Nice to see that the Star Tribune wrote an article about Gopher Hockey.
https://www.startribune.com/patrick-reusse-world-juniors-bob-motzko-gophers-hockey-big-ten/601558446
It is a bit funny that he essentially says in the article to stop whining about the 2023 champ game and half the comments are whining about the 2023 champ game.
Reusse is an antagonist but here he appears to sympathize or even pity Motzko. Unfortunately, this time he takes his shots at the fans. Like the story of the scorpion and the frog, it's in his nature.
He knows little about college hockey and less about recruiting and the changing nature of the sport, so he provided next to nothing meaningful about this year's team except to say they're somewhere in the middle of a rebuild, which of course misses the real cause of this season of failures.
For years, he wrote the contrarian piece to Sid's softball articles on the Minnesota's sports scene. Where Sid protected relationships, Reusse gleefully sharpened his claws before skewering Minnesota folk heroes like Bud Grant, culminating each Thanksgiving with the Turkey of the Year. It was quite entertaining back when newspapers were real to first read one of Sid's obsequious articles lionizing a player or coach only to see Reusse come along later to eviscerate the same celebrity with a hit piece.
So....he's doing his job successfully. People are talking about his articles. 😉
it's the old Howard Stern thing (and people before him):
Long, but relevant:
- Researcher: The average radio listener listens for eighteen minutes. The average Howard Stern fan listens for - are you ready for this? - an hour and twenty minutes.
- Pig Vomit: How can that be?
- Researcher: Answer most commonly given? "I want to see what he'll say next."
- Pig Vomit: Okay, fine. But what about the people who hate Stern?
- Researcher: Good point. The average Stern hater listens for two and a half hours a day.
- Pig Vomit: But... if they hate him, why do they listen?
- Researcher: Most common answer? "I want to see what he'll say next."
When you tell somebody somethin', it depends on what part of the United States you're standin' in... as to just how dumb you are.
Sounds to me like all he did was read GPL and then wrote a story about it. 😂
Kinda thought the same while reading it 😆.Sounds to me like all he did was read GPL and then wrote a story about it. 😂
We’ll see what the second half brings, the schedule only gets more difficult for the most part.
Ruesse literally wrote that article to blast the people on this board.
As if the die hard fans can’t have an opinion on or complain about how the team (loaded with NHL talent) sat on a 2 goal lead against Quinnipiac and watched it slowly slip away. I’d bet that old prick didn’t even watch the game.
He still can’t write a hockey article without pulling in one of his whipping boys from a different sport into the mix.
Sounds to me like all he did was read GPL and then wrote a story about it. 😂
i would put it as vastly more likely he reads the Facebook or strib comments
I’m trying to see both sides of the coin with this article...
Reusse’s defense of Bob makes sense in some ways and clearly comes from a long term appreciation for what he’s meant to the program. That said, it doesn’t fully capture where college hockey is right now or how much the game has changed. I like seeing both sides of an argument, and when one side isn’t really acknowledged, it takes away from the overall point being made.
Yes, Minnesota fans can come off as entitled about winning. But this is also the State of Hockey. We produce a ton of college and NHL players, so high expectations for the flagship university shouldn’t be surprising.
The idea that this season is mostly about losing guys early to the NHL or just being young doesn’t completely add up. Every top program deals with early departures. Michigan, Boston College, Denver, North Dakota all lose players and stay competitive. Being young can be challenging, but it doesn’t explain why there are teams just as young or younger that are ranked much higher and playing better hockey.
Roster construction matters too. Minnesota is the only Big Ten team that hasn’t used CHL players, while everyone else has adjusted by adding older, more physically ready skaters. That’s a philosophical choice, and there are reasons for it, but it also has real consequences when you’re competing against teams using every option available.
Some recent moments deserve more honest discussion. The 2023 national title game is often framed as bad luck, but it was widely seen as an upset, and the third period decision to sit back defensively let Quinnipiac take control. A lot of people view that as a coaching mistake more than a bounce. The same goes for this year’s World Juniors, where starting the second string goalie in the last preliminary game helped change the tournament path. That decision has been questioned, even if managing short tournaments isn’t easy.
Pointing back to a World Junior gold medal in 2017 still matters, but it doesn’t carry the same weight today. The game, the players, and the landscape are very different now.
One thing I didn’t love was bringing up the loss the Motzko family endured. That’s deeply personal and should have nothing to do with evaluating someone as a coach. It felt unnecessary and took focus away from the hockey conversation.
None of this erases what Motzko has done or the stability he’s brought back. It just raises a fair question about whether Minnesota’s approach is keeping up with where elite college hockey is today and whether some adjustments are needed going forward.
Wasn't the goalie for the Sweden game the 3rd string goalie?
Brady Knowling was the starting goalie for that game even though they had played either Kempf or Heil. Why suddenly throw Knowling into the biggest game of the prelims?
@bertogliat good point. I don’t follow USA hockey that much so maybe he was 3rd string or 2nd string 🤷♂️. In any case, I’m less concerned with the USA hockey performance. I think the most valid concern is the choice to exclude the large talent pool of CHL players.
