Wisconsin Hockey XXIX: Yes, this is the Rumpel Rink!

[UWisco]

Quickly put together projected lineups for the next three years in case anyone is interested. On paper these are all NCAA tournament-type teams that should be able to put the puck in the net. Make of it what you wish.

This gets me VERY excited for the coming years.

[oldtyme25]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXIX: Yes, this is the Rumpel Rink!

You kind of went against your previous post about being upset about barely getting in the NCAA tourney and losing the first round. In this post you make getting into the tournament a standard.

I am not satisfied that this year will probably be painful too watch. Do I see a real good team coming in the near future, yes. The only thing that matters for NCAA tourney victories is winning 4 in one year. Eaves has done that, not too long after Sauer had driven the program near the bottom.

Before you start running down Jeff Sauer in comparison to Eaves, keep in mind that the only national championship Mike Eaves has won was with Coach Sauer's players. In my opinion, and it appears the 6000 fans per night who are no longer showing up to the games, that Mike Eaves is turning Wisconsin into a second tier program.

[solovsfett]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXIX: Yes, this is the Rumpel Rink!

Before you start running down Jeff Sauer in comparison to Eaves, keep in mind that the only national championship Mike Eaves has won was with Coach Sauer's players. In my opinion, and it appears the 6000 fans per night who are no longer showing up to the games, that Mike Eaves is turning Wisconsin into a second tier program.

It's true Burish/Gilbert/Macmurchy/Licari/Degenhardt were all Sauer guys and were the leaders of the NCAA Championship charge, but we cannot discount Earl/Pavelski/Street/Carlson/Skille/Joudrey...their contributions were what put that team over the top

[Chuck Schwartz]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXIX: Yes, this is the Rumpel Rink!

It's true Burish/Gilbert/Macmurchy/Licari/Degenhardt were all Sauer guys and were the leaders of the NCAA Championship charge, but we cannot discount Earl/Pavelski/Street/Carlson/Skille/Joudrey...their contributions were what put that team over the top

Dowell and Likens, too. That NTDP crew that Eaves brought with him after taking the job was critical.

[Gurtholfin]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXIX: Yes, this is the Rumpel Rink!

It's true Burish/Gilbert/Macmurchy/Licari/Degenhardt were all Sauer guys and were the leaders of the NCAA Championship charge, but we cannot discount Earl/Pavelski/Street/Carlson/Skille/Joudrey...their contributions were what put that team over the top

Dowell and Likens, too. That NTDP crew that Eaves brought with him after taking the job was critical.

The seniors were the glue though.

Of course, the entire team was important, but it was well documented at the time how unique of a captain Burish was and the meeting amongst those guys and each buying into their role and leading by example, etc.

I'm in no way giving credit to Sauer for that though coz it's also well documented that those seniors came into a free-for-all their freshman year where the upperclassmen were openly disrespectful to the coach and the program.

[Almington]

Before you start running down Jeff Sauer in comparison to Eaves, keep in mind that the only national championship Mike Eaves has won was with Coach Sauer's players.

No he didn't. They may have been Sauer recruits, but no one one the 2006 champ team ever played a college game with Sauer as a head coach.

In my opinion, and it appears the 6000 fans per night who are no longer showing up to the games, that Mike Eaves is turning Wisconsin into a second tier program.

That process started long before Eaves was named the head coach.

Eaves isn't the next coming of Badger Bob, he's made many mistakes, and its likely time for a change, but its unfair to claim that he has single-handedly destroyed the program. Could someone else have done better, perhaps. Its important to recognize that UW could absolutely have done far worse.

[Gurtholfin]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXIX: Yes, this is the Rumpel Rink!

That process started long before Eaves was named the head coach.

Did it? I recall many, many games that were sellouts and I believe that we still led the nation in attendance for many of his first years here.


I'm not saying that Sauer's final years were very good - he had clearly either checked out or his style no longer worked with the players of that time.

But Eaves came into a pretty good situation, won a title early and just needed to build upon the foundation that was in place after 2006. Since then he has failed miserably and it's been a gradual, but constant downward spiral.

[solovsfett]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXIX: Yes, this is the Rumpel Rink!

Dowell and Likens, too. That NTDP crew that Eaves brought with him after taking the job was critical.

Truth, Dowell and Likens were very important players for that team

[solovsfett]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXIX: Yes, this is the Rumpel Rink!

Did it? I recall many, many games that were sellouts and I believe that we still led the nation in attendance for many of his first years here.


I'm not saying that Sauer's final years were very good - he had clearly either checked out or his style no longer worked with the players of that time.

But Eaves came into a pretty good situation, won a title early and just needed to build upon the foundation that was in place after 2006. Since then he has failed miserably and it's been a gradual, but constant downward spiral.

You're correct on attendance as I recall it...I also agree Eaves didn't come in to a situation with empty shelves, the team had the Frosh class of Burish et al but also had IIRC Winchester, Leavitt etc. He built the team as I had hoped into a championship contender in 4 years. It's what he's done since 06 that frosts me...well that and the style of play which bugs the s h i t out of me.

[Almington]

Did it? I recall many, many games that were sellouts and I believe that we still led the nation in attendance for many of his first years here.


I'm not saying that Sauer's final years were very good - he had clearly either checked out or his style no longer worked with the players of that time.

