Also, the elephant in the room: who would one get that is better? And at what cost? We're seeing college FB start to melt down about buyouts (see: LSU). Yes, it's cheaper, but revenue is also much less....
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.
Going to have a very hard time not justifying moving on after this season
So having 1 bad season out of 7 justifies firing Bob? IF next year is not up to Gopher standards, then let's have that discussion.
To answer your question, yes. The culture shift has been tangible and noticeable. I just don’t see Bob at his age finding the energy to pull this team up back from the dead. And this is coming from an avid Bob defender.
They’ve been quite good the last 5 seasons and everyone knew they’d take a big step back this year, but idk how you can come back with the same culture next year. A change is necessary at some level.
Also, the elephant in the room: who would one get that is better? And at what cost? We're seeing college FB start to melt down about buyouts (see: LSU). Yes, it's cheaper, but revenue is also much less....
Ben Barr’s buyout will never be cheaper. His contract is set to expire the same year as Bob’s and I’d be willing to bet Maine is cooking up an extension any day now.
I didn't have high expectations but this is just 🤣. I kinda doubt Wisconsin is better than Michigan State, Michigan, or Penn State but maybe I'm wrong, either way I kinda doubt this is rock bottom. At this point I'd be happy if they took 1 out of 4 against any of those teams.Is this rock bottom? Or will we go further?
I've been mostly positive about the guy and appreciate what he's done here but here we are. Not saying they need to fire him but clearly they've been trending the wrong way and what we're seeing now is as bad as the worst of the Lucia era, if the recruiting pipeline of the next year or two isn't on par with the most optimistic projection on GPL then this program isn't in a great place.I have a feeling that this place will be not be a fun place to visit for a while. All of the Bob haters will be out in full force forgetting the prior 5 years of success.
I think we're more at the point where some assistant gets scapegoated and Motzko is on a very short leash regarding any future contracts (and more likely asked to retire in the near future), especially at his age. To frozen's point I kinda doubt they'd fire him over one (potentially really) bad season but this program is one of the few sources of revenue for the athletic department and it's hard to imagine that staying the case with Mariucci looking like a morgue. I don't think this program is in some permanently bad place or even on its way toward that but no matter what the program needs to think about its future and how it's going to stay above the rest of the B1G schools that have currently surpassed it. Even if they don't fire Motzko after this year it's a question they need to be thinking about.Going to have a very hard time not justifying moving on after this season
So having 1 bad season out of 7 justifies firing Bob? IF next year is not up to Gopher standards, then let's have that discussion.
To answer your question, yes. The culture shift has been tangible and noticeable. I just don’t see Bob at his age finding the energy to pull this team up back from the dead. And this is coming from an avid Bob defender.
They’ve been quite good the last 5 seasons and everyone knew they’d take a big step back this year, but idk how you can come back with the same culture next year. A change is necessary at some level.
Based on the recruits they currently have lined up, it wouldn't surprise me if next season is just as bad. They will likely be worse on defense after losing 20 & 22, and no real difference makers coming in up front either. Cut the cord, and lets start rebuilding this program.
I was curious about the last time the Gophers had an actual bad season - not just a mediocre one - and going back to Herb's first season in 72-73, the Gophers have never had a season with fewer than 15 wins.
Does anyone see a path to 15 wins with this team and this schedule moving forward?
I have mixed feelings about Motzko - I respect that he has largely been a good coach with good teams, but I can't stand how he approaches the post season, and even more so, I can't stand how he always has someone else to blame when that approach fails - but "one down season" and "the worst season of Gopher Hockey in more than 50 years" are two very different stories.
The Gophers played awful tonight.
It couldn't hurt to give Zach Wiese a look to send a message. The whole team needs to take it up a couple of levels.
On the bright side we know if they ever get in another shootout, they have a decent chance.
Bob is a very likeable coach, I hope things turn around for the team. There for sure is still hope!
I was curious about the last time the Gophers had an actual bad season - not just a mediocre one - and going back to Herb's first season in 72-73, the Gophers have never had a season with fewer than 15 wins.
Does anyone see a path to 15 wins with this team and this schedule moving forward?
I have mixed feelings about Motzko - I respect that he has largely been a good coach with good teams, but I can't stand how he approaches the post season, and even more so, I can't stand how he always has someone else to blame when that approach fails - but "one down season" and "the worst season of Gopher Hockey in more than 50 years" are two very different stories.
Thank you for articulating this better than I could. I agree with most on here that his tenure has been largely positive both on the ice and off the ice (reengaging alumni, filling Mariucci, etc.). But you have to look at things objectively and see where things stand currently.
