Mel Pearson Appreciation Thread
Yet another weekend sweep! Michigan beats Wisconsin 7-4 and advances to final four of the B1G Tourney next weekend vs. OSU. Mel has taken a team without elite talent from a very poor team last year to an NCAA Tourney team this year! Hats off to Mel! What a hire!
In Dec it didn't look like we were ready. Two months later and we look fantastic!
Great job Mel. We've got to figure out the defense/goaltending to go further in the tournament.
Amazing. I thought Michigan would flirt with the wrong side of the bubble. I thought this was possible, but not likely.
And here it is, with a top player out for the year. It doesn't matter. Michigan is on the way back.
When the elite hockey talent comes to Ann Arbor over the next few years. Man oh man, hockey, basketball, football: All firng on all cylinders!
We are entering a period of Michigan Athletic Renaissance!
Hats off to Warde Manuel. He deserves a little credit, too!
Hopefully. Mel has 33 commitments, and not all of them are top-line guys. A couple of the top-line guys have already gone elsewhere.
But if we can get Jack Hughes, we're a national title favorite next season, full stop. Having Hughes and Hughes together for a year would be amazing. Pay-the-ransom-for-BTN-Plus-so-you-don't-miss-a-game amazing.
Thanks for bringing the details as well as dropping the H bomb! Jack Hughes - you want to be a part of this. This year's team has made BTN Plus worth the investment alone. This is really whetting my appetite for the future!
I have zero information. There was a freep article recently highlighting him both him and Quinn. Of course, Quinn's presence might be an advantage... but it might not. It was suggested, however, that he is accelerating his schooling to be eligible for college next year. That's actually the biggest hurdle, since that puts him in college instead of Major Junior.
I have no idea beyond that. But I think we have a decent chance.
Would have liked to have watched. Thanks for the updates in the game thread. Go Blue!
Looks like good things in store for UM hockey. I could be all right with some type of sustained run of excellence, if anyone is asking....
I am hoping for a another dominant era of M hockey and it looks like we have the right coach for the job
There's a lot of speculation surrounding Mel's departure. He waffled pretty significantly about it--there was interest and it sounded like he might take the Tech job and then it sounded like he was going to turn it down.
It's important to remember that Michigan had just come oh-so-close to winning a national title, an accomplishment that probably would have prompted Red to retire. But it's also important to remember that Dave Brandon was in charge.
I believe that Mel was probably told that he wasn't a sure bet to take over the program without HC experience. He loved it down here and didn't really want to leave, but decided it was best to do so. Then he did a great job at Tech and proved that he was a legit head coaching candidate, and when Red finally threw in the towel he was the clear top candidate.
But a lot of this is speculation.
I have no way of knowing if this is true, but that's plausible. Of course, Red had no idea how long DB would be in place, but it's notable that Warde did ask him to stay on another year, suggesting that Red was ready to hang things up with the new boss in town.
Nice to have so many different programs winning clutch again, I love it....football will be getting it going again too!
Mel has been everything we hoped for and more.
Our entire athletic department is loaded with coaching talent - men and women who justafiably make us proud.
Leaders and Best!
bubble.
We're going to probably get a top 3 seed in the dance and finish at least 5 games over .500. Just remarkable stuff. Massive improvement in every facet of the game except PK (we can't get too greedy). Lavigne, even when he's struggled the last few games, still has made some massive stops. 12-3-1 in the last 16 with that 1 as a SO win over MSU. We are a scary team and Mel has worked wonders for this program
Michigan Tech is missing him this year, too.
That's awesome, man.
Cool story. By all accounts, Scanner Blue sounds like an awesome guy!
Michigan hockey was the dominant program in the sport in the 50s. When Red joined we already had the most national titles in the sport by a mile, a record we maintain to this day (though we need to pad it some more). Red remade the program and dragged it out of a dark age, setting back in the land of the elite. But with the fanbase and the facilities and the history and the weight of the school, there's no way this team wouldn't be elite again with the right coach.
I think we got the right coach.
Great win and what an awesome year for this team! I am incredibly proud of their amazing work this year to make Michigan Hockey fun and successful again!
It is amazing to think about my thoughts and feelings about Michigan Hockey just a year ago and compare them to now.