STU Tommies, Part 2

[AUS Fan]

Mike Eagles may be a lot of things, good and bad, but I wouldn't label him as a liar.
You are certainly entitled to your opinion and I agree that STU has fallen on hard times and I agree that Eagles is probably part of the problem, but.....

 

[TomBull]

You can say as much as you want (anonymously) about Mike Eagles, and you may very well be right about the fate of the program. But I have known the man professionally for 30 years and I have never known him to lie. That's offside.

You are right, offside. A little bit carried away, I am sorry.

If it does happen, you call it what you want be it honesty, dishonesty, merry coincidence and I'll call it for what it is.

There is only one hope for the Tommies and I'm not entirely sure at this stage of the game if it will ultimately change things, win this year.

 

[recruiter]

Just my two cents here but I can see couple things happening at STU, one program starts to rebuild which could take three to four years but will administration give them that time?

Two it's the beginning of end, I hope this isn't case but a lot of rumblings that this could happen with that being said if I'm STU fan pay close attention to this year recruiting class and who returns from last year team.

 

[TomBull]

Just my two cents here but I can see couple things happening at STU, one program starts to rebuild which could take three to four years but will administration give them that time?

Two it's the beginning of end, I hope this isn't case but a lot of rumblings that this could happen with that being said if I'm STU fan pay close attention to this year recruiting class and who returns from last year team.

Exactly. I'm inclined to think this way also, with a but.

But this is the sixth year of a three to four year rebuild. Eagles took over a built program and slowly year after year tore it down. Is there anybody but him that can take responsibility for the period between 2003 and 2012?

Then Troy Ryan gets hired, not unilaterally by Eagles but by a search committee made up of some very respected hockey minds. Eagles directly or indirectly gets in the way and while Ryan may have had a big hand to play in the events that unfolded, left early for a multitude of reasons, one of which was Eagles. I don't think anyone can deny these statements. They can assign blame to one camp or the other to different degrees but the AD had a small/medium/large part to play in that fiasco.

Pat Powers comes on board. Dream job, happy to be here, program gets adequately or well funded, men's and women's hockey share resourses so the W team can host nationals, the benefit is felt the following year and the men's team recruits well but results are not there. Bad luck/bad management/bad coaching, combination of all these? The rumours are out there why Powers left and most of it is family related but anybody listening has heard other reports to add to the official story.

So yes, I'll be paying attention from a distance like many other STU fans watching what happens this off season. I think it may be a case of a self fulfilling prophecy, no support for too many years because of crappy teams and alumni being brushed off and the team crashes then burns.

Nobody has even bothered to mention the apathy among STU fans but that is also to be expected. Isn't it? They are all waiting for Eagles to kill it, sorry fix it.

 

[Rob]

It does look suspicious when your program goes through coaches so quickly.

 

[TomBull]

Athletics director objects to column!! Eagles speaks.

The writer of the column "torqued" the words around. Really? The writer of the story does a good job. Again Eagles creates the problem, someone calls him out, he gets into trouble, then gets told how to clean up the mess he makes, and then has to back track.

But the column and headline on July 16—“STU should set record straight on future of men’s hockey programâ€â€”was torqued to create a controversy and so deserves greater context for your readers.
I had a call from the columnist out of the blue and it came just as I was set to start a long conference call, so my answers to the surprising question were pretty terse – some might say maybe typical for me – but STU did not get a fair shake.

You create the controversy Mike with your "terse" personality. Media, please advise Mr. Eagles 24 hours in advance of any questions you are going to ask him and send them in writing first. He will provide full candid answers that are not contrived. Also do not report anything when Mike is being terse, that is offside.

 

[cookiecutter1]

Asked and Answered

I find it interesting that the media continues to make news as opposed to just reporting it? Was there some notice from STU to the media that the program was in doubt? They just hired new coaches and have been recruiting players. STU has put mega dollars into the rink, and on and on it goes, so why is the time upon us for an article on STU being on thin ice? This very topic has been brought up in the past and done to death! So here are my thoughts; If the two hockey progrms were to fold, would there even be a need for an Atheletic Director? Seriously, the club teams do their own recruiting, raise their own funds etc. An AD at STU needs Hockey, so who better to fight for the hockey programs than an AD who is a hockey person aka Mike Eagles? Mike, in my mind has proven himself to be an honest and straight shooter. So, what must be decided is should the hockey programs continue given the money invested, the competitive nature of the alumni, and the probability that the climb to the top of the standings will be a "never" unless other universities call it quits first. I include both hockey teams because I doubt the female side exists without the male side revenue. Let us look at attendance. 10th for the men means a recovery of money spent, a happy but defeated alumni, and bragging rights that STU plays in the most competitive league. But, have you ever attended a game in Halifax? Stands are usually empty. As for the women being 5th in attendance, they might get 50 fans if you include the press, players partners, and family, so that stat can go out the window. From a competitive point of view the two teams are at polar opposites. The men have trouble recruiting because of previous years standings and low options for degree programs. The women have been recruiting from all over North America and Europe, other university teams have folded or have no recruiting dollars, yet STU should win every year based upon recruiting, but never does. I assume they have to get lucky some year?? So it is Eagles best interest to be the best he can, STU's best interest to satisfy the Alumni and continue a hockey program, and good fro the fans, like me, who will not go to a UNB game!