The 2016-17 team was a 1 seed the year before Don resigned, and the 2017-18 team was largely a top 10 team for most of the year. Things can change quickly. Sometimes you don’t realize how much you needed a change til it happens.
He’s done a fantastic job of bringing pride on ice back to the gophers and I think he is a good coach that deserves a lot of praise for what he’s done here. What I’m struggling with is his wait and see approach with transfers, then NIL and now CHL players. The landscape in college hockey has changed rapidly in the last few years (and continues to change) and you need a coach who embraces it. Sadly, I don’t think Bob will or is willing to adjust fast enough with the times.
Motzko has been a better recruiter than a coach. This team is on him, and I don't see him coaching his way out of it. He couldn't win the big one with loaded teams. Who would put a nickel on him that he could get this train wreck turned around?
The ship has hit the reef and captain Bob is over his head.
If it looks like this team is going to stink up the joint this year and possibly next, who's to say that the one or two good players even stay?
This team is more than just a coach. It’s a group effort from the top to the bottom.
I still maintain that we don’t know for a fact that Motzko didn’t try to get any CHL players so it is all speculation as to what our recruiting efforts have been behind the scenes - so it isn’t fair to say our coaching staff hasn’t been trying to keep up with the jones’ in terms of recruiting.
“College” hockey is a very different landscape with much more parity than it was even a decade ago. There are going to be ups and downs as we navigate this new territory, and as mentioned earlier, there are a lot more attractive options for elite in-state talent than just the M, for many reasons.
Despite the fact I disagree very much with what has happened to college athletics, I will not cease to support my Gopher Hockey team.
I’ll reserve final judgements until this season is over.
I didn't have high expectations but this is just 🤣. I kinda doubt Wisconsin is better than Michigan State, Michigan, or Penn State
More than anything, we all expected a reload year at some point, but we absolutely did not expect not being able to put up any sort of fight against old rival after old rival.
This team doesn’t have it. No matter how hard Bob kicks the trash can week after week they simply don’t have the horses. And that’s unacceptable. I’m beyond grateful for all Bob has done for us the last 5 years, and I’ll always remember his tenure fondly, but this kind of down year is completely unacceptable. I expect to compete every single game. I expect to at least make every single opponent really work for that W. Simple as. We are not Wisconsin, we are not Ohio State. It is one thing to lose hard fought 3-2, 2-1 games constantly. That was my entire young adulthood. It’s another to get blown out by 3,4 every game with shot margins of 30+. I can forgive the occasional loss like that, but at this point it’s what we expect every single night of this team.
I still maintain that we don’t know for a fact that Motzko didn’t try to get any CHL players so it is all speculation
Minnesota is enough of a brand that if Motzko wanted >0 CHL players he would’ve gotten >0.
I was curious about the last time the Gophers had an actual bad season - not just a mediocre one - and going back to Herb's first season in 72-73, the Gophers have never had a season with fewer than 15 wins.
Does anyone see a path to 15 wins with this team and this schedule moving forward?
I have mixed feelings about Motzko - I respect that he has largely been a good coach with good teams, but I can't stand how he approaches the post season, and even more so, I can't stand how he always has someone else to blame when that approach fails - but "one down season" and "the worst season of Gopher Hockey in more than 50 years" are two very different stories.
all of last year I said they need to be scoring every goal they can, they need to play thru whistles or lack thereof, they needed to act like their best shot at a natty was slipping away with every game. Instead we always stopped at 3, or 5, and then when we needed goals as our life depended on it we couldn’t get that 1 more. There was no fire no intensity like in 2023, when we’d gladly keep running it up, even if we lengthened the bench in a blowout W. And furthermore like many people have said, it shouldn’t take overwhelming talent with a team of destiny to win the big one. It’s absurd that we wait until those teams come around. Every single year we should be contending and able to make a game of it right up to the end, and we aren’t
I still maintain that we don’t know for a fact that Motzko didn’t try to get any CHL players so it is all speculation
Minnesota is enough of a brand that if Motzko wanted >0 CHL players he would’ve gotten >0.
He has said multiple times in press conferences that he is using a “wait and see approach” on adding CHL players. He didn’t try to grab any this offseason. @eric-vegoe made a valid point on one of the GPL weekly shows that Bob being head coach of the world junior team is potentially reluctant to use Canadiens to supplement his roster. This is a major fail on Motzko’s part in my opinion.