Bob has done a great job restoring the program to a higher level. I also feel college hockey has changed significantly and we are facing some real issues that were not addressed in that article.
Jup and Veegs talked about that last night on the podcast. The feeling is that word may have come down from on high that Knowling had to get at least one game. He's the NTDP goalie and will be the likely 1st choice for next year's team.
Well, Vanbiesbrouck got what he asked for then.Jup and Veegs talked about that last night on the podcast. The feeling is that word may have come down from on high that Knowling had to get at least one game. He's the NTDP goalie and will be the likely 1st choice for next year's team.
I agree. At the very minimum, once you know the extent of the departures, you need to do damage control and the CHL likely has better talent than the portal, once you get past the top 8-10 guys. But even before that point, as one of the blue chip hockey programs in NCAA hockey, you should be one of the top select few schools talking to the upper echelon of the CHL (like Gavin McKenna) just to see what you can do.@bertogliat good point. I don’t follow USA hockey that much so maybe he was 3rd string or 2nd string 🤷♂️. In any case, I’m less concerned with the USA hockey performance. I think the most valid concern is the choice to exclude the large talent pool of CHL players.
Bob has done a great job restoring the program to a higher level. I also feel college hockey has changed significantly and we are facing some real issues that were not addressed in that article.
I guess we find out at 5 pm tomorrow what a CHL player can do for a team.
My issue with some of the criticisms is not that there aren't reasons to be frustrated, but that some fans are acting as if the program has been on a steady decline. Last time I checked they made 5 straight NCAAs while averaging 25 wins per season. They may not make the tournament this year but I don't expect that to happen again next year. Michigan missed it last season and look at them now. If they miss 2 years in a row I'll be concerned.
I’m trying to see both sides of the coin with this article...
Reusse’s defense of Bob makes sense in some ways and clearly comes from a long term appreciation for what he’s meant to the program. That said, it doesn’t fully capture where college hockey is right now or how much the game has changed. I like seeing both sides of an argument, and when one side isn’t really acknowledged, it takes away from the overall point being made.
Yes, Minnesota fans can come off as entitled about winning. But this is also the State of Hockey. We produce a ton of college and NHL players, so high expectations for the flagship university shouldn’t be surprising.
The idea that this season is mostly about losing guys early to the NHL or just being young doesn’t completely add up. Every top program deals with early departures. Michigan, Boston College, Denver, North Dakota all lose players and stay competitive. Being young can be challenging, but it doesn’t explain why there are teams just as young or younger that are ranked much higher and playing better hockey.
Roster construction matters too. Minnesota is the only Big Ten team that hasn’t used CHL players, while everyone else has adjusted by adding older, more physically ready skaters. That’s a philosophical choice, and there are reasons for it, but it also has real consequences when you’re competing against teams using every option available.
Some recent moments deserve more honest discussion. The 2023 national title game is often framed as bad luck, but it was widely seen as an upset, and the third period decision to sit back defensively let Quinnipiac take control. A lot of people view that as a coaching mistake more than a bounce. The same goes for this year’s World Juniors, where starting the second string goalie in the last preliminary game helped change the tournament path. That decision has been questioned, even if managing short tournaments isn’t easy.
Pointing back to a World Junior gold medal in 2017 still matters, but it doesn’t carry the same weight today. The game, the players, and the landscape are very different now.
One thing I didn’t love was bringing up the loss the Motzko family endured. That’s deeply personal and should have nothing to do with evaluating someone as a coach. It felt unnecessary and took focus away from the hockey conversation.
None of this erases what Motzko has done or the stability he’s brought back. It just raises a fair question about whether Minnesota’s approach is keeping up with where elite college hockey is today and whether some adjustments are needed going forward.
there are absolutely 2 sides. But the guy has made the last 5 NCAA tournaments with 2 FFs, 3 regular season titles, and 1 conference title in that time.
This concept that everyone else is competing every year, Michigan missed the tourney last year (that roster had 2 1st rounders and 8 draft picks), BC missed the tourney 3 years ago (that roster had 1 1st rounder and 10 draft picks) and also didn't win a title with the heralded "best team every assembled", UND missed the tournament last year (that roster had 2 1st rounders and 13 draft picks), and Denver would've missed in the COVID year. Rebuilding happens to every single team
Roster construction matters. Absolutely. "Everyone else added older, more physically ready players." this is one of the older entering FR classes the Gophers have ever brought in with Mooney, Moe and Rombach the only guys who came in in their draft year. If you want to argue they should've gone and gotten more skill, possibly from the CHL, I'm right there with you. As far as no one else is avoiding the CHL, Wisconsin has 2 kids on the roster who played in Canada. Montgomery who committed to WI while playing for Lincoln in the USHL and Tulk who is a 5'9" undrafted kid (who I think is a very solid player) yet they're leading the B10 right now after missing the tournament last year
The WJC win, irrelevant to the Gophers, but being cited as "he can't win the big one". The reason for bringing it up, he most certainly has "won the big one" in that exact same tournament which hasn't exactly been flush with US dominance (we're a distant 3rd in golds if you put the various "Russian" teams under the same banner and in the middle milieu medal wise with Finland, Sweden, and Czechia).
