Yikes. Not saying he couldn't possibly do a good job but it seems like a hire that got made because nobody else wanted it.
lmao…you guys have until the news conto bitch & complain UNTIL you jump back on the Gopher 🏒 bandwagon!
We get it man, you want us to stay in purgatory forever. Sorry but this move checks none of the boxes and is difficult to get excited about, he got the job because Raboin didn't want it, no idea about Barr, and guys like Fersch weren't interested.
Yikes. Not saying he couldn't possibly do a good job but it seems like a hire that got made because nobody else wanted it.
lmao…you guys have until the news conto bitch & complain UNTIL you jump back on the Gopher 🏒 bandwagon!
We get it man, you want us to stay in purgatory forever. Sorry but this move checks none of the boxes and is difficult to get excited about, he got the job because Raboin didn't want it, no idea about Barr, and guys like Fersch weren't interested.
To the CONTRARY…
If this is how it turns out, some Gopher fans won’t be happy, but I think he can do the job successfully. Frankly (at MINNESOTA) if a coach does things correctly & recruits the “right”mix of players, not 20 skaters who have always been STARS, then try to make half into Bottom 6 forwards & 3rd pair D, plus a couple competent goalies…well, let’s put it this way, during a decade long timespan, a 🐶 with a note pinned to their collar should be able to WIN a Natty at MINNESOTA! 😉🏒😀
Some need to realize that Brett is in a bad situation right now at SCSU... The school itself is dying. They have no money for NIL. It is just a bad situation all around. He is VERY well regarded in the hockey world and I am starting to think that this will be a brilliant move.
I can totally understand why you need to display unwavering optimism for anything related to Gopher hockey but it is really hard to share that right now. It appears that this was the choice largely driven by the good ol boys alumni club so they DAMN sure better put their money where their mouth is and personally fund the NIL to ensure success of the program.
Larson is a not a *fun* hire in that there were sexier names to be had out there. But you gotta tip your cap to him fighting the fight he has at SCSU. Gotta be like a breath straight out of an O2 tank for him to be getting out of that disaster.
I really cannot rag on him for the program struggling the last couple of years up there considering the school is literally having an existential crisis at the moment.
The only thing that I would get mad about with this hire is if Coyle doesn't do anything to address the need for a GM for the program. Given that the women's team has one, I have to imagine that's now going to be in the works.
I can totally understand why you need to display unwavering optimism for anything related to Gopher hockey but it is really hard to share that right now. It appears that this was the choice largely driven by the good ol boys alumni club so they DAMN sure better put their money where their mouth is and personally fund the NIL to ensure success of the program.
I have been pretty negative recently... Bad for my blood pressure. Time to be more positive.
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Too bad the Internet was not around when Woog was hired, pretty sure he was Giel's choice #3 behind Brooks & Sertich. I bring that up because he turned out ok and I hope the same - and more - from Larson when he's in a better situation than scsu offers.
I was not too high on GP. I can't put my finger on exactly why but there was something about how he left rubbed me wrong.
Either way welcome Brett and enjoy the shortest coaching honeymoon in college hockey.
“When your best friend is the son of God, you get tired of losing every argument.”
― Christopher Moore, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
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So, if you're Larson...who are the first players you try to convince to stay and who are the first players you advise that the portal may be their best option?
I just hope the booster crew who wanted Larson donates to the NIL fund. I don’t think he’s going to light the fundraising world on fire so those that backed him need to sure be has all the resources he needs or you’re going to get the same thing as Bob
Too bad the Internet was not around when Woog was hired, pretty sure he was Giel's choice #3 behind Brooks & Sertich. I bring that up because he turned out ok and I hope the same - and more - from Larson when he's in a better situation than scsu offers.
I was not too high on GP. I can't put my finger on exactly why but there was something about how he left rubbed me wrong.
Either way welcome Brett and enjoy the shortest coaching honeymoon in college hockey.
For Brett recruiting just got a lot easier. Lets hope that translates well to the U. I would imagine recruiting kids to play at SCSU is a lot like corporate recruiters trying to get college grads to work at Enron.
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Larson’s resume as a head coach blows Potulny’s out of the water and it’s really not even close
Yeah I really thought when Grant went to NMU it was just a matter of time before he was the next Gopher coach. But he didn't really light it up there (did ok, but not great). His resume is just ok. Larson's is better but probably not as eye-popping as many here would have liked. For all we know either of them would do fine here.
Regular season was 16-17-1 then lost 2 games in OT at Amsoil. I mean, he made it to an NCAA title game & lost, same as tBob. And Larson was an asst coach on 2 NCAA title teams, same as tBob. His coaching resume isn’t quite as good as tBob was prior to being hired as Gophers HC, but it’s not that far off either (is my point). Give the guy a clean slate, I think he’s personable like tBob & will connect quickly with the fan base & alumni.
