> Hardly. And now we've got Noble and Larocque. I wonder if they think
> they've got a future in the NHL, just like Cashman?
So, just how many college goalies have made it in the NHL? A
handful. What about the rest? Not many goalies make it in the NHL
period, and not many who do are college goalies.
> This brings me to the subject of Jack Parker.
>
> Yes, he's won 500 games, 17 tournaments, 8 titles, 2 championships,
> blah, blah, blah. Big Deal.
So, name all the coaches that are better, list what they have won,
and state why they are better coaches.
> Throughout the 80's Parker's teams were always considered to be
> "playing below potential."
I disagree, but do not have past Globes, or the time to do the
required research.
> In 1991, Parker took possibly one of the best college hockey teams
> ever assembled (Amonte, McEachern, Sacco, Tomlinson, Ahola,
> Lachance, Tkachuk, et al) to the national championship. The season
> itself, while blistering in its offense, was sporadic. Last year's
> BU squad, considerably less talented, achieved a better record. To
> top it all off, BU loses the championship in mega-OT -- after
> blowing a great lead.
Yes, BU lost a lead. They also came back from a deficit to tie the
game up and force that overtime. And despite the claim that BU was
the favorite, they were not. I do not know whether Maine or Northern
Michigan was favored in their semifinal, but NMU was favored over BU
in the final.
> It took three trips to the final game for BU to re-capture the title
> -- three trips where BU was favored every time. Throw in two other
> non-spectacular semifinal losses and you've got a sssssmokin 1 for 5
> in final four play. Discrete math tells with those odds you should
> at least go 1 for 4. Then again, Parker doesn't teach math. (does
> Jeff Jackson?)
First BU was not the favorite every time. NMU or Maine was favored
in 1991. In 1994 BU was favored by many, but LSSU was also favored
by many, including the Minnesota newspapers. As for last year,
again, BU was not a clear favorite. I know that many people picked
Michigan to win, while others picked Maine.
As for final four play, here are the team records for all the teams
that have been in more than one final four in the past ten years:
Team APP 1st 2nd 3rd 4th SF*
BU 5 1 2 2
Harvard 4 1 1 1 1
LSSU 4 3 1
Michigan 3 3
Michigan St 4 1 1 1 1
Maine 5 1 1 1 1 1
Minnesota 6 1 2 1 2
Wisconsin 2^ 1 1^
* no consolation games played since 1989
^ 1992 appearance and second place finish voided by the NCAA
> Over the years I've seen BU lose games -- both big and small -- that
> they just plain shouldn't have lost. Every year you hear the same
> thing around Boston: "The BU players just lost their [insert emotion
> here] last night, and fell to [insert underdog or big-game opponent
> here] after having a [insert 3-or more interger here] goal lead."
And I have seen Maine, Harvard and BC loss games that they should not
have lost. Every team losses games that they should not have lost.
> Yet nobody seems willing to come forward and say it: THIS IS ALL
> PARKER'S FAULT.
Because it is not his fault.
> Especially when compared to other coaches in the game (Jackson,
> Mason, Gwozdecky, Walsh -- yes, Walsh), Parker really hasn't even
> accomplished much.
After you discount his winning over 500 games, 2 NCAA
Championships, 8 league championships, and 18 other tournamnet
titles, Parker has maintained BU among the elite programs in college
hockey for two decades. He has also twice been honored with the
Spencer Penrose Award as "NCAA Coach of the Year" (Jackson has not
yet received the honor, while Mason, Gwozdecky and Walsh have each
received the honor once).
Of course, Jeff Jackson also "inherited" an elite program at LSSU so
he also hasn't accomplished much, after discounting his 2 NCCA
Championships and 4 CCHA Tournament Championships. ;-)
And when you discount Ron Mason's 730+ wins, one NCAA Championship, 7
CCHA Tournament Championships, what has be accomplished? ;-D
The same can be done with Gwozdecky and Walsh. :-)
> BU has ALWAYS been a top-notch hockey team.
No, it has not. As recently as 1986-1990, BU did not have one of the
elite programs in the country (no doubt *also* Jack Parker's dault
;-D ).
> Parker hasn't elevated this program to another level; at best, he's
> made it a better stepping stone to the pros. Does that make him a
> better coach?
I believe that Parker has elevated the program to another level since
the eighties. It is obvious that the teams he has had in the
nineties have been noticable better than the teams he had in the
eighties.
I also do not believe that he has made BU a stepping stone to the
pros, nor do I want to see BU become one. As for being a better
coach, his record speaks for itself, even if you wish to discount and
ignore it.
> Most of the other "greats" listed by Hockey-L'ers have accomplished
> a wide variety of taks as head coaches, but most importantly,
> they've developed strong, consistent programs that WIN.
2 NCAA Championships, 8 league championships, 18 other tournaments
titles, 500 wins. Jack Parker has developed a strong, consistent
programs that WINS. What nmore do you want?
> Okay, maybe
> there aren't too many teams that come around like Harvard and Maine
> in their championship years, but don't you think that with the
> talent available, BU should have been one of those teams as well?
1978 BU Terriers. 30-2
Sean Pickett E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Go Terriers 1995 NCAA, Hockey East and Beanpot Champions
BU Hockey: http://www.tiac.net/users/spickett/hockey.html
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But I Digress: http://www.tiac.net/users/spickett/bid.html
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