Gopher new coach

[gopherpuck516]

Nobody thought the B1G hockey conference would take off like wildfire, and it certainly hasn’t. PSU starting a D1 program put the wheels in motion for the league, which is unfortunate because the WCHA was amazing. But that’s the way it worked out and some people decide to move on and some play the victims.. I’m confident that in time the it will become the premier conference in college hockey. Notre Dame jumped at the chance to join the conference and with non-traditional hockey schools like tOSU and Penn St having success that only helps the league gain traction. Once Minnesota and Wisconsin get back on top of their game, and they will, the conference will be undoubtedly the strongest in the nation. Bob Motzko is the right man to give the Gophers hockey program the shot in the arm it needs, I’m looking forward to what he’ll bring to the U!

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

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[East Side Pioneer Guy]

Notre Dame is in the big ten in hockey as of this year

So is John Hopkins in Lacrosse . You are grasping at straws to justify Notre Dame. The Irish are an ACC team but the ACC doesn't play hockey.

And you said I get dumber by the post. I must ask- what does John Hopkins have to do with Notre Dame playing hockey in the Big 10? Please forgive me for not having a clue.

Next fall Little Sisters of the Poor will be admitted for badmitten. Sister Lucy's got a wicked serve.

[gopherpuck516]

I heard they're going to get Little Sisters of the Poor for badminton next year. Quite a coup.

Are you comparing the University of Notre Dame to the little sisters of the poor? The team who is in their second consecutive Frozen 4 and is two wins away from a national championship? The old WCHA was the best, but the new standard will soon be the B1G.

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

I heard they're going to get Little Sisters of the Poor for badminton next year. Quite a coup.

Are you comparing the University of Notre Dame to the little sisters of the poor? The team who is in their second consecutive Frozen 4 and is two wins away from a national championship? The old WCHA was the best, but the new standard will soon be the B1G.

I'm mocking the reference to lacrosse. Next time I'll be more considerate of the humor impaired.

I could mock the idea that the B1G Mistake will soon be the standard. On second thought, that idea is like, self-mocking.

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

Nobody thought the B1G hockey conference would take off like wildfire, and it certainly hasn’t. PSU starting a D1 program put the wheels in motion for the league, which is unfortunate because the WCHA was amazing. But that’s the way it worked out and some people decide to move on and some play the victims.. I’m confident that in time the it will become the premier conference in college hockey. Notre Dame jumped at the chance to join the conference and with non-traditional hockey schools like tOSU and Penn St having success that only helps the league gain traction. Once Minnesota and Wisconsin get back on top of their game, and they will, the conference will be undoubtedly the strongest in the nation. Bob Motzko is the right man to give the Gophers hockey program the shot in the arm it needs, I’m looking forward to what he’ll bring to the U!

This is what I'm talking about, saying that someone is "playing the victim." Saying that the Penn State game isn't near the interest the UND game was isn't playing the victim. No one is going to buy a ticket to a series that might be great in ten years. In ten years, the Shakopee-Prior Lake game may be must see TV. But today it isn't, and don't expect anyone to feel compelled to go.

Jeez, what is this? If I want to be guilt tripped into doing something, I'll go to my grand ma's place. You don't build a following by guilt tripping. Some of us have moved on. That doesn't mean we have to move in the direction yu'd like us to.

B1G Mistake backers are as thin skinned as the soccer crowd, who are mad that I don't like soccer. I don't have to like soccer or the B1G Mistake.

[MNHockeyFan]

I don't have to like soccer or the B1G Mistake.

OK we get it. Maybe you should take up badminton then. The St. Paul schools are very good at it.

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

I don't have to like soccer or the B1G Mistake.

OK we get it. Maybe you should take up badminton then. The St. Paul schools are very good at it.

Oh sure, you can laugh now. You won't be laughing next fall when Sister Lucy brings her lighting quick backhand to the Sports pavilion.

Wait, is badmitten a spring college sport?

[Jeffy95]

I heard they're going to get Little Sisters of the Poor for badminton next year. Quite a coup.

Are you comparing the University of Notre Dame to the little sisters of the poor? The team who is in their second consecutive Frozen 4 and is two wins away from a national championship? The old WCHA was the best, but the new standard will soon be the B1G.