The CHL stuff is really the only question of where Bob is going as a HC and it absolutely deserves criticism to not have more fully fleshed it out. The added part to that, unfortunately, is that we have not recruited Canada for, well forever. 1st round talent isn't begging to come play for us and Bob turning them away.
Michigan, Michigan State, and PSU all recruit Canada really well (both acutely and prior) because they are 200 miles from Toronto and there are CHL teams all dotting the borders next to them. Ditto on UND landing guys because of Chyzyk and their coaching tree having former players coaching in the CHL.
The only real question I have of Bob is does he still have the fire to want to do this at 64 (I'm not doubting it, it's just a huge ask with recruiting, time, etc.) while navigating a whole new scouting pool, NIL/player payments, the transfer portal and so on? Reusse calling into question people saying Bob can't coach or doesn't know what he's doing is the point of the article (why he's mentioning the initial rebuild when he got here). Only Bob can really answer, imo, whether or not he's still got the fire for it. Based on the growth of the team so far this year he seems to. Guess we'll see.
My issue with some of the criticisms is not that there aren't reasons to be frustrated, but that some fans are acting as if the program has been on a steady decline. Last time I checked they made 5 straight NCAAs while averaging 25 wins per season. They may not make the tournament this year but I don't expect that to happen again next year. Michigan missed it last season and look at them now. If they miss 2 years in a row I'll be concerned.
Michigan, UND, WI, and UMD all missed last year and are currently 1, 2, 3, and 4 in the NPI
I don't think having a season like this one is the end of the world or anything and obviously it hasn't concluded, maybe things get much better in the second half. But assuming it stays on a similar trajectory this will be objectively the worst season under Don or Bob in terms of final PWR/NPI ranking. Finishing 30th in the NPI is not nearly the same as Michigan barely missing at 14th, sure both teams missed out but one is a lot further away from contending the next year than the other.
Which is also a concern, maybe Motzko will go some alternative route to find a capable offensive Dman for next year and some other scoring help but that remains to be seen. There's not a ton to indicate that next year will be a substantial improvement based on the recruits we do have. Kvasnicka should help but IDK if you can pencil him in for first line contributor immediately like you could with Oliver Moore or what have you. The rest seem like guys who could be good eventually but not impact players as freshmen. You can hope for a big leap out of 1 or 2 guys but that's probably not happening across the board.
I guess we'll find out more tomorrow!
My issue with some of the criticisms is not that there aren't reasons to be frustrated, but that some fans are acting as if the program has been on a steady decline. Last time I checked they made 5 straight NCAAs while (1) averaging 25 wins per season. They may not make the tournament this year but I don't expect that to happen again next year. Michigan missed it last season and look at them now. If they miss 2 years in a row I'll be concerned.
(2) Michigan, UND, WI, and UMD all missed last year and are currently 1, 2, 3, and 4 in the NPI
(1) Average 25 Ws / year seems kinda low; the condensed 2020-21 season (24-7) may be dragging down the raw total, vs. win%.
(2) We don’t have any Will Horcoff, Michael Hage, or Keaton Verhoeff level talent coming in right away. That’s what is making this slump feel so catastrophic, because there’s no big light at the end of this tunnel, and the tunnel is feeling very long right about now.
Finishing 30th in the NPI is not nearly the same as Michigan barely missing at 14th, sure both teams missed out but one is a lot further away from contending the next year than the other.
Bingo! Finishing 14th and 30th are not even close to equal. We will see how the season plays out, but he willingly chose to keep a roster spot open on a team heading into the second half at 32 in the NPI. The fans don't want to hear any excuses when something like that happens.
My issue with some of the criticisms is not that there aren't reasons to be frustrated, but that some fans are acting as if the program has been on a steady decline. Last time I checked they made 5 straight NCAAs while (1) averaging 25 wins per season. They may not make the tournament this year but I don't expect that to happen again next year. Michigan missed it last season and look at them now. If they miss 2 years in a row I'll be concerned.
(2) Michigan, UND, WI, and UMD all missed last year and are currently 1, 2, 3, and 4 in the NPI
(1) Average 25 Ws / year seems kinda low; the condensed 2020-21 season (24-7) may be dragging down the raw total, vs. win%.
(2) We don’t have any Will Horcoff, Michael Hage, or Keaton Verhoeff level talent coming in right away. That’s what is making this slump feel so catastrophic, because there’s no big light at the end of this tunnel, and the tunnel is feeling very long right about now.
man i hear ya. i really do. And I agree its hard because of the talent level we've all been used to seeing versus looking at a pipeline that didn't look awesome in the central scouting rankings. In part, we all should have known as Bob told everyone it was coming with only 3 MN kids getting B rankings this year and no A rankings (and year before just as rough). And I get it we all want a quick fix.
But there are multiple paths. You need some upper level players stars and and you need to mix with depth and consistency if you don't have plentiful stars. The D core worries me (though Harper has been a very pleasant surprise but may be 2 years out), but I feel plenty fine about the F group coming back and what's coming in (Kvasnicka's growth has been excellent to see; we'll see if W Cullen comes in next year and expect him to rise in the next central scouting rankings). But I do in total think next year's team will be better than this year's (and this year's team has beaten #2, 8, and 9 in the NPI).
