Michigan's roster, 11 Canadians 2 from Michigan 3 from Minnesota
joy of being right by Toronto and basically the heart of Canadian jr
The joy of having a lot of NIL $$$ to bring in CHL players
they’ve recruited there very well for a long time my dude. Well before NIL
I’m not sure it’s NIL. I think it’s the fact that they recruit Canada well historically and now CHL can come.
correct. NIL helps, but historic pipelines/connections get you in the door. This is one of MNs biggest things they need to overcome imo
This is so sad
Add another one I have no idea how they’re not looking at
This is like watching Holy Angels when they were a power against a Missota conference foe 🤣
Or me playing NHL 95 on the Genesis.
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.
Micheletti doesn't even know what to say after the Gophers gave up 2 goals in 19 seconds. Well, I have an idea of what he would say if he could.
Poor Beckett Hendrickson...the guy plays big and works his tail off, but he just can't score. I used to think he was unlucky. I don’t think that anymore.
I have seen enough from him. How much do I have to donate to get Ziemer back next year as my captain
I have seen enough from him. How much do I have to donate to get Ziemer back next year as my captain
Id be more surprised if he comes back than not
Micheletti doesn't even know what to say after the Gophers gave up 2 goals in 19 seconds. Well, I have an idea of what he would say if he could.
Poor Beckett Hendrickson...the guy plays big and works his tail off, but he just can't score. I used to think he was unlucky. I don’t think that anymore.
some guys just are not natural scorers as they move up levels. He’s one of them. Doesn’t mean he won’t get some, but there are guys you know will bury those chances and you feel almost a guarantee he won’t when he gets into those spots
Ziemer is at least 2 years out for Buffalo. He’s going to be 20 next year, is from here and wearing a letter next year while also being Bobs captain at WJC. I’d be really shocked if he’s not back
55 is a trainwreck. Getting worse every game
Half way through the period my wife asked me if MN was wearing Herman Munster skates.
“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
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Are we going to talk curling the whole period or…
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24131129/gallery_image.JPG "Hey_Sioux_Suck")
How is the “I’d rather lose every game with all Minnesotans…” crowd doing these days?
Luca is keeping Michigan in single digits. Unless the U finds hockey donors with deep pockets the next couple years are going to be very disappointing to the Gophers faithful.
This is like watching Holy Angels when they were a power against a Missota conference foe 🤣
more like that Rochester Century vs. Chanhassen state tourney game a couple years ago
Poor Beckett Hendrickson...the guy plays big and works his tail off, but he just can't score. I used to think he was unlucky. I don’t think that anymore.
If he could hardly score with Snuggy and Rinzel on the ice with him I don’t think he’s gonna suddenly develop it now. I also really like his game but the puck just never gets quite where it needs to from his stick
At this point I’m just hoping we aren’t hammered with decommits.
Wanna forget this one expeditiously after it ends so I’ll type out my thoughts now.
(1) first ~10min were atrocious, next ~28min went relatively well being able to match the Wolverines pace.
(2) they came out in the 3rd looking to step on our throats, we looked asleep at the wheel, I don’t know if we’ve had a single shot yet in the period.
(3) this has been a much worse throttling than our 2022-23 squad put on them at Yost when half of both teams were out sick and we swept.
(4) we don’t really have the horses on our roster to do anything. Other than some nice chances early in the 2nd we never looked able to make a comeback or generate consistent pressure or even execute controlled breakouts reliably.
This D core is in way over their heads, and maybe Bob is too if he thought our talent level was gonna be competitive going into this year. Set everything aside, I don’t even give a damn about “character” BS with portal guys or whatever. I wanna see a team of guys who are able to play hockey at this level. Character or development issues are secondary to being able to compete on a basic level
It is embarrassing how much more skill Michigan has than us. It is depressing.
Half way through the period my wife asked me if MN was wearing Herman Munster skates.
