BU announced Tuesday that David Quinn’s associate head coach Albie O’Connell will take over as the patriarch of the hockey team. Matt is currently working on an article and BU will have a press conference Wednesday to introduce O’Connell.
The @TerrierHockey tradition continues…
Proud to introduce the 12th head coach in program history.#GoBU pic.twitter.com/GqrFYaSXLn
— BU Athletics (@BUAthletics) June 5, 2018
Here are our thoughts:
Liam: This is a smart hire. The coaches cabinet is familiar with O’Connell and he’s someone the fan base and new recruits can trust.
Eddie: A lot of what Liam said. familiar with winning traditions at BU. He played under Jack Parker and worked alongside Quinn so he has elite knowledge of what it takes to recruit and develop young talent. I am interested to see how much Parker or Quinn rub off on him in terms of coaching style.
Matt: I’m on the same page as Liam and Eddie. I always felt O’Connell was the best person for the job. He’s familiar with the program from both his playing days and coaching. Moreover, reportedly the players liked this news. I am interested to see what his coaching style is like and how it differs from Quinn.
Great news great coach 122 days till puck drop not that I’m counting 🐾
who will be the assistants? any guess? i must be honest: i wanted shawn
First of all congrats to Albie as new Terriers head coach. The hire seems to be good since the returning players are happy he got the post and probably now the incoming recruits will all arrive. So the situation on Agannis way appears to be stabilized for next year. Time will tell whether the current status quo relationship between the administration and the fans and alumi will continue or will change under coach O’Connell but we should remain optimistic certainly about the prospects for success next season.
Makes sense to me. Only time will tell. Maybe another Parker we hope. Getting recruits on board the most important thing here.
i would assume Albie can find a top notch recruiter since he knows who is out there and what kind of job they do
I personally like Albie and wish him the best. However he clearly was not the first or second choice according to KPD. He has his work cut out for him not only in the coaching department but in alumni support. The rainmaker has left the building and there is no fund raising mechanism which is compounded by dwindling attendance and an apathetic attitude.
The president hates athletics and I have no faith in the athletic department or its director. In the last five years too many bridges have been burnt and a tremendous amount of ill will has been created. It will be interesting to see how he runs the program and if any attitudes change.
Congratulations to Albie O’Connell and to the Athletic Department for moving quickly to maintain continuity. Albie definitely bleeds scarlet and white and that’s important – it’s more than a job to him. Today’s elite hockey recruits are not so much college students as they are pre-professionals. That’s ok, because they still need to perform to advance their professional prospects. However, coaching staff needs to hammer the message that this is about BU hockey, not about them. Albie will do that (as did prior BU coaches).
Although I do like the selection there was a very interesting article on the CHN website by Adam Woden regarding the selection process. According to him B.U. interviewed very few candidates in comparison to the number of highly qualified candidates interested in the job. It went on to exclaim that some of the best were not even seriously considered. This does not mean B.U. made a bad choice. Unlike his predecessor he comes across as very sincere and down to earth. Only time will tell if B.U got it right. I like the fact that he cannot wait for the season to start and he wants to roll up his sleeves and get to work.
I am waiting for him to finalize his staff. Already one future Terrirer already decommitted so timing is important. It will be interesting to see how he approaches fund raising and attendance issues. He mentioned to my friend after the press conference that the team has definitely noticed the slip in attendance. His transparency was certainly refreshing.
Just so everyone knows, that decommit is from BU to Major Juniors … not another college program. Larry, glad to see you and Albie are starting off on good terms LOL.
Glenn,
Never had issues with any other B.U. Hockey Coach except one. Even if I did not agree with them, there was always a mutual respect and a common goal to win the NCAA Title.
I knew it was to the Major Juniors which is better than another college but it is still disappointing.
Frozen,
Yes indeed the CHN article about the potential coaching candidates was quite interesting. However, although the decision to hire OC was done fairly quickly I’m sure the AD gave ample consideration for the others. The most important thing right away was to stabilize the program , as you have rightly pointed out, and prevent any further defections from the team and to make sure the new recruits arrive. OC was the best bet for this to happen. I also think OC will run the program differently than the current HC of the NYR. He is married and raising a family and knows that success with the Terriers will guarantee him long term financial security. he also seems to have a quite different personality vis a vis our former coach. OC appears to be thoughtful and serious as opposed to the often quickwitted and flippant former coach. It bothered me that when questioned about the early season struggles last year he would often try to downplay some of the failings and pass it off to youth or inexperience, in contrast to JP who would often severely criticize players publicly who were not performing well and the team as a whole as well. It also doesn’t concern me much the OC doesn’t have head coaching experience yet. Although it was a different era, JP enjoyed tremendous initial success as head coach afetr being assistant to the legendary Jack Kelley. As far as a head coach eventually leaving after success so be it. I’m sure we would all be happy for OC if he did after winning several beanpot , Hockey east, and maybe an NCAA title.
Vito.
Great analysis , I agree with your comments. I got the similar impression from the press conference that Albie is a straight shooter and not a wise guy or excuse maker.