This season has been stressful in what is typically a pretty smooth ride to an upper seed for Gopher fans in recent memory, but I guess I don't see the tunnel as being quite as long and scary as you do (if you'd asked prior to the last 5 games, I may have felt differently lol). We won't be Michigan next year, but this team could absolutely look like UND next year provided they gel and get a little supplemental help.
14th for Michigan last year vs 30 for Minnesota right now are, indeed, very different.
Last year's finishes for WisconSIN at 28 and Duluth at 42, on the other hand, are entirely in line with where the Gophers currently are.
Let's pay attention to the entire argument instead of cherry-picking the worst looking of the possible data, shall we?
Finishing 30th in the NPI is not nearly the same as Michigan barely missing at 14th, sure both teams missed out but one is a lot further away from contending the next year than the other.
Bingo! Finishing 14th and 30th are not even close to equal. We will see how the season plays out, but he willingly chose to keep a roster spot open on a team heading into the second half at 32 in the NPI. The fans don't want to hear any excuses when something like that happens.
are they? As far as I've heard, they both involve sitting at home watching other teams playing in the NCAA tournament (and I'll be annoyed either way as missing the tourney here ever feels like a major failure).
Little tongue in cheek, but they have beaten #2, 9, and 10 this year already. I guess you can say they're "not competitive". If they go .500 they'll finish in the low to mid 20s. The NPI is being crushed by 2 bad home losses due to home weighting and some "bad wins" because we're under 12 wins right now. Obviously if they tank the 2nd half and suck (they'd probably have to go about 3-5 games under .500 in the 2nd half or drop multiple games to OSU/ND), this is a full fledged different story and Bob is going to have a real hard time selling that they're "building something".
NPI is still a mess right now (and will be for another month until more teams get to 12+ wins).
Well that goes both ways and Wisconsin and Duluth making jumps like that isn’t exactly the norm. Regardless we’re allowed to make predictions based on what we’ve seen and recruiting etc.
If Motzko’s goal this year was to transition to an older team with some of the older freshmen we have then that might take a while to pay off admittedly.
Finishing 30th in the NPI is not nearly the same as Michigan barely missing at 14th, sure both teams missed out but one is a lot further away from contending the next year than the other.
Bingo! Finishing 14th and 30th are not even close to equal. We will see how the season plays out, but he willingly chose to keep a roster spot open on a team heading into the second half at 32 in the NPI. The fans don't want to hear any excuses when something like that happens.
are they? As far as I've heard, they both involve sitting at home watching other teams playing in the NCAA tournament (and I'll be annoyed either way as missing the tourney here ever feels like a major failure).
Little tongue in cheek, but they have beaten #2, 9, and 10 this year already. I guess you can say they're "not competitive". If they go .500 they'll finish in the low to mid 20s. The NPI is being crushed by 2 bad home losses due to home weighting and some "bad wins" because we're under 12 wins right now. Obviously if they tank the 2nd half and suck (they'd probably have to go about 3-5 games under .500 in the 2nd half or drop multiple games to OSU/ND), this is a full fledged different story and Bob is going to have a real hard time selling that they're "building something".
NPI is still a mess right now (and will be for another month until more teams get to 12+ wins).
Yes this team beat Denver in a game where their goalie had a bad day and LDP played really well. The gophers were lucky not to be down 3-0 after the first. They admittedly did look good against PSU and No Dak for the most part (pretty even as far as xG unlike Denver). Mediocre teams can beat good ones and lose to bad ones, we’ve seen some of the worst Lucia teams do that too. Either way I’m not as concerned about the result of this season as much as where they’re headed.
Yes this team beat Denver in a game where their goalie had a bad day and LDP played really well. The gophers were lucky not to be down 3-0 after the first. They admittedly did look good against PSU and No Dak for the most part (pretty even as far as xG unlike Denver). Mediocre teams can beat good ones and lose to bad ones, we’ve seen some of the worst Lucia teams do that too. Either way I’m not as concerned about the result of this season as much as where they’re headed.Well that goes both ways and Wisconsin and Duluth making jumps like that isn’t exactly the norm. Regardless we’re allowed to make predictions based on what we’ve seen and recruiting etc.
If Motzko’s goal this year was to transition to an older team with some of the older freshmen we have then that might take a while to pay off admittedly.
Finishing 30th in the NPI is not nearly the same as Michigan barely missing at 14th, sure both teams missed out but one is a lot further away from contending the next year than the other.
Bingo! Finishing 14th and 30th are not even close to equal. We will see how the season plays out, but he willingly chose to keep a roster spot open on a team heading into the second half at 32 in the NPI. The fans don't want to hear any excuses when something like that happens.
are they? As far as I've heard, they both involve sitting at home watching other teams playing in the NCAA tournament (and I'll be annoyed either way as missing the tourney here ever feels like a major failure).
