While I'd love to have a boss that's as easy to please as Rube I'd also be out of a job 4 years later after the company folds 🤣I don't. I'm a casual fan, I don't get into the nitty-gritty like some on the board.
I watch/listen to the games. If you're trying to shame me, it won't work. I don't give a sh*. I call it like I see it.MN, right now, is having a bad year. It's not a trend. 2 years in a row is bad juju. 3 years is a streak. 4 years is a trend. We're in year one.
4 years of this????? Is this a joke??
Correct, after four years, you'd be done.
My point is, don't be hasty. Watch the progression, or degression, of the program and then base your decision on not ONE year, but multiple years. Not that difficult.
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.
That's fair, if it's this bad. (delete) proper response below.
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.
That is fair.I don't. I'm a casual fan, I don't get into the nitty-gritty like some on the board.
I watch/listen to the games. If you're trying to shame me, it won't work. I don't give a sh*. I call it like I see it.MN, right now, is having a bad year. It's not a trend. 2 years in a row is bad juju. 3 years is a streak. 4 years is a trend. We're in year one.
4 years of this????? Is this a joke??
You mis-read. This is year one. I don't want year 2. God forbid year 3. If it hits year 4? Hit that big red button.
2 years of this is a fireable offense at this program
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 attach too much of my mood to this stupid team lol. Is it better or worse that I know that and can’t stop it
This year sucks. We have talent, we can’t seem to put it together with hard work for more than a period or two here and there. I don’t know why. I’m not paid to be privy to things that might help understand why, nor paid to know how to fix it.
We have been consistently inconsistent the past few years including in big games and we’ve made it farther than most teams the past several years, but as an elite program year after year it sucks we didn’t win the big one, (especially when we should have). Again, none of our faults but I know this program has championship expectations every year.
There is a gradient in that just missing the tourney with a tough schedule and consistent effort is different than getting embarrassed week after week and hanging with the perennial bottom dwellers. That being said, a lot of fair weather fans will trash the program if we aren’t in the top ten week after week and I would think most of us fall into believing the former.
I’m not abandoning my team and will see the season through. We need something different next year for sure. Coaches? Players? Both? 🤷♀️
I don’t like where college sports are going and it’s probably going to be a bumpy ride for a bit as this new normal settles in.
Hang in there everyone. It’s still better to be a Gopher Hockey fan than anything else. Most of the time. 😄
Gimme one more year of tBob. Then I will re-assess my opinion. We knew this year was going to be a little rough. Maybe some construction. Didn't expect a gravel road.
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.
Gimme one more year of tBob. Then I will re-assess my opinion. We knew this year was going to be a little rough. Maybe some construction. Didn't expect a gravel road.
This offseason will tell us everything we need to know.
I’m with rube. More than one season to be sure. If he sits on the roster that’s a problem. Looking at the pipeline and what we have on the roster, this has the makings of a very good team in 2 years but he needs to build to next year and cut the fat, not stand pat
I’m with rube. More than one season to be sure. If he sits on the roster that’s a problem. Looking at the pipeline and what we have on the roster, this has the makings of a very good team in 2 years but he needs to build to next year and cut the fat, not stand pat
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.
At this point I don't care if they keep or replace him, but they better bring it with his replacement.
I am with @the-rube, perhaps not for the same reasons, but I think his conclusion is sound.
I understand the desire for prudence and avoiding impulsive decisions. Letting Bob go is only impulsive if you look solely at this season’s record and ignore how we got here.
By Bob’s own standards, this is not a talented roster. Last year’s team was talented, and the 2022–23 team was exceptionally talented. Yet even with that level of talent, last year ended in first-round exits in both the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. If that is the ceiling with a “talented” roster, then this season’s results with a clearly less-talented team are disappointing but not surprising.
More concerning is that last year’s team had talent comparable to this year’s Michigan roster, but did not play like it. Their inconsistency and late-season collapse point to a coaching issue, not a talent one, and raise real questions about Bob’s ability to sustain confidence in the locker room.
Finally, for a coach who stresses physical maturity and experience, Bob has been unwilling to acquire it through the portal or CHL. By his own framework, this roster is too young to win, yet he continues to rely almost exclusively on homegrown players who take years to develop. That rigidity has become self-defeating.
None of these issues are new. They have persisted for several seasons and are now simply magnified by a thinner roster.
If nothing else, this team certainly has a spot in the Gopher hockey history books. Nice work!
If nothing else, this team certainly has a spot in the Gopher hockey history books. Nice work!
haven’t lost 6 in a row since 97-98 when they lost 9 in a row. They should finish better than the 8-24 season (71-72), so hey they’ve got that going for them
If nothing else, this team certainly has a spot in the Gopher hockey history books. Nice work!
haven’t lost 6 in a row since 97-98 when they lost 9 in a row. They should finish better than the 8-24 season (71-72), so hey they’ve got that going for them
we are 0-6-1 in the last 7 games. I expect we will lose the next 3. If we win one, I will be pleasantly surprised.
