Denver Post Coverage of Montgomery Hiring

Avalanche center Paul Stastny, a former University of Denver star who helped lead the Pioneers to the 2005 NCAA title as a freshman, was hoping Seth Appert would succeed longtime DU coach George Gwozdecky. Stastny even campaigned for it, urging the school to go with the man who first brought him to Denver [read entire article].

For starters, let's welcome Jim Montgomery to what should be the coolest sports gig in town: University of Denver hockey coach.

Do not mess it up [read entire article].

43 comments:

dggoddard said...

Pretty obvious that the Denver Post is on the warpath against the DU Athletic Department.

Clearly they aren't fans of the Gwopzdecky firing and avoiding Terry Frei after the Press Conference wasn't a wise move.

Stastny wasn't the only hockey alum to support Seth's candidacy for coach. Problem was, Seth didn't want to come back to DU.

Firing Gwozdecky has been a disaster of epic proportions and the coaching search a comedy of errors.

Did DU offer the job to Quinn long before firing Gwozdecky?

Was Granato a viable candidate who turned DU down when he found out about DU's financial issues?

Did Brown even show up for his interview?

Was Seth offered the job and then ran back to RPI to get his contract extended?

How can RPI pay their hockey coach more than DU?

How serious are DU's financial problems? Faculty wage freezes, Presidential Debate over budget, $1.6 million squandered in conference entrance fees, Women's golf coach quits over budgeting issues, ski team runs out of money before season ends, firing Gwozdecky, Next up...lacrosse & Tierney next on the chopping block?

Lots of questions. Not too many answers.

Anonymous said...

Glad DU isn't in charge of any nuclear weapons. What a Charlie Foxtrot. A lot of people at DU should resign.

Anonymous said...

Karma. Is. A. Bitch.

Anonymous said...

From boom to bust... What a difference a chancellor makes. Maybe Coombe should have worried more about funding and less about mascots. Add to the list of financial warning signs the fact that they ran out of money before finishing the exterior of the new academic commons.

Twister said...

The Greg Brown question is a good one. There were reports yesterday morning that Montgomery had been offered the job. Seems odd that those reports would surface even though Brown was scheduled to interview. Something doesn't connect. Furthermore, what happened to LaLonde?? Wasn't he considered a top-notch candidate??

The only certainty here is there seem to be a lot of very happy RPI fans.

Anonymous said...

What's the annual tuition to attend DU?

Anonymous said...

While many do not agree with the Gwoz firing, it is done. There are young men who have their future at stake here. Let's rally behing Montgomery and support him. He has a big job to do and the more fan, alum, university and community support he has, the better it is for everyone! DU is a great school, not without problems, as with every school, business, organization. Let's embrace the good and work to correct the issues. GO PIOS!

Anonymous said...

The Kiszla piece reads sort of like a temper tantrum. Yes, there are all kinds of questions surrounding Gwozdecky leaving. Yes, the new guy has big shoes to fill.

But the rest of the article seems like an attempt to set Montgomery up for failure. Obviously, goals are good, and the more he reaches, the better. But if those goals were meant to be criteria for judging success or failure, there isn't a coach in the country that meets all of them. Kiszla's list would exclude such coaching hacks as Jerry Jork. Let's get real.

Anonymous said...

Notice how DU was mighty quick to get Gwozdecky's pic off their hockey coache's web page, yet Mayfield, Shore, Olkinuora, Mermis are still there. Man what a wild couple of weeks. The Denver Post sports guys sure are mad at the world over this. You can't hate forever. Bad timing because the Avs sure aren't much better to write about. How long before they warm up to Jim and help do their part to rally the ticket buyers like me and get this train back on the tracks? This is like when Gretzky got traded

5BWest said...

I think Kizla hit the main point that DU needs to become more than a professional grooming program. We proved we can develop pros but we never kept kids together long enough to make a push. There was no continuity, just a bunch of very good, young (freshman, sophomore) stars. And, as this year attests, no change in this pattern in sight. Also, our style of dumping and grinding could use a refresh as well.

Everyone with knowledge of Montgomery loves him so its time to jump on board. He has the credentials and he could make a long run.

We will never have all the details so no sense bashing our AD, the new coach, etc...It is done. We all care about the program so it is time to move on and wish George great success going forward.

