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Hakstol's teams remind me of the movie 'Groundhog Day" every time March rolls around. Without fail, his teams come up short every year they enter the playoffs. Not just once in awhile, EVERY YEAR. Something's not right considering the blue chip talent this team has. Whether it's not finding the right line-combinations, not preparing the team properly, lack of in-game adjustments, not motivating the team with the right Knute Rockne speech, I dunno, this team just can't deliver when it matters. It can't be the players year after year over 10 years in a row now, nor can "puck luck" be the reason for so many consecutive seasons. Any thoughts?

Then that means I can't criticize the president, the construction team that built my house, the cook who burnt my steak last week, my supervisor, my dr. who charged me over $500 to de-wax my ears, etc., all because I've never held their positions before & can't do their work now. That's what you're implying by logical extension. Judging/discernment is an evolutionary trait that humans have acquired over the past 30-50k years for the sake of survival & bettering themselves; by nature the criticisms will abound when a team flops. Especially here, it's human nature. Being objectively critical of a team's performance is the best thing you can do for a team that wants to improve; saying "that's tough, there's always next year" doesn't inspire change for the better & is glossing over any deficiencies/flaws that will be repeated if not corrected. So, hopefully the coaching staff will evaluate themselves honestly in the off-season, from their types of recruits & conditioning exercises to their pre-game preparations & post-season scouting. Everything. Positive change through honest introspection. That goes for the players also. (not necessarily directed at you-->) Of course no team is going to win the NC every year, but it should be the belief and expectation of everyone on the Sioux hockey team that they will accomplish great things & not settle for anything less than the title year in & year out. It's nonsense for a team & its fans who are accustomed to success to be complacent with runner-ups. That's the fate of the Michigan Techs & Pittsburgh Pirates of this world. "Apologists" & "Sioux hockey" should be mutually exclusive concepts.

A true fan is always loyal, but critical when it's warranted. True, Hakstol doesn't deserve all the blame, but he gets paid the big bucks to bring home championships, so fans have a right to vent after the past 4 seasons. If the Sioux, say, go to the FF two years in a row & play hard-fought games, but lose in OT or have a bad bounce both games, I would probably attribute it to destiny or some other abstract excuse. But when they go 0-4 & don't really challenge in any of those years, I tend to think it's more of a systemic problem with some blame going to the coaching staff. Four consecutive FFs is quite a feat, but the goal of every season is to go all the way & correct any deficiencies when it's not attained. We played them even earlier in the year, & get embarrassed in the semis. Did they become NHL All-Stars over the past 6 months or did they perhaps have a better strategy by scouting our weaknesses more efficiently than we did theirs? Were their players better conditioned? Did they have a better system? Was their emphasis on speed & a quick transition game the keys (of which the coach is responsible for recruiting speedy players)? Were bad line-pairings the reason (putting the big Finley in an offensive-zone face-off, knowing that a quick Gerbe-led transition the other way would make it difficult for him to catch up)? If any of these reasons apply to this game then, yes, part of the blame falls on the coaching staff. These are just kids &, compared to a professional, need the right guidance at the right times for the best results. Sports aren't the only venues in which there are losers. Businesses go under & lose to competition that is more dynamic & forward-thinking. There is no "Oh well, thanks for the memories." CEOs get canned when results aren't achieved. Generals get demoted if they don't prove their cunning on the battlefield. Maybe not the best of examples, but my point stands that Hakstol needs to take some responsibility for the recent failures, like any good leader would. Something is causing the Sioux to perpetually lose year after year in big games, & it ain't all the players' faults. Hopefully Hakstol & his braintrust will isolate a couple of the not-so-glaring aspects & fix them for added championships. Some coaches (Belichick, Bowman, Lombardi to name a few) are destined for greatness because they expect it & instill this winning spirit in their players. Does Hakstol get the most out of his players & EXPECT championships year after year? I have no idea but any great coach would share this mindset, I believe. Maybe it's a generational thing, but a Sioux hockey fan should never accept mediocrity & should demand solutions when goals aren't met year after year. Complacency among the fan base doesn't jive with a winning program. It doesn't matter what York's or Lucia's track-record is, it only matters what Hakstol's is & the benchmark he sets for the Sioux team. Just my .02 from waaay out west in cowboy country....

