Gwozdecky Linked To Numerous Coaching Jobs

by Tom Annelin

After his recent ouster following 19 successful seasons as head coach at the University of Denver, George Gwozdecky’s name continues to be linked to a number of NCAA Division 1 coaching vacancies.

Multiple media outlets reported last week the 59-year-old Thunder Bay product was one of three finalists interviewed for the University of Connecticut coaching position. The Huskies have one year remaining to play out of the Atlantic Hockey conference before joining Hockey East in 2014-15.

Among the other schools that are rumoured to have Gwozdecky on their radar is another Hockey East member, Maine, along with the University of Alaska-Anchorage of The Western Collegiate Hockey Association, who announced last week they were restructuring their search for a new coach.

At Denver, Gwozdecky was the only Division 1 bench boss to post 20-win seasons in each of the past 12 years, which included a pair of national championships.

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

OK, whats done its done. We need to let this go finally....but damn what an embarrassment for DU. The most sought after coach and hottest name on everyone's list......yet DU dumps him like a bag of trash. Uggggh. Bad bad bad.
On the plus side...DU's coach is ripping up the USHL, the flowers are blooming...the alumni are doing well in the pros, cc still sucks, and we are not in the wcha any more. Wooo hoooooo!

Anonymous said...

Gwoz. should turn all three down and take a much needed break. D.U. will pay full price for his year off.
He would come back better than ever next year.

Anonymous said...

Maine is up in Tundra land. Alaska makes the Maine location seem like Florida and Conn. doesn't even have it's own arena and also would need five years to build up from their club level team they now have. Come on Gwoz. ,you are better than that.

Anonymous said...

UAA is not a contender for Gwoz. Get serious.

Anonymous said...

Gwoz broke up the WCHA because he hated travelling to Alaska. He's not about to take a job up there.

Anonymous said...

He should also not about to take a job in the other two that are listed. he can do better next year

dggoddard said...

Since this story first appeared in the local Thunder Bay fishwrap, guessing that its been leaked to build leverage in negotiations with Connecticut and/or Maine.

dggoddard said...

Pretty interesting article explaining Mel Pearson's salary at Michigan Tech in detail.

http://www.techhockeyguide.com/2011/06/mel-pearsons-contract-revealed/

Worth noting that DU demanded that Gwozdecky take a pay cut to remain at DU that would of kept his salary below that of the Tech head coach.

Anonymous said...

DG -

I was not aware that DU was asking Gwozdecky for a significant reduction in salaried pay.

I was under the impression that the major monetary/contract sticking points were:

1) Length of the contract (DU doesn't do "long" contracts any longer)

2) DU's insistence that the contract NOT include a lump-sum payment at the end.

3) Inability of the two sides to come to an agreement on pay escalators and bonuses.

Can you point to a source for your pay cut assertion?

dggoddard said...

Solid unnamed source. Anyone can choose to believe it or not.

Its possible that the factors you mentioned [Length, Lump Sum & pay escalators] would cause the offer to be worth less than his current deal.

DU made a mistake telling donors that performance & loyalty were factors in the firing, not the fact that they were low-balling him.

Later they backtracked and said performance & loyalty were "small factors" - 10%.

Anonymous said...

Wow DG

That is a very big unsubstantiated rumor you are spreading about the big pay cut

I chose to ignore it and pretty much write off much of what you say these days as nothing but a rant and your attempt at trying to get attention for your blog (which does seem to be working)

Anonymous said...

D.G. has multiple sources, me being one of them. believe it he-------- IS "plugged in"!!

Anonymous said...

Plugged in all right..... To an intravenous supply of dunkin donuts.

Anonymous said...

DG broke the Gwoz firing story before anyone else. It's likely many people didn't notice, but DG had a story up that morning "citing sources" that Gwoz was fired. He took it down within minutes of me noticing it, and then within a few hours DU made it's official press announcement of Gwoz "quitting".

There's been multiple other times that DG has cited sourced on rumors/speculation that turned out to be true. There have been a few others that never came to fruition.

So, 6:13, I think it's a mistake if you choose to "pretty much write off much of what you (he) says". Of course I'm not writing it down in stone as a fact, but to ignore it as "unsubstantiated rumor" like he's just some anonomous poster like me is foolish IMO.

Anonymous said...

This is exactly why no one can "let this go finally," Anon #1. The administration could not have handled this any worse...from the firing, the PR, the aftermath, and even in a letter from Coach Jim sent to supporters, basically begging for support. Pathetic. The truth will set us free ultimately, but we are not there yet. Little by little, we will find out what truly went on between Gwozdecky and PBD and we will all be even more appalled than we have been yet. I actually feel sorry for JM taking over a program under such classless administrators.

