He wears his passion for the game on his sleeve. In this thing together as a family. I don’t know but he got me fired up! His energy feels contagious and ready to get to work. I’m all in, felt like running downstairs to grab my blades and the old Titan! Welcome coach!! 🍻😁
“Good pace, a lot of north and south, or it could be east and west, I’m not sure but either way…” Wooger
Bonin is tailspinning into a racist rant on the hole that Minnesota will never be good again because of "cedar riverside"
and Jank is vowing to cancel his season tickets on 247.
Jesus christ
He wears his passion for the game on his sleeve. In this thing together as a family. I don’t know but he got me fired up! His energy feels contagious and ready to get to work. I’m all in, felt like running downstairs to grab my blades and the old Titan! Welcome coach!! 🍻😁
Agreed!
To be fair he was literally on steroids to treat Sarcoidosis.It was said Lucia was a bear to work with going into rages and his assistant coach had to play good cop to smooth things over with players.A lot of the players hated Lucia at the end and even took in-completes so that Lucia wouldn't get his bonus in June.
Also noted at the end of his tenure his recruiting boundaries appeared to be a 10 mile radius from his home in Wayzata. Lucia did some great things at the U and at CC before that. But the time for him to go was clear.
Yeah the negativity got old, especially during years where the team was in the top 5 of the PWR, but that didn't bother me and I didn't mind him being a contrarian in that sense. The racist shit is out of pocket though, you'd think Minneapolis is the only city in the country that has problems according to him.Bonin is tailspinning into a racist rant on the hole that Minnesota will never be good again because of "cedar riverside"
Being very pessimistic is one thing. Not me for but to each their own. When he shows his true colors I am glad they brought down the banhammer.
@boosker14 not trying to be a smart *** but is still cloud state really that different resources wise from UMD? I feel like a lot of excuses are being made. Western Michigan didn't have NIL and won a title.
For some reason I was under the impression that we were parting ways with Motzko. I must have dreamt that.
Bob did look good at his press conference today. He had a little more energy, looks like he lost a few pounds.
Coach Larson seems to have energy and good leadership skills. Also seems like he has a good network in the hockey community. Like most I was letdown initially but after listening to him and understanding his accomplishments in more detail I’ve turned the corner.
Hopefully we lock in the roster and keep the momentum going. #NewJuice.
@jankwi01 VERY different. SCSU is kind of falling apart right now, enrollment is down 50% over the last 10 years. The university is in a bad financial position and money is just not there for a hockey team.
I liked the press conference and I'm sold on Brett now for sure. I believe he will take control of the program and put some accountability into the players wearing the "M". I believe he will place some accountability upon himself and the coaching staff to develop and build a roster to compete. I loved hearing the word "grit" in his opening remarks...sandpaper has been something missing for a while now.
I loved that @the-not-so-good-26 (Nick Angell) posted here to share his views of this hire. I can't imagine that any of us here have a greater love for the program than someone who skated for the U. His words should mean something to all of us and I appreciate him sharing them.
I'm behind our new coach. I can't wait to see who will be joining him on the staff and caretaking the program for the foreseeable future. I can't wait for the portal opening to see who will be staying, going, and coming to the program. LFG!! GO GOPHERS!!!
I am the official Iowa Hawkeye football fan of GPL!
Anyone at liberty to say who the players were at the presser?
tbh I thought he nailed the presser. Humble guy but expects a lot of himself and his players. Hopefully translates into getting the right guys in the right places doing the right things
but is still cloud state really that different resources wise from UMD?
One school is dealing with an existential crisis as an institution. The other one is UMD.
No one is asking whether the program will continue to be in Duluth. That question has been asked and is continuing to be asked in St Cloud.
WMU has NIL for hockey. Perhaps what people mean is no one on the championship roster was receiving any of it?
Anyway...
WMU has NIL for hockey.
Yeah it should be noted that the noble "we have no NIL money" thing for Western lasted one season.
