An Interview with UML Coach Blaise MacDonald
July 19, 2001
"UML raised the competitive bar a notch. It's getting to be like the ACC." -- Anonymous Hockey East Coach speaking to the Lowell Sun about Blaise MacDonald, the new coach of the University of Massachusetts Lowell River Hawks Hockey Program
Positive. Upbeat. Excited. Strict.
Those are just some of the words that pop up when someone meets Blaise MacDonald. Talking to him, you get a feeling of the excitement, the giddiness of gaining what he termed his "dream job."
While most people already know the details regarding the new coach of the UMass Lowell River Hawks (local guy, wanted to play at Lowell, assistant for 2 years at Lowell), one aspect that is easy to pick up is that he's honestly excited to be at Lowell and he can't wait to start coaching this current group of players. A look around his office shows pictures of his Niagara Purple Eagles playing at Michigan, of his family, a hockey stick lamp, and you begin to get the feeling that he's ready to start coaching now. With a career record of 91-58-17 in 5 years at Niagara, MacDonald has a successful resume behind him and hopes to continue to improve that record at Lowell.
MacDonald comes across as extremely friendly and down to earth. Watching him talk to his players though shows the respect they have for him, a respect that the players didn't always exhibit over the last two years. While he might have some strange rules that he strictly adheres to (wearing hats indoors is a no-no), his players so far are proving they will do whatever he asks if he can lead them to wins. At this point, even a home playoff game would be a step up for the Hawks, who have not yet played at the Tsongas during the playoffs. The new coach inherits a team that will return 19 of 25 veterans, having lost 4 seniors to graduation, and two underclassmen that left early (Chris Davidson is expected back after a one-year stint at Compuware in the NAHL). For the first time in a while, the Hawks go into the season with a roster that is dominated by upperclassmen, as 14 of the 19 returning players will be seniors and juniors. There is a chance that the Hawks might lose as many as four players to the Olympics in February of 2002, with three Frenchman (senior Yorick Treille, junior Laurent Meunier and incoming freshman Baptiste Amar) along with the fourth European who has not yet signed his paperwork, and therefore can't be named.
When talking about the incoming freshmen, MacDonald grins widely talking about Amar. Amar, a defenseman, was mainly recruited by ex-Lowell assistants John Hynes and Perti Hasanen, and most likely by the two current Frenchmen on the roster, Treille and Meunier. "(Amar) will bring to the table a lot of the dimensions that Ron Hainsey had," according to MacDonald, comparing the freshman to the ex-Lowell star that departed after his sophomore season to join the Montreal Canadiens minor league affiliate in Quebec. MacDonald gave the impression that Amar will see a lot of playing time by saying he has the skill to "quarterback the power play, be able to really handle the puck, handle the forecheck and be able to make that first outlet pass and come out of the zone cleanly." By listening to MacDonald, it's easy to note that Amar will be the biggest chip of the incoming class. MacDonald finished his comments about Amar by saying "(He's) a highly skilled player, probably a world class player in terms of making the Olympics perhaps."
Gerry Hickey, a forward from Cedar Rapids of the USHL, was the first signee for the 2001/2002 season, committing during the early signing period in November of 2000. Hickey is a player that fits the Lowell prototype, "He plays hard, but yet has soft hands that can make plays." MacDonald compared Hickey to current senior Tom Rouleau, saying he was also strong on the puck. While he did seem to be happy with Hickey, MacDonald did state that Hickey's "conditioning level is a concern, and he's going to have to really take care of business in that area."
MacDonald described Brian Boike of the Valley Junior Warriors as similar to Hickey in many ways (physical, committed, Lowell type of kid), but did say that it "would be a huge jump for him to play at this level next year, but you just never know because he wants it bad." MacDonald went on to say that Boike needs to stay out of the penalty box and play smart, which means it's probable that he will remind Lowell fans of Kyle Kidney.
Jeremy Wilson, also from Cedar Rapids, will be sitting out the upcoming year and will be eligible to play in the 2002/2003 season. Wilson has a bit of a past, as he was kicked out of the Boston College hockey program due to unreported circumstances. MacDonald said that Wilson "was misread by a lot of people in terms of what happened at BC." Wilson will start off with a clean sheet at Lowell, which could be a good thing for the young man. "He's a guy that I don't think anybody that's wearing red, white and blue will work harder than, and he will bring a level of honesty to everybody, everyday in practice" according to MacDonald.