Tough read on GPL this morning but you can’t expect much else after a second abysmal weekend in a row. Others have already said it better than I could but I’ll co-sign that while we knew we were going into a rebuilding year this year I never expected it to be this bad and this start has been unacceptable. I don’t care about the new landscape or whatever. This record and even more importantly this embarrassingly bad performance on the ice is just not allowed when you play for the Gophers. I’ve watched plenty of frustrating hockey over the years but this is truly shocking. I like Bob, I really do, and I’ve been more on the side of a Bob defender than others but you can’t allow this to happen as the head coach of the Minnesota Gophers. I’m trying to keep emotions out of it but I think I’m failing. Still a long season and plenty of hockey left. Never forget that the year the Blues won the cup in ‘19 they were in dead last halfway through the year and at New Year’s there were fights between teammates on practice. At this point I’m just ranting haha but holy sh!t boys, f$cking figure it out. I don’t know if the players need a closed door meeting to come to Jesus but I’ve never been more discouraged by a Gopher hockey team in my life. Just unacceptable, that’s all I can say. Unacceptable.
This team is more than just a coach. It’s a group effort from the top to the bottom.
I still maintain that we don’t know for a fact that Motzko didn’t try to get any CHL players so it is all speculation as to what our recruiting efforts have been behind the scenes - so it isn’t fair to say our coaching staff hasn’t been trying to keep up with the jones’ in terms of recruiting.
“College” hockey is a very different landscape with much more parity than it was even a decade ago. There are going to be ups and downs as we navigate this new territory, and as mentioned earlier, there are a lot more attractive options for elite in-state talent than just the M, for many reasons.
Despite the fact I disagree very much with what has happened to college athletics, I will not cease to support my Gopher Hockey team.
I’ll reserve final judgements until this season is over.
Yes! Very well stated!!!
The Gophers beat NoDak, which just split with UMD last night. There is another compete level for sure! Don't lose hope!
The amount of bob defenders on here is astounding. I guess the others and myself just have higher expectations for the program, zero titles in 22/23 years (none in the near future by the way). Unacceptable. Bob couldn't win with one of the greatest teams ever assembled. People have a short memory that bob couldn't win at st. Cloud either. Maybe we all just accept we aren't in the same tier as michigan, north dakota, Denver, BU anymore...
The amount of bob defenders on here is astounding. I guess the others and myself just have higher expectations for the program, zero titles in 22/23 years (none in the near future by the way). Unacceptable. Bob couldn't win with one of the greatest teams ever assembled. People have a short memory that bob couldn't win at st. Cloud either. Maybe we all just accept we aren't in the same tier as michigan, north dakota, Denver, BU anymore...
I think some, including me, want to see how the season plays out before making a decision on Bob's future. IF things continue on this path, then we can have a discussion on what Bob's future is. I think the lack of an organized NIL group does play into this, and that falls on the alumni and fans. Unfortunately in this era, money talks, and the U is far behind others in that category in hockey.
I will continue to support this team and coaching staff through this. I will show up as a STH, and even go on a road trip to support the team. It doesn't help the program in the long run by going on social media and constantly bashing Bob, his staff, and the Dinkytown area because some think it's a war zone. We can stand behind our team, and then at the end of the year make a decision on direction of the program.
People can continue to call us that support the program whatever they want, High Horse, Bob defenders, heads in the sand, etc, but we will not abandon this team. We see what's happening, but our love for the program outweighs the knee jerk reactions of some.
BTW, North Dakota and Michigan both missed the tourney last year, unlike the Gophers.
I actually give a @#$* about the Twins
Looking down from my High Horse
Morality Police
The amount of bob defenders on here is astounding. I guess the others and myself just have higher expectations for the program, zero titles in 22/23 years (none in the near future by the way). Unacceptable. Bob couldn't win with one of the greatest teams ever assembled. People have a short memory that bob couldn't win at st. Cloud either. Maybe we all just accept we aren't in the same tier as michigan, north dakota, Denver, BU anymore...
I think some, including me, want to see how the season plays out before making a decision on Bob's future. IF things continue on this path, then we can have a discussion on what Bob's future is. I think the lack of an organized NIL group does play into this, and that falls on the alumni and fans. Unfortunately in this era, money talks, and the U is far behind others in that category in hockey.
I will continue to support this team and coaching staff through this. I will show up as a STH, and even go on a road trip to support the team. It doesn't help the program in the long run by going on social media and constantly bashing Bob, his staff, and the Dinkytown area because some think it's a war zone. We can stand behind our team, and then at the end of the year make a decision on direction of the program.
People can continue to call us that support the program whatever they want, High Horse, Bob defenders, heads in the sand, etc, but we will not abandon this team. We see what's happening, but our love for the program outweighs the knee jerk reactions of some.
BTW, North Dakota and Michigan both missed the tourney last year, unlike the Gophers.
