Alaska interim head coach Dallas Ferguson and Wisconsin assistant coach Kevin Patrick are the two finalists to replace Doc DelCastillo as head coach at Alaska.
Kevin Patrick recently withdrew his name from consideration for the vacant head coaching position of the Green Bay Gamblers in the USHL to focus on this job.
Both coaches will participate in public forums this week, and athletic director Forrest Karr hopes to make a final decision by the end of next week.
If I had to take a guess, I think Ferguson will be the one named head coach. I'm not saying Patrick isn't qualified, because he most definitely is qualified to be a head coach somewhere, but I don't see him getting the job. During last year's coaching search, it seemed like there was a big push from locals/alums for a change in direction in the program, which probably helped DelCastillo get hired. But after the disaster of DelCastillo's one year(regardless of if you believe the speculation about why he left, the fact remains that he didn't leave a lot of friends behind when he left Alaska), I think there's going to pressure for Alaska to stay with "one of their own". That sounds like it has been the case so far with a lot of alumni throwing their support behind Ferguson.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
14 comments:
If us Alaskans were so intent on local hire then most of us wouldn't be here since most of us come from somewhere else. Dallas is certainly well liked but so was Tavis and he bailed after three years. I think Dallas is likely here to stay and that can also go against him. If Patrick is picked then Dallas will likely stay on as an assistant. That would be a win-win for Alaska. But either way Alaska will be way ahead of last year's nightmare.
The very little I've heard about Doc (from here) made it sound like he wasn't exactly the easiest guy to get along with...the exact opposite is true of Patrick. He is genuinely one of the nicest guys you'll find coaching college hockey. Really a player's coach. So if they go with Dallas like you think they will because they don't want too much change and are afraid of a repeat of Doc, then it'd be for the wrong reason.
I wouldn't say that Tavis' leaving was "bailing." His wife got a really good job offer and he decided that their family should focus on her career also. He didn't just up and decide that he wanted a job that's way better than coaching at Alaska-Fairbanks.
It's not like a coach's sole purpose in life is to coach hockey and please fans, they have their own families which take priority sometimes. Is that a bad thing?
No question the players hated Doc. Hated may be a bit harsh but none were saddened to see him gone.
There are plenty of alumni that aren't so sure about Dallas either. When Tavis stepped in the program didn't fair so well. So would the same happen with Dallas? Doc was an aberration.
I really believe Patrick and Dallas would make a great team. If Karr doesn't want to slight Dallas then make him an associate head coach. I can't believe Patrick wouldn't accept a deal where Dallas stays on. Dallas is a great guy. That way they save face and Dallas will be there and ready to replace Patrick sometime down the road. Frankly, I wouldn't want a coach that had no aspirations for greater things. Complacency would set in. If Patrick will give us at least five years and then with Dallas ready to step in we can't go wrong for a long time.
Hope Patrick can find his voice again because he certainly couldn't use it at UW.
Unfortunately the irony was that Tavis's wife left the 'better' job shortly after taking it. Tavis is now an NHL scout and that apparently was his ultimate dream job. Not college hockey. Good for him.
Any chance Karr being from Madison having an influence on his decision? For some reason I think he picks Patrick
I just have a hard time believing Patrick is head coaching material. He's way too quiet and passive.
Karr and Patrick both played hockey at Notre Dame as well.
Kevin Patrick did an outstanding job at the community meeting last night. He will make an excellent head coach for the Alaska Nanooks.
If Patrick is part of UW's over-recruiting system which has amounted to pushing scholarship players either back or out. Alaska needs to tread with care.
As well as wearing the "ring" from Wisc. does Patrick take some responsiblity for the kids they have flushed out at Wisconsin? There seems to be list almost as long as the players who have gone pro from that University. Think all should move carefully and if development of all players and giving opps. to all players is not what he is all about we may be facing another player crisis. A head coach should be able to take the talent he not only recruits but those who have committed themselves to a program and work to develop it and eventually win rather than flushing kids out.
Start naming the names then of all of these kids that UW has "flushed" out. As many as have made the NHL??? I'm trying to think of a few names let alone several dozen.
Sure it appears that UW has a backlog of players recruited, but to this point they have not had to tell a single kid, "sorry you have to find somewhere else to play". Sure maybe a few guys who thought they would be in Madision next season won't be here, but that is between the coaching staff and the kids. And as for current players not getting enough ice time, do you Mr. anon go to practice every day? Do you sit through the team meetings and see the effort level put in by different kids? No, you don't and neither do I, so I'm not about to admonish the coaching staff for things I don't see and know first hand about.
People who post in these comment sections, like Zach Bearson's uncle, just like to spread lies and dissent, not provide any backing information.
think the previous writers points are valid. UW has become a program that recruits early and then has been in recent history delay entrance due to lack of available money. With what happened in Alaska in the last year it is fair and wise to ask a coach who has been involved in that and wants to be a head coach with student/athletes fearing for their futures these questions. If his philosophy is the same as the head coach of the program he hails from of over-recruitment and either pushing student/athletes out or delaying them for years due to getting "the next" guy these are important questions that need to be answered as they put the players already in place and potentially the program at risk. Mistakes perhaps were made in the last year in Alaska, let's get our concerns addressed to avoid future player/recruit problems.
Post a Comment