Yes, I went there!
The season was not their best. There seemed to be something going on, not sure if it was how the team was working together with the coaches, or just a lot of bad luck sadly coming towards their way. Things where not coming together, one could see that with their 8-19-8-0 record overall in the 2015-16 season. This lead to the seats in the Kohl Center getting emptier and emptier. The men still drew a crowd to cheer them on, this is where they found out who their true fans are.
There where enjoyable players out there who I enjoyed watching during the season. There where a great group of incoming freshmen who wowed us all. Luke Kunin lead the team and the freshmen in scoring. Took off with a amazing start, and also has a amazing Badger career that is a head of him. Grant Besse was also a joy to watch, he is always is. Besse has a great future ahead of him in the NHL. I also enjoyed watching Corbin McGuire bouncing back and fourth between defense and offense. It is always good to have a player who is established in both of these departments, and who can be a well rounded player and can play where you need him too.
The season ended horribly, and embarrassingly looking back at it for the team. The Badgers found themselves in the B1G tournament and ended up getting booted out of the tournament in the first round. It was a disappointing loss to Penn. State. The score was 5-2. Things needed to change for the program.
This lead to head coach Mike Eaves getting fired. There was already speculations going on through out the season about him getting fired. People in the stands where yelling at him that he should get fired. Very disrespectful at that time in my opinion. I do not go up to you and yell you should get fired while you are doing your job. Do not yell at him about something that may or may not be on his radar. It does not help him out with his confidence in being a leader for his team. Also it is disrespectful to the team as well, to have them hear that their leader is not doing his job up to you, the audience standards. Does not help that bridge of respect for players of their coaches.
There where also some questionable in reasons why Barry Alvarez fried Eaves to make the men's hockey program a better program. That made some red flags fly up to some of us, one of them being me. With the Wisconsin Journal quoting Alvarez on why he wanted the program to do well: "People interpret that I give all my attention to football and that is simply not true... However, football does demand a lot of attention. It’s the (financial) engine that drives the entire (athletic) program. But I care about hockey. I very much believe that we are a better athletic department when our men’s hockey program is thriving." I agree with him about the thriving part and having crowds come in and pay money for tickets to see their team win games instead of getting crushed, and people feeling they wasted their money to see a team loss over and over again. But one thing that really ruffled my feathers was that Alvarez saying that he cares about hockey, that's debatable in my opinion. I feel like Alvarez's loyalties still lay mostly still in the football program.
Within two weeks later the athletic department found new replacements head coach and two assistant coaches. The Wisconsin Badgers hired Tony Granato as head coach with his brother Don Granato as an assistant coach with Mark Osiecki as the second head coach. It was a package deal: "My initial reaction was, absolutely, but only on the condition that I could bring these two guys with me as my associate coaches... These two guys are the final piece on why I’m here," states T. Granato when talking to the Wisconsin Journal. Within this off season during the summer, the program has done some major recruiting that gives the program a positive outlook on the future. Also one thing we learned early in the off season was that Tony Granato still needs to finish his degree and graduate college. Most of the people who are athletes in school, have opportunities to have professional careers. They go do that, and then UW-Madison athletic department has an open door policy for them to go back and get their degree. T. Granato is doing that, he needs the degree to coach at the college. Now is the time to take that advantage and maybe end up in a class with some of his players? Probably unlikely, but it would be an interesting experience to have though for both parties if that does happen.
With this new change in coaches, and new incoming players, and old players looking to kick off their season and do well and show what actually the Wisconsin Men's Hockey team can do. They have been held back way to long and looking forward to becoming a dominant Mid-West team again. Also to put more excitement in the Badger/Gopher rivalry which has been lacking on the Badger side. Oh, child things are getting brighter, and I have a feeling your 2016-17 season will be a brighter one.
The season was not their best. There seemed to be something going on, not sure if it was how the team was working together with the coaches, or just a lot of bad luck sadly coming towards their way. Things where not coming together, one could see that with their 8-19-8-0 record overall in the 2015-16 season. This lead to the seats in the Kohl Center getting emptier and emptier. The men still drew a crowd to cheer them on, this is where they found out who their true fans are.
There where enjoyable players out there who I enjoyed watching during the season. There where a great group of incoming freshmen who wowed us all. Luke Kunin lead the team and the freshmen in scoring. Took off with a amazing start, and also has a amazing Badger career that is a head of him. Grant Besse was also a joy to watch, he is always is. Besse has a great future ahead of him in the NHL. I also enjoyed watching Corbin McGuire bouncing back and fourth between defense and offense. It is always good to have a player who is established in both of these departments, and who can be a well rounded player and can play where you need him too.
The season ended horribly, and embarrassingly looking back at it for the team. The Badgers found themselves in the B1G tournament and ended up getting booted out of the tournament in the first round. It was a disappointing loss to Penn. State. The score was 5-2. Things needed to change for the program.
During one of the Broader Battle games against the
Minnesota Gophers
This lead to head coach Mike Eaves getting fired. There was already speculations going on through out the season about him getting fired. People in the stands where yelling at him that he should get fired. Very disrespectful at that time in my opinion. I do not go up to you and yell you should get fired while you are doing your job. Do not yell at him about something that may or may not be on his radar. It does not help him out with his confidence in being a leader for his team. Also it is disrespectful to the team as well, to have them hear that their leader is not doing his job up to you, the audience standards. Does not help that bridge of respect for players of their coaches.
There where also some questionable in reasons why Barry Alvarez fried Eaves to make the men's hockey program a better program. That made some red flags fly up to some of us, one of them being me. With the Wisconsin Journal quoting Alvarez on why he wanted the program to do well: "People interpret that I give all my attention to football and that is simply not true... However, football does demand a lot of attention. It’s the (financial) engine that drives the entire (athletic) program. But I care about hockey. I very much believe that we are a better athletic department when our men’s hockey program is thriving." I agree with him about the thriving part and having crowds come in and pay money for tickets to see their team win games instead of getting crushed, and people feeling they wasted their money to see a team loss over and over again. But one thing that really ruffled my feathers was that Alvarez saying that he cares about hockey, that's debatable in my opinion. I feel like Alvarez's loyalties still lay mostly still in the football program.
From left to right: Don Granato (assistant coach), Tony Granato
(head coach), and Mark Osiecki (assistant coach)
Within two weeks later the athletic department found new replacements head coach and two assistant coaches. The Wisconsin Badgers hired Tony Granato as head coach with his brother Don Granato as an assistant coach with Mark Osiecki as the second head coach. It was a package deal: "My initial reaction was, absolutely, but only on the condition that I could bring these two guys with me as my associate coaches... These two guys are the final piece on why I’m here," states T. Granato when talking to the Wisconsin Journal. Within this off season during the summer, the program has done some major recruiting that gives the program a positive outlook on the future. Also one thing we learned early in the off season was that Tony Granato still needs to finish his degree and graduate college. Most of the people who are athletes in school, have opportunities to have professional careers. They go do that, and then UW-Madison athletic department has an open door policy for them to go back and get their degree. T. Granato is doing that, he needs the degree to coach at the college. Now is the time to take that advantage and maybe end up in a class with some of his players? Probably unlikely, but it would be an interesting experience to have though for both parties if that does happen.
With this new change in coaches, and new incoming players, and old players looking to kick off their season and do well and show what actually the Wisconsin Men's Hockey team can do. They have been held back way to long and looking forward to becoming a dominant Mid-West team again. Also to put more excitement in the Badger/Gopher rivalry which has been lacking on the Badger side. Oh, child things are getting brighter, and I have a feeling your 2016-17 season will be a brighter one.
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