Brian Morris asked:
> ...  Outside of Shawn Walsh, which
> coaches have joined a program and really changed the way it was perceived
> in recent years?
 
Dave Hendrickson replied:
> How about Bruce Crowder?  He took a UMass-Lowell program that was really
> hurting and has turned it around in a major way.
 
There are two others that deserve mention.  Ric Shafer came to Notre
Dame to an independent program and has brought the program to a
respectable status in the CCHA.
 
Don Lucia came to Colorado College and is taking the team from the
doldrums of the bottom of the WCHA into a contender.  They'll almost
certainly finish in the top half of the league this year (with
basically the same athletes) and things will continue to improve.
Lets also observe that Coach Lucia is doing this in an environment
where it isn't clear that faculty at Colorado College want to retain its
division 1 status, and where the home ice (Broadmoor) was slated to be
demolished with no approved plan for a replacement.  There seems to be
an arena in the works, and USAFA's cadet field house will be CC's home
next season.
 
It is tempting to note (albeit somewhat facetiously) that given the swap
in WCHA placement during the year, the coaches at minnesota and michigan
tech have both been successful (in the shorter term) in turning their
programs around.  However, while good as a one liner, it is unfair to
coach mancini, and does him a disservice.
 
charlie shub
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