The highlighted part.
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, my criticism doesn’t go as far as wanting Bob fired. What I hope is Bob takes a long look in the mirror and realizes he needs to embrace the current environment and use all the avenues at his disposal to attract and find top talent. If he doesn’t want or can’t do that, then he needs to realize it’s time to retire.
I keep thinking back to his jokes about NIL and Cooley getting free burritos. Instead of advocating for NIL early on and potentially getting ahead of the curve, he joked about its impact on the game and ultimately it put them behind their competitors. He needs to utilize the advantages gopher hockey has/had.
Going to have a very hard time not justifying moving on after this season
So having 1 bad season out of 7 justifies firing Bob? IF next year is not up to Gopher standards, then let's have that discussion.
to be super clear, this is not because I dislike Bob. I think he’s a good coach. It’s more the new era we’re in and I just don’t know if I see the strategy of recruiting he’s employed as working. Today’s era you now are going to need someone on the road all parts of the year, touring Canada on off weeks (or have someone dedicated to scouting and networking) and can navigate the world of NIL. I just don’t see Bob as doing that in his 60s.
I’m thankful for what he’s done bringing the program back, but if this is how we’re going to recruit and play going forward, we’re going right back to the doldrums. maybe he’ll surprise me but there are multiple roster slots he’s just eaten and he’s been slow on the uptake of NIL and the CHL based on all his commentary and that has led to many coaches across many leagues stepping away.
Again nothing against Bob and more a comment on the trend of the sport and how our roster is going to need to change imo. Know it won’t happen as whoever takes over whenever that is will want their space, but Bob seems like a great executive type guy at this point in his career. I know I sure wouldn’t want to be traveling and scouting at that point in mine.
As for Bob, I guess I want to see how this plays out this year and next before judgement. As for recruiting, I guess I am old school, but the clamor to get Canadian players is kinda weird to me. The U has always been Minnesota and American players. I’m not saying we shouldn’t have any Canadians, but if other teams want to trip over themselves trying to get them, there are plenty of very good Americans we can try for. American hockey has come a loonnnng way and is just as good as Canadian hockey on some levels. I’d rather get the kid from Missouri or New Jersey if there’s not a Minnesota kid available. To me, that’s what made Minnesota hockey so special. I’m always going to have a sense of pride knowing the roster is primarily Minnesotan.
Also, the elephant in the room: who would one get that is better? And at what cost? We're seeing college FB start to melt down about buyouts (see: LSU). Yes, it's cheaper, but revenue is also much less....
Raboin to stabilize things and provide a little continuity. Augustana won’t be an obstacle if Rabs is willing to come back. Absolutely not Potulny.
The amount of bob defenders on here is astounding. I guess the others and myself just have higher expectations for the program, zero titles in 22/23 years (none in the near future by the way). Unacceptable. Bob couldn't win with one of the greatest teams ever assembled. People have a short memory that bob couldn't win at st. Cloud either. Maybe we all just accept we aren't in the same tier as michigan, north dakota, Denver, BU anymore...
I understand your frustration and I’ll admit I’m kind of nit picking but I’d say we’re exactly in the same tier as Michigan. Their most recent title is further back than ours and they have a similar program as far as success in the past twenty plus years and the type of teams they build. BU has gone over a decade without a title and we went back and forth with them for a couple years there two, three years ago. Only UND and Denver have won the big one in the past decade and North Dakota’s post season showing isn’t exactly enviable since the 20s started. Only Denver in that four has had sustained success in the modern era. I wish we could bottle up whatever they have found and bring it back to Mariucci. All that said, again, I understand your sentiment and frustration. I’m right there with you on much of it. We are all huge fans of the Gophers and care about this team a lot. I hope the ship is righted soon and we start to see some success this season.
You're not wrong but this has been true going back to when I was in college and the gophers beat Bob's Huskies 8-7 on hockey day MN. This isn't a new problem and this program shouldn't be displaying this level of incompetence. Motzko deserves a lot of the criticism he's getting but I also understand that you have an entire athletic program around him that probably isn't helping much either, it's the reason we can't compete in football and hockey could go that way as well if they don't adjust.
“College” hockey is a very different landscape with much more parity than it was even a decade ago. There are going to be ups and downs as we navigate this new territory, and as mentioned earlier, there are a lot more attractive options for elite in-state talent than just the M, for many reasons
BTW, North Dakota and Michigan both missed the tourney last year, unlike the Gophers.
I know you like to blindly support the team, but if you can't tell the difference between narrowly missing the tournament and the Gophers product on the ice this season, you are missing the point.