I'm mocking the reference to lacrosse. Next time I'll be more considerate of the humor impaired.

I could mock the idea that the B1G Mistake will soon be the standard. On second thought, that idea is like, self-mocking.

LaCrosse only exists because there are so many kids who can't hit a Baseball. That has to be the dumbest sport I've seen...

[goldy313]

Notre Dame is in the big ten in hockey as of this year

So is John Hopkins in Lacrosse . You are grasping at straws to justify Notre Dame. The Irish are an ACC team but the ACC doesn't play hockey.

And you said I get dumber by the post. I must ask- what does John Hopkins have to do with Notre Dame playing hockey in the Big 10? Please forgive me for not having a clue.

They both are associate members in one sport while belonging to different conferences in other sports. Being an independent is no longer a viable option in college sports.

Really, you couldn't have used the Google?

[Section 8 guy]

I could mock the idea that the B1G Mistake will soon be the standard. On second thought, that idea is like, self-mocking.

That ship has sailed. Half the conference is in the Frozen Four in a year when two of the premier programs in college hockey in Minnesota and Wisconsin were down. We all know they won’t stay down long. The pairwise would also say the Big 10 is the best conference. You can hang on to your “the earth is flat” theory if you want but......good luck.

[BodyShots]

If butts in the seats is any measure, the Big 10 is a B1G Mistake. And i don't care to hear this condescending crap that I should "get over it and move on."
If my favorite restaurant changes the menu and no longer serves my favorite dishes, I get over it by moving on to another establishment. I get it, they killed the golden goose, but that doens't obligate me to like the ensuing lesser product as much as I did the old one. It's extremely naive to expect people to get as excited for Penn State as they did when the Susies, uh, I mean Hawks (talk about not getting over it) were in town

Last year I heard Lucia on KFAN, talking about how they'd like to get with the other conference and have some sort of super regional sort of thing for the playoff tournaments. Great Don. You guys screwed it up[ for everyone, and you expect them to rescue you and your crappy tournament that draws 3K at the gate. You started a conference where geography works against you.

And here's the important point: NO ONE THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA. But they went ahead anyway. Like a football/basketball conference cares about hockey anyway.

I heard the Frozen Four is sold out at the X. I guess you could call that the Big10 Tournament since 3 of the 4 teams are from there.

[gopherpuck516]

It should be a fun 3 games this weekend! As for A tie-in to this forum, there’s pretty good representation of former MN high school players on 3 of the 4 teams in the Frozen 4 this year - Michigan the obvious exception. Notre Dame leaned heavily on Gross and Malmquist in their regional. Rohlik has brought in some strong MN players as well and Sandelin has figured out a fantastic mix of northern and cities talent that if you look at their recruits in the pipeline it looks like they could be regular Frozen 4 entrants over the next handful of years. Can’t wait for the puck to drop on Thursday!

[O-townClown]

if you look at their recruits in the pipeline it looks like they could be regular Frozen 4 entrants over the next handful of years.

How can you tell? I've been looking at Heisenberg for 10 years and still haven't figured out how to predict future college success for teams.

[gopherpuck516]

if you look at their recruits in the pipeline it looks like they could be regular Frozen 4 entrants over the next handful of years.

How can you tell? I've been looking at Heisenberg for 10 years and still haven't figured out how to predict future college success for teams.

Fair point - my rationale is they have several NTDP camp invitees who performed well at camp in Gallatin, Biondi, Jack Smith, and Connor Kelly. Plus the Cates boys are playing just above and just below a point per game average in the USHL this year. I also like the mix of size and grit with Brady Meyer and Loheit along with a couple younger USHL players in Hale and McCabe who are a couple players who could be strong 4 year college players.

[O-townClown]

Fair point - my rationale is they have several NTDP camp invitees who performed well at camp in Gallatin, Biondi, Jack Smith, and Connor Kelly. Plus the Cates boys are playing just above and just below a point per game average in the USHL this year. I also like the mix of size and grit with Brady Meyer and Loheit along with a couple younger USHL players in Hale and McCabe who are a couple players who could be strong 4 year college players.