"After Western Michigan won the national title in 2025, coach Pat Ferschweiler told ESPN the Broncos would "probably be the last major-sport team to win a national championship with zero NIL dollars," adding that the school would be investing some for the 2025-26 team." https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/48288787/inside-impact-nil-revenue-sharing-college-hockey
Anyone at liberty to say who the players were at the presser?
tbh I thought he nailed the presser. Humble guy but expects a lot of himself and his players. Hopefully translates into getting the right guys in the right places doing the right things
At about the 9:30 mark in the video it shows a handful of the guys. Earlier Clark walks in with someone, not sure who it is. I noticed Clark, Rombach, Ziemer, Moore, Hendrickson not sure on the rest.
https://www.youtube.com/live/MKtH_u4wVSc?si=-7MKjbbohscODlAd
Anyone at liberty to say who the players were at the presser?
tbh I thought he nailed the presser. Humble guy but expects a lot of himself and his players. Hopefully translates into getting the right guys in the right places doing the right things
At about the 9:30 mark in the video it shows a handful of the guys. Earlier Clark walks in with someone, not sure who it is. I noticed Clark, Rombach, Ziemer, Moore, Hendrickson not sure on the rest.
https://www.youtube.com/live/MKtH_u4wVSc?si=-7MKjbbohscODlAd
thank you for posting. Video i'd seen earlier was the zoomed view of the podium. Looks like an awful lot of the guys are there
I spot Whipple, Ziemer, Hendrickson, McLaughlin, Moore, Pritchard, Clark and Rombach. There are a couple others that I couldn't make out their face.
Okay, I'm on board. Gopher Hockey has been my passion for the last 40+ years and I'm not giving up now.
I wanted Potulny, but Larson is here. Let's get GOING!!!
QoGH
Any news on what Bob’s next move is? Iirc they gave Lucia some kind of donor relations or compliance job for a year after to smooth the transition.
Faber: "I think he’s the perfect guy. He’ll be a great, great coach for the Gophers. You see, the game changes a lot. He’s a smart coach. I think he teaches the game the right way. He thinks it’s important to develop these kids the right way to give them opportunities to play in the NHL. He’s one of those guys that cares more about the people than the player. That’s what’s special about him. He’s going to do great. That’s an awesome hire for them.”
This gives me confidence in the hire.
@bertogliat Faber quote
Anyone at liberty to say who the players were at the presser?
tbh I thought he nailed the presser. Humble guy but expects a lot of himself and his players. Hopefully translates into getting the right guys in the right places doing the right things
yeah definitely humble when he tells the story of how Trent Klatt demolished him on a pinch to keep the zone attempt on the blue line then goes into his utmost respect for the U for basically his whole life. Great stuff!
“Good pace, a lot of north and south, or it could be east and west, I’m not sure but either way…” Wooger
Okay, I'm on board. Gopher Hockey has been my passion for the last 40+ years and I'm not giving up now.
I wanted Potulny, but Larson is here. Let's get GOING!!!
QoGH
It was good to see a full room at the press conference and it was it wasn’t only the Motzko/GPL invitational.
Larson’s story about selling baby formula for Abbott was a fantastic insight into his personality.
“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 am not saying that Brett Larson is not a good coach. If we would have hired him to replace Coach Motzko 3 years ago it would probably have been the "sexiest" choice.
The problem I have with the decision is it seems to me there were better choices available. In my opinion, Garrett Raboin would have been a superior choice. Ben Barr would have been a superior choice. Pat Ferschweiler would have been an elite choice.
But when a coach with Garrett Raboin's resume essentially states he would rather return to Augustana, a back water program in South Dakota, rather than take a much more prestigious program and a HUGE pay raise, that is saying that there are underlying problems with the University of Minnesota hockey program.
If they cannot even get Raboin to consider the U of M, Barr and Ferschweiler probably didn't even answer Coyle's phone call.
Essentially, the evidence indicates this job was not considered one of the elite jobs in college hockey.
