The Sicatoka

So the thought is LaDue would use the same option that Jimmy Vesey is exercising right now. Interesting. I might be wearing green glasses, but I don't see where there's room in the Chicago system for Johnson or Schmaltz other than on a bus in the minors.

Dear shallow NDSU columnist, I believe sentiment expressed by Col. Nathan R. Jessup sums up my thoughts about your inputs on college hockey: " ... I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way, Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon, and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think ..." -- Col. Jessup, A Few Good Men I suggest NDSU pick up a stick and stand up to the face-off dot; then, I might give a damn, or not.

Quinnipiac isn't a big boy of college hockey. I'll accept that. But they were a worthy opponent as they earned a spot in the title game by knocking off Boston College. And, I still see Michigan and Denver left in the debris on the path to UND's number eight; ... And Boston College on the path to seven; Boston University on the way to six; Michigan State on the way to five; Wisconsin on the way to four*; Boston College and Denver on the the way to two; Michigan State on the path to the first. *UND got the "easy path" to number three as they only had to beat Ivy Leaguer Dartmouth and Northern Michigan along the way.

Q: Why don't you hear Quinnipiac fans cheering the retired "Braves" name? A: There are Quinnipiac fans?

I'm not sure what your point is; however, I've said for quite a while that I wanted to reshape the sport offering within UND Athletics to better align to facilities and climate.

It was UND's Super Bowl.

http://www.lcsun-news.com/story/sports/college/blogs/cruces-sports-extra/2016/04/13/board-regents-wantsneeds-more-input-regarding-conference-affiliations/83005146/

UND dropped baseball from 1921 to 1955 (and for one short stretch before that). I didn't know that until I just read it in the Herald.

I'm free to my opinion; they're free to theirs ... no wait, ... their opinion comes with a price tag.

I don't care what logo is on the banner, I really don't need the logo. I just want banners that say: < conference > Champion < year > University of North Dakota or NCAA National Champion < year > University of North Dakota I'd find room for as many of those as they can acquire.

UND's conference regular season champion banner array is too wide for the width of a hockey rink so it has to be turned lengthwise. What a terrible problem to have. And the NCAA National titles needing to be split up for space ... again, terrible problem.

There is a single banner in REA, over the north club room, toward the west, listing conference tournament championship years. Linky to image. It's the left one in this photo. I believe the one on the right is NCAA appearance years.

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It's in before first puck drop so Stamkos Tavares.

Shhhh ... no prompting from the studio audience.

This is probably the least I've thought about "who's in, who's out" in the last 15 years or so. I guess something else had my attention. Defense: LaDue is gone. Stetcher is too. Thompson? I'm gonna say it: He's not ready. He may think he is; the LAK may be afraid of him pulling a Vesey; but, he's not ready. Poolman? I'd worry, but I think he wants to play a season with his brother (and dad with them at the bench). I've heard nothing about Ausmus so that's safe ... well as safe as anything is. Figure we'll lose two at best, three at worst. Forward: Boeser is staying. I'm hoping Jordan talks to Nick and tells him to stay for a junior season. Many are saying Luke Johnson is gone. He'll probably go, and have a long AHL career. Poganski is the only other wildcard I see (because Trevor Olson tweeted he's coming back. ) So we lose four senior forwards and let's say two more. That's six (?) forwards and three (?) defense. Now comes the tough part: Who comes in? I'd say the guys who are age 20* as I write this, namely, ... Defense: Poolman and Johnson. If they need another ... Bast? Peski? Evers? Forward: Smith, Yon. Jost is a gimme. Hoff, Bowen* ... then ... Keane? *Take that Big Ten **A nice "have" in case another defender is needed.

So other schools knew commodities prices (oil, ag) were going to tumble, decimate the State budget, and that the Governor would be ordering all State agencies to prepare cuts at 4.05% and 10% levels? Until I see public plans and statements from the remainder of the NDUS schools, I stand by my prior assessment. I hope I'm wrong and they aren't just hoping to slide by, but to this point I haven't seen much to believe otherwise.