It's refreshing to know that there are some sane people out there like you. Good post. I'll do you one better, because every one of "the front-runners" are complete & unabashed clowns & total misfits. Endless wars on false pretenses; diminished civil liberties; encroachment on the 2nd Amendment; destruction of the middle class due to outsourcing & an endless welfare/warfare state; the dissolution of the Constitution & U.S. sovereignty....I'm ashamed of our public school system & the idiots it has produced the past 60 years with its dumbed-down curriculum. An educated, rational public would be highly critical of these elitists, not fawning over them to the point of celebrity-worshiping. The matrix is escapable, you know. If N.D. were truly patriotic, it would bar these sovereignty-destroyers from entering the state. Get a load of this stuff: Obama's church founded on radical creed "The church where Sen. Barack Obama has worshipped for two decades publicly declares that its ministry is founded on a 1960s book that espouses "the destruction of the white enemy." Obama's unfunded bailout "Barack Obama's debate performances and his "change" and "hope" speeches have been rightly criticized for lacking substance. But that doesn't mean his policy shop hasn't been working overtime creating seemingly countless new schemes to transfer huge sums of taxpayer money to millions and millions of households through mortgage bailouts and "refundable" tax credits (essentially welfare payments to households whose income-and, in many cases, payroll-tax burdens have already been eliminated)."

More specifically, they are committed globalists who will drive the final nail into the coffin that is the middle class. Essentially they're no different than Insane McCain, other than their dumbed-down rhetoric & jingoistic stump speeches that may lead a gullible person who's easily influenced by mainstream media to think that they're competing paradigms. The corporate elite have chosen these puppets for your consumption. For those of you that have an ounce of common sense remaining, quit swallowing as Truth everything that the boob tube throws at you & think independently. I dare you. Think what kind of future you're leaving for your posterity. But if you desire the morphing of the sovereign entity that is the U.S. into the North American Union, then any of these 3 would be a worthy choice.

That's very nice to hear. Kudos to Hakstol & his top-notch recruiting skills.

Never really understood this intense disliking of the Badgers. It's been over 20 years since the Sioux had any consistently meaningful games with them & fans still carry on like they're evil incarnate. But I suppose it's human nature for avid sports fans from a particular school to focus on a team as "The Bad Guys". Subtract the Gophers & Badgers from our conference & it wouldn't be long before a new "hated" team was chosen. Tis to be expected in a dimension of dualities. I prefer to think of them as just another above-average team that makes us earn any points we may take from them. Don't really agree with that point. To refresh your memory, we live in a PC nation & institutions of higher learning are especially vulnerable to this cultural disease. Schools will usually fall in line with others to show just how Soviet they are. That's the nature of PC, it's a Groupthink mentality that starts with the elites, trickles down to the institutions, is spread non-stop by the media & through public schools, is fostered by large corporations & eventually molds the way individuals think. It's hard to escape it when it's drilled into our heads from the cradle to the grave. And then people act surprised that their school nickname is being challenged: PC has been around for the last 30+ years, is gaining steam & it'll only stop when society as a whole says it won't tolerate these mental restraints any longer. A few thousand concerned administrators & students from UND may be able to save its nickname & logo, but it won't kill the larger beast that is PC. In case anyone didn't know, PC was instituted in the former Soviet Union in the 1920's under Lenin as a way to control his people, to minimize the number of potential free-thinkers. When that didn't work, it was a one-way ticket to the gulags. Now it's here.

Better Friday night than Saturday night; Saturday wasn't exactly good for marketing purposes.