To use some data instead of blind faith, Michigan finished 14th in the Pairwise last year. North Dakota finished 18th. Down years for them, but competitive. https://www.collegehockeynews.com/ratings/pairwise/2025
Key word is competitive. This roster is NOT competitive. At the University of Minnesota. Unacceptable and changes need to be made to the way they are constructing the team.
I'm all for that if the talent is there and we get the best MN guys but clearly that didn't happen in the last cycles. That's mainly why people wanted to see them at least try to fill the roster via CHL guys, there weren't many other options this late in the game to improve the roster.As for Bob, I guess I want to see how this plays out this year and next before judgement. As for recruiting, I guess I am old school, but the clamor to get Canadian players is kinda weird to me. The U has always been Minnesota and American players. I’m not saying we shouldn’t have any Canadians, but if other teams want to trip over themselves trying to get them, there are plenty of very good Americans we can try for. American hockey has come a loonnnng way and is just as good as Canadian hockey on some levels. I’d rather get the kid from Missouri or New Jersey if there’s not a Minnesota kid available. To me, that’s what made Minnesota hockey so special. I’m always going to have a sense of pride knowing the roster is primarily Minnesotan.
Going to have a very hard time not justifying moving on after this season
So having 1 bad season out of 7 justifies firing Bob? IF next year is not up to Gopher standards, then let's have that discussion.
yeah, this is absolute madness.
Won the conference three of the last four years
Finished no lower than third in the big ten.
two frozen fours
won at least one game in the playoffs four of the last five years
8-5 in the NCAA tournament.
better regular season win% than Lucia.
There's a minority of posters who disparage what he's accomplished but most are appreciative of his tenure here.
The thing that nags me about Motzko is still his comments about CHL and transfer players, as well as his comments about recruiting that he "didn't like the guys [they] saw" or whatever it was last cycle--if you don't like the players you saw, you need to adapt and find guys you DO like. I feel like that's what might be putting people over the edge, but who knows.
I, too, am feeling really on edge about his tenure, but you really can't discount the last several years and that should really give him a lot of leeway, but if next year is a bomb too, I start leaning toward going another direction--one where there is support for adapting to the changing landscape. I hate where college hockey has gone and is going, but if you just hope for what was you just become irrelevant.
The amount of bob defenders on here is astounding. I guess the others and myself just have higher expectations for the program, zero titles in 22/23 years (none in the near future by the way). Unacceptable. Bob couldn't win with one of the greatest teams ever assembled. People have a short memory that bob couldn't win at st. Cloud either. Maybe we all just accept we aren't in the same tier as michigan, north dakota, Denver, BU anymore...
When should MSU move on from Nightangale? Pandolfo at BU? Naurato at Michigan? Are those schools not serious about winning? When you’re churning out top 5 teams like Bob was but not “getting it done” that’s part of the nature of the single elimination tourney. Criticism is earned when the quality of the program starts to slip which it obviously has.
You can recognize how healthy the program was under Motzko for most of his tenure while also recognizing that it has slipped lately, which most on here are able to do.
And I was on here last night saying they should nab Ben Barr in the offseason (which I still think).
BTW, North Dakota and Michigan both missed the tourney last year, unlike the Gophers.
I know you like to blindly support the team, but if you can't tell the difference between narrowly missing the tournament and the Gophers product on the ice this season, you are missing the point.
To use some data instead of blind faith, Michigan finished 14th in the Pairwise last year. North Dakota finished 18th. Down years for them, but competitive. https://www.collegehockeynews.com/ratings/pairwise/2025
Key word is competitive. This roster is NOT competitive. At the University of Minnesota. Unacceptable and changes need to be made to the way they are constructing the team.
WTF. I blindly support this team? What does that mean? If you mean I have season tickets, give money towards NIL, and support the program no matter who is in charge and support the student athletes that under Bob has caused ZERO problems and graduate and thrive in the NHL, guilty as charged. You love to go after the players, last year it was Airey, this year is Pahlsson. Bonin21 would be proud...
If you miss the tourney by 1 spot or 30 spots, I believe you miss the tourney. And I have said it a thousand times, let's evaluate after the year. If the U decides to make a change or Bob walks away, so be it, but I will SUPPORT this team even if they lose every game from now on. I'm not a fan who only roots for the team if they are good. That is a true fan. Back on my High Horse I guess.
I actually give a @#$* about the Twins
Looking down from my High Horse
Morality Police
BTW, North Dakota and Michigan both missed the tourney last year, unlike the Gophers.
I know you like to blindly support the team, but if you can't tell the difference between narrowly missing the tournament and the Gophers product on the ice this season, you are missing the point.