Conspiracy theory much? What makes a job elite? Facilities? check! Tradition and History? Check! NHL development history? check! Connection to source of high quality players? check! Program that actually makes money? check! High salary? Check! Overall NCAA appearances, Frozen Four appearances and recent appearances? Check! What is the huge list of programs that exceed MN in all these areas. One bad season doesn't make MN a place people don't want to coach. But coaches comfortable where they are, especially if younger with kids in school, don't always want to move at the drop of a hat. That is all that 'the evidence points to'. (And with only rumors, we don't even know for sure who was asked, interviewed, etc.) And plenty of hockey names seem to think Larson could be the guy. So lets give him a chance before we start talking about burying the Gopher hockey program and moving to Division 3.
I am not saying that Brett Larson is not a good coach. If we would have hired him to replace Coach Motzko 3 years ago it would probably have been the "sexiest" choice.
The problem I have with the decision is it seems to me there were better choices available. In my opinion, Garrett Raboin would have been a superior choice. Ben Barr would have been a superior choice. Pat Ferschweiler would have been an elite choice.
But when a coach with Garrett Raboin's resume essentially states he would rather return to Augustana, a back water program in South Dakota, rather than take a much more prestigious program and a HUGE pay raise, that is saying that there are underlying problems with the University of Minnesota hockey program.
If they cannot even get Raboin to consider the U of M, Barr and Ferschweiler probably didn't even answer Coyle's phone call.
Essentially, the evidence indicates this job was not considered one of the elite jobs in college hockey.
I am not sure if Larson's coaching record shows an elite coach. He took over Motzko's team in 2018-19 and had a 30-6-3 record but got beat in the NCAA Regionals. The year they made the NCAA Finals was 2020-21, but their record was 20-11-0. They had a 25-13-3 record in 2022-23, but just a 4th place finish in the NCHA and lost in the NCAA Regional Final. Since then he was 17-16-5 in 23-24, 14-21-1 in 24-25 and 16-19-1 in 25-26. Nine games below .500 for the past three seasons. In the past two seasons in NCHA Conference play the Huskies were just 15-28.
If you adjust his overall NCHA Conference record by ignoring the inherited 2018-19 season, his overall record is 73-77-15 over 6 seasons. Not a very inspiring overall record.
I also believe that we will know a good deal about the future of the program with Brett Larson as the head coach sooner than most people think. In the modern era, the players and commits will tell the story very rapidly. While I don't think the recruiting pipeline we have coming in is totally elite, if he can retain the commits we have and the experienced players we already have, AND add some follow on talent to Mariucci, then that is a good sign.
But if we lost the Cullen commitments, perhaps Levi Harper and/or Geiger/McArthur and especially if we lost Mooney or Ziemer either to transfer portal or pro hockey, we would be starting from a very deep well that will be difficult for any coach to climb out of.
What exactly makes Raboins resume better than Larsons? Because he coached here? I mean if you put the 2 resumes head to head with zero names above who did what it's not really that close.
What makes his resume better? His previous connection to the program.
But it isn't the fact that I though Raboin was better than Larson. It is that a coach of a dinky little program like Augustana would not even be interested in being the head coach of the U of M when it means significantly more salary, on and off the ice, and a much more prestigious platform.
Someone called this a conspiracy theory, but the evidence clearly seems to indicate that the higher level coaches did not want to even be considered for the Gophers position. If that is not disconcerting to you, you have your head buried in the sand, and it is not much different than the Homer support of Motzko when clearly this team was sinking.
@mlhouse Is it possible that higher level coaches feel comfortable with where they are at, and then they look at the Minnesota job and they notice that a coach went 172-104-24, had just been to the national tourney five straight seasons, and then was pushed out after 1 terrible year. Is it possible they then thought to themselves, no thanks.
Perhaps, just maybe, they saw how Motzko was treated by the vocal people on Social Media and Students/etc calling for his head partway through ONE bad season. I can't imagine why someone that is living a very comfortable life may possibly want to avoid dealing with that BS.I am not saying that Brett Larson is not a good coach. If we would have hired him to replace Coach Motzko 3 years ago it would probably have been the "sexiest" choice.