If nothing else, this team certainly has a spot in the Gopher hockey history books. Nice work!
haven’t lost 6 in a row since 97-98 when they lost 9 in a row. They should finish better than the 8-24 season (71-72), so hey they’ve got that going for them
0-6. There is no tie as it was an exhibition.
we are 0-6-1 in the last 7 games. I expect we will lose the next 3. If we win one, I will be pleasantly surprised.
Single elimination quarterfinals should be an advantage for the Gophers in the Big Ten tourney this year!
To the people that say this is just one bad season, I say this is a terrible season. This is historically bad. And to claim that there is no difference between 18th and 40th in the NPI is ludicrous. I’m fine with giving Bob the off season to make some adjustments and additions to the roster. If he doesn’t it is time.
To the people that say this is just one bad season, I say this is a terrible season. This is historically bad. And to claim that there is no difference between 18th and 40th in the NPI is ludicrous. I’m fine with giving Bob the off season to make some adjustments and additions to the roster. If he doesn’t it is time.
I am of that stance that there is no difference, if it happens for one year. That's the key. That's the difference. If it continues, yes, HUGE problem.
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.
To the people that say this is just one bad season, I say this is a terrible season. This is historically bad. And to claim that there is no difference between 18th and 40th in the NPI is ludicrous. I’m fine with giving Bob the off season to make some adjustments and additions to the roster. If he doesn’t it is time.
I am of that stance that there is no difference, if it happens for one year. That's the key. That's the difference. If it continues, yes, HUGE problem.
I am even less patient. As I think this has been going on for a few years, but masked by overwhelming talent.
The Badgers will be coming into Mariucci on a 4 game losing streak. Massive games for Wisconsin. Gophers will get their best.
Coming in with some real numbers... This season is getting close to historically bad.
As of this moment, this is only the 5th losing season in the last 50 years.
Sub .500 seasons in the last 50 years.
- 2025-26 .340
- 2009-10 .487
- 1997-98 .436
- 1998-99 .453
- 1976-77 .451
This is the worst win% since the 1971-72 season of .250
Do not like how this board is run?
Get your own board!
♃
15 sub .500 seasons in 104 years. 10 of them in the 1st 54 years and 5 in the last 50 years.
Do not like how this board is run?
Get your own board!
♃
Ironically that was my Freshman year at the U and when I attended my first Gopher Hockey game. Ken Yackel was a joke as coach. But I got hooked anyway.Coming in with some real numbers... This season is getting close to historically bad.
As of this moment, this is only the 5th losing season in the last 50 years.
This is the worst win% since the 1971-72 season of .250
Pretty hard to believe when looking at today's USCHO poll that Augustana, St. Thomas and Michigan Tech are waaay ahead of the Gophers. Those teams are in the top 20 and the Gophers are not a blip on the radar. Perhaps the strength of schedule was too overwhelming with all the players that did not return.
Pretty hard to believe when looking at today's USCHO poll that Augustana, St. Thomas and Michigan Tech are waaay ahead of the Gophers. Those teams are in the top 20 and the Gophers are not a blip on the radar. Perhaps the strength of schedule was too overwhelming with all the players that did not return.
Just as hard to believe is the same guy who recruited players to bring Minnesota back to an elite level also ran the ship into the reef, marking the worst disaster in 50 years.
I would have told anybody who would ask that in any down year the worst case for Minnesota would be a top 20 team.
Pretty hard to believe when looking at today's USCHO poll that Augustana, St. Thomas and Michigan Tech are waaay ahead of the Gophers. Those teams are in the top 20 and the Gophers are not a blip on the radar. Perhaps the strength of schedule was too overwhelming with all the players that did not return.
Just as hard to believe is the same guy who recruited players to bring Minnesota back to an elite level also ran the ship into the reef, marking the worst disaster in 50 years.
I would have told anybody who would ask that in any down year the worst case for Minnesota would be a top 20 team.
That said it is at least worth mentioning that the college athletics landscape has changed more in the past 6 years than the previous 50 combined. It's not an excuse for this situation, in fact you could make the argument that it is easier than ever to pull a strong program out of ruts than it ever has before.
'29, '40, '74, '76, '79, '02, & '03
GPL's Resident Cabin Enthusiast & Cadets Hockey Fan
Pretty hard to believe when looking at today's USCHO poll that Augustana, St. Thomas and Michigan Tech are waaay ahead of the Gophers. Those teams are in the top 20 and the Gophers are not a blip on the radar. Perhaps the strength of schedule was too overwhelming with all the players that did not return.