I bet Michigan was jazzed to get commitments from all those NTDP kids too. If they blow up they leave early (like Werenski) and when they don't (Pastujov brothers) it's hard to count on them to be game-changers in college.

You are right about the USHL being a great predictor of college success. A point per game there is great.

You mention a lot of the Bulldog recruiting pipeline there, but left off Mylymok. When a coach makes an offer to a kid one month after their 15th birthday I don't see how anyone can predict what impact they'll have at NCAA level. If you are right that the kid is great they probably don't stay in college long enough to make an impact.

[gopherpuck516]

You could draw many parallels to HS hockey as well, as in most cases you’re getting at best 4 years from individual players for their programs and if they show great potential for the next level there’s a growing chance they’ll move on before those 4 years are up. If nothing else this helps create parity both in HS and college - and in both cases, just enjoy watching those great players at the level they’re at while you can.

[highgloveside]

Always good to get advice from someone with far less credentials.

https://www.stateofhockey.com/news_arti ... id=1949540

[Schotzy]

Always good to get advice from someone with far less credentials.

https://www.stateofhockey.com/news_arti ... id=1949540

Maybe, but he makes some valid points. I think he is just coming at it from the wrong perspective. The start of this column would make me want to just close my browser.

Regardless, although it may be lofty idealism, I can't argue with his statements on the type of player the Gophers have been attracting over the last decade or so. The trend of getting commitments before a kid is old enough to drive is a problem, even if a reality, is also a very valid point.

[yesiplayedhockey]

I didn't mind the article. Parts of it were dead on and parts of it I simply disagree with. But that's okay...It's such a tricky subject with to many moving parts to say there is one right answer and all the rest are wrong

College coaches have crystal balls. They use these crystal balls to predict the future. Sometimes they are right..sometimes they are wrong. They have no more scientific information on whether a 5 foot tall 14 year old is going to sprout up and be a great hockey player in 4-5 years than we do. But they are getting paid good money to guess right.

On the flip side, waiting until kids are 17 is to long in my opinion. By then, we all have a pretty good measuring stick on if the kid can play or not. Of course there will always be late developers. I also shun to think that colleges will be waiting until kids are 19 or 20 before signing them. If that's the case, I will just turn off college hockey forever.

Motzko has made a solid career taking the right kids when usually the so called "best kids" went to the U. I am confident he has a gift for getting it right more times then getting it wrong.

It will be fun to see how he reacts to the "pressure" he will now face by the U's alumni and all the famous last names he will be getting tugged at to recruit.

What I enjoy is watching these young kids, talking about them and speculating where they may be years from now. I to have a crystal ball. Sometime I am right. Usually I am wrong.

[O-townClown]

I also shun to think that colleges will be waiting until kids are 19 or 20 before signing them. If that's the case, I will just turn off college hockey forever.

Colleges can't wait very long when there are Canadian Junior teams in the kids' ear. While 13-15 is too young for almost everybody's taste, increasing that can be to age 16-18 and still not be the 19-20 you mention.

What I think makes college hockey fascinating - and, to fans and coaches like Motzko, maddening - is that you get just as much from the kids recruited late. Sometimes more.

Oliver Wahlstrom decommitted from his second school this week. Antonio Stranges supposedly has bailed on NTDP and Michigan for the London Knights. These early commitments didn't mean one iota for the colleges that received them.

[mulefarm]

Might have missed it, but has the U named assistant coaches?

[MNHockeyFan]

Might have missed it, but has the U named assistant coaches?

Nothing yet.

[goldy313]

Curious how Minnesota decided with Petino, Fleck, and Whalen to go with young coaches.......but decides in hockey to go with AARP eligible Motzko.

[Stang5280]

Curious how Minnesota decided with Petino, Fleck, and Whalen to go with young coaches.......but decides in hockey to go with AARP eligible Motzko.

I would say it is largely due to the fact that Minnesota is not an attractive destination for coaches in those other sports, so they have to take more of a chance on less proven coaches and hope they strike gold (no pun intended). Also, it just happened to be that there weren’t any great options for younger coaches in the men’s hockey search.