Will Lucia survive?

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I'm a Lucia guy, but this is beyond ridiculous and the last three years have been a steady regression. He used to fall back on the loss of players to the NHL, but as pointed out in today's Pioneer Press, they have 20 NHL draft picks (including four first rounders!) on the roster! The team has absolutely quit on him.

Who has Dean Blais's number?
 

It would be much easier on everyone involved if Lucia just stepped aside. That way he could coach at a high level again but yet everyone saves face.
Thanks for the National Championships..but its time. For some reason he can't light a fire under anyone to play. And I have no idea how John Hill is still employed.
 

Complete the relationship

John Hill: Don Lucia as Richard Solomon:
 

I have been a Lucia backer this whole time. When we were swept by UMD i started to waver. When we lost last night I officially decided to support a change at head coach at the U.

You guys are right. The 'losing guys to the NHL' excuse is no good anymore. The team looks lazy. Nobody goes to the net on offense. Nobody plays aggressively on defense. The gophers should never only score 1 goal in a game against a MANKATO team who isn't even the best team that MSU has had in recent memory. We honestly should be putting up 1.5 goals per period on teams like this. This is my fifth year on campus and we have done nothing but get WORSE every single year. Im sick of it. Ever since the Holy Cross loss, it has been nothing but disappointment and it needs to end. I realize i sound like a Kentucky basketball fan, but as soon as we missed out on the NCAA tournament, we should have seriously started to look in another direction. Minnesota hockey does not miss the tournament.

Lucia is a good guy. And he can be a good hockey coach. I think both the Gophers and Lucia need a change. This downslide has no end in sight.... especially when SCSU, UMD, Bemidji, and Mankato are beginning to close the gap in recruiting, coaching talent, fan support, even hockey facilities.
 

Was at the game last night and wow is all I can say. Alot of empty seats and the natives are restless. Talking to some longtime fans, a couple who are plugged in and have always been huge Lucia backers, and even they have concided that the Don's hole is too deep to get out. As referenced above, John Hill is a popular villian. One popular opinion was a compromise where Lucia would be allowed to step down citing his illiness as a main reason. Others don't have any confidence that Maturi will do anything. Obviously Dean Blais is the overwhelmingly favorite for the job but his age may move them in anopther direction and Wild Coach and former Gopher Mike Ramsey is a darkhorse candidate.
 


JohnnyGopher said:
Was at the game last night and wow is all I can say. Alot of empty seats and the natives are restless. Talking to some longtime fans, a couple who are plugged in and have always been huge Lucia backers, and even they have concided that the Don's hole is too deep to get out. As referenced above, John Hill is a popular villian. One popular opinion was a compromise where Lucia would be allowed to step down citing his illiness as a main reason. Others don't have any confidence that Maturi will do anything. Obviously Dean Blais is the overwhelmingly favorite for the job but his age may move them in anopther direction and Wild Coach and former Gopher Mike Ramsey is a darkhorse candidate.
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I'm more worried that Maturi is apparently completely oblivious to what is happening with the hockey program. He hasn't said anything regarding the team's pathetic performance and there is more than enough evidence to support a possible termination of Lucia as coach. Like others, I have been a Lucia fan ever since he came here, but this situation is quickly becoming intolerable. I know I've said this before, but Maturi is going to have to say something by the end of this year for sure. If he fails to address the situation, he's going to have quite the uproar on his hands.
 

I guess i could go for the Mike Ramsey idea. Who else is out there? I think the program would prefer someone within the gopher hockey family. I think it would also be worth looking into some of the coaches out there whose programs are overachieving.... Miami(OH) comes to mind. An overachieving team is nearly always a well coached team, coached by a guy who gets the most out of the players he gets.

I also hope we are willing to nab some top players from outside the great state of Minnesota. Yeah, we all are proud when we can get a team who are 100% Minnesotans. But I think snagging that Potulny, Kessel, Vanek, Briggs, etc. from outside our state can only help our program. Guys like that are out there, we need to make them Gophers. Minnesota will always produce its share of elite talent, and we should get those guys too, but I dont think a lower caliber Minnesotan should be preferred over an elite player from outside our borders. Those lower caliber players can play for St. Cloud.
 

I never thought I'd see an extended time like this for the Gophers. Lucia's WCHA record in the last two-and-a-half years:

2007-08: 9-12-7
2008-09: 12-11-5
2009-10: 3-7-1

That's 24-30-13 since 2007-08. Ouch.
 

JohnnyGopher said:
Was at the game last night and wow is all I can say. Alot of empty seats and the natives are restless. Talking to some longtime fans, a couple who are plugged in and have always been huge Lucia backers, and even they have concided that the Don's hole is too deep to get out. As referenced above, John Hill is a popular villian. One popular opinion was a compromise where Lucia would be allowed to step down citing his illiness as a main reason. Others don't have any confidence that Maturi will do anything. Obviously Dean Blais is the overwhelmingly favorite for the job but his age may move them in anopther direction and Wild Coach and former Gopher Mike Ramsey is a darkhorse candidate.
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Wow, Ramsey is a good thought. Since we are just throwing names out there, how about Mark Johnson, UW womens coach?
 




MrGopher said:
Good guy. Good coach. Bleeds red.

(Yes, bleeding red is a bad thing.)
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Yes, I would think that as well, but wouldn't hurt to ask. I'm not sure Eaves would be going anwhere anytime soon, and I'm pretty sure UW Womens hockey doesn't offer the same pay check UM mens does.
 

An argument could be made that the Gophers are the #5 team in the . .......... state.

That probably doesn't sit very well with the ole' hockey pucks that follow the Gophers, I'm guessing.
 

