This is something David and I have discussed a few times, and I can
see the reasons for his statements, but I still wanted to give my own
perspective. It's kind of long, which should not surprise you after
you look at the From: line. I've also included some replies to Steve
Weisfeldt's comments. It seems impossible to get private mail to Steve.
David Josselyn writes:
>4. However, there are supporters of Merrimack hockey who would not be
>saddened at Anderson's departure. Anderson is extremely hardworking,
>dedicated, and straightforward. However, it has been said that some of
>his behavior alienates players' parents, and potentially prospective
>players. Some of the parents would simply like to see him spend a bit
>more time talking to them at after-game get-togethers. The players do.
If this is his biggest fault, he's not doing too badly. :-) It is
true that Anderson is not a guy who seems to enjoy the spotlight like a
Shawn Walsh or Jack Parker. I have thought at times that bringing the
program to the students more might be beneficial, as Walsh did when he
started at Maine. But that is the way Anderson is. I am willing to
accept it with all of his positive points. He is quiet, but as a
person he is also one of the nicest people you will ever meet (as
David knows).
It seems that one of the biggest criticisms I have heard of Anderson
is that such-and-such a star player elsewhere would have come to
Merrimack if Merrimack had worked harder to get him. Jim Montgomery
is one of the names the nay-sayers have thrown out there, and I don't
know how true that is - although Montgomery is a good friend of former
Warrior Dan Gravelle. But even if it is true, every program has its list
of players they could have had but didn't pursue and who turned out to
be stars somewhere else.
On the other hand, Anderson built an Independent powerhouse in the
late 1980s by taking the outcasts from DivI - the players other teams
didn't want. I still have an article from the Boston Globe in late
March, 1988 - the week after Merrimack defeated Northeastern. It is
headlined "The Little Team That Could" and talks all about how
Anderson built his team. And some players Anderson outright stole from
underneath the noses of other teams, like All-Everything goalie Jim
Hrivnak who was also pursued by RPI.
>From a media perspective, Anderson was great. He was the straightest
>coach I ever interviewed, honest almost to a fault. But many MC fans,
>frustrated with the program's difficulty moving from the 6-7-8 spots in
>Hockey East, think that some kind of change would help. The other factors
>affecting the program's success (size, reputation of school, rink
>quality) are a lot harder to alter than who's behind the bench. The
>coaching situation has not improved with the loss of assistant Scott
>MacPherson to UMass-Amherst.
The loss of MacPherson is one that probably will prove to hurt. He
recruited arguably Merrimack's top 3 freshmen this past season -
Legault, Jakopin (All-Rookie Team), and Peca. But Anderson can't be
blamed for MacPherson leaving. UMass made him an offer Merrimack could
not match because of the financial situation Merrimack has been in.
The rink quality is something that is being improved. There will be
new boards and probably new glass next season - the old, marked-up
front of the boards has been replaced but the shell has been retained
because players like the way the boards give and make a loud noise
when they slam someone into them. :-) There is a good chance that the
ugly yellow ceiling will be painted white, which should make a huge
difference in the way the place looks. And, there seems to be a
better chance than there ever was before that within a few years,
there will be either a massive renovation of the existing building to
bring it to DivI quality, or else construction of a new facility.
Anderson has faced an incredible number of obstacles over the last 5
years since moving to Hockey East - obstacles that might have forced
another man to pack it in. This is just a small listing of the major
problems I can recall off the top of my head:
* In 1988-89, the school took so long to decide whether to accept the
invitation to join HE that many potential recruits went elsewhere,
after Anderson was honest with them and explained that he just didn't
know where the team was going to stand the next season - HE, full-time
DivI Independent, etc. Just two of those potentials were Mike and
Mark Bavis who had four outstanding seasons at BU.
* As well, nearly all of the players who helped Merrimack to a 61-13-0
record over two seasons from 1987-89 had graduated by the time the team
entered HE. If either a handful of those players had remained, or the
school had made its decision earlier, I am convinced the team would
have been much better than it was in its first season.
* Merrimack went through its first two seasons in HE with a collection
of outcasts and DivIII-caliber players, some of whom had played JV
before the 1987-89 team graduated. The original plan had been to play
two seasons as an Independent from 1989-91 and then join HE, and it was
thought that this would enable them to build a team that would be able
to enter HE and be very competitive - and win some games. Had the
1987-88 team been in HE, they may have been the third best team in the
league that season, behind Maine and Northeastern...Merrimack followers
from that time would say second, ahead of Northeastern. :-)
* From the start, Anderson was promised full support by the school in
his quest to build a HE contender. But from the start, Merrimack's
financial problems made it impossible for the school to meet its
promises. A perfect example is the recruiting budget, for which a
5-year plan had been set out in 1989. The actual budget turned out to
be far less than what was originally planned. But cuts were also
occurring all over campus.
* The rink, generally considered Anderson's largest obstacle in
recruiting, is no longer under the control of the athletic department.
