Doc Holliday

Ah the joy of being a Gopher or Sioux fan.....it's often not a question of "will they sign?" but "when will they sign?" Glad he's not wearing Sioux [insert green, black, or white] anymore. A heart attack for a Gopher fan when he has the puck on his stick! It was a joy getting to watch him a few times in person at Mariucci!

Classy, dude! As a Gopher fan, you're embarassing me. At least have a smiley face or a rolling of the eyes if you're just poping off a joke.

How did you look at the rankings? Did it include the bonus? The NCAA can still tinker since the "pre-set" bonus isn't revealed. As for the seedings, I think what makes me frustrated, as a Gopher fan, is that there doesn't seem to be any common sense. Yes, the Sioux are where they are because of the overall body of work over the season, but it doesn't seem to really take into account "who's hot" like the basketball committee does. I think the pariwise is the right way, but I think they should use a little common sense in terms of setting the brackets and who's hot & who's not. There really isn't any debate that the top 4 teams in the country right now seem to be Minnesota, Notre Dame, North Dakota & Boston College, in any particular order. That two are in the same region and three are in the same side of the bracket seems to lack common sense. Yes, conference tournament games matter in terms of pwr, but they are somewhat ranked the same as early season wins. Maine is living off of it's win over the Gophers at Xcel the first game of the season, where about 50% of the Gophers were playing their 1st college game. It is what it is, though......bottom line is that the West Region is a total coin flip and a matter of who plays better on Saturday & Sunday.

Gleason is pretty much the exact opposite style player of Finley. Good to see Edina's producing all types of defensemen. Quick scouting report for Sioux fans: very fast, very quick, very good shot. Still a bit raw defensively....is a much more offensive type defenseman. With a defensive type player, that can be hidden a bit. I figured he'd be much more suited in a Minnesota, St. Cloud, or Colorado College style. But it's a good pickup for the Sioux. He'll be good and his speed will cause nightmares for WCHA defensemen. As for Budish, Minnesota has the same thing going for them that North Dakota does with Ness: dad was a former U athlete (football letterwinner). If I had to guess, I'd bet Budish will be Minnesota bound, but nothing to base that on other than a hunch. Good pickup for the Sioux....I won't like watching him play against the Gophers much.

I'm pretty sure Phil wasn't the one who organized that one. Bottom line: JT & PK have one thing in common: they're both going to arguably the two worst run & cheapest owners in the NHL!

I wouldn't 100% say I'm "with you" But I'm surprised at the "it was a great season" talk.......20 minutes is a lot. Knock one in within 10 minutes and it's only a 2 goal game........2 goals can happen like that! The key, though, is getting it back to a two-goal game.......

Some of you guys are unreal. As a Gopher fan, if any team makes a 3 goal comeback a habit, it's the Sioux. The Sioux are the perfect team that can knock one in and get the ball rolling. They've always done it, and it's not going to be long before the young freshmen learn the same thing and today is as good a time as any to have them learn. Knock one in in the first 10 minutes is the key. Once they get it to a 2 goal lead, the Sioux can then let it all hang out the last 10 minutes.......BC is just like any college team in that they're 19-22 year old kids and will be back on their heels once the Sioux begin their buzz. Advice for Sioux fans (and I quote "Journey"): Don't Stop Believing!!!

For those saying that the crowd will be a bit "rowdier" than normal, I will say you're right. The most intense crowds at Mariucci are the ones for the NCAA regionals. The fans there WANT to be there, and there is a certain buzz in the air in knowing that if you lose, your teams season is done. The most intense crowd I've ever witnessed at Mariucci was the Minnesota-Ferris State game in 2003. Fans were chirping at Ferris guys going to the penalty box, the entire crowd was into the game from the drop of the puck, not your normal Mariucci crowd. Almost a home ice advantage! However, at Mariucci, those crowds were ones with CCHA/ECHL/Hockey East teams that were playing the Gophers. There will be a much higher percentage of Gopher fans there as well, fans that want to be there as much as the Sioux fans, so I'm guessing it may even out overall.......more Sioux fans that are going to be intense, but more Gopher fans than a normal game at Grand Forks. It will be entertaining!