Little tongue in cheek, but they have beaten #2, 9, and 10 this year already. I guess you can say they're "not competitive". If they go .500 they'll finish in the low to mid 20s. The NPI is being crushed by 2 bad home losses due to home weighting and some "bad wins" because we're under 12 wins right now. Obviously if they tank the 2nd half and suck (they'd probably have to go about 3-5 games under .500 in the 2nd half or drop multiple games to OSU/ND), this is a full fledged different story and Bob is going to have a real hard time selling that they're "building something".
NPI is still a mess right now (and will be for another month until more teams get to 12+ wins).
i agree with you fully on the randomness of hockey (same as good teams can lose to bad ones; joy of any given night which this team learned the VERY hard way). hell we outshot LIU 38-22 and lost 6-2 and had double the xG as well. This team will absolutely be judged by their entire body of work (as they should) with coaches held accountable. I don't think they're as bad we were all fearful they were after ten games (seeing the 2-7-1 was vomit inducing)
And I agree with you the trajectory is important. I actually feel a little better right now than 3-4 months ago seeing our commits in junior and the roles they'll be asked to come in and fill (coupled with expected internal growth). Cullen certainly has a chance to jump a substantial amount in the rankings despite his injuries and can't say I had any expectation that Kvasnicka would be putting up numbers near guys expected or taken well ahead of him in the draft this year or Katz being a point per game player in the USHL right away. We are absolutely missing additions on the defensive and which I think we all will be slightly panicky if there are not additional adds and they're going to bank on Phillips and Grimes plus internal growth (and maybe Harper?) to account for Thomas and Mittelstadt going out.
All that said, I don't think this team will get there and is going to pay the price for their fuck ups against MTU and LIU but hey we'll see. The last month was fun and maybe they can keep it rolling. Luckily we get to find out against one of the more bipolar big ten teams this weekend that we looked very bit capable of sweeping last time we played.
What personally makes the conversation of downward, rebuild, present ranking, what’s the future hold hard to be ok with for me comes down to not finishing the quinny game with that team. I feel like having that championship would’ve filled that hole for awhile. Now it’s the feeling of starving for that title that much more without the patience for it. I don’t bring up that game really at all and sorry for being that guy but it’s a part of our history that’s still haunting in times like this for me anyway. Don’t look back, you’re not going that way, we say around the house sometimes. Love our program forever no matter what so I gotta believe in the idea we will celebrate just that much more when we get that title again. Gooooo gophers!!! Rah!
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What personally makes the conversation of downward, rebuild, present ranking, what’s the future hold hard to be ok with for me comes down to not finishing the quinny game with that team. I feel like having that championship would’ve filled that hole for awhile. Now it’s the feeling of starving for that title that much more without the patience for it. I don’t bring up that game really at all and sorry for being that guy but it’s a part of our history that’s still haunting in times like this for me anyway. Don’t look back, you’re not going that way, we say around the house sometimes. Love our program forever no matter what so I gotta believe in the idea we will celebrate just that much more when we get that title again. Gooooo gophers!!! Rah!
Ultimately the Q game has little to do with how i look at this team and the outlook for next year, other than it being the highest talent level this team has seen in my time watching and they still couldn't quite finish the job (stupid NCAA tourney format and all). Every year after that they've had less talent and the results have gone in the opposite direction whether we're talking overall PWR position or NCAA tourney results or even B1G tourney results. People are correct when they point out that other programs win with less NHL talent but so far we haven't really seen that here mainly because this team builds its roster in such a way that those two things tend to coincide.
My issue with some of the criticisms is not that there aren't reasons to be frustrated, but that some fans are acting as if the program has been on a steady decline. Last time I checked they made 5 straight NCAAs while averaging 25 wins per season. They may not make the tournament this year but I don't expect that to happen again next year. Michigan missed it last season and look at them now. If they miss 2 years in a row I'll be concerned.
This is kind of where I’m at too. I don’t mind a rebuild year based on the historic amount of points lost in the offseason if it’s only one year. That just seems realistic.
They have to be back in the saddle next year though. And by the looks of it, they need a difference maker on D. How confident am I that Motzko makes the move in the offseason? Not very, but he’s not stupid either. He’s been around the game for a long time and he’s definitely not blind to the weak points of the team going forward.
Hopefully he finds somebody or a couple guys to fill Thomas and Luke Mitts spots. Phillips and Grimes can fill Begley and Rud’s spots if they have to come in, hopefully. I say that because Grimes seemed like a big get when he first committed and I’m not sure he’s still the puck moving defenseman they originally hoped. Phillips on the other hand, who knows. He seems like he spends more time in the box or out of the lineup than he does on the ice.
Ok, big picture. The D core needs a facelift.
Whipple-Gruba
Rombach-McLaughlin
Phillips-Grimes
All these guys are third-pair on a contending team. Ideally you get an impactful transfer (i.e. Burkholder from CC, Cheslock from UST, Hennen from Augustana) and a high-end Freshman like a Blake Fiddler.
Bringing in Harper a year early does NOT constitute “making a move”. I’ve watched a handful of Saginaw games this year and as talented as he may be offensively, he is not ready for the speed and physicality of the college game. Turns 18 October 3rd. Just wouldn’t be a smart move.
Ok, big picture. The D core needs a facelift.