 

[Schooner Guy]

Athletics director objects to column!! Eagles speaks.

The writer of the column "torqued" the words around. Really? The writer of the story does a good job. Again Eagles creates the problem, someone calls him out, he gets into trouble, then gets told how to clean up the mess he makes, and then has to back track.



You create the controversy Mike with your "terse" personality. Media, please advise Mr. Eagles 24 hours in advance of any questions you are going to ask him and send them in writing first. He will provide full candid answers that are not contrived. Also do not report anything when Mike is being terse, that is offside.

We get it. You hate the man. Looks to me like a fair letter from a man providing context for an original response that didn't reveal much but was heavily read in between the lines.

 

[Hollywood3]

At least the press is covering the team. Not a peep in Winnipeg media about Bison hockey.

 

[TomBull]

We get it. You hate the man. Looks to me like a fair letter from a man providing context for an original response that didn't reveal much but was heavily read in between the lines.

Say what you will. I don't even know the guy. Only expressing my thoughts.

As for the article, he still didn't confirm or deny if the program was in jeopardy. Just says they are funding it or have funding it. So the original article is to point.

 

[AUS Fan]

A quick 2 cents worth, for what it's worth:

Attendance in Halifax, cookie, is not great for Dal games but better for SMU. The Forum holds 4K plus so even 4-5 hundred looks like a small crowd. SMU gets good crowds for some teams and nil for others. STU is one of the others.

As you all well know, the AUS is a very tough conference. Having said that, STU was a good team in the past and has fallen on hard times over the past 10 years or more. This is no solace for STU fans, but Dal has not fared much better. There is no parity in this conference; there are great, good and bad teams. To become good you need luck to land the right recruit(s) and have them stay 4 years. You need to land other good recruits over those 4 years to build a solid base. That is not an easy thing to do. Dal is slowly making inroads, but are still a year or 2 away from even making the playoffs, IMHO. I always look at the playoff from one perspective - who will they beat out for 6th place? That is where STU has to aim.

There is no magic bullet; there will be many more years of losing and pain and even then STU may never be a good team. One thing for certain - this revolving door of coaches has to stop. Is there any alumni or "booster" who has any power to get to the bottom of this? Assuming there is a "this". I love Kyle, but am unsure of him as a coach. Would love to see him prove me wrong.

I neither like nor dislike Mike Eagles; I'm neutral. But, I have seen him almost in tears with frustration after getting pounded by SMU either at home or in the forum. He wore his heart on his sleeve back then.

I truly wish you guys the best of luck with your program.

 

[gulag]

talked to a bunch of old stu guys today.consensus is things are not good and eagles is the problem.most figure mcallister is a nice kid but no coaching experience and that he got the job because eagles can control him.pottle they feel is another one of mikes boys and that things do not look good for the long term survival of the program.nothing will change until eagles goes.the mistake was made when they fired him as coach and let him remain the a.d.should of cleaned house and started over.there were 8 ex stu players and major supporters in the past involved in this discussion.mike has alienated them all .I know some of you guys who support mike wont like this message but whats true is true and unfortunately the proof is in the pudding.good luck stu hockey program.you are going to need it.mike should do the right thing for the good of the program but his ego wont allow him to do that...

 

[gulag]

We get it. You hate the man. Looks to me like a fair letter from a man providing context for an original response that didn't reveal much but was heavily read in between the lines.

hate is a strong word but the dislike for the man in the stu hockey community is without question.no people skills...just not the guy...sorry..

 

[Rob]

I want to defend the Gleaner's Bruce Hallihan who wrote the column in question. Eagles was not ambushed. He was telephoned by the reporter and asked very straight forward questions. It is not Hallihan's fault that Ealges' answers left a poor impression of the future of the program.