It’s hard to watch a gopher team look slow all over the ice, with or without the puck. The 30 seconds after Hendrickson’s failed breakaway was about all that resembled the old days a year ago imo.
“Good pace, a lot of north and south, or it could be east and west, I’m not sure but either way…” Wooger
Again, I’m not sure how you come back with Motzko after this season. Ben Barr’s contract at Maine runs out the same time as Bob’s and is due for an extension any time now.
If I’m Coyle I’m negotiating a buyout to get Bob some money while he’s out the door, and snagging Barr before the buyout is 5 years, multi-million dollars.
Luca is keeping Michigan in single digits. Unless the U finds hockey donors with deep pockets the next couple years are going to be very disappointing to the Gophers faithful.
Western Michigan won it all with $0 NIL dollars. They have a coach though.
Idk if you can just fire Motzko after one bad year but admittedly I also don’t know what the future holds for the offseason after a year like this. If he can keep all the best players on this team, get Cullen and the rest of the recruits in, and figure out how to completely turn over the D then I’d be fine with him sticking around for another year (at which point he’s not exactly young and getting close to retirement age anyhow).Again, I’m not sure how you come back with Motzko after this season. Ben Barr’s contract at Maine runs out the same time as Bob’s and is due for an extension any time now.
If I’m Coyle I’m negotiating a buyout to get Bob some money while he’s out the door, and snagging Barr before the buyout is 5 years, multi-million dollars.
But admittedly that’s a lot of assumptions and moving parts that all have to go favorably. If things go differently then you’re looking at another year of this most likely and the athletic department is probably aware of the momentum going in the wrong direction.
Ben Barr’s contract at Maine runs out the same time as Bob’s and is due for an extension any time now.
Have you paid any attention to how badly most of the eastern powers are doing this season? Barr at least has talent on his roster yet he’s done jack squat with it, this year and over the last 5.
its gonna be Raboin, or someone out of left field, but it definitely won’t be Barr and that’s a good thing
@the-rube that was your favorite team on nhl 95? Vancouver was loaded.
Ben Barr’s contract at Maine runs out the same time as Bob’s and is due for an extension any time now.
Have you paid any attention to how badly most of the eastern powers are doing this season? Barr at least has talent on his roster yet he’s done jack squat with it, this year and over the last 5.
its gonna be Raboin, or someone out of left field, but it definitely won’t be Barr and that’s a good thing
Yeah no missed me with this one. Barr completely turned around Maine’s program. He recruited the Union, Providence and UMass national championship teams as an assistant.
Its goes:
1) Ben Barr
2) Grant Potulny
3) Garrett Raboin
In that order. If you wanna switch Potulny and Raboin that’s fine.
I asked my neighbor to ask ChatGPT what it says when comparing Barr and Raboin….here are the results.
“Barr and Raboin are both really good coaches, but they’re good at slightly different things, and that matters depending on what you think Minnesota needs next.
Raboin is a builder and a recruiter. What he’s doing at Augustana is impressive. Starting a program from scratch, selling a vision, and getting players to buy in takes leadership and credibility. He also understands Minnesota hockey culture and has strong relationships in the state. His upside is real.
But Minnesota isn’t a startup. It’s a pressure job. You’re not selling hope, you’re delivering results. That’s where Barr has the edge.
Barr has already proven he can run a full program at a high level. Maine doesn’t have Minnesota’s resources, NIL money, or recruiting advantages, yet his teams are organized, competitive, and hard to play against. That shows structure, accountability, and real program management. Those are the traits that travel.
Raboin is still defining what his ceiling is as a head coach. Barr has already shown his floor is high.
Raboin’s strengths:
- Elite recruiter
- Strong relationships in Minnesota
- Program builder
- High long-term upside
Barr’s strengths:
- Proven head coach in a tough environment
- Knows how to manage expectations and adversity
- Builds identity and structure
- Lower-risk hire for a high-pressure job
- Has already sustained competitiveness without ideal conditions
Raboin could absolutely become a great Big Ten coach. But hiring him now is betting on potential. Hiring Barr is betting on experience.