Whipple-Gruba
Rombach-McLaughlin
Phillips-Grimes
All these guys are third-pair on a contending team. Ideally you get an impactful transfer (i.e. Burkholder from CC, Cheslock from UST, Hennen from Augustana) and a high-end Freshman like a Blake Fiddler.
Bringing in Harper a year early does NOT constitute “making a move”. I’ve watched a handful of Saginaw games this year and as talented as he may be offensively, he is not ready for the speed and physicality of the college game. Turns 18 October 3rd. Just wouldn’t be a smart move.
I would envision everyone’s spot on the roster (both from the coaches and the players) is going to be heavily under review the rest of the year. Would also envision the portal both ways will be a part of it
they need an older pair that basically take rud and begley years so McLaughlin can remain the 6-7 with grimes. Philips will not be ready based on everything we’ve seen
Nobody is hanging on to the illusion that this team is making the tourney this year, right?
Nobody is hanging on to the illusion that this team is making the tourney this year, right?
Anyone who is a sports fan...hope is sometimes the only thing we have. Until it's official...hope. 😉
When you tell somebody somethin', it depends on what part of the United States you're standin' in... as to just how dumb you are.
Nobody is hanging on to the illusion that this team is making the tourney this year, right?
Anyone who is a sports fan...hope is sometimes the only thing we have. Until it's official...hope. 😉
This. it’s why I’ll hold onto that hope until they say it’s over and why I’ll be at every game until that’s the case
If Bob doesn’t call it quits, do they shake up the assistants in the offseason?
Nobody is hanging on to the illusion that this team is making the tourney this year, right?
Anyone who is a sports fan...hope is sometimes the only thing we have. Until it's official...hope. 😉
“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've been a Bills fan since 1986 (Jim Kelly). I know about hope. 😉Nobody is hanging on to the illusion that this team is making the tourney this year, right?
Anyone who is a sports fan...hope is sometimes the only thing we have. Until it's official...hope. 😉
When you tell somebody somethin', it depends on what part of the United States you're standin' in... as to just how dumb you are.
@the-rube I was in Buffalo in 2003 to watch Vanek and the Gophers collect their national championship. After the game, my brother in law and I walked over to a crowded bar and these two young women were gracious enough to let us sit at their table. They were both locals and didn't even know about the hockey game.
After a couple pitchers of beer and a lot of conversation, I asked one of the gals, who by now was a little cross eyed, "What is Buffalo like?"
She inhaled deeply from her frosty mug and through a mustache of foam she sighed and replied, "We're a drinking town with a football problem." 😆
If Bob doesn’t call it quits, do they shake up the assistants in the offseason?
They ain’t firing Miller or Gordon as long as Motzko’s here. I know they like Poderzay because he’s a goalie guy, but I’d like to see Martin become a full time member.
Read a book, "Second To None" by Joseph Valerio, and apparently there is a saying, if you get a job in Buffalo, and last a year, you will never leave.
I guess the city is that "this is home" type of thing.
I digress, back to hope. If one loses hope, what do you really have?
When you tell somebody somethin', it depends on what part of the United States you're standin' in... as to just how dumb you are.
She inhaled deeply from her frosty mug and through a mustache of foam she sighed and replied, "We're a drinking town with a football problem." 😆
If Bob doesn’t call it quits, do they shake up the assistants in the offseason?
They ain’t firing Miller or Gordon as long as Motzko’s here. I know they like Poderzay because he’s a goalie guy, but I’d like to see Martin become a full time member.
I agree on Miller. I could see it with Gordon, maybe he finds a new opportunity.
I'd have more hope if we weren't in the same playoff with Michigan, Michigan State, and Wisco.Nobody is hanging on to the illusion that this team is making the tourney this year, right?
Anyone who is a sports fan...hope is sometimes the only thing we have. Until it's official...hope. 😉
@the-rube I was in Buffalo in 2003 to watch Vanek and the Gophers collect their national championship. After the game, my brother in law and I walked over to a crowded bar and these two young women were gracious enough to let us sit at their table. They were both locals and didn't even know about the hockey game.
After a couple pitchers of beer and a lot of conversation, I asked one of the gals, who by now was a little cross eyed, "What is Buffalo like?"
She inhaled deeply from her frosty mug and through a mustache of foam she sighed and replied, "We're a drinking town with a football problem." 😆
We had to drive home right after the game to get home in time to go back to class.
We left right after the game and stopped at a rest stop an hour out and got some food at a McDonalds I think and a truck driver asked us why there were so many Minnesota license plates around. Clueless about national championship college hockey.
Good times. Hope we get there again soon. Not giving up on this year’s team!
I'd have more hope if we weren't in the same playoff with Michigan, Michigan State, and Wisco.Nobody is hanging on to the illusion that this team is making the tourney this year, right?
Anyone who is a sports fan...hope is sometimes the only thing we have. Until it's official...hope. 😉
Said every Gopher sport ever. 😉
When you tell somebody somethin', it depends on what part of the United States you're standin' in... as to just how dumb you are.
2003, I was in Vegas with some friends, asked the Mandalay sports book (well, the actual rail TO the sports book) to turn on that game. Bartender: Why?!@the-rube I was in Buffalo in 2003 to watch Vanek and the Gophers collect their national championship. After the game, my brother in law and I walked over to a crowded bar and these two young women were gracious enough to let us sit at their table. They were both locals and didn't even know about the hockey game.
