Hakstol to be named coach.

[The Sicatoka]

If Hakstol is the best man for the job, of all the possible candidates, after you look at them all, including possible surprises, which there always are, so be it.

The internal hire approach will leave too many folks open to question.

But let me be clear: If the job really is his, I hope Hak shuts us all up (or would that be has us all cheering?) in April.

[ScottM]

This is a national program, that brings the university national/international attention. This position is not some $9.35/hr position in the library to answer phones and "Shsssh" people.

To effectively give the position to Hakstol without even giving other potential candidates a look does a disservice to the program, the university and to Hakstol. Even if he were the eventual winner over Sandelin, Johnson, Berensen or whomever, he has the shadow of favortism over him. Moreover, he has no room for error, and no time to implement "his" program since he's taking over for Blais. He's stepping right into Blais' program and he had better not f**k it up. Anything less than a McNaughton Cup should be viewed as a failure, and that should be in his deal.

[jloos]

Agreed DG; I would say that RT didn't as much make a decision as he put off making one until the end of next season.

I have alot of confidence in Hakstol but as others have suggested, this is not the best way for him to get this job. Shortest leash ever is right Sicatoka. In fact, I think we can pretty much call him interim coach for the entire year. That is a disservice to Dave.

That being said, best wishes to Hakstol and let's hope that he starts a very successful tenure as coach by hanging #8 next April.

We will see next week when Hakstol is officially named, I'm sure they will release at least the length of his contract. I'm not sure if it is fair to give a guy one season to prove himself. I don't understand the need to have someone named right away. If the need is there DB should have given some notice that he was considering leaving, so UND could make arrangements. Not a very classy move by DB in my opinion.

[Goon]

We will see next week when Hakstol is officially named, I'm sure they will release at least the length of his contract. I'm not sure if it is fair to give a guy one season to prove himself. I don't understand the need to have someone named right away. If the need is there DB should have given some notice that he was considering leaving, so UND could make arrangements. Not a very classy move by DB in my opinion.

I would imagine it will be a one year contract.

[defensivend]

Here's food for thought: Sandy had only been an assistant coach when they gave him the coaching job for Duluth at UND he was one of the recruiters as well. He has done a great job but remember he was only an assistant. Dave and Brad are the recruiters here and they are the ones who have gone and brought these kids here yes Dean was a factor and so was the arena but they are the ones who got these kids to come so don't you think that Dave deserves his chance just like Sandy got. I for one do and I think that the system that is in place will continiue and so will the great recruiting that we have gotten from them will also continiue. Also remeber that a lot of these kids also have a loylaty to Dave and Brad and this will be able to continue and also they will know where they stand which is really good for the kids. We have a great tradition here and if for no other reason I believe Dave will not let that go down the tubes. As for Cary Eades coming as an assistant I hope not his sportsmanship leaves a lot to be desired.When they lost in the state tournament he wouldn't even go and shake hands and that is not the kind of attitude we want here. I've seen that more than once from him.

[CVCL]

Moreover, he has no room for error, and no time to implement "his" program since he's taking over for Blais.  He's stepping right into Blais' program and he had better not f**k it up.  Anything less than a McNaughton Cup should be viewed as a failure, and that should be in his deal.

Scott,

I'd say you're starting to sound like a blood curtling ditch dwelling goofer from Eagan.

You can hang yourself on a coatrack for ridiculous comments like this.

Now I know where/why your avatar came from.

I only expect the best from the Sioux because I bleed green and that has nothing to do with green backs. Lighten up and go watch basketball if you want the hire/fire mentality.

[jk]

Duck, everyone.

[sprig]

Duck, everyone.

Absolutely. Ducktober is not that far away

[CoteauRinkRat]

Bottom line - once a decision is made, we should suck it up and support whoever the coach will be. Outspoken fans in GF and around the country badmouthing our decision can only put a negative light on our great program. Enough lecturing.....

That is exactly my point, if they would open it up nationally and still hire Hak, it would really shut a lot of people up, but not doing that will leave a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths. I will support the coach, whoever it will be, but that does not mean I or others cannot criticize the process in which the coach was hired in the first place.

[defensivend]

You keep bringing up Steve Johnson as coach what makes you think he is more qualified than Hak he has no college coaching experience at all so what will make him better? Hak coached in the USHL and he has been an assistant in D1 for 4 years sooo what gives Johnson the edge??

[tboneund]

Hak is our coach, and I'm behind him 100%.

Right on!

I think he'll do a great job. The season hasn't even started and people are already complaining. Give the guy a chance people. If Hak wasn't the best guy for the job Dean would not have recommended him.

I am looking forward to watching the team succeed next year behind Coach Hakstol. I am also intrested to find out who will be on the list to move up into Berry's old position.