Very informative, esp. the part about "a lot of other guys coming in next season."

Probably as good as he wants to be. Off topic a little....Considering that he's only 17 & this is the age when most young men go through growth spurts, he may upsize another inch....maybe more. Most of his peers are trying out for varsity h.s. squads or trying to get the feel for the USHL, while he's competing in a league with grown men 3, 4 years his senior. He no doubt thought of this challenge before he signed with UND, that it would be the best for his development & would fasttrack his path to the NHL. No sense lighting up the USHL for a year when he can have comparable (but maybe less) success with more mature, refined players. Akin to academics: If you have a bright child, you put him with the other bright kids; not the average ones because there's no challenge & it stunts development.

Caught my first glimpse of the '05-'06 Sioux on the NHPTV Webcast & here are a few of my impressions: + Oshie: Always seemed to be where the action was & opportunistic in that he converted on a nice backhand rebound. Maybe doesn't have a blistering slapshot but compensates for that by working in tight spaces & close to the net. The Dino Ciccarelli (sp) legend lives on in the form of a young man with a unique first name. + Lee: I admire young players like this who perform beyond their years. Poised, good decision-making in pressure situations; skills that usually take years to develop. Was impressed with his shots from the point: on the Oshie goal he appeared to notice a possible good rebound opportunity when he shot low-right on Regan, with Oshie calmly flipping it in. Displayed good anticipation on that goal. + Chorney: I don't think I've ever seen a frosh d-man play with such confidence. Powerful stride & hard slap shot from the point; at times I thought I was watching an all-American junior or senior. + Jones: From reading various posters' previous evaluations of Zach, I thought of him as the weakest link in the d-corps. After watching him Saturday, I still think he has a ways to go but I feel a lot more comfortable with him than before. On one occasion, he moved up nicely from the blueline, took a nice feed from Zajac who was behind the UNH goal & had a quality point-blank shot on net. This could have led to an odd-man rush the other way, but he got to show his offensive side. + Parise: Noticed from a couple NH papers before the weekend & USCHO Hockey East reporters afterward that Parise was being described as a "star" & other nice things. Never before quite thought of him this highly but my opinion of him changed this weekend. No doubt a few of the NHL scouts in attendance saw his great play (esp. Fri. night) & it'll be interesting to see if he gets selected in one of the later rounds of the '06 Entry Draft. + Consistency: I wonder if it's written somewhere or a universal law that young teams are forbidden from playing 60 minutes of intense hockey. I thought we had a good showing in this area Saturday, but from listening to other games Parise won't always be able to bail out his teammates during those times when they have those 20-minute long motivational malfunctions. + Inopportune penalties: A good example of this was when Stafford hacked a UNH forward across the back of the neck during a time when the Sioux were dominating play & cycling very effectively. This essentially nullified that & put UNH back on the offensive. Maybe someone can call in Wednesday night & ask the coach why his players are doing this & if anything is being done to remedy the situation. I know, it's early in the season, but it's something that shouldn't be allowed to continue indefinitely. + This is a very special freshman class. Contrary to preseason polls & expectations, I don't think this is an exceptionally strong year in the WCHA. Denver & Minnesota may create a slight gap at the top come Jan. or Feb., but I think the Sioux will still be within shouting distance. Still TBD is whether the young Sioux legs will still be moving fast in March after 6 months of physical WCHA play. + Dear Bob Norton: Winnipeg is not in Minnesota & Finley is taller than 6'4". + Liked what I saw in the cycling department. Also impressed by their transition game; big difference from last year & it's remarkable how the simple addition of 3 offensive-minded d-men can change the style & overall effectiveness of a team. Sort of reminded me of CC's style of D in recent years & I think this better ability to push the puck up the ice (including outlet passes) will make for more exciting hockey, longer puck possession, better control of the neutral zone &, of course, more point production -- from the D & overall. Seemed like last year's D was preoccupied with hurting opposing players, whereas this year's are focused on putting points on the board. + Hockey East doesn't look to be too strong this year if UND can go into (projected 1st place) UNH & take 3/4 points with mostly underclassmen. Not very impressed with the Wildcats -- suspect D, doesn't appear to be coached in the importance of physical play/checking & mostly a one-line team. These qualities may win HE regular season titles, but not NCAA championships. HE down this year, CCHA up & WCHA as previously mentioned. + Special thanks to sprig for giving me some tips that optimized my PC in preparation for Saturday night's Webcast. Thanks also to NHPTV for the opportunity to watch some quality hockey (even though their server kicked me off with 5 min. remaining in the 3rd period because it got too busy).