I believe Physical Plant controls it, and I also believe there are a
total of two employees responsible for all or most of the work, from
driving the Zamboni to cleaning the rink to doing maintenance. They
have no time to do preventative maintenance, and so the general M.O.
is to react to problems rather than to act and prevent them. Whether
or not a new building happens, the first step is to immediately move
the complex back under the control of the AD.
* There are also the players who Anderson has landed over the last 5
years but who didn't come. If any of you get The Hockey News, open
any issue from this season and flip to the major junior section, under
QMJHL. Laval goalie Manny Fernandez was signed, sealed and delivered
to Merrimack two years ago. He was to be "the next Hrivnak". But
that summer, Laval drafted him first and made him an offer Merrimack
literally could not match: a car. So long, Manny, we hardly knew ya.
Manny went on to help Canada to a World Junior title, led the QMJHL
in GAA this season, and took home tons of awards - and he may still
backstop Laval to the Memorial Cup. We went on to the 99 to cry in our
beer and think about what could have been.
* And, there are also the inherent recruiting disadvantages in terms
of fighting off the Boston schools for players, lack of a DivI winning
tradition, etc. that any other coach would have had to face, too. As
asst Brian Daccord said when we were marveling at the Mullins Center
at UMass, "How could any kid turn all this down to come to Merrimack?"
Because of the obstacles, I don't feel Anderson has been adequately
provided an opportunity to put a contending team on the ice. So, I
think it would be a travesty to reward his 14 years of loyalty to the
school, his three ECAC East banners and one DivI quarterfinal
appearance, his taking the program to heights it never reached before,
his unquestioned integrity, and the respect he has earned from his peers
in college hockey, by unceremoniously dumping him at a time when the
program may be ready to turn the corner.
This year's team (93-94) was inexperienced, yet it still performed
above most people's expectations IMO. No one foresaw the way Legault
would play in net. Most of the forwards were freshmen or inexperienced
upperclassmen, yet much of the time they performed more consistently
than the "stars". There was absolutely no scoring returning on this
team, but defense and goaltending carried them to as many victories
as the 1992-93 team (not counting the 2 Maine forfeits).
There are good things to look forward to.
Steve Weisfeldt writes:
>I've always thought that Ron Anderson teams were excellently coached.
>Never had the "blue-chip" player, and probably regulated to the 6-7-8
>spot for the near future, but I've always felt that his teams were the
>hardest working teams in HE. Over the years, probably the only team
>in Hockey East that would "show up" for EVERY game.
I don't speak for Merrimack, but thanks for your kind comments, Steve.
On the other hand, it is truly agonizing to hear the phrase "hardest
working team" applied to Merrimack, because we know it's really a
metaphor for "not too far above lousy". One thing Anderson said five
years ago has always stuck in my mind: "We want to get to the point
where teams come in here and beating us makes their season." Not just
that well, at least Merrimack's going to give them a good game.
On your last sentence, I would say that there have been times that I
have felt they did not show up. I think when people outside Merrimack
don't expect much from the Warriors, it is easier to say that they
always show up, at least. I can tell you Anderson's comments have
been clear in that he has not felt that they have always come to play.
He also expects more from them than anyone around, as he should.
I will say this: we are extremely proud of the 8-0-4 overtime record
the team has rolled up over the last two seasons, as well as being the
only HE team to have never lost an HE overtime game. To that extent,
"hardest working" isn't so bad. The feeling is that if the game is
close near the end and there's a chance to win, they will pull it out.
So the next step is to have more games where they are in that situation.
>At the same time, though, maybe a coaching change would be good for
>the Warriors. As much as I felt the NC$$ screwed Billy Riley and as
>sorry I was to see him leave Lowell, I do feel that the change
>benefited the Lowell program infinitely. Maybe a similar change would
>do Merrimack good as well. It might take a while, but I believe they
>can become "contenders". I really feel that Martin Legault can be one
>of the best goalies in the east.
And Steve, I am sure that with Rollie graduating, you wouldn't mind if
Marty had chosen UML instead. :-) In a way, I was happy Marty did not
get named to the All-Rookie Team over Taylor, because maybe this will
insure that he continues to work - and he has room for improvement.
But he's off to a great start.
I can't support a coaching change because as I said above, I believe he
has done the best he could with what he had available. And he deserves
a better chance than he has had. If the problems that made it
difficult for him to put a better team on the ice would not be
resolved along with hiring a new coach, then the new coach would not
fare any better. The first step is for the school to make good on its
promise, even if it is several years late, and provide Anderson with
what he needs to be able to build a HE-contending team. Then evaluate
the job he does.
I think things are improving and that next year we will see something
start to happen. I am more convinced of this than I have been at any
time over the last 5 years.
--- ---
Mike Machnik [log in to unmask]
Cabletron Systems, Inc. *HMM* 11/13/93
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