The problem I have with the decision is it seems to me there were better choices available. In my opinion, Garrett Raboin would have been a superior choice. Ben Barr would have been a superior choice. Pat Ferschweiler would have been an elite choice.
But when a coach with Garrett Raboin's resume essentially states he would rather return to Augustana, a back water program in South Dakota, rather than take a much more prestigious program and a HUGE pay raise, that is saying that there are underlying problems with the University of Minnesota hockey program.
If they cannot even get Raboin to consider the U of M, Barr and Ferschweiler probably didn't even answer Coyle's phone call.
Essentially, the evidence indicates this job was not considered one of the elite jobs in college hockey.
I am not sure if Larson's coaching record shows an elite coach. He took over Motzko's team in 2018-19 and had a 30-6-3 record but got beat in the NCAA Regionals. The year they made the NCAA Finals was 2020-21, but their record was 20-11-0. They had a 25-13-3 record in 2022-23, but just a 4th place finish in the NCHA and lost in the NCAA Regional Final. Since then he was 17-16-5 in 23-24, 14-21-1 in 24-25 and 16-19-1 in 25-26. Nine games below .500 for the past three seasons. In the past two seasons in NCHA Conference play the Huskies were just 15-28.
If you adjust his overall NCHA Conference record by ignoring the inherited 2018-19 season, his overall record is 73-77-15 over 6 seasons. Not a very inspiring overall record.
I also believe that we will know a good deal about the future of the program with Brett Larson as the head coach sooner than most people think. In the modern era, the players and commits will tell the story very rapidly. While I don't think the recruiting pipeline we have coming in is totally elite, if he can retain the commits we have and the experienced players we already have, AND add some follow on talent to Mariucci, then that is a good sign.
But if we lost the Cullen commitments, perhaps Levi Harper and/or Geiger/McArthur and especially if we lost Mooney or Ziemer either to transfer portal or pro hockey, we would be starting from a very deep well that will be difficult for any coach to climb out of.
What exactly makes Raboins resume better than Larsons? Because he coached here? I mean if you put the 2 resumes head to head with zero names above who did what it's not really that close.
What makes his resume better? His previous connection to the program.
But it isn't the fact that I though Raboin was better than Larson. It is that a coach of a dinky little program like Augustana would not even be interested in being the head coach of the U of M when it means significantly more salary, on and off the ice, and a much more prestigious platform.
Someone called this a conspiracy theory, but the evidence clearly seems to indicate that the higher level coaches did not want to even be considered for the Gophers position. If that is not disconcerting to you, you have your head buried in the sand, and it is not much different than the Homer support of Motzko when clearly this team was sinking.
Adding to that for Rabs, being at a program that believed in him enough to hire him before the building was even built all the way, and in what is a very nice small city, with a family and young children and not wanting to upend their lives, too?
@mlhouse Is it possible that higher level coaches feel comfortable with where they are at, and then they look at the Minnesota job and they notice that a coach went 172-104-24, had just been to the national tourney five straight seasons, and then was pushed out after 1 terrible year. Is it possible they then thought to themselves, no thanks.
I knew you'd come around 😉Okay, I'm on board. Gopher Hockey has been my passion for the last 40+ years and I'm not giving up now.
I wanted Potulny, but Larson is here. Let's get GOING!!!
QoGH
To be fair I'm not sure anyone knows the exact details of how that went down. It's possible that it truly was mutual like Coyle alluded to and some of the details behind the scenes point to that being a possibility.@mlhouse Is it possible that higher level coaches feel comfortable with where they are at, and then they look at the Minnesota job and they notice that a coach went 172-104-24, had just been to the national tourney five straight seasons, and then was pushed out after 1 terrible year. Is it possible they then thought to themselves, no thanks.