[schmidtdoggydog]

If the need is there DB should have given some notice that he was considering leaving, so UND could make arrangements. Not a very classy move by DB in my opinion.

That is assuming DB knew for some time that he was going to leave and had the Columbus contract sitting on his desk in the REA and just held off signing it, which is VERY doubtful.

The timing of his departure was not the greatest, but it would seem that the timing of the CBJ offer is entirely out of his control . . . at least that is what I would like to believe.

Keep in mind the NHL season just ended a few weeks ago and June is typically a hot time at that level for signing and resigning coaches and players.

Although I didn't want to see DB leave, for me this situation doesn't minimize the amount of class he has or what he did for UND.

[ScottM]

I only expect the best from the Sioux because I bleed green and that has nothing to do with green backs. Lighten up and go watch basketball if you want the hire/fire mentality.

If you really "bleed green" then you would expect more from the hiring process than expedient nepotism. I expect excellence across the board, not meely mouthed excuses about "summer recruiting" or "he was Blais' assistant". Accordingly, your boy should be able to pick up where Blais left off and take the team to Columbus. But we don't want to pressure him too much, otherwise he might come unglued and upset his dad-in-law, or the wife.

Lighten up? Sure, right when you remove your head from O'Keefe's ass.

[Bruce Ciskie]

I have a serious question. I am not trying to flame or anything like that.

What is the difference if Mr. Thomas formally opens a national search, and if he looks at the people who would probably apply if there was a national search (Sandelin, Johnson, Eades, etc.) without formally having one?

If he knows that either he'd hire Hakstol over Sandelin, Johnson, Eades, or anyone else (or if he has reason to believe any of the aforementioned would turn down the job if it was offered to them), why bother waiting and potentially jeopardize recruiting?

[Greenbayguy]

If one reads between the lines, it appears that the wheels are fairly well greased. 1. Hakstol is named coach (kind of a shame with Mel Pearson and Ron Rolston looking for a head position, not to mention Sandelin and Marks); 2. Berry will be named associate head (must be fun sitting at a news conference, having declared yourself interested in the position only to have DB give DH his vote of confidence); 3. Cary Eades returns to the campus of UND as the assistant coach (sportsman or not, he's a winner); and 4. Eades' leaving opens up the Warroad slot for David Marvin; which 5. causes Oshie to head for a junior program. Hope its USHL not major junior back in Washington so he can still become a Fighting Sioux.

I really hope that this is not a downward trend in Sioux hockey history, but I have to think it may be. The contract shouldn't be more than two years.

[jloos]

The timing of his departure was not the greatest, but it would seem that the timing of the CBJ offer is entirely out of his control . . . at least that is what I would like to believe.

Keep in mind the NHL season just ended a few weeks ago and June is typically a hot time at that level for signing and resigning coaches and players.

Although I didn't want to see DB leave, for me this situation doesn't minimize the amount of class he has or what he did for UND.

True. I still think DB is a very classy guy, he is respected throughout college hockey. Which is why I doubt the need to hire someone within a week. The offer from Columbus likely did come at the last minute. DB is in a very difficult situation with his wife, I can't imagine having to make a decision like that at such a bad time.

I agree with Sicatoka and others that by not opening up the job nationally it hurts the reputation of the program and Hakstol. I think Hakstol is just as qualified as anyone else, he has head coaching experience in the USHL and is familiar with the Sioux program. I think it is likely he would have gotten the job even if it was opened up nationally. But who knows what kind of applicants they would have gotten?

[jk]

Bruce, I have to hope that is exactly what Roger Thomas did.

I think the reasons so many people are upset are two-fold:

1. They would have preferred Sandelin, or even Johnson.

2. The idea that they hired Hakstol partly because of the potential effect on two months worth of recruiting seems ridiculous. I hope Thomas makes no mention of this "crucial" factor when they announce the hiring. Instead tell us he is the best unproven coach in the country, and you would have chosen him over everyone even if he were the outside candidate.

[CVCL]

"expect more from the hiring process"

"expect excellence"

"pick up where Blais left off"

"take the team to Columbus"

"don't want to pressure him too much"

"Lighten up"

I couldn't agree more to any of the above.

But to tell the next coach he better produce or he's out?

That's miscontrued nepotism to the fickle masses.

Go read any of my posts, I've always supported Hakstol and the nation search.

[Bruce Ciskie]

I think the reasons so many people are upset are two-fold:

1. They would have preferred Sandelin, or even Johnson.

2. The idea that they hired Hakstol partly because of the potential effect on two months worth of recruiting seems ridiculous. I hope Thomas makes no mention of this "crucial" factor when they announce the hiring. Instead tell us he is the best unproven coach in the country, and you would have chosen him over everyone even if he were the outside candidate.