Per this article: http://www.startribune.com/blogs/78...EyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUgOy9cP3DieyckcUsI

Lucia continues to say "we don't have talent. We have to work harder. We are a lunch pail group." We have 20 NHL draft picks on the roster, including FOUR first rounders!!! How many other teams can say that?

If he doesn't think they have talent, others certainly do think so. And if they've gotten to the U and now he doesn't think these kids are as talented as he/the other coaches thought they were, then that's on them as well as evaluators.

I think the Don needs to look in the mirror and ask himself, "What do I need to do better here?", along with all of the other coaches. I'd like to see him take some ownership here.
 



I was taken aback by Lucia's comment about not looking or worrying about the bigger picture. Well, here's the bigger picture since Lucia is apparently not concerned about it: Three straight years of out-and-out mediocrity. And to be honest, if he's constantly thinking of ways to get the team better, as he says he does, he really hasn't done his job there either. This team has been the same thing for going on three years now with no signs of improvement on any front.

In other words, Don will have to start thinking about the bigger picture because it's going to smack him dead in the face if the team doesn't pick it up big-time between now and the end of the season.
 


I sense a Tubby Smith-like thing about to happen here.....

Big name school underachieving. Coach who has won it all early in his tenure with the program is under some fire. Fans growing more and more restless with questionable recruiting and players leaving early for the pros.

Tubby bailed in that situation and went to a lower profile program and rejuvenated it. Lucia is a good hockey coach, and is well respected enough to get a position, and a fresh start, at most other places. He himself went to school at Notre Dame... I doubt they have coaching issues, but who knows.
 

I wouldn't compare Tubby's last few teams at Kentucky to Lucia's past few years here. Tubby's teams were much better compared to the recent teams that Lucia has putting on to the ice. Tubby went 22-12 in his last year at Kentucky. Lucia is struggling to break .500 this year. They are outhustled on a nightly basis and most of them shy away from contact. They arent playing with heart and its frustrating to watch. There is an immense amount of talent on this team and everyone of them is redefining the meaning of underachieving. These players need a coach that preaches hardwork and doing the little things that win a game: hustle and playing aggressively. Minnesota hockey has a proud tradition and something needs to be done to maintain it.
 

It makes me wonder if the the mindset of our players in recent years has changed. Instead of guys with a team oriented mindset of working hard towards winning a national championship, maybe guys are now thinking of the U as a training camp/prep school for the NHL. Maybe they don't care as much about the overall team goals as they they do about individual improvement. Could be that players are now here to wear the big M, spend a year or two to work on their game, experience college and if they win then great, that's a bonus. If not, they at least got to spend some time being a college kid before having to button up in the AHL/NHL.

I just find it really hard to believe that Lucia is coaching any differently than he has in the past as I don't see him going away from a formula that won him 2 championships. Obviously, something is not working, so if he's using the same old schtick, he does need to come up with something new. If he can't or won't, we need to get someone who will motivate these guys to play college hockey using their pro potential.
 

ditt1605 said:
It makes me wonder if the the mindset of our players in recent years has changed. Instead of guys with a team oriented mindset of working hard towards winning a national championship, maybe guys are now thinking of the U as a training camp/prep school for the NHL. Maybe they don't care as much about the overall team goals as they they do about individual improvement. Could be that players are now here to wear the big M, spend a year or two to work on their game, experience college and if they win then great, that's a bonus. If not, they at least got to spend some time being a college kid before having to button up in the AHL/NHL.

I just find it really hard to believe that Lucia is coaching any differently than he has in the past as I don't see him going away from a formula that won him 2 championships. Obviously, something is not working, so if he's using the same old schtick, he does need to come up with something new. If he can't or won't, we need to get someone who will motivate these guys to play college hockey using their pro potential.
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This is definitely part of the problem imo. Lucia has always said he wants to recruit the best players he can to come to the program, and for the most part, he has done exactly that. However, there was an inherent risk of the focus changing from the Gophers competing for championships to now simply being a training ground for kids with stars in their eyes. Now, we're seeing the results of having a lot of kids who are more worried about their draft rights than putting on the "M" and wearing it with pride. Obviously, this is an approach that needs to be changed, otherwise there's going to be even bigger problems down the road.
 

Maybe Mike Guentzel will finally get his shot. Wouldn't be surprising to see Bob Motzko resurface as a candidate also if something opens up.
 

Winning some games will help some of this talk die down. It looks like they are starting to play a little better the last few games.
 


Never realized that the record was that low the last 3 seasons. Hope they finish it strong.
 

Northern Michigan?

We are officially mediocre - an unacceptable, unexpected and unimaginable fall from being one of the top five programs in the country. We are now arguably the 4th or 5th best team in MN! Come season's end, the change needs to be made.
 

the team has quit on him, they dont want to play for him anymore, get him out of here
 




His first few years had me convinced Don could walk on water, but he won with much of the core being Woog recruited players. I think he has a penchant for small offensive minded players who don't like to hit or be hit, and consider defensive obligations beneath their skill level. Get some tough grinders who actually go to the net with determination and things would change.
 

I was so excited when the Gophers hired Lucia, he looked like the best coach in college hockey. I would hate to see us get beat by CC, but it sure was fun to see them set-up plays in offensive zone and cycle the puck. The CC teams he coached always out worked everyone, were very quick and created scoring opportunities versus the old Woog style. I seriously thought we would be able to contend for a national title every couple of years.

Well, Lucia's gophers always seem to get out worked by the other teams and they don't back check. The Gophers are loaded with talent! Compare them to the other Minnesota teams...

How many of our players did the other MN teams want on their team? about 75% of our players
How many players on the other MN teams were offered scollys to the Gophers and turned them down? guess about 5%

The Gophers still get just about any local player that they want. We need to keep it that way and get back the winning tradition. It is time for Lucia to step down gracefully and to get the spirit back.
 

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