After the University of Maine men’s hockey head coach Tim Whitehead was fired last Tuesday, UMaine now finds itself with the daunting task of trying to find the right person to lead the program back to prominence. The university did name associate head coach Bob Corkum as the interim head coach, but Athletic Director Steve Abbott seems prepared to take as much time as he sees necessary to find the perfect fit for the position.
“We don’t have a timetable,” Abbott said in a release last Tuesday. “We are going to have a very thoughtful and complete search for a new coach. I’m very confident there will be a strong applicant pool. We want to find the best possible fit for our program.”
The early speculation that resulted from the firing started rumors that former Black Bear Jim Montgomery had the inside track to obtaining the position, and lobbying from the boosters would ultimately result in him being handed the position after a nationwide search. While there was plenty of interest on his part, Montgomery ended any possibility of returning to the Black Bears when he reportedly accepted an offer to become the University of Denver’s head coach on Sunday.
Montgomery may have slipped through UMaine’s fingers, but the opening has generated a lot of interest, and there is still a rich pool of coaching talent for the Black Bears to choose from.
One candidate who has strong interest in coming to UMaine is George Gwozdecky, the man Montgomery is replacing at Denver. After 19 years and failing to make it out of the first round of the NCAA tournament in five of the last six seasons, Denver cut ties with Gwozdecky, who guided the Pioneers to back-to-back NCAA titles in 2004 and 2005.
“I am talking with people, but I haven’t made any decisions on what my next step is yet,” Gwozdecky said in a phone interview Friday. “But I can say that I have tremendous respect for the Maine program and everything Tim and [former head coach] Shawn [Walsh] have built.”
Gwozdecky would bring plenty of experience to the Black Bears, as he has compiled a 443-267-64 record in his time with Denver. The tradition of UMaine’s program entices Gwozdecky, but he does admit the real draw for him has to be the fan base.
“They have arguably the best fans in the country,” Gwozdecky said. “When you have a great university, great fans and great tradition, then that’s a solid base for any program to build off of.”
After Gwozdecky, there are a slew of highly regarded college assistants that could be a possible fit, including Boston College’s Mike Cavanagh, Boston University’s Mike Bavis and University of New Hampshire’s Jim Tortorella.
Cavanaugh has roamed the Eagles’ bench as an assistant for the last 18 years and has been the head recruiter for Boston College in recent years. After being an understudy to prolific head coach Jerry York, Cavanaugh may jump at an opportunity to lead the Black Bears instead of waiting for York to hand over the reins.
Tortorella is a second year associate head coach at UNH after collecting 230 wins as head coach of Colby College in Waterville. Tortorella would be an interesting fit, with his solid coaching credentials and his familiarity with the state and the university — he was a goaltender for the Black Bears from 1984-87.
Another possible candidate with Black Bear ties and a solid coaching resume is Toronto Maple Leafs assistant coach Greg Cronin.
Cronin, who is in his second year with the Maple Leafs, served as an assistant at different points during Walsh’s tenure with the team and was interim head coach during Walsh’s suspension for recruiting violations.
Cronin admitted he would listen if UMaine came to him with an offer, due to the experience and knowledge gained under Walsh and an affinity for the Orono area.
“I would be interested, based on the simple fact that [UMaine] is a very special place for me,” Cronin said in a phone interview Saturday. “Whenever I think about the genesis of my coaching, it all goes back to Orono. I think that Shawn’s presence in my life really steered me into a coaching career.”
In addition to his time at UMaine, Cronin has had further experience coaching in Hockey East: From 2005-11, he guided Northeastern University to a 84-104-29 record. He claimed that he tried to recreate what Walsh had done during his time at UMaine while with Northeastern, noting that atmosphere is crucial in bringing in fans and attracting players.
“Everybody we recruited [at UMaine] felt it was a special place,” Cronin said. “Because of that unique energy that [Walsh] put into it, we were able to get players that would have never even looked at UMaine because they were swept up by it all.”
With the strike-shortened NHL season in full swing, Cronin admitted to being unable to keep close tabs on the college hockey scene this year; but when he did catch few of the Black Bear’s games on TV, he noticed that energy he was used to from the Alfond seemed to be missing.
“It was disheartening to see all the empty seats,” Cronin said. “That is Maine’s biggest gift, and it needs to be resurrected to the point where the believability of the vision Shaun and Tim set becomes a tangible part of the experience.
“Maine hockey is a special program and it becomes extra special when the crowd feeds that arena with so much energy,” he added.
Whether Cronin or another candidate is chosen for the position, he believes the most important thing is change. He explained that the new voice will need to be able to provide fresh perspectives, also being mindful of what made Black Bear hockey successful in the first place.
“Whoever comes in there needs to sell that vision in a way that they can connect things to the program’s glorious past,” Cronin said. “Then they can breathe some new life into the things and move forward.”