The Hawks are still looking at one more player who is waiting for NCAA Clearinghouse approval. MacDonald doesn't see that this will be an issue, but did state that in case there was a problem, Lowell did have two backup plans. Those backups will probably be walk-ons if the last player is cleared. The last player is yet another European, and should be public information very soon.
A look around the team shows the coach that the "senior class is very energized, and has a positive attitude and a good mindset going into the season." The senior class this year will be one of the largest senior classes at UML in recent years, which will help them give "individual as well as collective leadership, that perhaps has been lacking or missing in the past." MacDonald coached a team just two years ago at Niagara which was dominated by upperclassmen and knows that the maturity level of the juniors and seniors will help the communication between coaches and players, and also with the aforementioned leadership issues. MacDonald also was impressed with each player individually, saying the players "have a great thirst to be coached, to be brought new ideas to."
When asked about the type of hockey Lowell fans can expect to see, MacDonald responded by saying "it depends. As a coach, you want to make sure your style of play compliments your personnel." His coaching personality should be intriguing to watch play out on the ice, as his philosophy is best stated by saying that his team will "really pursue and pressure the puck," meaning that the players will have to move constantly. It's doubtful that fans will see too many Lowell players standing around on the ice, especially the forwards on the defensive end. The key for any hockey team, according to MacDonald "is coming out of your own zone cleanly. If you break out cleanly, you're on the right side of the puck most of the time to really dictate the play."
While there are a lot of positives to coaching at Lowell, there are some negative issues that do effect the program. One of those issues occurs during the recruiting process, when MacDonald has to sell both the University and the city of Lowell. Perception is the main issue according to MacDonald, who is trying to break those barriers of how people see the school. The main way to correct that of course is to show the recruits and their families the area. "We take families here and hear 'Wow, I didn't realize, this campus here is pretty nice.'" MacDonald gives the impression that he is very happy with what the University has to offer to prospective student athletes saying "We're really proud of this campus." While the University has its detractors, MacDonald's comments show that he's happy with what is offered here, and when a recruit comes in, it's easier to sell the school if MacDonald himself believes in what he's selling.
When speaking about future recruiting efforts, MacDonald acknowledges that it is important to not let ego get involved, just because BC, BU, or UNH are recruiting a player, Lowell should not just jump in. A player has to fit into the ideals of both the University as well as MacDonald. There are kids who will commit to BC and succeed to a point they would never have at Lowell, but the reverse applies as well. According to MacDonald, "I don't care where a kid is rated, who else is recruiting him or even if no one else is recruiting him." With the understanding that the recruit has the requisite talent level to play D1 Hockey, MacDonald continued his comments by saying "If I like him, if I can look him in the eye and I get a good feeling about who he is, we'll go after him."
Another huge issue is the lack of fans in what is a very crowded local sports market, with 5 professional teams (major and minor leagues) playing within an hour's ride, and a sixth coming this upcoming year. Add to that the number of college hockey teams that also play in the area, and a very win-oriented New England fan base, and it's easy to see why the River Hawks attendance figures rank in the bottom half of Hockey East. But the coach is trying his best to help foster some pride, both on and off campus. Recently, MacDonald and a couple of his players assisted at the Lowell Folk Festival. When the students begin moving in, they will be surprised to see the UML hockey players assisting incoming students with moving in. Repeatedly speaking about passion and enthusiasm, it's easy to see that MacDonald believes in his message and doing items such as those mentioned above, maybe the attendance at the Tsongas will begin to slowly rise.
