Hockey snowflake thread
It's time for Red to retire. Great guy and great coach for us for two decades however no one can be as good when they're pushing 80 as they were when they were 55. We're most likely not going to have a line like this again and we still lost to Ohio State twice, MSU, and tied Wisconsin twice this year while not winning the big ten regular season. Wiseman also can't be the guy as he's done nothing here to warrant being coach.
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A pity you didn't watch any others. North Dakota is truly a terrific team; Michigan had trouble with them. But against teams Michigan matched up well against, they were delightful to watch. Never a complete team, which is why I thought a national title was a bridge too far this season, but a blast nonetheless.
So, hire their coach?
The new guy is just piloting the ship Hakstol built. No clue if this guy knows what he's doing. Won't know for 3-5 more years
Can't get him anyway, he'd be a fool to leave. One of the crown jewel positions of the sport.
March 26th, 2016 at 10:03 PM ^
Michigan is THE crown jewel. 9 championships + probably the most money/brand recognition of any other college hockey team in the country.
March 26th, 2016 at 10:08 PM ^
This adage is so overused on this board. It's not football.
A guy who grew up in an area, spent his playing career in that area and became a coach in that area is not dropping everything and leaving because Michigan calls.
March 26th, 2016 at 10:13 PM ^
What. If anything, we are better as a program at hockey than football. Most frozen fours and national championships.
March 26th, 2016 at 10:20 PM ^
North Dakota is right there.
And, importantly, has better history recently. A majority of our national titles occurred before 1960. That doesn't make them illegitimate, and they look just as good in the rafters, but North Dakota has unquestionably been stronger in more recent decades. It makes sense when you ask yourself which program status you would choose as our own between Notre Dame and Alabama; ND has more history, Alabama is great and is a lot better in recent vintage.
If Michigan were far and away the destination program in college hockey, we would have a lot of these great players that go play for other teams.
March 26th, 2016 at 10:29 PM ^
Keep living under a rock. If I've spent my entire life living, playing and coaching in Boston or Minnesota or North Dakota there's no way I'm leaving for Michigan because of how many Frozen Fours you've been to.
March 26th, 2016 at 10:32 PM ^
I don't think he would leave either but we clearly have our advantages in certain areas like money and recruiting.
March 27th, 2016 at 11:18 AM ^
March 26th, 2016 at 10:15 PM ^
Firstly, I'm not vouching for hiring UND's coach. Secondly, it's not like Red is leaving this program in shambles.
Michigan is in a prime spot to get a solid hire, better than most schools can do given the program history/resources.
That can't be denied imo.
March 26th, 2016 at 10:16 PM ^
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March 26th, 2016 at 10:13 PM ^
We are *A* crown jewel, but on hockey-only terms, North Dakota has a better arena, better fan support (ours is good, theirs is bananas), and is the top team in their athletic department. They sit astride a remarkable recruiting field that both offers quality access to western Canada and close proximity to poach some of the best players from Minnesota, the top source for amateur players in the country, yet rarely has to compete with the WHL for players the way Michigan has to fight with the OHL.
It's no shame to Michigan to recognize these things. We are, frankly, fortunate that North Dakota hasn't won a title in 16 years. They could very easily be tied with us, and might get closer this season.
March 26th, 2016 at 10:22 PM ^
I'll give you bigger fanbase and top sport in their athletic department but we also have a great arena in Yost and access to top talent in Michigan, Ontario, and the USNDT.
March 26th, 2016 at 10:25 PM ^
North Dakota struggles to breakthrough in the tournament even worse than us. If they played the tournament in a best of blank format, they'd probably have added several more national titles since they last won in 2000. They're an exceptional program in an exceptional recruiting position
March 26th, 2016 at 10:00 PM ^
Hakstol's coaching of the Flyers is starting to finally take shape. Playing better as the year goes on for sure.
The Michigan fans made some high pitch noise every time Michigan cleared the puck during a penalty kill. Not something I have ever heard before.
Compher played great, so did Racine. Kile had a few great plays.
