There is some buzz on Twitter that Mike Hastings could be in consideration for Michigan State and BU jobs.
Repeated on Joe Schmit's sport segment this evening.
There is some buzz on Twitter that Mike Hastings could be in consideration for Michigan State and BU jobs.
Repeated on Joe Schmit’s sport segment this evening.
My $$$ says Hastings gets an extension at Mankato out of all this speculation.
Does he have an agent?
IIRC the National Hockey Center has puny visitor locker rooms as well. I think visiting teams usually take up 3 locker rooms to fit all of their players, staff, equipment, etc. I haven’t been in there since the renovation however. I will be there this weekend, so I’ll make sure to check it out again for curiosity.
I attended SCSU and was there when they built the addition and have been to dozens of games… The addition looks really nice, but was essentially putting lipstick on a pig. I’ve been in nicer high school arenas, but for big games it is a fun and loud atmosphere. They are planning an upgrade to the scoreboard and sound system which are greatly needed: https://wjon.com/scoreboard-sound-system-upgrades-planned-for-hockey-center/
There is some buzz on Twitter that Mike Hastings could be in consideration for Michigan State and BU jobs.
Repeated on Joe Schmit’s sport segment this evening.
My $$$ says Hastings gets an extension at Mankato out of all this speculation.
He signed an extension a couple years ago but it could happen. As far as a raise goes, there are limitations what MSU can offer him since hockey is over half the entire athletic department budget from my understanding. They can offer him years but I think there is a limit as to the number of dollars they can do. Just my 2 cents.
I am the official Iowa Hawkeye football fan of GPL!
Jess adding fire this morning saying his sources say that he would be Sparty's top candidate for the job.
Personally, I would really like to see Hastings at Michigan State. He would be a great addition to the conference and I think he and his brand of hockey would fit in really well there. As others have mentioned, it only helps the B1G if MSU is good, bringing in decent recruits and making the tournament. As long as it’s not at the expense of the Gophers I’d like to see them be competitive again.
I don’t think I’m ready for Michigan State to be relevant. How weird would that feel.
I hope Hastings does NOT go to Mich. State. His “ clog up the neutral zone” style of hockey is boring to watch. We have Notre Dame play that way and that is enough.
I'm ready for it. It adds a little intrigue at least to MSU matchups that I really haven't cared whatsoever about.
Over the last week I've found it interesting at how people are reacting to Mike Hastings being listed as a coach of interest in job openings. Why wouldn't BU, BC, or Michigan State or even Michigan if they jettison Mel be interested in Hastings leading their program? Why is the thought that Hastings is so entrenched here in Mankato he will never leave?
Do I think Hastings will leave for a job this off season? I have no idea but I would lean that he won't. I don't know what his perfect situation would be for him to leave. I do not see him as a NHL coach, if he doesn't want to leave Mankato then he doesn't have the interest in that meat grinder and would be spit out as fast as Montgomery was in Dallas.
Nobody thought Bob would leave St Cloud but he did because he wanted the challenge to bring the U back to where it was. Now Bob had history with the U whereas Hastings has no history outside the state of Minnesota as far as college hockey goes. I do think he wants a challenge, he accepts assistant positions on the world stage to fill that. There will come a time where he will either look for a bigger challenge at the college level or walk away. I think there is a real challenge for him in the next two years post Richter "Ben Johnson" McKay and the eventual departure of his recruiting guru Todd Knott. But Hastings flame is burning too hot for him not to at least entertain looking at a different program to lead.
I am the official Iowa Hawkeye football fan of GPL!
I don’t know what his perfect situation would be for him to leave.
I'll give a hint. $$$
Nobody thought Bob would leave St Cloud but he did because he wanted the challenge to bring the U back to where it was.
Or... $$$ and resources
Nobody thought Bob would leave St Cloud but he did because he wanted the challenge to bring the U back to where it was.
Or… $$$ and resources
According to Mav fans...the MNSCU system will be able to pay him well enough. 
I am the official Iowa Hawkeye football fan of GPL!
Mankato can probably compete on salary but MSU may be able to load him up on "options".
Well butter my bread...I would have thought Michigan State would have paid out more for a coach, I guess not. After googling salaries at both Mankato and Michigan State it appears Hastings does get paid more in Mankato. $351k here in Mankato while Michigan State only paid Danton Cole $307k. I would agree though that the outside income and other options is where Mankato couldn't compete.
I am the official Iowa Hawkeye football fan of GPL!
Also, MSU might write a bigger check for an established head coach that's had the success that Hastings has.
Even aside from personal compensation/benefits, just the resources available to the program as a whole would be a huge step up.
B1G refs... corrupt, or just incompetent?
Maybe some clarity from Madison after todays meetings...
I'm 50% factual and 50% sarcastic. When you get to know me, you will know which is which.