@mlhouse Is it possible that higher level coaches feel comfortable with where they are at, and then they look at the Minnesota job and they notice that a coach went 172-104-24, had just been to the national tourney five straight seasons, and then was pushed out after 1 terrible year. Is it possible they then thought to themselves, no thanks.
Yes, the Minnesota jobs comes with high expectations every year, and as many have mentioned Bob deserves stick taps for everything he accomplished. However, its not just one bad year --- the Natty collapse still lingers, but also, the 2nd half collapse of the 24-25 team and subsequent first round exit. I've wondered if that team plays in March like they did in December, how's that look and would that be enough to get Bob one more year. Throw in some meh recruiting classes and this past season, and you get where we are now - fair or not.
I still think the Minnesota job is top shelf. Why Raboin opted not to pursue it may or may not ever be known.
Hopeful that Larson can re-energize things, make some roster upgrades and style enhancements, and make it interesting again next season.
@mlhouse Is it possible that higher level coaches feel comfortable with where they are at, and then they look at the Minnesota job and they notice that a coach went 172-104-24, had just been to the national tourney five straight seasons, and then was pushed out after 1 terrible year. Is it possible they then thought to themselves, no thanks.
Yes, the Minnesota jobs comes with high expectations every year, and as many have mentioned Bob deserves stick taps for everything he accomplished. However, its not just one bad year --- the Natty collapse still lingers, but also, the 2nd half collapse of the 24-25 team and subsequent first round exit. I've wondered if that team plays in March like they did in December, how's that look and would that be enough to get Bob one more year. Throw in some meh recruiting classes and this past season, and you get where we are now - fair or not.
I still think the Minnesota job is top shelf. Why Raboin opted not to pursue it may or may not ever be known.
Hopeful that Larson can re-energize things, make some roster upgrades and style enhancements, and make it interesting again next season.
if only we could’ve played St. Thomas 40 times last year, would’ve been a cakewalk undefeated season :/
Our inability to beat Mankato or Michigan in the playoff rematches we had against them during Bob’s best years is when some doubts started to creep in for me. Played marginally better games against both of them the second times around, only to get the same exact results on the scoreboard
@mlhouse Is it possible that higher level coaches feel comfortable with where they are at, and then they look at the Minnesota job and they notice that a coach went 172-104-24, had just been to the national tourney five straight seasons, and then was pushed out after 1 terrible year. Is it possible they then thought to themselves, no thanks.
Yes, the Minnesota jobs comes with high expectations every year, and as many have mentioned Bob deserves stick taps for everything he accomplished. However, its not just one bad year --- the Natty collapse still lingers, but also, the 2nd half collapse of the 24-25 team and subsequent first round exit. I've wondered if that team plays in March like they did in December, how's that look and would that be enough to get Bob one more year. Throw in some meh recruiting classes and this past season, and you get where we are now - fair or not.
I still think the Minnesota job is top shelf. Why Raboin opted not to pursue it may or may not ever be known.
Hopeful that Larson can re-energize things, make some roster upgrades and style enhancements, and make it interesting again next season.
Whether or not it was time for Bob to go is immaterial to the poster speculating why other coaches might not have been interested for reasons other than the ludicrous idea it's no longer a coveted opportunity.
I totally forgot about Bob's statement at his hiring press conference "45 seconds of hell" until @jupiter and @eric-vegoe brought it up on the podcast last night. Boy that didn't age well. Hopefully Larson can come through with bringing some grit to the team, I have a feeling he will.
I am the official Iowa Hawkeye football fan of GPL!
Love that the podcast brought up Larson’s initial meeting with the team. Bringing up what I mentioned about sitting when addressing the team. Little thing to relate with his players.
I totally forgot about Bob's statement at his hiring press conference "45 seconds of hell" until @jupiter and @eric-vegoe brought it up on the podcast last night. Boy that didn't age well. Hopefully Larson can come through with bringing some grit to the team, I have a feeling he will.
what does that even mean? 45 sec of hell?
