Michigan Hockey: The Red Berenson Era Needs to End

Michigan hockey is running out of time to make a coaching change. The program needs to replace Red Berenson as head coach, and it needs to happen now.

On March 13, Michigan hockey head coach Red Berenson gave a lengthy interview as part of the media blitz surrounding the Big Ten hockey tournament that was going to be played that weekend at Joe Louis Arena. It wasn’t a happy interview.

Berenson admitted that, “We’re not like a typical Michigan team. You look at the Big Ten – goals for, we’re last. Goals against, we’re last. Penalty killing? We’re last. Power play? We’re middle of the pack. Net special teams? We’re last. This has been a tough year.”

When asked about his future, Red said, “I can’t defend our season very well. But we’ll [Berenson and AD Warde Manuel] talk about the situation. Which way to move.”

That isn’t the interview of a man who truly wants the job.

Finding one-year wonders like Dylan Larkin and Kyle Connor helped to provide some masking of the decline of Michigan’s hockey program this decade. Without that firepower, Michigan hockey was exposed as a team which no longer plays good defense and struggles with mediocre goaltending.

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Michigan would go on to lose to Penn State in the first round of the B1G tourney 4-0. Read those quotes again and tell me Berenson didn’t know what was coming.

The now-annual ritual of whether Berenson will be back has made him a lame duck coach at a time that is uniquely dangerous.

The formation of the Big Ten conference four years ago did serious damage to Midwest collegiate hockey. Minnesota and Wisconsin took major steps back. Wisconsin went from national title contender to a four-win team just a couple years ago. Minnesota missed the NCAA tournament a year ago and hasn’t gotten out of the first round since 2013. Michigan State hasn’t been relevant in a decade.

Michigan has just two NCAA tourney berths since 2011, compared to 22 straight previously.

The newly formed NCHC hasn’t suffered from those problems. The conference is made up of the defending national champions and the top two seeds in this year’s tourney who have both made it to the Frozen Four. When they send players to the pros, they just reload.

That is a great starting point for the NCHC as the Big Ten tries to catch up. The conference took a big step this season by getting Ohio State and Penn State into the NCAA tournament along with Minnesota.

They did it with a ton of youth too. Thats especially true for the Nittany Lions, who had 11 freshman and eight sophomores. Wisconsin, one of the first teams out of the tourney, is also very young. The Big Ten now has a top half of its standings that has years of staying power.

And next year the conference brings in Notre Dame, perennially in the mix under head coach Jeff Jackson. The Fighting Irish just happen to be playing in Chicago this weekend in the national semifinals.

Wisconsin proved that a rebuild can happen quickly at a program with a pedigree. Tony Granato was very successful in his first year.

Michigan State and Northern Michigan are already conducting coaching searches, and that is just within the state. If Michigan hopes to revive itself overnight, it needs to be out in front of other programs trying to do the same, not lagging behind.

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The decision to move on from Berenson has to occur now.

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