After a couple pitchers of beer and a lot of conversation, I asked one of the gals, who by now was a little cross eyed, "What is Buffalo like?"
She inhaled deeply from her frosty mug and through a mustache of foam she sighed and replied, "We're a drinking town with a football problem." 😆
We had to drive home right after the game to get home in time to go back to class.
We left right after the game and stopped at a rest stop an hour out and got some food at a McDonalds I think and a truck driver asked us why there were so many Minnesota license plates around. Clueless about national championship college hockey.Good times. Hope we get there again soon. Not giving up on this year’s team!
told her reason, within half an hour, hockey fans lined up at the rail watching the game. LV folks were SO confused.
When you tell somebody somethin', it depends on what part of the United States you're standin' in... as to just how dumb you are.
I've been watching the team mostly out of morbid curiosity for a while now and we haven't even played either of the Michigan teams yet 🤣 .Nobody is hanging on to the illusion that this team is making the tourney this year, right?
They almost certainly do that at the very least, if for nothing other than to improve the recruiting or get rid of Miller and this terrible PK. If Motzko won't budge then hopefully they have some ideas on who the next HC should be.If Bob doesn’t call it quits, do they shake up the assistants in the offseason?
Listened to most of the game on the radio. Like I said last night, feels like Luca should be the guy going forward unless he completely falls apart. I feel bad for Airey that he was hurt much of the 2023-24 season so he couldn’t really get any games his freshman year and learn more under Close. But he’s been given plenty of chances at this point to take over and be the guy and unfortunately, for whatever reason, he just hasn’t. Liked the fight and effort more last night than on Friday but it just wasn’t enough and at this point in the season “looking better” is not enough either. I really don’t know what to expect going forward, especially this month. It’s going to be a gauntlet. Some serious moves need to be made in the offseason because another year of this is unacceptable for Gopher hockey. One rebuild season I can swallow but for the program to go through a year like this and then potentially not improve much going into next season is not acceptable at a place like Minnesota. Hand up, I don’t know what all the answers are. Should they shake up the coaching staff? Maybe. They almost certainly need to beef up this forward group with at least one more solid center next year. Dip into the portal or the CHL and get a couple of defenseman. In particular ones that can move the puck. Finally, do they bring in Casey next year in goal? Airey cannot be our number one guy and unless he gets hot down the stretch I’m still not convinced that Luca should be our number one goalie without any competition next year. As others have mentioned, and I believe I have as well, this season stings all that much more because the past four seasons, aside from maybe the 2023-24 season after Cooley left, were teams that were built for winning a national championship but fell short. At least one of them definitely should have… and even the 2023-24 year that team still had the talent and veteran leadership to go on a run. But alas that is sports, especially Minnesota sports. This is my team and I’ll follow and support them as best I can. Even when it’s not always fun. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go watch highlights from 2022-23 and try not to cry.
I hear posters talk about hope, and I am sure it means different things to different people, but for me “hope” falls somewhere between what is expected out come under the circumstances and expectations for the team/ program.
let me explain.
when we win, its fun and I am happy. When we lose, it’s no fun and I am disappointed. This way I enjoy every win and lament every loss. Based on how this team has played, I would be shocked if we made it to the NCAA tournament. I don’t expect it, but if we do I will be happy. In a broader sense I also find it disappointing that we won’t make it to the tournament, U of M should always make it, we should be the Hockey version of OhSt football, and we have been in recent years (always with overwhelming talent, underperforming teams in most years). It is with this expectation I think Bob should be heavily scrutinized.
Hope, in contrast to expectations, is like a soft form of expectation. Whereas expectations can be adjusted under the circumstances hope isn’t. My experience, hope deprives me of fun. If I hope that we win the B1G, and only win one more game, I don’t enjoy that win, because hope is gone. But why did I hope in the first place?
that’s why I ain’t got time for hope, but this is me, YMMV.
Listened to most of the game on the radio. Like I said last night, feels like Luca should be the guy going forward unless he completely falls apart. I feel bad for Airey that he was hurt much of the 2023-24 season so he couldn’t really get any games his freshman year and learn more under Close. But he’s been given plenty of chances at this point to take over and be the guy and unfortunately, for whatever reason, he just hasn’t. Liked the fight and effort more last night than on Friday but it just wasn’t enough and at this point in the season “looking better” is not enough either. I really don’t know what to expect going forward, especially this month. It’s going to be a gauntlet. Some serious moves need to be made in the offseason because another year of this is unacceptable for Gopher hockey. One rebuild season I can swallow but for the program to go through a year like this and then potentially not improve much going into next season is not acceptable at a place like Minnesota. Hand up, I don’t know what all the answers are. Should they shake up the coaching staff? Maybe. They almost certainly need to beef up this forward group with at least one more solid center next year. Dip into the portal or the CHL and get a couple of defenseman. In particular ones that can move the puck. Finally, do they bring in Casey next year in goal? Airey cannot be our number one guy and unless he gets hot down the stretch I’m still not convinced that Luca should be our number one goalie without any competition next year. As others have mentioned, and I believe I have as well, this season stings all that much more because the past four seasons, aside from maybe the 2023-24 season after Cooley left, were teams that were built for winning a national championship but fell short. At least one of them definitely should have… and even the 2023-24 year that team still had the talent and veteran leadership to go on a run. But alas that is sports, especially Minnesota sports. This is my team and I’ll follow and support them as best I can. Even when it’s not always fun. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go watch highlights from 2022-23 and try not to cry.