Things that look like that on org charts always humor me. They result from having to do something with a person after they've proven "The Peter Principle". I call them "uncle" positions because they are out there like an uncle who doesn't have a family of his own.

One more rant: I'm against the NCAA's approach at division levels. Making a school have n programs (x women's and y men's) to claim a "division level" reeks of elitism. If UND wanted to play men's ice hockey at the top collegiate tier and no other sport, so what? If Johns Hopkins wanted to play lacrosse at the top collegiate level and nothing else, so what? If NDSU wanted to play football and nothing else, so what? Instead we have a system designed to force creation of and then subsidize athletics programs (bankrupt their host institutions?) that are of little to no interest to the general public or even to the vast majority of folks that should be constituents. Tell me, honestly, does anyone besides friends and family attend collegiate golf events? How about rowing? Fencing? Skiing? But you have to have those to make your "magic number" to claim a division level. It's time for a Cafeteria Plan in the NCAA.

Here's another not so popular spin from me, but I've said it before. Public funds for public education institutions should be for curricular activities. Extra-curriculars are just that: extras. I'd extend that through all levels (JHS, HS, college). There's no reason why football, basketball, soccer, < insert other sports here > couldn't be done as privately run, independent from the schools, club organizations. Here's where folks will blather about "opportunity" and "under privileged*", but guess what, a private club program with private funding will find the talent and support it. If your kid can play, the club will support them because they want to win. Better? The players would be without the additional constraints that organizations like the NCAA and the HSAAs put onto "student athletes". Don't get me wrong. We're too far down the rabbit hole for that to ever happen. But if I could go back in time and change it, I would. *I've always chuckled at the phrase "under privileged". A privilege is a special right, something above and beyond the usual. Under privileged means "normal".

UND is leading from the front on this. Why? Because our (interim) president has been through this (state budget cuts) before. He understands that it's best to be seen as leading (meaning making the tough choices) as well as meeting the directives out of Bismarck. (Make Bismarck happy now, use to your advantage later.) The other schools? I hear crickets. I suspect they think they can just slide by unnoticed and they hope that somehow magically the problem solves itself. That never works. When you do that someone comes and solves the problem for you, and seldom is the outcome what you'd wished. Doing nothing is weak and cowardly and shows no leadership. Actually, it probably also shows impotence because you more than likely have no idea what to do. Ed Schafer: cleaning up Kelley's messes; leaving a lean, mean, clean house for Kennedy. Too late to get Ed to run for the White House?

Uh-huh, uh-huh, go on ...

As the proprietor of this thread/game, I hereby empower myself with a second entry called "the other guys", aka "sleepers". Get ready ... Chimera, Beagle, Martin (NYI), Ward, Brouwer, Desjardins Chorney, Schultz (PIT), Parayko, Oduya, Lehtonen

Ovechkin, Crosby, Tavares, Kane, Perry, Sequin Niskanen, Leddy, Doughty, Keith Holtby

Here are some realities I see: No one believed UND should be maintaining 21 Division I athletics programs. We wanted some pruning. Non-revenue sports will always get the skeptical eye first. This region is not great for "summer sports" as NCAA sports. Face it, baseball and golf are summer activities and those seasons, the climate, and the academic calendar do not align at UND. We live in a world of Title IX and people willing to bring lawsuits just to watch the wheels turn. The State of ND is in a budget mess right now. (Argue the why and the politics elsewhere.) This move set the stage for who knows what later. If the State stays a mess, expect M/W S&D to be in trouble, and maybe even more (women's hockey). If not, this could open opportunities for men in other areas. Brian Faison has made some unpopular, but turned out right, decisions; and he's accomplished some big things (see: HPC, NCHC). I think he's earned a little bit of trust in making a call for UND Athletics. I trust Ed Schafer. Is today what I expected? Yes and no. I expected cuts, but not what was cut. Not having the information that the decision makers had, I'll trust them (Faison, Schafer).