Since the Gophers have struggled the last couple of seasons there has been this on going speculation that it’s time for a coaching change in Minneapolis, Minnesota. There have been a lot of die hard Gopher fans ready to throw their former Spencer Penrose award winning coach under the bus. Some of these fans calling for a change had been ardent supporters of Lucia in the past.
FSN Hockey personality Kevin Gorg recently said on KFAN 1130AM that Don Lucia would basically go at the time of his choosing and that Lucia is probably safe for now. I think Gorg is right. Breaking it down further; why would a university just up and fire a hockey coach that has won five MacNaughton Cups, three Broadmoor Trophies and two back-to-back NCAA championships in 2001-02 and 2002-03. Add to this impressive resume a Hobey Baker Memorial award winner in Jordan Leopold 2002. Heck the University of Minnesota just re-upped a football coach Tim Brewster that was just begging to be fired.
There’s great fear in Grand Forks that if the University of Minnesota makes a coaching change with its struggling program, Blais will return to his alma mater to coach the Gophers.
I’m not convinced the freedom-loving Blais would jump into that pressure cooker at his age. Blais cherishes the time to hunt and fish whenever possible. The demands of the Minnesota program would cut into that.
Nor am I convinced that Gopher athletics director Joel Maturi would change hockey coaches in a program that at least wins, while offering an extension to football coach Tim Brewster. How does that make sense?
There’s a saying in sports that a great coach can take his players and beat yours, or take your players and beat his.
I think of Blais in those terms. Many others do, too. That’s why there’s rampant speculation and fear that he’ll end up coaching the Gophers, even though Blais once said “a big city isn’t for me.”
But if they cut a big enough check, maybe it might be. If that happens, so be it. I love Dean Blais and wish him nothing but success and good fortune. If that happens to be at the tail end of his coaching career with Minnesota, my heart will be with him.
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Lucia is probably safe but I think it hurts that Blais got more out of Schroeder than Lucia is currently getting. I think Lucia does a good job but Blais might be better, it is hard to say. If Blais coaches MN he is not going to be able to recruit any Canadians (or will he?) and I don't think he will steal any Shattuck players from UND or any other UND recruiting spots so you all up there and breathe a sigh of relief. Blais' strategies and ideas are probably better than Lucia's though. UNDs transition game is probably the best in college hockey, so if he brings that type of game to MN they would be better, but it also requires a different type of player, more speed, grit and heart and less size. It will be interest to see how this plays out. I am not really a big gopher fan but I can stand to see them playing so putridly and wouldn't Sioux fans like to play/beat a team that is actually worth playing/beating?
ReplyDeleteThe problem with that argument is that Lucia won the first title with Woog's players. With the second title you could argue he had more influence on the players, but even then the majority of the roster was Woog's recruits. Lucia has recruited great talent, but I don't think he is getting the right type of player.
ReplyDeleteJosh, Remember that Woog never won with his own players...
ReplyDeleteGoon,
ReplyDeleteDoesn't Blais have a deal in his contract that basically says he can say 'goodbye' to Omaha if the Gopher head coaching position becomes available? ...I thought I read tha somewhere last summer. That would imply he has at least some interest.
That's true Charlie, but look at what Lucia has done with rosters full of his recruits. Sure he has won some games, but they have never really been a serious contender in the championship hunt. As a Gopher fan I am willing to give him a few more years to see what happens but other fans are far more knee-jerk than I.
ReplyDeleteWe are lead to believe that Blaiser has an out in his contract. It was reported in the paper and I didn't see a retort agianst it.
ReplyDeleteI agree he is not getting the right players but recruiting is pretty tough. I saw that they were a couple days late on recruiting Jake Gardiner so he went to Wisconsin instead. You have to recruit so young now so you really don't know if the player will really develop besides a few sure things. Of course this is for Minnesota players only. If they went out state and out of country for recruits, they would probably be better but would lose a lot of their mystique.