If Minnesota wants a home-run swing, Raboin makes sense.
If Minnesota wants stability, structure, and a coach who’s already run the whole operation, Barr is the better choice.”
Wanna forget this one expeditiously after it ends so I’ll type out my thoughts now.
(1) first ~10min were atrocious, next ~28min went relatively well being able to match the Wolverines pace.
(2) they came out in the 3rd looking to step on our throats, we looked asleep at the wheel, I don’t know if we’ve had a single shot yet in the period.
(3) this has been a much worse throttling than our 2022-23 squad put on them at Yost when half of both teams were out sick and we swept.
(4) we don’t really have the horses on our roster to do anything. Other than some nice chances early in the 2nd we never looked able to make a comeback or generate consistent pressure or even execute controlled breakouts reliably.
This D core is in way over their heads, and maybe Bob is too if he thought our talent level was gonna be competitive going into this year. Set everything aside, I don’t even give a damn about “character” BS with portal guys or whatever. I wanna see a team of guys who are able to play hockey at this level. Character or development issues are secondary to being able to compete on a basic level
agree with most of this, minus the matching pace. We looked in mud compared to Michigan all night. On point 3, seemed like there was some looking for revenge for last year where we beat them a combined 8-0 here (and Friday was an absolute ass kicking we outshot them 21-5 in the first).
Your last point is the part I agree most with. If every single guy on the roster isn't playing for the spot next year, you need a coach who's going to come in and treat it as such. This is completely unacceptable.
I'm not completely sold this is just a talent thing. There are 13 draft picks on this team and it's not like its just that every team missed on our players. Yes there are a lot of young guys on this team, but they are not playing remotely cohesive, smart hockey at this point and that is so utterly discouraging. This team has enough size and skill to play trap but they don't. They don't forecheck and take the body really ever. The team shows minimal headiness to maintain and keep the puck and ends up chasing all game (not to mention getting completely worked on the draw again tonight 37-24). That can be coached and for whatever reason they continue to look like chickens with their heads cut off with no consistent pressure/system.
I dunno what to say, but our upperclassmen have really just seemed to disappear where they are needed to be tone setters. I know Ludkte scored tonight, but he had multiple awful turnovers tonight and continues to look incredibly off the pace. Lamb noticeably was rough tonight and now has been pointless in 4 games. Clark is a fine 3rd line center and that's ok, but you then need to win draws and do other little things well especially as an upperclassmen.
If Bob is coming back, he needs to get over hurting peoples feelings (players and fans) and take the best players available no matter where they're from. If that means someone transfers or fans grumble because it says Canada after their name, so be it. There are about 6 guys who you need to keep for next year and build around. There is no leash for next year regardless of how your prior history has been.
I gotta admit I rolled my eyes when I saw ChatGPT at the top of your post but that was actually a pretty good read.
I wanna be clear I think Raboin would do a great job but IMO Barr is the guy pretty easily.
@maroon_and_gold yeah I was blown away by the ChatGPT analysis as well. I wonder if it can do some recruiting……
I am starting to really like Barr. I had no idea who he was until I started reading this forum. The more I read, the more impressed I’ve been. His resume speaks for itself but I listened to a few of his interview and was even more impressed. His players seem to really love playing for him.
Raboin seemed like the heir apparent but Barr is something unique and interesting and the momentum seems to be gaining
Does Barr have any connection to the area for local recruiting? If not that seems unlikely.
There are about 6 guys who you need to keep for next year and build around. There is no leash for next year regardless of how your prior history has been.
Mooney, Ziemer, LDP, and then ????
(Pritchard, Moe, Hendrickson? Maybe Rombach?)
Ben Barr’s contract at Maine runs out the same time as Bob’s and is due for an extension any time now.