Just as hard to believe is the same guy who recruited players to bring Minnesota back to an elite level also ran the ship into the reef, marking the worst disaster in 50 years.
I would have told anybody who would ask that in any down year the worst case for Minnesota would be a top 20 team.
It's not an excuse for this situation, in fact you could make the argument that it is easier than ever to pull a strong program out of ruts than it ever has before.
I think this is an important point to make. It has never been "easier" to flip a roster/program quickly. This is why me (and others) are not excited about the wait and see approach. Minnesota has a lot of built in advantages and they should be very aggressive this offseason.
Yeah the expectation going in among most was that this was more of a bubble team or a team that should still make the playoffs, mainly because transfers like Ludtke and maybe Pritchard could contribute right away not to mention Mooney. I personally thought this team would be something along the lines of a team that barely missed because I didn't see how they were gonna do well as well as they used to in early season OOC games with this much scoring lost, not to mention this team couldn't beat teams like MSU a year ago with more talent. I also didn't realize how good Michigan and Wisconsin would be this year, Penn State being good wasn't a surprise and if anything I'm kinda surprised this team even looked as good as they did vs them at Mariucci.
Overall this doesn't seem like a team that's "inconsistent" though I suppose it depends how you define that. This team is consistently bad vs elite opponents, getting lucky against Denver and having one decent game vs North Dakota doesn't really change that narrative much when they're 0-2 vs Duluth, 0-4 vs the Michigan teams, 1-3 vs PSU, and 0-2 vs Wisconsin. BC is on the bubble at 14th and the Gophers could only muster a shootout win that series (I assume counts as a tie for NPI) after going into the 3rd with a lead and getting badly outshot while in a defensive shell. Then against the mediocre teams this team is... mediocre. They basically just split with all the mediocre teams and swept a 54th ranked team that lost the brains of the operation and made the team somewhat competitive with his boring system. (I want to say Notre Dame was ranked something like 41st last year lol)
All of this to say that at best this is an underperforming mediocre team with an exceptionally tough schedule but even mediocre teams you'd think should be able to get lucky vs elite teams a little more often than they have so far, especially at home. Going 3-12 vs teams that would currently be in the NCAA tourney and splitting with teams ranked 24-32 (while currently being ranked 41) seems more like a team that's bad than mediocre/unlucky/on the cusp of anything good but I guess it depends how you define these things.
I think this is an important point to make. It has never been "easier" to flip a roster/program quickly. This is why me (and others) are not excited about the wait and see approach. Minnesota has a lot of built in advantages and they should be very aggressive this offseason.
I will fully admit that IDK how many elite offensive minded Dmen there are out there in the transfer portal or CHL that this team can realistically get but you'd think a program with our history and resources could theoretically get 2 of those guys somehow. I wouldn't be opposed to adding forwards as well (besides bringing in the guys slated to be brought in) but I'm not as sure about what can be done there.
Listening to overtime and hearing Veegs say he thinks they’re bringing in Harper next season makes me cringe.
We’re in the middle of a historically bad season where it’s been made perfectly clear where youth on the blue line gets you, and their response is to accelerate a barely 18 year old dman as the fix? Really? I mean he’s a really good player I’ll give him that, but we’ve seen players like LaCombe, and Rombach (3 picks out of the 1st round) struggle as true freshmen.
I just think they have to realize with how 2025-26 went, the fanbase will be rightfully impatient. They NEED a win now mentality next season, and IMO the Harper move wouldn’t do that.
It really depends, yeah you probably don't want Harper as your first pairing guy next year but if they get some good transfers and he's a third pairing guy that gets to ease into NCAA competition that wouldn't be a problem. If they're asking him to come in and be a savior as a true freshman then yeah that's probably a bad plan.
Transfer-Gruba
Whipple-Rombach
Phillips-Harper
Grimes
That’s at least serviceable.
I’d 100% bring Harper in with how he’s looked as long as you’re bringing in 2 transfers as well. Phillips is nowhere near ready. You’re prepping this team for a run 2 years from now (postseason next year and upper level contender in bobs final year)
I don’t think having two anchors as your second pairing is ideal, they prob need two transfers plus Harper with this D group.Transfer-Gruba
Whipple-Rombach
Phillips-Harper
Grimes
That’s at least serviceable.
Transfer-Gruba
Whipple-Rombach
Phillips-Harper
Grimes
That’s at least serviceable.
No that is not.
Transfer-Gruba
Whipple-Rombach
Phillips-Harper
Grimes
That’s at least serviceable.
Woof. You’re being overly nice, that is a rough looking roster.
Gruba is third pair at best on a decent team. The fact that he is currently projecting as first pair for next season doesn't give much hope that this years struggles are going to be improving. As others are saying, bring in at least 2 quality transfers and then if they want to bring in Harper as well I'd be fine with that.