Downing did downing things unfortunately. There just seemed no way to get in the UND zone with any possession.
I don't know enough about hockey to say why this happened, definitely would like to hear from those who know more.
There isn't a guy on the blueline besides Werenski who knows what to do with the puck if he has to take more than 1 stride.
It looked to me like Michigan held their own in the faceoff department.
I suspect you were nowhere near the arena in which the game was played, but since you want to play--
Downing was not bad--no one Michigan player was "bad" and no one player played "great"
What did happen--and by the way Kile was completely neutralized, as was Werenski--is that Michigan ran into a much better team, a much more prepared team, and a team that know HOW to combat everything Michigan does--which, to be honest, really isn't much.
If ANY player on this Michigan team leaves early to go pro--except Werenski or Compher--it's a huge mistake.
March 26th, 2016 at 10:00 PM ^
It started at Yost either in the 08-09 or 09-10 seasons I think on a St Pattys weekend game. I'm pretty proud of that one because it's a Yost original. Some guy just started doing it every time we cleared it on the PK and everyone else picked it up over the next few games
And my personal take on the game is that we fought well against a team clearly better than us. We've looked far worse against far worse competition this year. The metal lapses were still there (both turnovers leading to both initial goals), but for all their imperfections they fought hard these last two games and went out honorably. It is what it is. Easiest season end I've ever seen
March 26th, 2016 at 10:36 PM ^
March 27th, 2016 at 12:49 AM ^
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March 26th, 2016 at 10:00 PM ^
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Not sure if I should bother arguing with someone who just wants to flame, but I'm trying to look past your points total, since I was in a similar spot not long ago:
You're not getting negged and flamed because you're annoyed that someone who has watched only one game is underwhelmed. I mean, I get that, I've been there. My wife and I were sitting at the Joe at the 2004 CCHA championship, watching a rather talented Michigan team get cleanly beaten by an Ohio State team playing their third game in three days. Thing is, OSU was playing an incredible game more than Michigan was spitting the bit. The thing that annoyed me was the jerk behind me who kept whining that he drove from Howell to the game to see a hockey team he had never seen once before the entire season, and griping about how terrible the players were because they weren't producing the way he thought they should for his benefit. And he was spilling beer everywhere.
It was obnoxious and selfish and I, as someone who had seen that team play in person something like 30 times that season, found his cruel behavior toward them offensive.
So I get it.
Your opinion isn't the issue; your choice to be a jerk about it is. If you bothered to think about what you wrote and actually compose posts in a reasonable manner, people would listen and might even be persuaded.
Instead you're vomiting bile and flame, and people think you're a jerk, and don't even notice any issues you might bring up.
Just thinking out loud here, from someone recently rescued from negative points to someone else in that spot.
March 26th, 2016 at 10:01 PM ^
March 26th, 2016 at 10:16 PM ^
Pity, really; you claim to be a hockey fan. Michigan's hockey fans are, for the most part, a classy group, capable of interesting and insightful conversation about the sport. You would be an asset to the fanbase if you bothered to care. Instead, you have chosen to find significance in being a troll. You could find value in your own merits as a person, but that would require effort.
March 26th, 2016 at 10:02 PM ^
March 27th, 2016 at 11:06 AM ^
March 26th, 2016 at 10:12 PM ^
March 26th, 2016 at 10:13 PM ^
This guy says the same thing every year. Never provides a vaild argument or any reasonable points about the game, just keeps bringing up that he has season tickets and is in the Dekers Club as if it makes him more knowledgeable than everyone else.
March 26th, 2016 at 10:17 PM ^
The Dekers Club bit explains a lot.
That is, it demonstrates that he is almost certainly just making everything up. Which is about what I expected.
March 26th, 2016 at 10:24 PM ^
March 26th, 2016 at 10:24 PM ^
March 26th, 2016 at 10:26 PM ^
but you should quit drinking and go to bed
March 26th, 2016 at 10:27 PM ^
March 26th, 2016 at 10:30 PM ^
Is this where you start ranting about Republicans and Donald Trump now?
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