally that reason is that it's a step toward a head job at a WCHA school.

[MafiaMan]

Really, to get the MTU program back on track, it almost has to leave the WCHA for a much more weakened CCHA. In the CCHA, it would have a chance to escape the basement. Escaping the basement in the WCHA would be much more difficult. In the 70's and 80's, coaching could overcome MTU's geographical and demographic issues. Not anymore as Houghton's disadvantages are growing only more pronounced. It's more important now for MTU to maintain annual games with Michigan and Mich State, than with Minnesota and Wisconsin, as Mich and Mich St may be tying up their holiday tournaments that previously included MTU with other CCHA schools. But more than anything, MTU needs a reasonable chance of winning, which will be provided by playing against schools with similar rink/facility situations like NMU, LSSU, Ferris, and WMU.

The truth is: MTU leaving the WCHA would be helpful for both. The WCHA then has an open slot to attract another higher profile school, like Iowa State, for example. Michigan Tech would get better attendance from more wins and more games with local rivals NMU and LSSU.

[MafiaMan]

While I will concede somewhat that Michigan Tech's best route to respectability might be playing NMU, LSSU, Bowling Green, Ferris State, and Western Michigan, I am not buying the 'high profile' view of Ames Iowa as a great hockey road trip. Houghton Michigan is a great hockey town. Keep it in the WCHA.