Hallihan was also just reporting the news and not trying to invent a story out of thin air. The fact is that they just had yet another coach quit before his contract was up. The former player hired to replace him was just given a one year deal. This does raise legitimate questions.

 

[TomBull]

Read it for yourselves. Here is a portion of the original.

Again, though, fans are worried the men’s hockey program itself is on a year-to-year lease – or short leash.
The Tommies haven’t made the Atlantic University Sport men’s hockey conference in seven seasons – and have a 34-140-22 record in that span. (The University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds are 160-27-9 in the same stretch.)
Sure, the 2015-16 Tommies have better players than the University College of Cape Breton Capers and Mount Allison Mounties did when those programs pulled the plug, but the Atlantic conference is better and deeper now, too.
Of course, the Tommies want to get better but UNB, Acadia, Saint Mary’s, St. FX, UPEI, Moncton and Dalhousie (seventh this past season but still seven points up on STU) aren’t getting any worse.
So is the program on thin ice or not?
STU athletic director Mike Eagles was non-committal.
“I don’t really have any comment on it,”he said.“We’ve been very supportive of the program. It is what it is.”
So while Eagles didn’t add to fans’ fears, he didn’t allay them either.
It’s time someone in a position of authority did.

How dare he ask such horrible questions to the AD. Obviously people above Eagles at STU were involved and didn't like it so a well spun response was needed.

If the above story is "torqued" would it be fair to say that Eagles response is "contrived"? Hallihan wrote a fair column, I don't think anything was "torqued" he was writing based on Mike's terse comments and trying to answer the many questions he was getting from joe blow public on the street, in other words his job. Eagles blames Hallihan for creating a controversy. Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black? Deflect and don't shoulder any of the responsibility, yes sounds right.

Athletics director objects to column
Over my career, I’ve done hundreds of media interviews and I rarely write regarding disagreement with an article, column or headline. But the column and headline on July 16—“STU should set record straight on future of men’s hockey program”—was torqued to create a controversy and so deserves greater context for your readers.
I had a call from the columnist out of the blue and it came just as I was set to start a long conference call, so my answers to the surprising question were pretty terse – some might say maybe typical for me – but STU did not get a fair shake.
Had I more time I would have said that the university’s support of the men’s hockey program is evident from actions over the past three years. We have added coaching resources, a new arena, and more marketing/sports information services. These actions show no hesitation to try to rebuild the program in a very competitive conference.
It is also clear by just how fast we moved to fill the head coaching position and add to the coaching staff with both Kyle McAllister and Kevin Pottle. (With regards to questions about the coaching contract, there are many factors involved and it is very rare that any organization will discuss such issues with the media.)
We have lots of work to do, but we also have more to build on. Pat Powers did a great job recruiting a new team. And last year, we were 10th in home attendance in the CIS out of 35 teams (our women’s team was 5th out of 33 teams). The school supports the program and now we have to find more success on the ice and build even more support for the team through fan support and revenue base.
We have had very positive reaction to our new coach and assistant coach. I know that the Fredericton community is excited and the team players that I spoke to at our youth hockey camp this past week are just as excited to get going this season.

 

[cookiecutter1]

old boys(and girls) clubs

One of the main reasons things in Fredericton have problems breaking the mold and moving forward or in a different direction is what I call the rite of passage. I will not name names, but the sporting world is controlled much like the political world. When you read the news papers they mention the party faithful behind each party, old Tories, old Grits...same names for an eternity. You feed me, I feed you. If you look at hockey alone, in Fredericton, you could throw a blanket over the few that influence and determine the direction, coaching staff, the "men of money" who influence outcomes. It appears that three degrees of separation seldom exists.If this seems confusing naming names would make you say ahhh

 

[gulag]

One of the main reasons things in Fredericton have problems breaking the mold and moving forward or in a different direction is what I call the rite of passage. I will not name names, but the sporting world is controlled much like the political world. When you read the news papers they mention the party faithful behind each party, old Tories, old Grits...same names for an eternity. You feed me, I feed you. If you look at hockey alone, in Fredericton, you could throw a blanket over the few that influence and determine the direction, coaching staff, the "men of money" who influence outcomes. It appears that three degrees of separation seldom exists.If this seems confusing naming names would make you say ahhh

well put..starts in minor hockey..thats where mike and pottle worked together...2 peas in a pod...fired from midget aaa ..interesting choice mike...hotmess...

 

[cishockeyfan]

This has been blown a little out of context.

Pat Powers Leaving the Program, while it had some to do with personal reasons such as his which being unable to earn full time employment here, had more to it than we will hear about in the media and has absolutely nothing to do with the stability of the program.