Let's get number 8!

Anonymous said...

Anon 12:53 - isn't that Kiszla's point. That the expectations for George were astronomically unfair? That if the same standards apply to the next coach, it is completely unrealistic? That the AD has no clue about the reality of college hockey in setting the bar for her coach? Kiszla's point seems to be that the new coach will most certainly have a different standard than what George was seemingly held to...for who knows what reason??? Your AD is a joke. Seriously, how is she in charge?

Timt89, the landscape of college hockey has changed. Every program in the nation faces pro departures. You cannot change that, you just try to manage it.

Anonymous said...

I think the lamont School of music should write a three act musical on this entire mess. My only question is: should it be a comedy or a tragedy?

AspyDad said...

DG, great job covering this whole fiasco. Your questions are dead on. On a macro level wonder if the finaces was a bigger issue. I work in employment recruiting and you see many people not willing to pay for the sheep skin because of ROI. I think this is impacting everything including sports.

Question to you and others who may know, was Peg unhappy that DU went into the NCHC? Did DU officials feel that Gwoz was too much a driver on the creation of the league and DU entry into it?



This Gwoz thing has been a mess but you did a yeomen job covering it.

Anonymous said...

Gotta love Seth! He used Peg to get a contract extension with RPI. After what she did to Gwoz there was no way he seriously considered working for her. He's laughing all the way to the bank.

Anonymous said...

Assuming that Gwoz doesn't show up to the hockey banquet, Peg and the group ought to consider having the new coach attend. Give the tickets away as a way of beginning the "healing" process. Just a thought.

Anonymous said...

Peg was instrumental in the NCHC which was then and still is in DUs best interest.

Anonymous said...

The fact that the existing assistant coaching staff is still there says alot for the new coach. Lets support him in everway.

Anonymous said...

dggoddard I have a couple of questions for you to see if you have any insight for me. First, is budget reasons why the academic commons building looks like crap compared to what it was supposed to? Is that why sammy chergo is out? And, if du added softball and baseball (you said something like adding $5 million), where would they put the facilities (which would cost a lot more than the $5 million to run the programs). I don't know if you've ever seen this link, but it was provided to give an idea of where DU was going in terms of campus expansion and it doesn't have any new athletic facilities (but it does have a great picture of what the academic commons was supposed to look like isntead of still having that ugly as hell yellow that still remains from the old penrose library). Also how did du have to pay $1.6 million to join to crappy conferences?

http://www.du.edu/architect/documents/DU_Cohesive.pdf

Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Of course Miller is going to stay. He'll stay until Gwoz gets a new gig and then he'll join him there.

5BWest said...

Anon 12:53
I think you are right, it does need to be balanced. The issue is developing a blend of players, some of whom will obviously leave. The problem with all 5-star recruits is that they cammand full scholarships. In the past, players would start at 25% first year and it would escallate 25% every year. Now, top recruits demand and get a huge portion of the scholarship dollars. The result is an front-loaded investment in players who stay a relatively short period of time and move to the pros. We need to reload every year. Our upper class talent is gone. We need a mix. Look at the frozen four this year for the answer. Blend some 5-star players with and seek some excellent players (Kristo/UND + Schwarts/CC) who value a four year degree or may have the skill but lack height, weight, etc...for the NHL. Yale beat us this year and Air Force gives us fits. Hockey is as much about effort and system as it is stars.

Hopefully Monty-Ice can strike the balance.

Anonymous said...

I'm sure Jim will sit down over beers with each recruit to talk about their commitment to the program just like he did with the kids on his current team.

Anonymous said...

I mentioned the obama show financial disaster a cuople of weeks ago. Stay tuned

Anonymous said...

DG-
Saw on the Brown thread below that Joe Scott is paid more than the chancellor?!

That can't be right. Do you know if that's right?

Anonymous said...

anon 6:40 ...dude (ette?), get over it ... the election is over.

It wasn't an 'obama show', it was a Presidential Debate.

You are correct in that it may have cost DU much more than expected. But that doesn't excuse the series of poor decisions by the leadership at DU.

Anonymous said...

Didn't DU want and desire the publicity involved with hosting an event as high profile as the debate? DU got what they wanted. And the majority of Americans got what we wanted-- Four more years. Win-win...