To be fair I'm not sure anyone knows the exact details of how that went down. It's possible that it truly was mutual like Coyle alluded to and some of the details behind the scenes point to that being a possibility.@mlhouse Is it possible that higher level coaches feel comfortable with where they are at, and then they look at the Minnesota job and they notice that a coach went 172-104-24, had just been to the national tourney five straight seasons, and then was pushed out after 1 terrible year. Is it possible they then thought to themselves, no thanks.
I
There’s way too much confidence in the narrative that Raboin turned us down. I believe he interviewed, but I’m not convinced an offer was ever made.
I get the appeal. He’s the younger, “sexier” hire. But the reality is Blasi has accomplished more over the same stretch at St. Thomas—and just knocked Raboin out of the tournament. Yet no one’s complaining we didn’t land him.
As for the “big names,” they were all still coaching in the tournament. Coyle likely wanted this done before the portal opened (not sure I agree with that strategy )which effectively ruled them out—unless you go full reality-TV chaos like Lane Kiffin mid-playoff.
At the end of the day, this comes down to NIL and managing it. And on that front, neither Raboin nor Larson has a real track record—both come from programs without those resources. So we’ll see.
This is going to sound annoying but it's going to drive me crazy, it's LARSON not LARSEN.
I totally forgot about Bob's statement at his hiring press conference "45 seconds of hell" until @jupiter and @eric-vegoe brought it up on the podcast last night. Boy that didn't age well. Hopefully Larson can come through with bringing some grit to the team, I have a feeling he will.
what does that even mean? 45 sec of hell?
I think it's a case where time doesn't really matter.
To be fair I'm not sure anyone knows the exact details of how that went down. It's possible that it truly was mutual like Coyle alluded to and some of the details behind the scenes point to that being a possibility.@mlhouse Is it possible that higher level coaches feel comfortable with where they are at, and then they look at the Minnesota job and they notice that a coach went 172-104-24, had just been to the national tourney five straight seasons, and then was pushed out after 1 terrible year. Is it possible they then thought to themselves, no thanks.
I
There’s way too much confidence in the narrative that Raboin turned us down. I believe he interviewed, but I’m not convinced an offer was ever made.
I get the appeal. He’s the younger, “sexier” hire. But the reality is Blasi has accomplished more over the same stretch at St. Thomas—and just knocked Raboin out of the tournament. Yet no one’s complaining we didn’t land him.
As for the “big names,” they were all still coaching in the tournament. Coyle likely wanted this done before the portal opened (not sure I agree with that strategy )which effectively ruled them out—unless you go full reality-TV chaos like Lane Kiffin mid-playoff.
At the end of the day, this comes down to NIL and managing it. And on that front, neither Raboin nor Larson has a real track record—both come from programs without those resources. So we’ll see.
Well, the point is that if the rumor IS true it is very concerning as the U of M head hockey coaching job is not one a young, up and coming coach would aspire to.
I am not sure that hte entire answer is NIL. First, you have to come up with the NIL money. To me, there should be lots of money available just from a small contribution from former Gopher players who have made millions of dollars playing in the NHL. Casey Mittelstadt, to give an example, made $6 million last season. He can't contribute $100k back to the program?
But Minnesota is in the minor leagues of the NIL money because we simply do not have the same level of boosterism that other schools have, mostly as a knock off of their major football programs.
Second, the real danger we are in which is related to the coaching point is that college recruits in all sports go to the name brand franchises in college athletics. Michigan is that. Notre Dame is that. Penn St. is that. Ohio St is that. Minnesota is NOT. We pretend that the Gopher history is enough to drive the team into national contention, but a combination of factors is making that belief false.
And that is why I think the coaching decision is disappointing. It needed to be "sexy" because that is how you get the elite talent that is available not just in Minnesota, but all across the United States.
@mlhouse Is it possible that higher level coaches feel comfortable with where they are at, and then they look at the Minnesota job and they notice that a coach went 172-104-24, had just been to the national tourney five straight seasons, and then was pushed out after 1 terrible year. Is it possible they then thought to themselves, no thanks.
