Yes, it would seem a miracle turnaround would be required for Berg to hang on past next season. Not finishing dead last for starters…I dunno, does double digits in wins (ties added up not included) move the needle? Guessing not, unless it’s more like 15 wins with some solid recruits inked.
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CincyKid - I would think it would take a MAJOR turnaround to save him. With so many decent players leaving and big recruiting questions about his longevity much beyond next season, I don’t really see a way up for him. With our record the past two seasons, the pending loss of several front line players, including the starting goalie, plus a short term contract with no track record of any success it puts Miami in a very difficult position. The contract should probably be terminated right now but the university doesn’t have the wherewithal to do that. We’re stuck in purgatory, I think.
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Lots of credit for repeating the same talking points multiple times a week without responding to any of my post. That’s serious dedication.
David Sayler said he’s still waiting for MHT’s seven-figure exit fee check to clear.
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Savage is heading to Michigan State. That did not take long. Clearly the deal has been in the works for some time.
Back to lurking.
Maybe the RedWings just wanted to watch him in person and provided the financial kitty for MSU. Or maybe just maybe he found that larger than life Sparty mascot too adorable to say no to. Either way, I wish him well and hope than our team will finally get serious about GoonStyle soon since we’re gonna need some bodies.
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Michigan State’s HC formerly was Head Coach of the US national Development Team in Ann Arbor/Plymouth Mi. Red is a team alum.
That’s a great hire by Mich State with a nice pipeline of players!
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Not sure if this is directed at me, but I’ve said that jumping to the CCHA is a non-starter because of the cost. That being said, should we find some get out of jail free card, my belief is that we take it. I also believe that as much as I think Bergeron deserves to be fired last week, we’re still a year away given his buyout.
Now answer the question that I and others have asked if you feel like it. What does Miami have to offer the type of recruits that would allow us to compete in the NCHC. Right now, I’m seeing the only thing that we have to offer is a 40% empty barn and regularly scheduled ass beatings.
And please don’t say, academics. I just looked at the NCAA bracket, and if we were in the tourney, we’d be tied with Denver as the 9th highest ranked academic school. Are academics an important part of Miami’s package? Of course. They, however, are not some magic bullet that we possess over other schools. Over some schools, yes. But what about Denver and CC? The six Big Ten schools? The six Ivy League schools!? Notre Dame? Colgate, Holy Cross or Rensselaer? Boston U or Boston C? Miami is not the only D1 hockey school that can offer a great education to a top recruit looking for that. What we can offer them are those regularly scheduled ass beatings.
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The buyout is one year’s salary (minus mitigation) regardless of whether he’s fired this year or next year.
News update: Mich State has 5 players in the portal.
Welcome to reality 2023.
Arguably the top player leaving Michigan State (Jess Tucker who starred as freshman but regressed as sophomore in terms of point production) is going to Clarkson.
MSU has Savage coming in of course but is in a bit of a rebuild. What’s of more interest is if we can get one of their defensemen in the portal. (or anyone else of quality for that matter).
P.S. MSU went 18-18-2 this year with a 10-12-2 record in the B10.
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Yes, kids transfer for different reasons. In the case of MSU, which is clearly on the upswing and was a bubble NCAA team, there’s probably some clearing out of kids who feel like they aren’t going to see a lot of ice time next year. In the case of Miami, there’s kids looking to flee a sinking ship. Apples and oranges.
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Thanks for the info. I mistakenly believed that his buyout became lower the closer he got to the end of his contract. In that case, tell Bergeron to clear out his effin’ stuff by tomorrow.
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While I personally think he should be cleaning out his office today, this is what I think he needs to do, at a minimum, to keep his job next year.
15 wins overall (ties do NOT count)
10 NCHC wins (see above)
6th or 5th place conference finish
Respectable showing in the NCHC tournament (and getting swept 13 to 4 while passing some mythical eye test is not respectable).
Solid recruiting class that matches up with top half NCHC or B1G schools lined up
4 years ago, I would have expected a little bit more than this. As we stand today, I don’t see any conceivable way we accomplish these benchmarks next season. Which is sad!!
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then send him packing now
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So, if Bergeron can’t meet the rather modest expectations that I’ve put forth, why the hell keep him? Why not start the program rebuild now rather than make next year some lame duck wasted year, which will cripple recruiting even further? If the ax needs to swing then make it quick and clean rather than dirty and drawn out.
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I’m not sure if I completely understand the question, but obviously recruiting needs to be better to land better players. I think many fans (myself included) were very generous about giving the benefit of the doubt on Year 3 because of all the COVID restrictions crushing recruiting, but we just finished Year 4 and the program isn’t in a better place than in March of 2019 when the coaching change was made.
I really believed this freshman class was a big step in the right direction, but the team fell off a cliff the last three months and I’m not seeing a strong incoming class. Plus four players that were expected back this fall just bolted and there’s an excellent chance more will follow.
I said before that players want to play in this league, and several families that I’ve talked to have said that’s a key reason these players chose Miami. Schutte is on the record as having said that as well. More top opponents, more scouts at games, more coverage, more TV. All of the other seven teams in this league have figured this out but somehow Miami has not.
Miami has its own weight room five feet from the locker room door while most hockey teams have to share. The rink is still one of the nicest in the region, albeit the smallest in the league. The campus, climate, coeds, etc., are a nice bonus, and you guys would know better than I think we can all agree academics doesn’t work against Miami.
The Blashill factor will probably never happen again, but everything is still in place to have a successful program again. For whatever reason that hasn’t happened, and it ultimately falls on the coaching staffs and the AD.
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Correct. He made $320K last season and has an automatic $5K raise for 2023-24 and another for 2024-25.
So it would cost $325K if he was let go now or $330K if it happened a year from now.
Here’s his contract: bergeron-chris-my.pdf (miamioh.edu)
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I thought the same thing.
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