1. Who wouldn't have preferred Sandelin? Maybe there was reason to believe Sandelin wouldn't have accepted. It's not like Blais and Sandelin never talked after he left UND for Duluth.

2. Someone else said it: If UND loses a recruit in those two months because they're busy looking for a new coach, nobody would let them forget it. Because the need for depth in this day and age is so great, and the competition for top players is unbelieveable compared to 15 years ago, you can't afford to miss out on two months of recruiting. If UND is asleep at the wheel, they might very well lose major players to league rivals.

[dwschmid]

5. causes Oshie to head for a junior program. Hope its USHL not major junior back in Washington so he can still become a Fighting Sioux.

I really hope that this is not a downward trend in Sioux hockey history, but I have to think it may be. The contract shouldn't be more than two years.

Which WHL team has Oshie protected?

[mksioux]

I forgot to mention the name of this approach:

Don't ask, don't know.

How do you know they didn't ask? Just because the job wasn't "formally" opened up nationally doesn't necessarily mean there weren't "informal" conversations with people who might be candidates (even long-shot candidates) to see if they are interested. Just a thought.

[jloos]

If one reads between the lines, it appears that the wheels are fairly well greased. 1. Hakstol is named coach (kind of a shame with Mel Pearson and Ron Rolston looking for a head position, not to mention Sandelin and Marks); 2. Berry will be named associate head (must be fun sitting at a news conference, having declared yourself interested in the position only to have DB give DH his vote of confidence); 3. Cary Eades returns to the campus of UND as the assistant coach (sportsman or not, he's a winner); and 4. Eades' leaving opens up the Warroad slot for David Marvin; which 5. causes Oshie to head for a junior program. Hope its USHL not major junior back in Washington so he can still become a Fighting Sioux.

I really hope that this is not a downward trend in Sioux hockey history, but I have to think it may be. The contract shouldn't be more than two years.

No disrespect to Pearson or Rolston, but neither have any ties to UND nor have they any experience recruiting from UND's traditional areas. Michigan pretty much stays with MI kids and USDT kids, and a few Ontario kids. Boston sticks with the East coasters for the most part. BC has the Eaves from SSM, but I believe Rolston was still at Harvard when they were recruited.

Hiring Hakstol is in no way a "downward trend" IMO, he is very capable. The only problem I have is in the way he's hired.

I've heard Eades isn't the nicest guy before, but he gets results. Plus as Warroad coach he has a lot of recruiting experience . Seriously he should give UND a good "in" with the Northern MN kids.

Why would Oshie leave for MJ's because his high school coach took a job at the college he committed to? I would think he would be excited to be familiar with one of the coaches.

[airmail]

Plus as Warroad coach he has a lot of recruiting experience .

The money line. Well done.

[siouxbear1]

I talked to Dean on Saturday at the boys hockey camp...asked him how long this has been in the works and he said only two weeks. He's a good friend of the family and I know he was being honest with me. His exact words were..."it's been a whirlwind!"

Can hardly wait to see the new Sioux NHL team!

[Canuck]

In all honesty, this thread makes me want to puke.

It sure is nice to see the self-proclaimed "best college hockey fans in the nation" supporting our newest head coach, a coach our previous coach publicly and vehemently endorsed. A coach our previous coach hired four years ago without this perceived "head coaching track record." A coach our previous coach had so much faith in, he promoted him to Associated Head Coach in his FIRST YEAR AS HIS ASSISTANT.

Not to be condescending, but what do you guys REALLY know about the candidates? Hell, what do I REALLY KNOW about the candidates? We look at the year-by-year W-L of each and that's about it. The rest is all second-hand knowledge. We don't know how these guys run a practice. We don't know what their recruiting approach is. We don't know what their demeanor is on the bench. Or in the locker room.

To quote former NFL coach Jim Mora: "You think you know, but you don't know."

Now, if I may be the voice of reason here, in 1978 fans were screaming that Union coach Ned Harkness replace Rube Bjorkman as UND's head coach. Against public opionon, some dude named John Gasparini got the nod. Hmmm. What did he ever do.

Then, in 1994, Gino was canned. The public was outraged. A good portion of Sioux fans preferred either Paul Pooley (??) or Mark Mazzoleni (who is now the coach at freaking Green Bay) among the three finalists. The third finalist, Dean Blais, won out. Sure, he spent nine years as an assistant at UND. But sheesh, the guy had spent the last two years as a high school coach.

Here we are 10 years later lamenting that UND screwed up in its search for a replacement for a legend. Again.

It's been 26 years since UND fans criticized the hiring of Gasparini. It's been 10 since he was fired and Blais was hired. In that time, we've won five national titles and sent 50-plus players to the NHL.

Now, would anyone care to share their qualifications in evaluating head coaching candidates?