Yes, the Minnesota jobs comes with high expectations every year, and as many have mentioned Bob deserves stick taps for everything he accomplished. However, its not just one bad year --- the Natty collapse still lingers, but also, the 2nd half collapse of the 24-25 team and subsequent first round exit. I've wondered if that team plays in March like they did in December, how's that look and would that be enough to get Bob one more year. Throw in some meh recruiting classes and this past season, and you get where we are now - fair or not.
I still think the Minnesota job is top shelf. Why Raboin opted not to pursue it may or may not ever be known.
Hopeful that Larson can re-energize things, make some roster upgrades and style enhancements, and make it interesting again next season.
Whether or not it was time for Bob to go is immaterial to the poster speculating why other coaches might not have been interested for reasons other than the ludicrous idea it's no longer a coveted opportunity.
Based on who we hired, you think that the idea is "ludicrous"? We certainly had zero chance at the biggest potential names in college hockey world. Ferschweiler probably was such a long shot that we made a decision before even having the opportunity to interview. That says a lot. Not having Ben Barr in for an interview says a lot.
While rumors are rumors, Raboin accepted a contract extension with a backwater program in South Dakota instead of coming here (the acceptance of a contract extension is solid evidence he wasn't intereted in Minnesota), increasing his salary, increasing the visibility, and coming to a program to potentially compete for a national championship (he will NEVER compete for a national championship at Augustana).
The two available candidates, apparently, were Grant Potulny a coach in AHL hockey and Brett Larson, the coach of St Cloud St who has had losing records the previous three years.
Again, I am not going to disparage Brett Larson but this is not an elite hire. Believing it to be an elite hire is idiotic in fact.
I think the reality is that Brett Larson was the BEST available option and that is what is the most disconcerting fact of all.
Now, if Larson can maintain the current roster (including LJ Mooney and Brodie Ziemer), the current incoming recuits and commits, AND bring in a couple of transfers from St Cloud, like Austin Burnevik and the top of their recruiting class, merging the Gophers and Huskies roster and recruits could at least bring this team out from the bottom next season to a level of competitive mediocrity.
One thing I have heard from multiple places was how important it was that we hired Larson quickly so he could work the portal and keep the best players here. To me that is very short sighted for the viability of the program. We put the next two weeks as a higher importance than the next 4-5 years.
Wait can a roster be turned around in a second in this new climate or not I’m confused
You heard it here first - the UM men's head hockey coach position is no longer widely coveted.
I’m still waiting for the official UMN issued list of NCAA hockey coaches officially given an invite to apply/interview for the UMN job….
You heard it here first - the UM men's head hockey coach position is no longer widely coveted.
GPL always good for the next level hot takes
Well, the point is that if the rumor IS true it is very concerning as the U of M head hockey coaching job is not one a young, up and coming coach would aspire to.
I am not sure that hte entire answer is NIL. First, you have to come up with the NIL money. To me, there should be lots of money available just from a small contribution from former Gopher players who have made millions of dollars playing in the NHL. Casey Mittelstadt, to give an example, made $6 million last season. He can't contribute $100k back to the program?
But Minnesota is in the minor leagues of the NIL money because we simply do not have the same level of boosterism that other schools have, mostly as a knock off of their major football programs.
Second, the real danger we are in which is related to the coaching point is that college recruits in all sports go to the name brand franchises in college athletics. Michigan is that. Notre Dame is that. Penn St. is that. Ohio St is that. Minnesota is NOT. We pretend that the Gopher history is enough to drive the team into national contention, but a combination of factors is making that belief false.
And that is why I think the coaching decision is disappointing. It needed to be "sexy" because that is how you get the elite talent that is available not just in Minnesota, but all across the United States.
I don’t know if the rumor is true, I don’t have any evidence, so I’m not going to be concerned as if it was, but you do you.
On NIL, you bring up an excellent point about former players and what should be their ability to contribute. When I think of NIL, I think of both the ability to raise it and the ability to efficiently manage it. Having the most money doesn’t guarantee a championship. Having enough to compete and effectively allocating it is what’s required to win one.