To use some data instead of blind faith, Michigan finished 14th in the Pairwise last year. North Dakota finished 18th. Down years for them, but competitive. https://www.collegehockeynews.com/ratings/pairwise/2025
Key word is competitive. This roster is NOT competitive. At the University of Minnesota. Unacceptable and changes need to be made to the way they are constructing the team.
WTF. I blindly support this team? What does that mean? If you mean I have season tickets, give money towards NIL, and support the program no matter who is in charge and support the student athletes that under Bob has caused ZERO problems and graduate and thrive in the NHL, guilty as charged. You love to go after the players, last year it was Airey, this year is Pahlsson. Bonin21 would be proud...
If you miss the tourney by 1 spot or 30 spots, I believe you miss the tourney. And I have said it a thousand times, let's evaluate after the year. If the U decides to make a change or Bob walks away, so be it, but I will SUPPORT this team even if they lose every game from now on. I'm not a fan who only roots for the team if they are good. That is a true fan. Back on my High Horse I guess.
MikeEruzione11- You have no idea what kind of fan Frozen4champs is. He is one of the most loyal fan we have on this board. He and is wife drive 3.5 hours for every home series, stay in a hotel and drive 3.5 hours home after the saturday game. He has been doing this routine for many many years. So, to call him out and say he blindly supports the team is totally wrong on your part. I know there are other fans on GPL that can say the same thing about Frozen4Champs.
BTW, North Dakota and Michigan both missed the tourney last year, unlike the Gophers.
I know you like to blindly support the team, but if you can't tell the difference between narrowly missing the tournament and the Gophers product on the ice this season, you are missing the point.
To use some data instead of blind faith, Michigan finished 14th in the Pairwise last year. North Dakota finished 18th. Down years for them, but competitive. https://www.collegehockeynews.com/ratings/pairwise/2025
Key word is competitive. This roster is NOT competitive. At the University of Minnesota. Unacceptable and changes need to be made to the way they are constructing the team.
WTF. I blindly support this team? What does that mean? If you mean I have season tickets, give money towards NIL, and support the program no matter who is in charge and support the student athletes that under Bob has caused ZERO problems and graduate and thrive in the NHL, guilty as charged. You love to go after the players, last year it was Airey, this year is Pahlsson. Bonin21 would be proud...
If you miss the tourney by 1 spot or 30 spots, I believe you miss the tourney. And I have said it a thousand times, let's evaluate after the year. If the U decides to make a change or Bob walks away, so be it, but I will SUPPORT this team even if they lose every game from now on. I'm not a fan who only roots for the team if they are good. That is a true fan. Back on my High Horse I guess.
I don't think anyone is arguing for Motzko to be fired midseason, other than a guy who no longer posts here and drops the already low IQ of Gopherhole by at least 10 points. Bob's going to finish out the season here so it's not like we have any real alternative to seeing how this season ends and going from there.
But I do think that barely missing the NCAA by one spot due to autobid wins is a little more understandable than completely bottoming out and looking this uncompetitive. North Dakota missed and fired their coach because of it so I'm not sure how that helps Bob's case. If Naurato misses again this year then he'll almost certainly be gone too. I think that's the only reason some are getting on your case, it's mainly a disagreement on overall perspective and just how bad the situation currently is. They're ranked 52nd in NPI after 10 games and the recruiting pipeline as far as I can tell doesn't fill many holes next year. There's also not a ton of evidence to suggest they're adapting to this changing landscape and possibly positioning themselves even further behind their competition. It's not only a really bad season, there are some valid concerns about the future of the program if this continues much longer.
That said I appreciate your passion, optimism, and support of the team, I can't fault you for that or for defending yourself.
I don’t buy the notion that you can’t be a “true fan” if you criticize the coach or the team in a reasonable way, which most seem to be doing. To say we have to wait until the season is over to raise concerns and evaluate is something I just completely disagree with.
BTW, North Dakota and Michigan both missed the tourney last year, unlike the Gophers.
I know you like to blindly support the team, but if you can't tell the difference between narrowly missing the tournament and the Gophers product on the ice this season, you are missing the point.
To use some data instead of blind faith, Michigan finished 14th in the Pairwise last year. North Dakota finished 18th. Down years for them, but competitive. https://www.collegehockeynews.com/ratings/pairwise/2025
Key word is competitive. This roster is NOT competitive. At the University of Minnesota. Unacceptable and changes need to be made to the way they are constructing the team.