Have you paid any attention to how badly most of the eastern powers are doing this season? Barr at least has talent on his roster yet he’s done jack squat with it, this year and over the last 5.
its gonna be Raboin, or someone out of left field, but it definitely won’t be Barr and that’s a good thing
Yeah no missed me with this one. Barr completely turned around Maine’s program. He recruited the Union, Providence and UMass national championship teams as an assistant.
Its goes:
1) Ben Barr
2) Grant Potulny
3) Garrett Raboin
In that order. If you wanna switch Potulny and Raboin that’s fine.
I'm still not super sold that firing him is the magic key to success, mainly because of what you're saying above. Would 100000000% be of the mind with the stipulation is we're hiring a GM. Ensures stability of the pipeline for the future and buys me time to take a peek at what Barr does with his first real adversity as a head coach and gives Raboin another year to prove what he's building.
I agree with that I'd rank Barr above Raboin, but I think my money would be on the hire is Raboin because he's going to feel like a safer hire because the attachment to the M compared with Barr and that I have zero confidence that Coyle is plugged into the hockey community and will, at least in part, look to Bob as I would see Bob retiring over being fired if that's the way it goes this offseason (I think his buyout is still pretty good sized for college hockey right now).
Also, please no on Potulny. Some degree of prior success should be required.
Does Barr have any connection to the area for local recruiting? If not that seems unlikely.
Minnesotan born and raised
Mooney, Ziemer, LDP, and then ????
There are about 6 guys who you need to keep for next year and build around. There is no leash for next year regardless of how your prior history has been.
(Pritchard, Moe, Hendrickson? Maybe Rombach?)
Mooney, Zeimer, Hendrickson, Moore (there is a very good hockey player in there that is just barely touching the surface right now), Moe up front. Some higher end skill and some guys with speed and grit
I'd want Rombach (he'd be my 6th) to stay on the back end purely as he's actually gotten better and I think he will turn out to be a good 4 year player.
LDP has been solid in net but will not break this team if he leaves given goalie movement in the portal is so frequent and this is a starting role in the B10.
There are other depth guys who are fine that are ok to keep for a depth role and class balance but if they leave it will not be a big deal. You just need something to start from.
Literally everyone else should be auditioning for a role on the team next year at this point.
Ben Barr’s contract at Maine runs out the same time as Bob’s and is due for an extension any time now.
Have you paid any attention to how badly most of the eastern powers are doing this season? Barr at least has talent on his roster yet he’s done jack squat with it, this year and over the last 5.
its gonna be Raboin, or someone out of left field, but it definitely won’t be Barr and that’s a good thing
Yeah no missed me with this one. Barr completely turned around Maine’s program. He recruited the Union, Providence and UMass national championship teams as an assistant.
Its goes:
1) Ben Barr
2) Grant Potulny
3) Garrett Raboin
In that order. If you wanna switch Potulny and Raboin that’s fine.
I'm still not super sold that firing him is the magic key to success, mainly because of what you're saying above. Would 100000000% be of the mind with the stipulation is we're hiring a GM. Ensures stability of the pipeline for the future and buys me time to take a peek at what Barr does with his first real adversity as a head coach and gives Raboin another year to prove what he's building.
I agree with that I'd rank Barr above Raboin, but I think my money would be on the hire is Raboin because he's going to feel like a safer hire because the attachment to the M compared with Barr and that I have zero confidence that Coyle is plugged into the hockey community and will, at least in part, look to Bob as I would see Bob retiring over being fired if that's the way it goes this offseason (I think his buyout is still pretty good sized for college hockey right now).
Also, please no on Potulny. Some degree of prior success should be required.
To me Potulny checks a lot of boxes. Captained two national championship teams, has coaching experience at the U, head coaching experience in college hockey and now professional. But yes the thing holding his resume back is that he didn’t get Northern into the tournament during his time there.
Although if you look back his teams finished second fiddle to Hastings wagon Maverick teams a lot. So he was right there. Some would say overperformed based on the program he was at.
Ben Barr’s contract at Maine runs out the same time as Bob’s and is due for an extension any time now.