One big difference between then and now, though, is 4 sites compared to just 2 sites in 2002 and prior to. With 4 sites, most likely one of them being a WCHA arena, I'm guessing that both the Sioux in '98 and Denver in '02 would have been there, avoiding Yost. There really isn't a precedent for the 16 team tournament yet. The ultimate test for the NCAA will be if the Sioux make it and Minnesota is the #1 team when the selections are made. One thing I do think in Minnesota's favor about going to Green Bay if such a senario occurs is the "NCAA will keep Wisconsin in GB for the $$" factor. I'm guessing Green Bay sold plenty of tickets when the Badgers were hot. If Minnesota goes, the remaining will be eaten up. I think you'll have a sell out in GB either way with Wisconsin & Minnesota. Sell out in terms of tickets sold, not people in seats, but the NCAA only cares about the former, not the latter.

You don't get it, Mafia....there a bunch of madmen down here!! They're out of control! I mean, underage drinking, no cover charges at the bar, jersey popping, Hulkamania reactions after goals! It's the 1986 New York Mets all over again! If we're going to be hated regardless, I say GO ALL OUT! I want helmets coming off after goals, just like the early 90s Miami Hurricanes. organized team celebrations after goals, skating up to opponents benches....everything!

CC lost to Michigan in the NCAA title game, but they were upset by Michgan Tech in the semis of the Final Five. They were in the night cap at the Bradley Center, where Minnesota had defeated Wisconsin earlier on Nick Checco's OT winner in the other semi. Not great attendance for the early game, and even worse for the next semi prompted the WCHA to start the "Minnesota Rule," where either Minnesota or Wisconsin, depending on who was hosting, would play the night semi-final if they were among the final four in the tournament. The "Colorado College Rule" came into affect after CC had won the regular season title in 1993-1994, but lost in the best of 3 (I believe to Tech, but I can't say for sure) and was snubbed by the NCAA's, prompting that the WCHA league champion was guaranteed a NCAA berth along with the WCHA Playoff champion. With the strength of the league now, pretty much no chance of the league champ being snubbed if they bow out in the 1st round. Sorry to get off topic, though. Thread meant for points predictions.

I asked this over at gpl.com.... What if Minnesota, somehow, overtakes Wisconsin as the overall #1? (long shot, I know). MI Tech is the host at Green Bay, not Wisconsin. It is not in stone that Wisconsin is sent to Green Bay. I do believe that Green Bay is closer to Minneapolis than Grand Forks. Would the NCAA consider losing the almighty $ (the Gophers will travel, but they won't sell it out like the Badgers would) for bracket integrity and going by the rules? I know Sioux fans know all about the NCAA and their principles......this may be the final test.

A play-in team hasn't won the Final Five....but Michigan Tech did advance to the final in 1996 when they beat CC and then were simply worn down and got thumped by MN in the title game. My point is: who cares about the Final Five? Clearly, being in the play-in game didn't affect the Sioux for the NCAA's. To me, it would be better to be the 4 but have an easier first round matchup. I guess I'm looking at the next 4 weeks after the 1st round of the WCHA's, not just the Final Five.

UW 28 41 UMN 28 40 Denver 28 36 UND 28 34 CC 28 33 SCSU 28 33 Mankato 28 23 UMD 28 15 MTech 28 13 AA 28 12 My MN glasses see 3 of 4 in Madtown, sweeping Tech & UMD, splitting with Denver, and getting 3 up in Anchorage. I also see UND & SCSU getting more wins and playing better hockey now. Pretty big separation between the top 6 and the bottom 4, so getting 4th is the key seed. Who cares about the play-in game...having the easier 1st round series is more important, in my opinion.