Will hold out hope of course for Larson and give him a fair chance before having a reaction.
My disappointment is more with the process itself. From the outside, it doesn’t seem like Coyle had a clear or consistent structure in place for the interviews. Once Raboin declined, it feels like the process got thrown off. And if he didn’t seriously pursue Barr, Cashman, Ferschweiler, etc., it gives the impression that there wasn’t a true national search or a formalized approach.
I would like to see Gordon, Martin, and Poderzay stay on the staff. I am on the train with @jupiter that the more I think on this hire the more that I like it. St. Cloud the institution is just going down hill fast and I can only think that recruiting there has/had to be a bitch. It's a small program with no school support and we have no idea what the alumni and donor support is for it. For Larson to keep SCSU in the middle of the NCHC because it takes a lot to knock on the top three in that conference with Denver, UMD, and NoDak there perennially.
Again, the more that I sit on this hire the more that I am on board with it.
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He could be huge for recruiting and fundraising. With his connection to Moorhead and all their current talent right now being a Stanley cup winner and former wild player. He has a lot of respect and a ton of connections. Hopefully he ends up on the staff in some capacity.
Larson!! As a kid Saint Cloud born and raised who followed Motzko to the U and now Brett is following me, I am excited. Brett is a darn good coach and the fact he has done as much as he did (2021 national championship game loss) with the financial collapse happening at SCSU right now is a near miracle. I am excited to see what happens when he finally has resources!
I am excited to see what Coach Larson can do. I like his background including his Duluth roots. I think having a coach from the north will be a benefit. I watched him interviewed and he impressed me. That others have pointed out the unfortunate decline of SCSU was not something I was aware of.
I do not hate the idea of Cullen on the staff but I am not sure I want a parent on the staff. I think Maintaining the relationship seems more important than having Cullen on the staff. I suspect the common tie to SCSU means they already have a relationship at some level.
@dozer15 It seems to me, based on the situation that a lot of those guys were in, e.g. fersch, there was almost no way most of those top of the line guys we all imagined would leave, even for a premier job like Minnesota. I don't have inside knowledge, (so I am working with limited info) but I imagine that Coyle invested his energy into guys he thought he could get. I agree that maybe it doesn't LOOK like what we wanted as a fanbase, but I trust Coyle and I think Larson was probably as good as it gets in this case.
Where did all the rumors of the assistants come from? Laylin? Bell? Cullen? Why wouldn't Larson keep one or more of the current staff? With the classes upcoming would keeping someone from the current staff be a wise thing?
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Where did all the rumors of the assistants come from? Laylin? Bell? Cullen? Why wouldn't Larson keep one or more of the current staff? With the classes upcoming would keeping someone from the current staff be a wise thing?
Believe it was from the GPL account last week, though just rumored at a time when details were scarce.
On the bright side, those who said they were done with the program if Larson was hired won't be posting on GPL any more, right?
More than agree with you; I am not a fan of negativity surrounding the coaching process. I have a lot of experience online with Packers fans screaming for a coach to be fired or that our team is awful no matter how they play. If the negativity goes away it will be a good day for all of us.
Love your team unconditionally! If folks hate the team as much as they say, go root for UND, I think they'd fit right in.
Where did all the rumors of the assistants come from? Laylin? Bell? Cullen? Why wouldn't Larson keep one or more of the current staff? With the classes upcoming would keeping someone from the current staff be a wise thing?
Believe it was from the GPL account last week, though just rumored at a time when details were scarce.
On that note, which assistant would Larson most want to hang onto? I think Gordon has done most of the recruiting and having that bridge might make sense, right?
I was lukewarm on Gordon; did not have a strong opinion way or another. Some have mentioned he was key in recent recruiting, however. If so...very on board with keeping him.
Where did all the rumors of the assistants come from? Laylin? Bell? Cullen? Why wouldn't Larson keep one or more of the current staff? With the classes upcoming would keeping someone from the current staff be a wise thing?
“When your best friend is the son of God, you get tired of losing every argument.”
― Christopher Moore, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
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I'm curious about claims that boosters and alumni were behind the hire given Larson went to UMD.
I'm not going to say I'm overly excited about the hire but there is logic to it that goes well past "alumni/booster pressure" if that even existed.
If they were behind the hire, would that mean there is going to be more financial support to the program? That would seem to be a win to me.
Also in terms of the UMD connection, the only other alumni/Minnesota connection in the whole process seemed to be Grant Potulny and he doesn't seem to be the top guy after his NMU failures. So maybe Larson is the fallback for the MN Connection type? (assuming fersch was never leaving WMU)
