Hockey - Semi-OT - Dean Blais out at UNO
Dean Blais informed his team Tuesday that he is stepping down as UNO's hockey coach.
In eight seasons with the Mavericks, Blais posted a 146-133-30 overall record, advanced to two NCAA tournaments and the school's first Frozen Four appearance. UNO went 17-17-5 during his final year.
Source: http://www.omaha.com/uno/hockey/dean-blais-steps-down-as-uno-hockey-coach/article_771e7314-08dd-11e7-ae41-8f22eefae827.html
Blais has also coached at North Dakota. I haven't followed his career lately, but I seem to remember that he's a solid coach with a pretty good reputation.
I know that Mel is still the #1 choice, but does Blais become a person of interest, if, as widely expected, this is Red's last season behind the bench?
He's old and I'm pretty sure he said earlier in the year that he was going to retire.
Yeah I was taking this as a retirement. UNO certainly isn't nuts enough to force him out. I saw it as more or less retirement
Dean Blais is 66 years old. He's a non-starter here.
March 14th, 2017 at 10:41 PM ^
Next to Red, he's a young whippersnapper.
March 14th, 2017 at 10:01 PM ^
March 14th, 2017 at 10:20 PM ^
Better than Dean Blais? Are you kidding? He's one of the most respected coaches in the country.
March 14th, 2017 at 10:43 PM ^
Meh. We can do better.
March 14th, 2017 at 11:46 PM ^
Dean Blais would have been a great hire ten years ago. As it happens, he did pretty well at UNO but never got them back to the level that he enjoyed in Grand Forks. Which isn't that big of a surprise.
The "better" in this case is a longitudinal concept. Blais is old, and even if he wanted to coach for Michigan, he wouldn't be a long-term option for the program.