Eaves Addresses Media Monday
October 21, 2002 | Men's Hockey
Wisconsin men's hockey coach Mike Eaves spoke to the media on Monday during UW 's weekly news conference. Eaves talked about facing Boston College and his sons and addressed various issues about the team.
A transcript of the news conference follows.
Did you feel like you had enough time to evaluate the guys you wanted to evaluate this early in the season before you hit the road' 'We got everyone that was on the roster into a game, so from that standpoint we accomplished one of the things we wanted to do. So the picture is becoming a little clearer. Going on the road will be a test for us in terms of seeing how we react to that, and [it] will give us two more games before we open in the WCHA to see what we really have. So we are getting to that point and we are getting closer to knowing what we have. '
Will coaching against your sons this week be a distraction ' 'No. People ask you, `what is it going to be like coaching against your sons'' and I tell them that I'll be able to answer all those questions next week, but I've never done it before and I don't know what it's going to be like. We are going into this weekend not thinking about the Eaves boys, but a heck of Boston College team. Denver walks in there and BC beats them 4-2 and it was 4-1 at one point, they scored a late goal. So they beat them pretty soundly. This is a huge test for us. We swept this weekend. Alabama-Huntsville isn't a pure hockey hotbed, and we recognize that, but it was another couple games for us to step up to the plate and see what we have. But now we are really going to be tested and the kids will be excited about [going] out there. Getting on the road is always good for your team because you bond a little bit and go through a couple of wars together ' that 's what brings you together. Playing these two teams will really help us in the long run.'
What will your scouting report be to your team about your two sons' 'Well, from what I hear, we better not be killing any penalties. I guess their power play has been pretty dynamite. I guess those two along with their linemates Tony Voce and J.D. Forrest have been very good. We don't want to be in the penalty box, but if we're going to be, we might be looking at paying a heavy price for that. So, we need to stay out of the box.'
Was it natural for your kids to grow up and play hockey ' Was that something they always wanted to do' 'Yeah, you know your dad goes to work and you bring your kids. My work just happened to be on the rinks. They just liked the atmosphere there. It's been pretty natural - almost like walking to them because they got on their skates so young and hung around good people. That's one thing great I think about being around the locker room. The people around the locker room treated our kids great. I think that had a lot to do with them wanting to come back down there because it was fun. It was just fun to be around the locker room around the guys.'
How often do you talk to your sons and will you talk to them this week' 'We talk once a week. Every Sunday we catch up on how it's going and we talked last night. They are kind of going through the same thing that I am in terms of people asking questions. I told them, `This is what I was going to tell the folks here. You might want to look at that. Tell them you'll talk to them next week and you'll have all the answers to the questions.' They 've never gone through this either.'
Do you get the feeling that you're the father in the driveway playing hoops with your sons and you don't want to lose to them ' 'I hadn't thought about it that way. We kind of have a thing in our family. We're athletes, we're competitive people. We have a joke about having a family belt for ping pong and a family belt for golf. I remember when the boys were 15 and 16 and they started beating their old man in ping pong and golf. Around the ping pong table I would chase them around after they beat me I would try to catch them and wrestle with them. But now I can't catch them either. We 'll have fun with them like that. We actually have one of those WWF belts that kids have and we would walk around with that belt on like we were the champion. Although we are competitive, there is a great deal of fun that goes with it.'
How many belts does dad have' 'Well I've got the golf belt right now, which is kind of surprising because that doesn't happen very often. But there are just the two belts: the ping pong and the golf belt. Now we'll have a hockey belt I suppose.'
Recount some of the thoughts you had about your oldest son Ben choosing to go to BC. 'I can tell you ' Ben was always a Boston Bruins fan. For whatever reason, Cam Neely was a guy he looked up to and he had a Boston Bruins flag and clock in his room. There was always that amazement with that area. Ben had been on campus here many times and talked highly about it. I remember one night when he was a senior he came into our bedroom and told me he needed to talk to me. He was nervous as a hen. He said, `I don't think I want to go to Wisconsin.' I think he was worried about what my reaction was going to be. I asked why, and he said that inside it wasn't the right mix. I told him it wasn't about me and that it is about him and where he felt comfortable. The only advice that I ever gave our sons or any other boy asking where they should go is to do all the logical stuff, all the pluses and minuses, and then you have to go inside your gut and your heart and walk around the campus and ask if you feel comfortable. Ask `If I couldn't play hockey again, would I feel comfortable here'' That was the process that he went through. I think the reason that Pat followed him is because they have such a great relationship. That was almost a no-brainer for him. Once they got Ben, Pat went out there and liked what he saw, but it was more about his relationship with his brother. They 've never had a physical fight in their lives against each other. When they get to that point where they get testy, they just walk away. They have a pretty unique relationship and they play well together.'
Will you hesitate putting a checking line out there against your boys' 'No, if that is what it takes to win. It's not just one person that you're playing against; it's a group of people that complement each other. That's even harder to shut down. I think that we need to have a group of five people that are pretty sound defensively that can understand that part of the game. We can't beat ourselves against them. We can't give that unit of players an opportunity to take advantage of something that we've done.'
If your kids had come to school here would that have influenced whether or not you took this job' Is it a more comfortable situation not coaching them' 'In the big picture, yes. I am sure we would have survived, but after last year coaching against BC with Patrick on the team it 's a tough thing. I know that Coach [Bob] Johnson and Mark did it and survived, but even then I think we'd have to ask Mark that question. But you have to learn to separate the two and move on.'
How long are you tied into a contract with BC and do you want to be done with it' 'This is the last year of it. It could be the last year until those guys graduate. We'll have to wait and see.'
Do you have an update on Dan Boeser' Did he dislocate or fracture' 'They said dislocate right away, but I think after looking at the x-rays they are leaning towards just a fracture now. It is tough to see those ligaments on the x-rays, it doesn't show them as well as bone. He is still in a cast and they'll know more today. They want to take a look at it to see if it set properly the way they did it this weekend. That's what they hope happens, because if that doesn't happen they'll probably have to look into doing something more. That could mean surgery, but they were happy with the way they set it. It looked good. They'll take a look today.
So far you have shown a coaching style that is not afraid to let a player know what you think of his shift when he comes off the ice, good or bad. Guys can react to that differently, how do you think your guys have reacted to that ' 'I think right now it is being done on a very aware level in terms of being very hard and strict. If we just went in there and said `Look fellows, you can't do this.' That doesn't change anything. We've got to capture their attention. We've been very strict and sometimes boisterous in terms of the parameters and holding them accountable. I think once we get those parameters set we can back off and just use verbal reminders. But your comment is well taken in that we do compliment them when they do things well, and I think they do see that. I think you have to balance those two.'
When you looked at these first six games, did you have a realistic hope in terms of a record to come out with' 'We never really looked at that, because we were so focused on the process of looking at all those other things. The wins are at the top of the pyramid, but we've been so focused on the steps leading up to them that we never even projected the wins and losses. It didn 't matter. What mattered was really focusing on the process. If you look at it right now, you can say that's a nice thing. But we still know that we've got a long way to go and need to keep pounding on the process. The end of the year is what matters. That is what we're building towards. If we were moving in the direction that we wanted to go, that's what we would focus on.'