I'm 50% factual and 50% sarcastic. When you get to know me, you will know which is which.
What a joke of a program.
I'm surprised Wiscy didn't make a run at Hastings.
Commentary: It's time to revisit the idea of home regionals again
The game, played in Grand Rapids, Mich., drew the smallest crowd to watch any UND men's hockey game in seven years.
Down the road in Toledo, Ohio, St. Cloud State reached its first-ever Frozen Four by winning a game in front of the smallest crowd to watch the Huskies all season outside of a series at Alaska Anchorage.
The NCAA men's hockey regionals were a highly debated topic at the time because of the attendance issues.
But the overwhelming majority of Division-I men's hockey coaches remained steadfast in their belief that regionals should be played at neutral sites — not on campus or in home arenas. It's too big of an advantage to play NCAA tournament games at home, the vast majority of coaches said.
They vowed to explore other avenues to improve regional attendance — ticket prices, fan experience, locations and more.
But here we are, a decade later, and nothing has changed.
When Minnesota State and Harvard took the ice to open this year's NCAA tournament in Albany, N.Y., there were roughly 500 fans in the stands.
The nightcap in Albany featured two of college hockey's heavyweights — North Dakota vs. Notre Dame. It drew 2,345 fans, the smallest crowd to watch a North Dakota hockey game all year and second smallest to see Notre Dame.
This is not a slight at Albany. The people there did a fine job running the regional. But with three participating teams more than 700 miles from home, there was no saving it — not game times, not ticket prices, not fan experience.
The NCAA men's hockey coaching body will meet this week in Naples, Fla. to discuss issues facing the sport. The regionals should be a priority. Coaches and administrators cannot avert their eyes from this recurring problem or pretend that it's not bad and will go away.
Is there another sport, anywhere, that accepts playing its biggest games in front of its smallest crowds?
There are a number of college hockey players and fans who have stories similar to the one Mike Commodore tells.
The towering defenseman from Alberta had no plans to play college hockey. He took a visit to North Dakota because it was a free trip. When he got to the arena and experienced the packed crowd, the students, the band, the chants — everything that makes a college hockey atmosphere like nothing else in the sport — Commodore was hooked.
He went to UND, won an NCAA national championship and remained so tied to the school and city that he brought the Stanley Cup back to campus after winning it in 2006.
Every fan probably has their own story of how they got hooked.
But when college hockey gets to the national tournament, it does away with much of what makes it special.
The players, competing in what should be the most memorable games of their lives, too often do it in front of empty stadiums with no atmosphere.
The fans, who pack arenas all season along, too often don't have a chance to attend. If it requires a plane flight, few are booking tickets on less than a week's notice. They'll wait for the Frozen Four instead.
And there's little chance to win over new fans.
The NCAA tournament games are on national television in both the United States and Canada. When casual fans or NHL prospect followers flip it on, they too often see empty seats.
Some will turn the channel immediately and understandably so. Look at TV sports ratings during the pandemic, when teams were playing in limited-capacity buildings. They plummeted across the board. Great atmospheres are a huge part of what makes sports compelling.
The fans who don't turn the channel watch a version of college hockey that's completely foreign to what we witness all season long.
Men's hockey coaches, administrators and the NCAA don't need to make any big decisions this week or this summer. The tournament format will remain the same for at least the next four years, because regional sites are locked in for 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026.
But the debates, research and discussions need to begin now, so college hockey is prepared to make a well-informed decision on the regionals when bids come up again in two or three years.
One idea college hockey needs to seriously explore is going to home sites for the NCAA regionals.
We've seen the potential in the Big Ten and the WCHA/CCHA, which recently moved their postseason conference tournaments entirely to home sites.
The Mayo Clinic Event Center in Mankato, Minn., was packed for the CCHA title game between Minnesota State and Bemidji State. Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis set an attendance record for Minnesota's Big Ten title game against Michigan this season.
The raucous atmospheres at both of those games is how you get new fans hooked on the sport and it's how you create longtime memories for the players and coaches.
Considering that, the idea that makes the most sense to me is opening the 16-team with eight best-of-three series at the home site of the higher seed. That guarantees incredible atmospheres for every game, revenue for the NCAA and a reward for teams that finish in the top eight of the Pairwise Rankings.
The following week, there could be a super regional, much like the NCAA does for its postseason baseball tournament. The higher seeds could once again host either a series or a single game to go to the Frozen Four.
If you want the week off heading into the Frozen Four to remain in place, the calendar would have to be adjusted or else teams would have to get rid of a bye week to fit it in.
If not, the other option is rolling right into the Frozen Four with no week off, just like basketball does for the Final Four.
The Frozen Four itself can remain the same. It continues to be very successful at pre-determined NHL arenas — whether local teams make it or not, as this year proved.