Gruba is third pair at best on a decent team. The fact that he is currently projecting as first pair for next season doesn't give much hope that this years struggles are going to be improving. As others are saying, bring in at least 2 quality transfers and then if they want to bring in Harper as well I'd be fine with that.
Who gets pushed out? If it were me McLaughlin and one of Grimes/Phillips. Rud/Begley being obvious answers but I’d jus assume they’re your practice/depth guys.
I actually like Grimes and Phillips as long term guys but next year needs more instant impact. The temptation to just blow the whole thing up is strong. For me Rombach, Whipple, Gruba are safe, you’re on your own after that.
I don’t think having two anchors as your second pairing is ideal, they prob need two transfers plus Harper with this D group.Transfer-Gruba
Whipple-Rombach
Phillips-Harper
Grimes
That’s at least serviceable.
Whipple’s been great this year. Maybe he can take another giant leap this offseason (unlikely)
Gruba is third pair at best on a decent team. The fact that he is currently projecting as first pair for next season doesn't give much hope that this years struggles are going to be improving. As others are saying, bring in at least 2 quality transfers and then if they want to bring in Harper as well I'd be fine with that.
Who gets pushed out? If it were me McLaughlin and one of Grimes/Phillips. Rud/Begley being obvious answers but I’d jus assume they’re your practice/depth guys.
I actually like Grimes and Phillips as long term guys but next year needs more instant impact. The temptation to just blow the whole thing up is strong. For me Rombach, Whipple, Gruba are safe, you’re on your own after that.
Honestly any of them could get pushed out. It's a little depressing thinking about a blue line with Faber, Johnson, Lacombe, Koester, Mittlestadt, and Chesley compared with what we have this year. I'm good with blowing it all up.
I would keep Whipple and Rombach before Gruba by a pretty wide margin. Gruba has been very disappointing.
I would keep Whipple and Rombach before Gruba by a pretty wide margin. Gruba has been very disappointing.
Disappointing, yes, but he can play on my third pair any day. But I agree with whoever said Gruba on your first pair is concerning.
Also I just know if we let him go he’ll blow up somewhere else lol. I couldn’t justify giving up on the USHL dman of the year this early. You never know if he’s playing through injuries or something.
I would keep Whipple and Rombach before Gruba by a pretty wide margin. Gruba has been very disappointing.
Have to agree with this. He lost weight this past offseason and he gets shoved around. No noticeable jump in his game. He more than any defenseman treats the puck like a hot potato. Especially in the defensive zone. He needs to not panic and make confident passes.
Transfer-Gruba
Whipple-Rombach
Phillips-Harper
Grimes
That’s at least serviceable.
No that is not.
The Gophers need the college-equivalent of a Quinn Hughes moment.
The message to the staff is simple: GET TO WORK
Certainly, there should be no "caught me by surprise" guys to the pros this year. But possibly the portal.
And its gonna take a lot of bodies -- this isn't a tweak or slight augment to the roster.
5 seniors need to be replaced.
In the undergraduates, I'm interested in seeing more from:
6 to 8 (I almost typed 6-7 and wanted to instantly slap myself) of the remaining forwards.
3 of the remaining defensemen
1 of the remaining goalies
So that's 10 - 12 bodies. (Yeah I know this isn't going to happen, doesn't appear to be Bob's style)
If all four current commits come, that's 14 - 16 (and maybe one freshman really contributes next year).
While I appreciate getting older, the guys still need to show something and like everyone else, whats been shown this year hasn't been good let alone great.
Even calling it 16 --- lots of new faces needed. Yikes.
I really do think the forward group is fine. I think a lot of their struggles are a direct result of the D not being able to get them the puck anywhere on the ice. Break outs have been a problem, activation in the o zone has been a problem, even the neutral zone has been a big issue for the d core.
I just think they’re bringing down the numbers of the forward group.
2026-27 projection:
Hendrickson-Clark-Ziemer
Ludtke-Mooney-Kvasnicka
Cullen-Moe-Moore
Townsend-Pahlsson-Pritchard
Extra: Katz, Nevers, Falloon, Harris
I think that’s a pretty deep group with a mix of high end talent and veteran depth. With the presumed acceleration of Wyatt Cullen it just seems obvious that the staff is anticipating losing a forward or two to the portal.
Bob keeps mentioning he is "forced to play a bunch of freshmen". Nobody forced you to have this roster going into the season.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gopher-hockey-weekly-01-26-26/id1466088193?i=1000746780569
Bob keeps mentioning he is "forced to play a bunch of freshmen". Nobody forced you to have this roster going into the season.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gopher-hockey-weekly-01-26-26/id1466088193?i=1000746780569
In his defense, even if they went hard into the CHL last offseason they’d still be freshmen. So we kinda are forced to an extant. Portal was noticeably weak too.