Actually, I'd be surprised if you had to pay over $75. My guess is $50-$75, and that will obviously go down as the game begins. Best bet....look for the dad with either his wife or his kid that usually has 4 tickets but only two are going, so he's just looking to get rid of them. For some reason, they more common at Gopher hockey games than other sporting events.

I'm guessing he was referring to getting in to all the bars. The drinking age is a federal law. It used to be a state law until the federal government said that unless states move it up to 21, they wouldn't get funding from the federal government for certain programs. Naturally all states followed to get the funding and it since has become a federal law.

I think there are a lot bigger injustices in the world than a Chippewa designing a Sioux logo, wouldn't you? But if you want to hang your hat on that, go ahead! If the name gets changed, what will that change? Will all your problems suddenly disappear? My guess is you'll just switch gears and find the next thing to be offended by! GrahamKracker seems to be the type of person that would complain if he was in Heaven!!

You can buy beer at the Fiesta Bowl. There was a big controversy regarding it when Ohio State played Miami in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl because it was on campus (Arizona State) and officials were concerned with all the rowdy Buckeye fans heading down. But they were allowed to purchase alcohol. I can't speak on behalf of all bowls, but I know that you can purchase beer at the Sun Bowl and the Music City Bowl. I believe a lot of schools have already taken steps. Notice how Illinois basketball doesn't have "Fighting Illini" on their jerseys (they do have some orange throwback uni's that do, but not their regular ones) and their logo is not the traditional "sad Indian" in the circle, but it's block "ILLINOIS" with a round ball behind it. Personally, I would love to see the Sioux develop playoff jerseys that say "North Dakota's Playoff Jerseys" on the front!

Fair enough....I'll sum it up in one sentence since I rambled on: Goalies can play the puck, but are just like any other player when they have possession of the puck.

As far as goalies handling the puck, my personal view is you should have an extended trapezoid, going from bottom of the face-off circle in the center and down to the backwall, extending about a foot or two wider than the goal in the center. In that area, the goaltender is protected and can play the puck. He can also play the puck if he's out of that zone, but the goaltender is like any other player and can be checked if he has the puck or just got rid of it. It would cause goalies to play the puck on dump ins and can move the puck up quickly on power plays, but would make the goalie a bit more hesitant to play the puck if pressured and they couldn't just sit there and not have to worry about anything. Goalies would still play the puck on some chances and guys like Brodeur & DiPietro could take advantage of their puck handling talents, but not as many would go to play the puck.

Because chances of a player scoring a goal are still significantly better when the puck is struck by a hockey stick compared to a Bauer Vapor! MafiaMan, do you think it would change the aspect of the game that much? Do you really think guys would start trying to kick pucks in instead of trying to shoot the puck with a stick? I guess my opinion is that I don't think it would change the way players play that much.

I 100% agree with you and in there lies the fault in allowing it. Steel blades being involved in a kicking motion would cause nothing but harm.

Hey, you completly rearranged my quote, and I have proof! I guess my opinion is that I just don't think it would change the dynamic of the game that much....it's not like guys are going to start trying to be Pele when close in. Negative I see is, if a player's stick is tied up in close, you now have guys (and girls) doing a kicking motion with steel blades on their feet, hence the fault in my opinion.

Gopher fan here..... What about going back to the old days of the crease not being a blue semi circle, but where there is the smaller rectangle right around the net, in which case a skate in the crease would negate any goal? You could keep the half circle which would maintain any safety for the goaltender, but with the rectangle crease being smaller and closer to the goal, it would eliminate some controversy. If a skate was in the crease, it would definitely have interfered with the play because it's so close to the goalie and the net, eliminating any of the guess work. Also, I know I'm in the direct minority, but I've always felt that any puck off of a skate should be a goal, whether it's directed or not. I don't think it would change the dynamics of the game that much, it's not like people would start intentionally kicking the puck when presented with a scoring opportunity. Also, it would get rid of any controversy....the puck went in. Of course, I know I'm in the direct minority on this opinion and it will never happen, so no need to tell me I'm an idiot!