DG knows his sh$t, there is no doubt. I can't wait to see what other minor details he reveals to us.

Anonymous said...

Calm the F down, amigo. I don't like the firing of Gwoz, either. Coaches have personal relationships with universities and fans, no doubt. But some of you don't seem to realize that there is more to this story than a great guy getting fired. It's a business decision that DU made. They're allowed to do that, you know. If you want to feel bad for Gwoz, fine. If you feel bad that DU lost a great coach, fine. But waiting for something "appalling" to come out of this story is like waiting for a UFO to touch down in the middle of Denver. I'd suggest that the lone UFO watcher get a new hobby, and support our new coach. A few months from now, a bunch of kids will be wearing DU gear and trying to put the puck in the net, and we will be cheering for them. Life goes on.

Anonymous said...

USCHO just posted(12:50 P.M.) That Cavanaugh offered Conn job.

Anonymous said...

So much for the lone UFO watcher. Another one here. Business smishniss. This was personal - between Peg and George. It's just too bad that no one else (Coombs, Graham, etc) had the knowledge or cajones to have kept it business and maintained a top-notch, HOF coach for less money apparently than in the past.

Anonymous said...

I don't think it was personal between Peg and George as it was between George and the Board.

Had the Board really wanted Gwoz to be coach, they would have found the money and got the contract done.

The fact that they didn't get it done suggests to me that it was the Board who got tired ot Gwoz.

Anonymous said...

sounds like some of the DU AD staff are posting on this site to cover for their incompetent boss.

Anonymous said...

PBD has been waiting for the perfect time to let go of Gwoz and she does it only after running everything through the "legal" department to make sure she won't come back with pie in her face. He is not the first staff member she has gotten rid of because she personally does not like them, and rest assured, he won't be the last. The public and the fans never see her true colors... she makes it a very tough environment to work in and if you get on her bad side...you are done... simple as that...

Anonymous said...

2:34, true that.

Anonymous said...

Sorry, I'm just not buying the "Peg is incompetent" bullshit.

This wasn't about personalities or who likes or dislikes whom - it was all about business and who had leverage.

Peg worked at Miami, North Carolina and Michigan before DU and she's run a tight ship at DU. She's got a contract philosophy that is much different from previous DU administrations - she likes short term deals with bonuses paid for hitting performance targets, unlike the DU previous administration, who liked long term contracts with retention bonuses.

GG started agitating for a new contract extension 4-5 years before his old contract was up. He wanted his old contract structure in the new deal, and felt he had leverage. Turns out he didn't have it.

Both parties knew that they were playing chicken to some degree. GG thought he could bully Peg and the Board to give him what he wanted as a lifetime contract award. Peg knew that if she caved with GG, her other coaches would have leverage over her and killed her contract system/philisophy.

At the end of the day, Peg was George's boss, and so was the Board...

Those of you in business know that kissing your Bosses' ass is a far better long term strategy than playing them and hoping you get your deal....

Anonymous said...

@ Tuesday, May 14, 2013 at 5:07:00 PM CDT

Sounds like we know who you work for. Excerpt from CAA ZONE: " Peg Bradley-Doppes "Reassigned"
This was the e-mail that came out from the chancellor today:

"Effective noon today, I have reassigned Peg Bradly-Doppes to the Division of Public Service and Continuing Studies to work with Vice Chancellor Stephen Demski on outreach opportunities in youth sports. I believe the University will be better served with this change in Athletic Department leadership. This decision was reached after Peg and I continued to have philosophical differences in communication and leadership styles. An announcement regarding an interim replacement will be made later today."

I did not notice it at first but someone pointed out that the former athletic director's named is misspelled.
Ocean-Raptor-Ventilator"

Peg only cares about Peg at the end of the day... Everyone else that works under her are only keeping their mouths shut to keep their jobs! If the public knew the humiliation that she puts the staff through and how she demeans staff and scare tactics them, it would be a different story, but as she has said it in the past and will continue "The University of Denver is a Private University"...

Basketball is her driving force... and with Joe Scott there, it will not happen... He yells and screams and rips his athletes like there is no tomorrow. I would never allow my son to play for him.

But as you said.... keep kissing ass and keep your job. In the end, I hope you really feel good about how you have made an example for all the children and students out there..."just keep your mouth shut and nobody will bother you."

Way to go!! You are a true Kiss ass hero.

I say fire PBD and move on with some humanity and compassion in this University! The University of Denver deserves better and PBD's fake smile and public dodging are not the answer!