WTF. I blindly support this team? What does that mean? If you mean I have season tickets, give money towards NIL, and support the program no matter who is in charge and support the student athletes that under Bob has caused ZERO problems and graduate and thrive in the NHL, guilty as charged. You love to go after the players, last year it was Airey, this year is Pahlsson. Bonin21 would be proud...
If you miss the tourney by 1 spot or 30 spots, I believe you miss the tourney. And I have said it a thousand times, let's evaluate after the year. If the U decides to make a change or Bob walks away, so be it, but I will SUPPORT this team even if they lose every game from now on. I'm not a fan who only roots for the team if they are good. That is a true fan. Back on my High Horse I guess.
MikeEruzione11- You have no idea what kind of fan Frozen4champs is. He is one of the most loyal fan we have on this board. He and is wife drive 3.5 hours for every home series, stay in a hotel and drive 3.5 hours home after the saturday game. He has been doing this routine for many many years. So, to call him out and say he blindly supports the team is totally wrong on your part. I know there are other fans on GPL that can say the same thing about Frozen4Champs.
Of course he is a loyal and huge fan. Never denying this. Actually, quite the opposite. He is such a superfan that he is looking past obvious flaws on this team and this coaching staff.
He shakes off any criticism towards a player or coach and begrudges it as someone turning on the team. There are plenty of us that are STH and NIL supporters that also criticize the coach because they are rational towards what is happening on the ice. Pretty sure we are all “true fans” or whatever way you want to call it lol. Which is very silly.
Ah, but not all of the fans already have the pitchforks in their hands. There is a difference. We have concerns, but will wait to see an improvement. 😉
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.
And what makes you right?Ah, but not all of the fans already have the pitchforks in their hands. There is a difference. We have concerns, but will wait to see an improvement. 😉
The level of vitriol is getting out of hand here. How many times can someone say they want to wait and see how the WHOLE season plays out before people actually pay attention to what they're saying?
Am I happy with the course of the season? Of course not. Does that mean I'm at the Bonin21 level that several people in this thread are? Absolutely not. And, I find it funny how several of the worst offenders are barely ever seen when things are going good, but come out of the woodwork when things are bad. (Certainly not everyone complaining, several of you are out here good or bad)
I guess I'm not sure what they're waiting on or what they think they gain by repeatedly saying it is all.
What they're waiting for is to see how the new players develop, and what happens over the course of the season. Why they repeat it is almost certainly because people keep making the same complaints over and over too. Trying to balance out the Bonin-level negativity while still acknowledging that they aren't happy with the season. Could anyone that goes to the efforts he does to get to games possibly be happy with things? Let's use maybe a little common sense thinking about things.
And to an earlier comment by someone, yeah, you can be a super-fan and complain about things (edit: or, more to the point, complain about things and still be a great fan), but, as far as many people in this thread and the season thread are pushing the ultra-negative the past few weeks, someone needs to try to offset that maybe a little bit.
And what makes you right?Ah, but not all of the fans already have the pitchforks in their hands. There is a difference. We have concerns, but will wait to see an improvement. 😉
And what makes the pitchfork nation right? It's an opinion. If we perform this way next year, yes, I will have some serious questions about the path we're taking. As of this current moment, I have concerns, but am not calling for anyone's head.
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 think it is fair to say that most of us on this site are passionate fans of the program. Yeah there are a few trolls, try to ignore them.
We have been spoiled for decades and have had so much generally consistent success that expectations are always high, so to start a season like this is super frustrating. While winning the national championship is the goal of all 63 teams at the beginning of the season, only one will achieve it. Does that mean that the other 62 all had terrible seasons? Of course not. It is understandable some will consider being a postseason contender year after year and raising conference banners to constitute a great program while others will only consider a program/coach successful if they are the last ones standing.
There is so much more ability as fans to “scout” out the future players in this digital age, and while a lot of information can be obtained by watching their play in high school and various leagues as they develop, it is often not easy to translate that to this level, and when you are bringing in guys from various backgrounds, yeah sometimes they aren’t going to gel right away, or continue the trajectory expected of them.
While it’s fun to be an armchair coach and it helps pass the time between games, most of us have little to no knowledge of what actually goes on behind the scenes. Understandably, speculation will happen. But let’s try not to let lack of facts or information get in the way….
Some are ready for a change right now and have no faith that the kids coming into the program will solve anything in the next couple years. Some want to give it a little more time before hitting the panic button. We are all entitled to have those opinions, and sharing them does not make any of us right or wrong. Opinions are like assholes; everyone’s got one. (Just try not to be one 😉).