Have you paid any attention to how badly most of the eastern powers are doing this season? Barr at least has talent on his roster yet he’s done jack squat with it, this year and over the last 5.
its gonna be Raboin, or someone out of left field, but it definitely won’t be Barr and that’s a good thing
Yeah no missed me with this one. Barr completely turned around Maine’s program. He recruited the Union, Providence and UMass national championship teams as an assistant.
Its goes:
1) Ben Barr
2) Grant Potulny
3) Garrett Raboin
In that order. If you wanna switch Potulny and Raboin that’s fine.
I'm still not super sold that firing him is the magic key to success, mainly because of what you're saying above. Would 100000000% be of the mind with the stipulation is we're hiring a GM. Ensures stability of the pipeline for the future and buys me time to take a peek at what Barr does with his first real adversity as a head coach and gives Raboin another year to prove what he's building.
I agree with that I'd rank Barr above Raboin, but I think my money would be on the hire is Raboin because he's going to feel like a safer hire because the attachment to the M compared with Barr and that I have zero confidence that Coyle is plugged into the hockey community and will, at least in part, look to Bob as I would see Bob retiring over being fired if that's the way it goes this offseason (I think his buyout is still pretty good sized for college hockey right now).
Also, please no on Potulny. Some degree of prior success should be required.
To me Potulny checks a lot of boxes. Captained two national championship teams, has coaching experience at the U, head coaching experience in college hockey and now professional. But yes the thing holding his resume back is that he didn’t get Northern into the tournament during his time there.
Although if you look back his teams finished second fiddle to Hastings wagon Maverick teams a lot. So he was right there. Some would say overperformed based on the program he was at.
He’s also your only feasible alumni option, which, in the current landscape of NIL and money raising and whatnot, might be something to consider. All these teams have alums at the helm:
Narauto - Michigan
Nightangale - Michigan State
Carle - Denver
Ferschweiler - Western Michigan
Pandolfo - BU
Brown - BC
Sheahan - Notre Dame
Jackson - North Dakota
Does Barr have any connection to the area for local recruiting? If not that seems unlikely.
Minnesotan born and raised
Barr hasn't been a player of coach in MN since 2000. He's had a grand total of 2 Minnesotans on his teams ever. He played at Shattuck so maybe a connection there. I wouldn't say he's got local connections just because he's from here
@upnorthkid I think my sister who knows nothing about hockey, could still get top Minnesota kids to this program. Top facilities, program and treatment….then you have a coach that has a history of player development, yeah I think he can recruit here.
Curt Giles would be great for motivation, recruiting, and championship potential.
Not that he would ever leave Edina for a high pressure college coaching job.
Not sure why he was never even on the radar.
Ben Barr’s contract at Maine runs out the same time as Bob’s and is due for an extension any time now.
Have you paid any attention to how badly most of the eastern powers are doing this season? Barr at least has talent on his roster yet he’s done jack squat with it, this year and over the last 5.
its gonna be Raboin, or someone out of left field, but it definitely won’t be Barr and that’s a good thing
Yeah no missed me with this one. Barr completely turned around Maine’s program. He recruited the Union, Providence and UMass national championship teams as an assistant.
Its goes:
1) Ben Barr
2) Grant Potulny
3) Garrett Raboin
In that order. If you wanna switch Potulny and Raboin that’s fine.
I'm still not super sold that firing him is the magic key to success, mainly because of what you're saying above. Would 100000000% be of the mind with the stipulation is we're hiring a GM. Ensures stability of the pipeline for the future and buys me time to take a peek at what Barr does with his first real adversity as a head coach and gives Raboin another year to prove what he's building.
I agree with that I'd rank Barr above Raboin, but I think my money would be on the hire is Raboin because he's going to feel like a safer hire because the attachment to the M compared with Barr and that I have zero confidence that Coyle is plugged into the hockey community and will, at least in part, look to Bob as I would see Bob retiring over being fired if that's the way it goes this offseason (I think his buyout is still pretty good sized for college hockey right now).