Regarding the “brand,” I look at it differently. If you look through a football lens, I get how you land there, but football is football and hockey is hockey. Most of the schools you listed are football schools with little real interest in hockey. Michigan is really the only one where the fan base supports both. The rest aren’t operating from the same hockey-specific foundation.
Gopher hockey, in contrast, is a true revenue-generating program with a fan base that shows up and pays. That’s your evidence—the State of Hockey actually supports college hockey at a higher level than anyone else. This will translate to NIL, assuming we can get it organized and managed well (Larson, please pay attention).
For example, if you look at Ohio State football NIL versus Minnesota football NIL, it tracks football revenue. Ohio State makes ~$200M+, Minnesota is ~$90–100M, so the NIL gap makes sense.
Now look at hockey. Minnesota is about $4M in revenue, while Ohio State is around a –$3M loss. That’s not just smaller, it’s structurally different. That’s the untapped NIL hockey potential.
I don’t think the “sexy” hire is about players. It’s for the fans. Players care about development to the NHL, the Benjamins, and the chance to play for a championship.
Now look at hockey. Minnesota is about $4M in revenue, while Ohio State is around a –$3M loss.
Yikes, that is a terrible deficit for a B1G program that has been nationally competitive for much of the last decade. You’d think with that cavernous arena, 30% capacity on most nights would break close to even financially. But I think I heard the students can attend for free there so that’s a huge chunk of gate revenue zeroed out
I think Klein and mlhouse both raise some good points. I don't think Gopher hockey is currently in some horrible position it can't get out of and is obviously still turning a profit unlike most teams. It's largely been a success even with some of the downs of the later Lucia/early Motzko era and last year.
But I do think there are some valid concerns about how the U is adjusting to the NIL era and that's probably the biggest reason why they went with a coaching change, Coyle more or less said so himself. And as far as the process of hiring this coach the optics weren't great, it seems like they rushed to make a decision and either some of the younger "sexier" candidates weren't interested or Coyle just didn't reach out to them. I don't know which is worse honestly. Raboin is the only one we know for sure declined to further interview and while one guy not being interested (for whatever personal reasons) isn't the end of the world, I do wonder if there was anything the university could've done to increase their chances with a guy who bled maroon and gold up until a few years ago. Same goes for the other guys that they may or may not have reached out to.
I really hope Larson is the guy who's gonna out recruit the other B1G schools we've been falling behind to and whatever competition we have outside the conference like Duluth and North Dakota. In 5 years when Coyle's contract ends this decision will be a big part of what decides his fate if I had to guess.
Now look at hockey. Minnesota is about $4M in revenue, while Ohio State is around a –$3M loss.
Yikes, that is a terrible deficit for a B1G program that has been nationally competitive for much of the last decade. You’d think with that cavernous arena, 30% capacity on most nights would break close to even financially. But I think I heard the students can attend for free there so that’s a huge chunk of gate revenue zeroed out
it gets more lopsided when you dig in further. The net numbers are one thing, but it’s when you split out revenue and expenses that the difference in fan support really jumps out. Minnesota’s men’s hockey program is pulling in about 9.7 million dollars in revenue on roughly 6.0 million in expenses from its EADA and athletic financial reporting, which means the sport is not just paying for itself but throwing off a multi‑million‑dollar surplus. Ohio State’s EADA numbers, on the other hand, show around 1.26 million in revenue against about 4.5 million in expenses for men’s hockey, so the program is being heavily subsidized by the wider athletic department rather than its own fan economy.
For NIL, the takeaway is pretty simple: that revenue gap between roughly 9.7 million and 1.26 million is a rough stand‑in for the size of Minnesota’s NIL upside compared to Ohio State’s, because it shows how much more money Gopher fans are already pouring into hockey. In other words, the community support is there in magnitude; now the task is to actually channel that capacity into player‑focused NIL, and that’s exactly the job in front of Coyle and Larson.