What is the biggest help that MacDonald has in his recruiting efforts? The Tsongas Arena itself, of course. "This is clearly the number one asset that we have," said MacDonald. The beautiful arena, which will be hosting the River Hawks for the fourth year now, offers a spacious locker room, a great ice surface, and a nice lounge where the players are able to relax and watch TV or just hang out with each other. According to MacDonald, "There is not a person who comes through here that isn't overwhelmed by how nice our facility is." A second aspect that might help in the recruiting, specifically the 2002/2003 class, is the large number of graduating seniors after this year. Kids might be helped in their decisions if they look at their various options and do some research on their own. Looking around and noticing a large number of openings at Lowell, knowing that if they earn it, they might have a quicker chance to get on the ice at Lowell compared to other schools that might have a lot deeper roster going into that year. Playing time is important to all recruits, and this option might be helpful for the Hawks. While MacDonald emphasized that he wouldn't ever promise or guarantee any recruits playing time, he did say that if the kids did spend some time looking into their options, they would notice "the opportunity to play is greater here than it is anywhere else."
Looking ahead in other areas, the Hawks will be participating in the Auld Lang Syne Tournament next year, hosted by Dartmouth. Further out, they are tentatively scheduled to play in a new tournament that is supposed to start next year in Dayton, Ohio, and the Hawks will be participating in the 2003/2004 season. He is also hoping to be able to bring some CCHA/WCHA teams east to play at the Tsongas Arena. One of those will be Colorado College, which Lowell will be visiting in two years (the trip will be reciprocated by CC in an unknown year after that). Veteran fans of the Lowell hockey program will recognize CC as the team that ended Lowell's season in the NCAA Tournament in 1996 in East Lansing, Michigan. Once things settle down for the coach, MacDonald will have more time to try and organize future opponents, which he usually tries to have planned out two to three years in advance. MacDonald also mentioned that he will push on his end to try and get the Lowell games on the internet, as well as on AT&T Broadband TV. The Hawks will attempt to make their radio broadcast team better, which would probably mean adding a color-man to play-by-play extraordinaire Bob Ellis on Lowell's school station (WJUL, 91.5 FM). The Tsongas Arena will also experience a small makeover, getting a brand new Hockey East banner, as well as new team banners to replace some rather old ones. And Lowell will bring back Midnight Madness, beginning this year on Friday, September 28. It will be an opportunity for fans to see the team practice for the first time this year, meet the players and coaches, and it will be free.
MacDonald has the fortune (or misfortune depending on who you talk to) to come into arguably the best hockey conference in the country, boasting the two of the last three NCAA Champions in Maine (1999) and defending champions BC. After a few months on the job, he has gained a pretty good perspective on what the league holds and what the 2001/2002 season will bring. When asked to handicap the league, MacDonald mentioned two perennial favorites near the top in Boston College and UNH. But in both cases he alluded to the fact that goaltending could be a question mark, with each team having to recover from losing two superb keepers to graduation in Scott Clemmensen and Ty Conklin respectively. Considering those comments it wasn't a surprise to hear that he considered Providence to be "the most solid looking team," and packed them in with BC and UNH as the top 3 teams in the league. He also mentioned that the X-factor in the league could be Maine's Shawn Walsh, who MacDonald considers the best coach in the league. BU also got one comment, as MacDonald said that they "can at any time be a national contender." MacDonald went on to mention that "UMass has reloaded with freshmen and Merrimack has some terrific world class players." Showing that the league once again could be powerful top to bottom, MacDonald concluded that he thought "[the Hawks] could finish anywhere from the top 3 in the league or they could finish eighth or ninth too."
With MacDonald coming back to the area that he is so familiar with, his excitement level when talking about this upcoming year, as well as what the future could bring for his new team shows through very easily. It's easy to see that he's happy to be back home, but it's also easy to spot the smile when he starts talking about the program. When asked about what he brings to UML in general, MacDonald responded with "an unconditioned passion for the school and the area." He describes himself as very outspoken and animated, which should provide a difference to the many Lowell fans who saw ex-Lowell Coach Tim Whitehead as almost laid back and reserved during the games. In his sixth year as a coach, he has learned to make changes in his coaching plans due to his own evolution as a teacher of hockey, but he did say "When you're a coach, you must stay within your beliefs and your personality."
The Hawks season opener is coming up quickly, with the first regular season game being against MacDonald's old team, Niagara. It's obvious that he is looking forward to seeing what his team brings to the ice this year. It's also clear that the passion MacDonald exhibits is real. "Every day when I come here, I am just so excited to be here. You can't mask that sort of enthusiasm, it has to be natural." While he says that with a smile on his face, just don't aggravate him by wearing your hat inside.
Copyright Monty Rodrigues