The biggest pushback will be from coaches who think the home regional setup is too big of an advantage for the home teams. It certainly is an advantage. But at least it's an advantage earned through five months of regular-season play — not because their administration submitted a good bid four years ago.
There will be pushback from those who think this stacks the deck in favor of the bigger and more prominent schools. But under the current system, UND could bid for a regional in Fargo every year and play de facto home games annually en route to the NCAA Frozen Four. Right now, UND has been bidding every other year for Scheels Arena — and winning every bid.
There will be pushback from those who thinks this format eliminates upsets and the Cinderella story. But is there even such thing under the current format anymore? No. 4 seeds beat No. 1 seeds so often that it barely creates a ripple anymore.
When it comes down to voting on potential new regional formats, most coaches and administrators will vote based on what they think gives their teams the best shot to get to the Frozen Four. Some programs quietly don't mind the idea of playing in an empty building. It's better than playing a road game from their perspective.
But that's not good for the sport.
In the meantime, the new day off between the regional semifinals and the regional championship was a big hit with the coaches — even those that played Thursday and had a quick turnaround from their conference championship the week prior.
The day off also allowed all 15 NCAA tournament games to have their own timeslot and spotlight — a great development for college hockey fans.
While both of those were big wins for the tournament, attendance was again a problem — and not one NCAA coaches and administrators should overlook.
It's time? It has been time...
Going to two regionals instead of four is the least they can do... It's not hard.
Two games Thurs, Two games Fri, One game Sat, One game Sun
Two ticket packages, with something like buy one get one 50% off to encourage all session sales.
They even gave Granato a year extension. 
Michigan does not have a coach at the coach meetings in Florida. Would think that means Mel is gone.
I'm certainly ready for a better MSU. One of the chief arguments for the BTHC was "I'd rather play Michigan State" when, other than name recognition from football and basketball, they haven't offered much in 4 games each season that UAA and BSU didn't in 4-6 games in the old WCHA. If Hastings were to move to East Lansing and get them to do more than just tease that they might be better before falling apart, that would be a gain from the realignment.
Not every disease is visible. Not every pain comes from an obvious wound. Some people you see day-to-day may be suffering in ways you or I may never understand and fighting just to live a normal life. Please consider contributing to the Facial Pain Association and together we can find a cure.
I'm 50% factual and 50% sarcastic. When you get to know me, you will know which is which.
Any move that makes the BIG10 more competitive will be good for Minnesota. I’d like to see Hastings go to MSU so they can at least put up a fight and make things more interesting. Even though I hate Wisconsin, when they’re good, it makes the rivalry more enjoyable.
We should want every B1G team to go undefeated except when they play the Gophers. When our rivals are trash, that isn't good.
If Hastings goes to Sparty will we figure out a way to break the puck out of our own zone against them?
If Hastings goes to Sparty will we figure out a way to break the puck out of our own zone against them?
Depends if the refs ever call the blatant penalties they commit when forechecking.
Commentary: It’s time to revisit the idea of home regionals again
Imagine that... college hockey decision makers incapable of making proactive/smart big picture decisions.
College hockey is too fractured. Some programs are forward thinking and will look for ways to push the game to a better place while other programs want gridlock because they don't think they can truly compete in the long haul if anything changes.
So we end up with a shittier product in the end. Brilliant.
Commentary: It’s time to revisit the idea of home regionals again
Imagine that… college hockey decision makers incapable of making proactive/smart big picture decisions. College hockey is too fractured. Some programs are forward thinking and will look for ways to push the game to a better place while other programs want gridlock because they don’t think they can truly compete in the long haul if anything changes. So we end up with a shittier product in the end. Brilliant.
Home Regionals simply make sense…who wants to play in front of 500 fans? And teams that have nice facilities & are willing to host them should be considered 1st. I get it, some coaches don’t give a damn about the atmosphere, but the NCAA certainly should, in addition the NCAA prices the tickets unreasonably & has for going on 15 years, so you’d think they’d want more bodies in the building, besides the paltry money they get from ESPN.
Well butter my bread…I would have thought Michigan State would have paid out more for a coach, I guess not. After googling salaries at both Mankato and Michigan State it appears Hastings does get paid more in Mankato. $351k here in Mankato while Michigan State only paid Danton Cole $307k. I would agree though that the outside income and other options is where Mankato couldn’t compete.
MSU is in difficult financial shape overall. MSU just gave an outrageous salary to FB coach (mainly supported by a booster). I don't think there is much outside income or "other options" either. MSU hockey is not on most central or Western Michigan people's radar. BB and FB are the entire focus. I will be surprised if MSU scoops any name coach.
I'm not sure where you're getting that information, but I'm not sure I buy that Michigan State doesn't have money.