I knew the season was over on November 1st. Now I know what it’s like to be a Twins fan. Inexcusable what Bob has done with this roster. Changing assistants just feels like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic at this point.
Rombach and Gruba are the only ones that are safe on defense next year. Tell everyone else to go find a new home. Add 2 defenseman from the portal, and then go big game hunting for a Jackson Smith type player. If he does that, I’ll even be ok with him adding the annual D3 charity player.
Bob needs to either adapt or get out of the way. Is Coyle gonna twist his arm a bit? Gonna get quite noisy around this program if they have a disastrous January. Unranked and 36 in the NPI isn’t a rebuild. It’s a total failure that should never be accepted at Minnesota.
I hear posters talk about hope, and I am sure it means different things to different people, but for me “hope” falls somewhere between what is expected out come under the circumstances and expectations for the team/ program.
let me explain.
when we win, its fun and I am happy. When we lose, it’s no fun and I am disappointed. This way I enjoy every win and lament every loss. Based on how this team has played, I would be shocked if we made it to the NCAA tournament. I don’t expect it, but if we do I will be happy. In a broader sense I also find it disappointing that we won’t make it to the tournament, U of M should always make it, we should be the Hockey version of OhSt football, and we have been in recent years (always with overwhelming talent, underperforming teams in most years). It is with this expectation I think Bob should be heavily scrutinized.
Hope, in contrast to expectations, is like a soft form of expectation. Whereas expectations can be adjusted under the circumstances hope isn’t. My experience, hope deprives me of fun. If I hope that we win the B1G, and only win one more game, I don’t enjoy that win, because hope is gone. But why did I hope in the first place?
that’s why I ain’t got time for hope, but this is me, YMMV.
As you said, there is hope and there is expectations. To me, expectations equal being realistic. The 1972 and 1980 US Olympic teams weren't expected to make any noise, realistically. But they hoped. Those teams won the silver and gold, respectively. If they didn't have hope, they were toast.
If one throws in the towel before the game/season is done, one has already lost.
When you tell somebody somethin', it depends on what part of the United States you're standin' in... as to just how dumb you are.
Listened to most of the game on the radio. Like I said last night, feels like Luca should be the guy going forward unless he completely falls apart. I feel bad for Airey that he was hurt much of the 2023-24 season so he couldn’t really get any games his freshman year and learn more under Close. But he’s been given plenty of chances at this point to take over and be the guy and unfortunately, for whatever reason, he just hasn’t. Liked the fight and effort more last night than on Friday but it just wasn’t enough and at this point in the season “looking better” is not enough either. I really don’t know what to expect going forward, especially this month. It’s going to be a gauntlet. Some serious moves need to be made in the offseason because another year of this is unacceptable for Gopher hockey. One rebuild season I can swallow but for the program to go through a year like this and then potentially not improve much going into next season is not acceptable at a place like Minnesota. Hand up, I don’t know what all the answers are. Should they shake up the coaching staff? Maybe. They almost certainly need to beef up this forward group with at least one more solid center next year. Dip into the portal or the CHL and get a couple of defenseman. In particular ones that can move the puck. Finally, do they bring in Casey next year in goal? Airey cannot be our number one guy and unless he gets hot down the stretch I’m still not convinced that Luca should be our number one goalie without any competition next year. As others have mentioned, and I believe I have as well, this season stings all that much more because the past four seasons, aside from maybe the 2023-24 season after Cooley left, were teams that were built for winning a national championship but fell short. At least one of them definitely should have… and even the 2023-24 year that team still had the talent and veteran leadership to go on a run. But alas that is sports, especially Minnesota sports. This is my team and I’ll follow and support them as best I can. Even when it’s not always fun. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go watch highlights from 2022-23 and try not to cry.
re the goalie. LDP will be back next year. I would presume Airey portals if the season plays out the way it should to try find somewhere he’ll play his senior year and that we either have Casey come in to be the backup or portal someone in.
tbh I expect this to be a much more tumultuous offseason from a personnel standpoint. I don’t think Coyle will get rid of Bob and don’t think he should unless Bob says he doesn’t have the fire to get out there and recruit as this was the same thing that happened during his initial rebuild before our really good run.
but yes, imo, the rest of the season needs to be deciding who is here from the standpoint of that rebuild. There are some really good pieces up front (Zeimer, Mooney, Moore, Moe and some good middle to bottom 6 guys who will be comfortable playing that role) on this team that can build you to that, but very lacking in any star power and you lose your top d guys (personally I think Rombach can replace Thomas fine and has made massive strides this year as a defensive defenseman for what I expect as a freshmen) and need some amount of offense and another better defensive option to add in there.