Anonymous said...

anscovipon 7:56
A slight correction please:
It's lose-lose

Anonymous said...

Majority rules homie...FOUR MORE YEARS...

Suck on a kielbasa, sore loser......

Anonymous said...

You guys are all retards on this blog, including your fearless leader.

Juho Olkinuora makes second team all-American and not one fu@@ing word of acknowledgement.

This blog has nothing to do with promoting DU athletics...... It's all about Dgs bulls$$t agenda..

A student athlete getting a major award doesn't add fuel to the fire to promote Boone ....... Get it?

Disgraceful!

Anonymous said...

You know who I feel kind of bad for, is Nicky. With all this coach crap going on.....Shore hardly got so much as a mention as he embarks on the next leg of his hockey journey. Kind of got overshadowed. Scott Mayfield's announcement was a little more in the limelight......I think.

Anonymous said...

Respect for Olki getting acknowledged. However, if he didn't give up practically the worst goal in DU hockey history the team could have carried some momentum deeper into the playoffs.

Anonymous said...

You heard about the juicy goal, eh? Lord knows the students, DG, old pio, the band, cheerleaders and Boone didn't see it. They didn't even come to the game. Now that's disgraceful.

Anonymous said...

And what moron came up with the idea of naming our goalie juicy? < head slap >

Anonymous said...

It was a show, the obama show. If telling us we would only expend 1 million to host, full well knowing that estimate was not even close, and allowing the show to go on, probably ranks as the poorest decision by dear leaders. More to come.

Anonymous said...

It's time for everyone to let it go...Gwoz is no longer coach, let's move the f**k on...eventually, we're going to have to say the same thing about Boone...just being logical

Anonymous said...

The Ollki goal happened during Spring Break. 95% of the students were not on campus.

dggoddard said...

To answer some questions above.

Football and basketball coaches at every major school make more than university presidents. If Scott makes over $500,000 it wouldn't be a surprise.
---------
With the new 4% tuition hike, DU's tuition, room & fees will be $50,000 per year.
---------
The NCHC move had to be made. Whatever hockey conference Denver joined, DU has some of the highest expenses in college hockey. They fly to every road series outside of Colorado and stay at hotels two nights.
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I have no info on the Academic Commons details, but your theory about going over budget or lack of donations seems to be the excuse for every project at DU. Three years ago DU was trying to raise money for Gwozdecky & Tierney's new contracts. Sounds like that didn't go too well.

DU paid $800,000 to a million to join the WAC. They paid $800,000 to join the Summit League. Now there are rumors about the MVC. No idea what baseball & softball would cost DU. $5 million or more is obviously a non-starter.
---------
LetsGoDU is a fan blog. If Peg raises the price of popcorn in Magness by 50 cents and readers comment, it might get more space than Nick bolting or Jussi becoming an All-American. Face it, people want to read & talk about Gwozdecky, Boone & Monty more than Nick & Jussi.

Anonymous said...

I thought you said this was started to increase the student fan base and increase school spirit?

This blog has turned into your personal agenda to discredit the DU admin to promote Boone.

You good give a sh$$ less about DU school spirit. All you're trying to do is build a legacy for yourself..... What a jerk!!

Anonymous said...

Could

Anonymous said...

I disagree with anyone who thinks Damien does this only to discredit the administration.

Damien has done more for school spirit building at DU than anyone in living memory -- The Blog, Boone, events, counsel, financial support.

The fact that he pokes the administration here from time to time is because they richly deserve it.

Being a fanatical fan is more than just being a cheerleader, It's about creating a public dialogue for improvement.

Anonymous said...

Don't like Damien?

Don't read the blog then.

He gets 1,500 hits a day for a reason - the content is worth reading.

Don't like it? Start your own blog.

Anonymous said...

Welcome to DGs 'I hate DU' blog !

Anonymous said...

Can we talk about this years mismanagement of Boone which may have led to his loss anything but historical recognition?

Or in hockey terms – it’s all your fault!

Anonymous said...

Great hire by DU! Appert with his pretty hair can not coach, period! Rpi is stuck with him thank god we are not. George is a phony me me me guy who got money hungry. Dont let the door hit u on the way out George. u will see that montgomery is a great choice give it a little time.