ReplyDeleteJosh, I am not knee-jerk about it either.
ReplyDeleteI think Lucia needs to be very picky when he puts the youngest kids on the roster. Schroeder was a big contributor coming in at age 17, but Ness and Lofquist were not. ...I was bummed to read that Nick Bjugstad is rushing to the Gophers after 11th grade. As an aside, I love watching Cepis! Hopefully he's contagious and the whole team catches Cepisitis!
ReplyDeleteJosh, thats is the biggest misconception about Lucia's titles. ONE player on the second title team was recruited by Woog(Nick Anthony) and he did NOT play in the frozen four meaning EVERY player was Lucia's. The year before only about seven players were recruited by Woog. The vast majority of that team were Lucia's as well.
ReplyDeletePhish, I can be an idiot at times so bear with me; how did Lucia end up with his own recruits the first 2 years he was head coach at the U of M? He obvioulsy wasn't recruiting for the Gophers while coachuing at CC... What am I missing? Thanks
ReplyDeleteBlais is going to take the St Louis Blues Head Coach position for next year.. So this is all mute..
ReplyDeleteAfterall St Louis is a "small" city according to Gretzky and Hull..
Phish, Ignore my question. My memory is NOT improving with age; I thought Lucia won the back-to-backs his first two years...
ReplyDeleteBlais would be a good coach for the Blues. I am in favor of this move.
ReplyDeleteWho other than Blais would replace Lucia, there is no one that even touches those two.
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of people that could. I think Mike Hastings would be a candidate as well as Mike Guentzel.
ReplyDeleteIt seemed that Blais going to the Bluejackets was going to lead to an NHL position. But, for whatever reason, that never happened. Then he accepted a role with an organization that didn't even have a team (Fargo) and next a marginal Div. 1 program at Omaha. This success at the World Juniors has bounced him back to the higher levels in the hockey coaching world, especially among those making hiring decisions. He might not be a candidate for the thankless Gopher mentor role but there are other schools that would be willing to resurrect moribund programs with a superstar coach. But since he's already grabbed the brass ring at the college level and never even gotten in the door at the highest pro rank, you have to believe that an NHL spot is what is really on his mind.
ReplyDeleteIn a somewhat contrarian vein, the junior team was an all-star squad of very good, and underrated players. Maybe my aunt Minnie could have gotten them to the gold medal game. And the US power play wasn't all that impressive. Canada was also playing without one of their best defensemen, injured in their game against the Swiss.
I think if and when MN does get a new coach it will be someone established, not a former assistant or anything like that. They will want someone with a proven winning track record.
ReplyDeleteTom Ward is probably the other candidate for Lucia's job.
ReplyDeleteIt's hardly fair to compare Blais getting what he got out of Schroeder in a high-pressure, high-octane situation like the WJC, where Schroeder isn't even the best player on his team and is playing against players his own age, to Lucia getting what he gets out of Schroeder in the grind of the WCHA against older, more experienced players, where he is the best player on the ice many nights. There is no player on the Gophers who can push Schroeder. Mike Hoeffel? Overrated. Patrick White? A joke. Cepis? Meh. You'd think he was the second coming of Jesus. I mean, I'm not a Lucia apologist or even a Gopher fan but the WJC and the WCHA regular season are two totally different scenarios.
I remember blais saying that his passion is in molding young players and watching them succeed at a higher level. If he wasn't just b.s.ing I think that takes away the nhl theory. When he went to Columbus I believe his original title was head of player development
ReplyDeleteDogRunner: The great thing about Cepis is that although he is small, he is hungry and a hard worker. On top of that he is skillful. As A Gopher fan I am hoping that becuase he has quickly gotten on the scoreboard multiple times that his effort will be contagious. That may not equate with a 'push', but it has the potential to be a positve for Schroeder. Cepis is no Ryan Stoa, but putting him on a line with Schroeder will do nothing but help Schroeder.
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