Also, please no on Potulny. Some degree of prior success should be required.
To me Potulny checks a lot of boxes. Captained two national championship teams, has coaching experience at the U, head coaching experience in college hockey and now professional. But yes the thing holding his resume back is that he didn’t get Northern into the tournament during his time there.
Although if you look back his teams finished second fiddle to Hastings wagon Maverick teams a lot. So he was right there. Some would say overperformed based on the program he was at.
yeah i get what you're saying. I guess my counter is, if he didn't play here, would you have him on the list at all? That's to me where I want to hire the best coach possible, not the best coach with Minnesota ties possible.
It is not difficult to see why one would want to coach and play here. Personally this is why I think my dream scenario is you hire someone with winning track as a coach who's young and dynamic (Barr does fit this bill) and you find an alum who will come in and be GM to work with them.
There was some weird stuff with the end of Potulny's tenure there and they finished 3rd, 5th, 5th, 4th and 5th his last 5 seasons. Very good his first year and seemed to get worse as they went on. I worry handing him the keys to a luxury car prior to seeing him be able to handle a regular program and land them in the tourney.
Ben Barr’s contract at Maine runs out the same time as Bob’s and is due for an extension any time now.
Have you paid any attention to how badly most of the eastern powers are doing this season? Barr at least has talent on his roster yet he’s done jack squat with it, this year and over the last 5.
its gonna be Raboin, or someone out of left field, but it definitely won’t be Barr and that’s a good thing
Yeah no missed me with this one. Barr completely turned around Maine’s program. He recruited the Union, Providence and UMass national championship teams as an assistant.
Its goes:
1) Ben Barr
2) Grant Potulny
3) Garrett Raboin
In that order. If you wanna switch Potulny and Raboin that’s fine.
I'm still not super sold that firing him is the magic key to success, mainly because of what you're saying above. Would 100000000% be of the mind with the stipulation is we're hiring a GM. Ensures stability of the pipeline for the future and buys me time to take a peek at what Barr does with his first real adversity as a head coach and gives Raboin another year to prove what he's building.
I agree with that I'd rank Barr above Raboin, but I think my money would be on the hire is Raboin because he's going to feel like a safer hire because the attachment to the M compared with Barr and that I have zero confidence that Coyle is plugged into the hockey community and will, at least in part, look to Bob as I would see Bob retiring over being fired if that's the way it goes this offseason (I think his buyout is still pretty good sized for college hockey right now).
Also, please no on Potulny. Some degree of prior success should be required.
To me Potulny checks a lot of boxes. Captained two national championship teams, has coaching experience at the U, head coaching experience in college hockey and now professional. But yes the thing holding his resume back is that he didn’t get Northern into the tournament during his time there.
Although if you look back his teams finished second fiddle to Hastings wagon Maverick teams a lot. So he was right there. Some would say overperformed based on the program he was at.
yeah i get what you're saying. I guess my counter is, if he didn't play here, would you have him on the list at all? That's to me where I want to hire the best coach possible, not the best coach with Minnesota ties possible.
It is not difficult to see why one would want to coach and play here. Personally this is why I think my dream scenario is you hire someone with winning track as a coach who's young and dynamic (Barr does fit this bill) and you find an alum who will come in and be GM to work with them.
There was some weird stuff with the end of Potulny's tenure there and they finished 3rd, 5th, 5th, 4th and 5th his last 5 seasons. Very good his first year and seemed to get worse as they went on. I worry handing him the keys to a luxury car prior to seeing him be able to handle a regular program and land them in the tourney.
That last part is what would worry me too.
Here’s my dream staff for whenever Motzko decides to call her quits:
Ben Barr - Head
Grant Potulny - GM
Ben Gordon - Assistant
Paul Martin - Assistant
Not sure why he was never even on the radar.
Because coaching Minnesota high school hockey is a completely different job than coaching an NCAA blue blood.