The reason Powers left the program were both personal for his wife employment, and more Personal "Personal" reasons while he was here and his wife was in Ontario, things that will remain private between them, and things someone like Mike Eagles cannot comment on, cause really its no ones business regarding someones personal life. Ive said too much right there, but I feel it had to be said to put some notions to rest.

The future of the program is one thing, but I can assure you Pat Powers leaving suddenly had nothing to do with the University or Eagles or the Hockey Program itself.

 

[cishockeyfan]

as far as McAllister goes, I cant say for sure how he will be as a Coach but I can say he bleeds Green and how the program does will mean alot to him, he will be able to recruit he has connections, Powers built a solid base with the Tommies. I wont be surprised to see them pull out of this. Even though Im a UNB fan, I hope STU pulls through, and I cheer under the radar for them. An AUS without STU is just not the same for me

 

[AUS Fan]

I totally agree with your 1st post and somewhat agree with the 2nd. As much as we would like to hear the dirt", it's none of our concern.

The Macker signing appears to be a stopgap perhaps until the future of the program is determined? I also wish him and STU all the best, but remain skeptical.

 

[cookiecutter1]

Business vs ego vs here we go again

Pre-amble: coaches are hired to be fired, everyone knows that. Small market teams lose more than they win and, sometimes, never win. Coaches are always looking to move up the ladder. Ego often overshadows chemistry.
Reality: STU is a small market team. lots of money but not able to recruit with the bigger universities having more courses and same amount of money. Many people entering the coaching ranks at this level really want to go to Junior etc and being "tagged" as a losing coach is not a good way to do that. The STU people(old guard, alumni, Admin) want to regain the glory years and are unsure how to do that, thus the impression is given that we are always in a "state of flux" on the verge of folding. all of these factors contribute to the "circle of STU life.
Possible solution: Get ourselves a local guy(s), entrenched in the community...now before you argue that guy does not exist, take a look at a guy like Gregg Morris in Chatham. Anyone want to say he is not a great coach and done it all in one town? Recruit as we do currently. Play as a small market team, and be competitive in as many games as possible. you can argue against this, or we just fold the tent and go home.

 

[recruiter]

Pat Powers will be coaching for London Nationals of Gojhl

 

[recruiter]

Brandon Devlin decommits from STU to Ryerson. Big loss for STU

 

[TomBull]

Brandon Devlin decommits from STU to Ryerson. Big loss for STU

What did anyone expect? Recruited by Pat Powers to play and now he is gone.

Don't blame the kid, who wants to go to a sinking ship? Ryan and Powers tried to fix the holes that the former captain of the ship made but he gets made admiral of the fleet then pokes them out. If they/he was serious about the hockey program a long term extension of 3 or 4 years should have been given to Powers. Lets wait and see what Eagles says about this, probably isn't a big deal. Why do you need good players, he never had enough and won all the time. Oh wait, he never won anything and took a first place team right to the bottom of the AUS.

 

[FreddybeachLEGEND]

What did anyone expect? Recruited by Pat Powers to play and now he is gone.

Don't blame the kid, who wants to go to a sinking ship? Ryan and Powers tried to fix the holes that the former captain of the ship made but he gets made admiral of the fleet then pokes them out. If they/he was serious about the hockey program a long term extension of 3 or 4 years should have been given to Powers. Lets wait and see what Eagles says about this, probably isn't a big deal. Why do you need good players, he never had enough and won all the time. Oh wait, he never won anything and took a first place team right to the bottom of the AUS.

Honestly I have been following this thread for quite some time, and on several occasions contemplated responding to "Tom Bull" and his malicious and calculated shots across a Mike Eagles' bow. I wonder if "Tom Bull" would have the stones to do so when not hiding behind his monitor.

Too bad we all know that won't happen.

How does anyone know if Devlin was released from his "commitment"? Outside of Brandon (his agent), Mcallister, and Eagles, no one knows. Has it been announce? Did I miss it?

"Tom" I see you have the Tommies logo as your avatar, why not take it down my man. You don't seem to really like what the Athletics programs (Including Hockey) are doing.

You seem more interested in firing shots and calling people down, adding to the problem, than becoming involved and being part of the solution.

As someone who has volunteered time, to being part of the solution, I can tell you that NO ONE bleeds Green n Gold more than Mike Eagles. NO ONE. He wears it, takes pot shots from "Tom" and his boys every week. Still puts in time, and is working his butt off to get this ship righted.

Best of Luck "Tom" perhaps you want to jump over to the team across campus? Lord help them if the start losing though. You may break your ankles getting off that band wagon too.