But Eaves came into a pretty good situation, won a title early and just needed to build upon the foundation that was in place after 2006. Since then he has failed miserably and it's been a gradual, but constant downward spiral.

I'd argue that UW started its slide towards being a second tier program back in 92. The results from 92-02 were clearly far from that of a first tier program.

Regardless, Eaves has not managed to return UW to a continued level of success that is acceptable to anyone except the decision makers in the Athletic Dept.

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXIX: Yes, this is the Rumpel Rink!

No doubt that something needs to change, but the administration in place right now isn't the kind to do it. Their solution will be to build yet another brand new scoreboard in the north end zone of Camp Randall, and then tell the KC people to just use more stupid videos during breaks in action at hockey games.

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXIX: Yes, this is the Rumpel Rink!

But in terms of style of play:

The difference between the 2006 champs and the rest of Eaves' teams is that those champs knew how to move the puck. I mean really knew how to move the puck.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnI3kv9SaT0

We've had really talented guys come through campus since 2006, but not many of them could pass or find empty space on the same level as the champs. Since that's a skill that's been missing, you have to wonder if it's something Eaves and company don't look for or don't coach enough. I feel like you see this much more than you see this.

[WiscTJK]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXIX: Yes, this is the Rumpel Rink!

But in terms of style of play:

The difference between the 2006 champs and the rest of Eaves' teams is that those champs knew how to move the puck. I mean really knew how to move the puck.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnI3kv9SaT0

We've had really talented guys come through campus since 2006, but not many of them could pass or find empty space on the same level as the champs. Since that's a skill that's been missing, you have to wonder if it's something Eaves and company don't look for or don't coach enough. I feel like you see this much more than you see this.

Nice trip down memory lane. Thanks for sharing.

[Wisko McBadgerton]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXIX: Yes, this is the Rumpel Rink!

I think Eaves has made plenty of mistakes, and also done a number of things well. Some folks look at last year's team as a bit of a failure, but personally I think Eaves has done some of his best coaching the last couple years. After the Boston Massacre and a slew of key injuries it wouldn't have been hard to lose the team, but despite the disappointing loss at the NCAA's I felt that Wisconsin was a good enough team to beat anyone in the country in a series by year's end, and frankly, that's what I want to see.

A lot is laid at Eaves feet and I'm not trying to defend him in everything he does or doesn't do, but it's not just Wisconsin that has had issues. For some perspective consider that since the 2005 DU-Sue title match-up, There have been only 4 (old) WCHA teams of the 18 total in the title game. WI twice, UMD's title run with great top lines they managed to keep together, and the goofs last year. Compare that to the preceding 9 years where 9 of 18 participants were WCHA teams that won 6 of 9 titles.

The thing is, the landscape of college hockey is so changed that it almost renders historical comparisons irrelevant. (Btw- I am old enough to have watched Mark Johnson work magic and see Julian Baretta skate backwards into goal on WPT reruns as a kid and to have regularly watched the Badger Hockey MACHINE live at it peak in the early 80's.) Consider that in 1990 there were <200k total registered hockey players of all ages in the US, and today that number is quickly approaching 600k. (And the growth isn't from a bunch of old guys deciding suddenly to take up rec hockey.) The generational boom from the Miracle on Ice and the Mighty Ducks is at hand in college hockey and talent is widespread and plentiful. Back in the day the 'haves' won with better players. Today the talent margin between the traditional 'haves' and 'have nots' is clearly razor thin. And because we recruit such youngsters- judging talent level is a rather nebulous thing. If you could hand pick and land every 15-16 year old you wanted there is really so little to say whether in 4 years time you will have the best or the 37th best roster in college hockey. IMO it is just so much harder to win consistently today, than it was 20 years ago.

In the same time period discussed above, Eaves has won 13 less games than Lucia while (oddly) playing exactly the same number of games. (364 if you're counting along) I find that totally unacceptable and yet I must confess it again represents a very thin margin --an extra seeing eye flutter puck or two a year, an inch higher with the glove now and then... And when you really break it down the fact is that Eaves is much worse the first half of the season and better the second half. Which may even suggest Eaves has done more with less? At the least it follows in the Bob Johnson tradition of "climbing the mountain." The ol' Badger cared more about learning in Oct.- Nov. and more about winning in Feb.- Mar. Which is very much why WI has so few conference titles and so many tournament wins.

What is frustrating is that I don't quite feel Eaves performance bad enough to fire him, and at times he has been very good, yet still not consistently quite up to the high standards and expectations at Wisconsin. Would another coach have won 20 more games in that time span? Say a guy like Dean Blais with his more longed for throw-back run-and-gun style? I find it hard to speculate that as it seems just as likely he would have lost 20 more, albeit perhaps by scores of 7-4 and 8-5. Fun to watch if you're disinterested, but trust me, losing like that is every bit as bad, if not worse, than losing 2-1.

[Timothy A]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey XXIX: Yes, this is the Rumpel Rink!

But in terms of style of play:

The difference between the 2006 champs and the rest of Eaves' teams is that those champs knew how to move the puck. I mean really knew how to move the puck.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnI3kv9SaT0

We've had really talented guys come through campus since 2006, but not many of them could pass or find empty space on the same level as the champs. Since that's a skill that's been missing, you have to wonder if it's something Eaves and company don't look for or don't coach enough. I feel like you see this much more than you see this.

Man did they lay the wood to Cornell, awesome video.