The End Of An Era

The Nate Leaman Era has officially ended. It was an exciting era, especially in the latter half, which saw Union become an ECAC power and a nationally respected program. If you have to credit one person for all of this success, it has to be Nate Leaman. He is the reason why Union Hockey is no longer a joke, and what makes my blog (and other media sources covering the team) and the rest of Dutch Nation relevant. And for that I and the rest of the fans are extremely grateful for Nate Leaman. So, thank you Nate for everything you have done here.

Even though I wanted Leaman to stay, I understand why he left and I think it is the correct move for him. To be able to coach in Hockey East is a tremendous opportunity considering it is one of the three premiere leagues in college hockey. The conference has produced three of the past four national champions, while an ECAC team hasn't won the national championship since 1989 (Harvard). Another factor is that Providence offers athletic scholarships, while Union does not. This will allow Leaman to recruit higher end players. In other words, moving from the ECAC to Hockey East is a big upgrade.

Leaman's new job will be another "building process." Providence Hockey has been dormant for a number of years and has been at the bottom of the Hockey East standings for a number of years. If Leaman is able to bring the Friars back to prominence, who knows what that means for him. Not to look too far into the future, but BC's Jerry York and BU's Jack Parker are not getting any younger, and if Leaman is able to prove himself in Hockey East like he did in the ECAC maybe he will be considered to take over these power house programs. If you look at all-time great coaches like Jerry York and Ron Mason they have both coached three teams (York: Clarkson, Bowling Green, Boston College; Mason: Lake Superior, Bowling Green, Michigan State), and they each moved up the coaching ranks during their careers and ended up having huge success in their third stop. So, maybe Leaman's time at Providence is just one stop closer to winning a national championship at a big program.

While the terms of Leaman's new contract are undisclosed, you have to assume that he will be getting a major raise in pay. Coach has just started his family, so money is a factor and you can't blame him for that. Some people are blaming the administration for not increasing his pay, but you have to remember that this is Union College. This is a school where academics is by far the number one priority, and while I would like to see every penny put towards the hockey program it is simply not an option. It is impossible to pay coaches at Union like coaches at Michigan, Boston College, or other bigger schools. These kinds of schools get revenue from other sports like basketball and football that help fund the hockey programs.

While this program technically is a D-I program, it really can't be treated like it. They cannot offer athletic scholarships and there isn't any outside monetary support to help the program (even though the Garnet Blades does a great job). So people ask, why is Union Hockey D-I anyways? That is a question that I can't really answer. Personally, looking back on it I really don't understand it. Was it to compete with RPI? Perhaps. Who knows? Maybe if Nate Leaman never came along we would be a having a conversation right now on whether the program should go back to D-III. But, we're not so let's just enjoy what we have because it's not going to change.

Now, on to Coach Bennett. I think the immediate hire of Rick Bennett was absolutely the correct move. He's a familiar face that the players like a respect, and knows where this program has come from. Bennett understands what it's going to take to win here and he will follow in the steps of Coach Leaman. I expect the Dutchmen to continue their recent success under Coach Bennett over the next few years. The question I have is whether this program will continue to succeed four years down the road. That will be the true measure of Bennett's success. This success will not only rely on Bennett, but on the assistant coaches he hires within the next few weeks.

Union fans, do not be worried! There are still great times ahead for this program. Yes, our Spencer Penrose Award winning coach and All-American goalie are gone, but their replacements will fill the void. They might be unproven, but know what it takes to win at Union which means to outwork their opponent. I guarantee that Coach Bennett and Troy Grosenick will work as hard, if not harder, than Coach Leaman and Keith Kinkaid and will continue the success we've enjoyed for the past few years.

I believe in Bennett and Grosenick and so should you!

For more on Leaman's departure and Bennett's hiring go to:
Concordiensis
Ken Schott's Blog
USCHO --> Leaman to Providence
USCHO --> Bennett hired
College Hockey News
Providence Journal Blog
Union Athletics
Providence Athletics
Times Union (Sean Martin)
Times Union (Mark McGuire)