TLDR; we are all frustrated to some degree with the program based on how October played out. There will be differing opinions about everything which does not make someone right or wrong. Let’s not let our emotions, or things we can only guess about get threads locked and people banned. Leave that for the idiots on other less civilized sites. 😁
What they're waiting for is to see how the new players develop, and what happens over the course of the season. Why they repeat it is almost certainly because people keep making the same complaints over and over too. Trying to balance out the Bonin-level negativity while still acknowledging that they aren't happy with the season. Could anyone that goes to the efforts he does to get to games possibly be happy with things? Let's use maybe a little common sense thinking about things.
And to an earlier comment by someone, yeah, you can be a super-fan and complain about things (edit: or, more to the point, complain about things and still be a great fan), but, as far as many people in this thread and the season thread are pushing the ultra-negative the past few weeks, someone needs to try to offset that maybe a little bit.
That's the thing though, even the people who aren't waiting to share negative opinions about the team are also waiting to see if there's any improvement over the course of the season, as fans that's kinda our only option. You can share your opinion about what you're currently seeing and still see the next 30 games as an open book waiting to be finished, even if you don't think it's gonna end well. I understand that it's a message board and there's gonna be some people on the extreme end of the optimism spectrum but I can also see how that take might be getting some backlash right about now. I just don't see what there is to be optimistic about now, the results speak for themselves and the recruits for next season don't appear like the type who are going to fill a lot of holes in this roster.
It'd also be one thing if some of the more optimistic types (not talking about frozen4 here) weren't acting as if they're the enlightened ones for not currently voicing a negative opinion (pitchforks!!!) about what we're seeing and what that could mean for the future of this program. I really don't think most of the people who are concerned about the health of the program are the irrational ones here, they seem to have a better overall grasp of the situation than the people who think Motzko is going to quickly turn things around devoid of any specifics.
I appreciate some of the optimistic takes and the fact that people try and stay positive despite what we've seen so far but I kinda get why others might be questioning their sanity at this point. I suppose if Motzko acknowledged where we are and either had some specifics about how he plans to turn things around, or just stated that he intends to retire, that'd go a long way toward alleviating some of the uncertainty about the future.
Wally and Tanner Hoops were trying to sell the hope in the 2nd period last night as they knew there would not be a comeback. Mentioned more than once that Penn St went 0-8 in conference play to start the season last year and made the frozen four. I don’t believe it, but it’s nice that someone has hope.
Bob after the game thought we played well and were close. We lost 4-0 while losing in shots, faceoffs, and special teams. It wasn’t close at all. One thing I’d like to see is Bob do more in game coaching. Every time the camera hits him he is leaning back on dasher and glass not saying anything. Sometimes he’s yelling at a ref, but he needs to be more active with this team with constant reminders of what to do. Maybe it helps, maybe it doesn’t, but I don’t like the optics of just sitting there watching a train wreck unfold.
The amount of bob defenders on here is astounding. I guess the others and myself just have higher expectations for the program, zero titles in 22/23 years (none in the near future by the way). Unacceptable. Bob couldn't win with one of the greatest teams ever assembled. People have a short memory that bob couldn't win at st. Cloud either. Maybe we all just accept we aren't in the same tier as michigan, north dakota, Denver, BU anymore...
I think some, including me, want to see how the season plays out before making a decision on Bob's future. IF things continue on this path, then we can have a discussion on what Bob's future is. I think the lack of an organized NIL group does play into this, and that falls on the alumni and fans. Unfortunately in this era, money talks, and the U is far behind others in that category in hockey.
I will continue to support this team and coaching staff through this. I will show up as a STH, and even go on a road trip to support the team. It doesn't help the program in the long run by going on social media and constantly bashing Bob, his staff, and the Dinkytown area because some think it's a war zone. We can stand behind our team, and then at the end of the year make a decision on direction of the program.
People can continue to call us that support the program whatever they want, High Horse, Bob defenders, heads in the sand, etc, but we will not abandon this team. We see what's happening, but our love for the program outweighs the knee jerk reactions of some.
BTW, North Dakota and Michigan both missed the tourney last year, unlike the Gophers.
Waiting for the end of a season before passing judgement on a season and coach isn't blindly supporting a coach. Didn't PSU start out something like 0-9 in Big ten last year before making the FF? UND teams under Hackstol were notorious for starting poorly but building through the year. I am not predicting that it will happen with MN. But one bad start to a season seems a bit premature to say a coach should be fired. I don't personally know a coach that would seem to be clearly better than Bob who would be available. Been watching college hockey for decades and there is not a team that has not gone through ups and downs. I understand the frustration. While nothing like the last few years, the talent on this team is still high enough that they should be more competitive than we've seen in most games this year. But there is a lot of hockey left to play, so I'm willing to give this more time.