I’m not sure where you’re getting that information, but I’m not sure I buy that Michigan State doesn’t have money.
Don’t they have Big Ten money…?…isn’t that the point of this conference?
Correct. The conference is quite lucrative. Which is why I don't buy that Sparty is broke.
I still call mankato MSU. Haha.
Well butter my bread…I would have thought Michigan State would have paid out more for a coach, I guess not. After googling salaries at both Mankato and Michigan State it appears Hastings does get paid more in Mankato. $351k here in Mankato while Michigan State only paid Danton Cole $307k. I would agree though that the outside income and other options is where Mankato couldn’t compete.
MSU is in difficult financial shape overall. MSU just gave an outrageous salary to FB coach (mainly supported by a booster). I don’t think there is much outside income or “other options” either. MSU hockey is not on most central or Western Michigan people’s radar. BB and FB are the entire focus. I will be surprised if MSU scoops any name coach.
If MSU wants to pay Hastings or any other coach what he makes in Mankato they can.
Well butter my bread…I would have thought Michigan State would have paid out more for a coach, I guess not. After googling salaries at both Mankato and Michigan State it appears Hastings does get paid more in Mankato. $351k here in Mankato while Michigan State only paid Danton Cole $307k. I would agree though that the outside income and other options is where Mankato couldn’t compete.
MSU is in difficult financial shape overall. MSU just gave an outrageous salary to FB coach (mainly supported by a booster). I don’t think there is much outside income or “other options” either. MSU hockey is not on most central or Western Michigan people’s radar. BB and FB are the entire focus. I will be surprised if MSU scoops any name coach.
I don't mean to be a dick but you're full of shit. Hastings makes less than $350K. That is a great salary to most of us, but to big time schools its fine. Mankato is paying it now. Michigan State can pay that. Unless you have info that the rest of the world doesn't, you're making things up.
My very early B1G power rankings for 2022-23:
- Minnesota
- Michigan
- Notre Dame
- Ohio State
- Penn State
- Wisconsin
- Michigan State
OSU and PSU were two young teams that could be vastly improved depending on who they have coming in, but I don't know if they have what it takes to dethrone the perennial B1G powerhouses. Also sue me but I like it when Wisconsins good. Hate to see them be bottom feeders year after year (ok maybe not hate).
The top three are obvious (order TBD) and the others are just also-rans that could end up in any order because usually some outperform and some flop.
Let the reckless speculation begin, and does someone have eyes on Hastings whereabouts?
I'm 50% factual and 50% sarcastic. When you get to know me, you will know which is which.
No rich people from Lansing have a house in Naples?
I'm sure there are plenty of rich people like that. That is why I called it reckless speculation, like people who speculate on the future of the Lucius brothers.
I'm 50% factual and 50% sarcastic. When you get to know me, you will know which is which.
The top three are obvious (order TBD) and the others are just also-rans that could end up in any order because usually some outperform and some flop.
Wisconsin right where they belong the bottom team or close to it :sieve:
Aloha!
Good recap of the coaches meeting from the Rink Live. They talked about some rule changes and the NCAA presented these 3 possible changes regarding student athletes.
The possibilities on the table could significantly change college athletics. They include:
1. No scholarship limits (the Division-I limit currently is 18).
2. No limits on the number of full-time coaches on staff (it's currently three).
3. Unlimited player transfers without having to sit out a year (players currently can transfer once without having to sit out).
I'm 50% factual and 50% sarcastic. When you get to know me, you will know which is which.
I.e. Let's basically make it pro sports. I don't really care since the Gophers are one of the "Haves" that benefit from these kinds of things but obviously that would hurt other programs and many fans wouldn't like it.
-
Well butter my bread…I would have thought Michigan State would have paid out more for a coach, I guess not. After googling salaries at both Mankato and Michigan State it appears Hastings does get paid more in Mankato. $351k here in Mankato while Michigan State only paid Danton Cole $307k. I would agree though that the outside income and other options is where Mankato couldn’t compete.
MSU is in difficult financial shape overall. MSU just gave an outrageous salary to FB coach (mainly supported by a booster). I don’t think there is much outside income or “other options” either. MSU hockey is not on most central or Western Michigan people’s radar. BB and FB are the entire focus. I will be surprised if MSU scoops any name coach.
I don’t mean to be a dick but you’re full of shit. Hastings makes less than $350K. That is a great salary to most of us, but to big time schools its fine. Mankato is paying it now. Michigan State can pay that. Unless you have info that the rest of the world doesn’t, you’re making things up.
https://www.openthebooks.com/minnesota-state-employees/?F_Name_S=Hastings&Year_S=0
Then don’t be a dick.
I am the official Iowa Hawkeye football fan of GPL!
I was pretty clearly talking to the person who seemed to imply that Sparty can't afford what Hastings gets paid.