Well, to show any others reading this that I don't have any animosity towards you, I thought I would respond in public. When people see someone going through a hard time, I think it's human nature to try & want to understand them better. At least for me it is. I was reading this thread & the one on USCHO & most of the comments were about the end-results, like what it would mean to the team & mostly well-wishes. I thought the same things, but being the inquisitive type, wanted to know the reasons. Why is this happening to him? immediately popped into my head; & from my work experiences thought I would share with others what could possibly be the beginnings of some organic disorder. Some may have seen this as an inappropriate assumption, but I saw it as an opportunity to maybe shed some light on the situation. (the ol' po-ta-to vs. po-TA-to dilemma) I'm not trying to pigeon-hole you here, but I think many people see Serious Mental Illness as a stigma, like alcoholism & cancer, & would prefer to shove it under the carpet then talk about it openly. Basically a cultural no-no. It's acceptable to speculate about physical injuries & why a player is doing poorly in the classroom, but when it comes to the inner workings of the mind most people shy away from it, almost reflexively. I'm probably very wrong about Tyler & I certainly hope it's a fleeting problem. In the end, we'll likely never know what caused him to leave, but I feel it's healthy to discuss the reasons as long as the dialogue is kept respectful & a better understanding is sought. Thanks for the compliment, a hearty ditto & the best to Tyler.

From PCM's link: Sounds like Umile has his team thinking that they're the underdogs up against the big, mighty Sioux. Smart on his part, no doubt wanting his players to be the hungier team.

schmidtdoggydog: I posted in good faith & was listing this as a remote possibility. It was an opinion and nothing more & was not intended to sensationalize this young man's plight. I was listing my experience in this field & mentioned this because family members are usually shocked when their child comes down with this because of the bizarre behaviors exhibited. Next time, I recommend you & all others ask me or any other poster you have problems with for an explanation before jumping to conclusions. It facillitates discussions.

That was a classic post. Thank goodness none of those characteristics define North Dakotans.

Hopefully this medical hardship isn't being taken for early signs of schizophrenia. I work with schizophrenic clients & this mental illness usually starts showing itself in 17-25 year olds. Intrusive, uncontrollable thoughts that, according to the afflicted, come from one or more outside "people". Schizophrenics also have hardcore delusions (false beliefs that have no basis in reality), are usually quite paranoid & some are hyper-religious. I'm working with a 42 y/o male now who thinks he has an implant in his throat that controls the moods & behaviors of those around him. I'm hoping that what Tyler is going through is nothing more than transient personal problems & not anything like schizophrenia which is quite debilitating.

According to some, even the white Powerballs are a racist act; I suppose some are just more at ease seeing black balls on Wednesday & Saturday nights. There's a town called White Settlement (TX?) where the city council is voluntarily changing the name so as not to offend anyone. Another example of castrated white males running around afraid of their own shadows. Anyway.... Gk seems to think his fellow Native Americans are all saints. Technically, Native Americans are distant relatives of the Asian race. Some fine & dandy representatives from that kind & gentile group include Ghengis Khan, Attila the Hun & more recently Mao, Pol Pot. And before the history books were revised some 30 years ago, stories were told of his Aztec cousins to the south engaged in head-severing rituals; while his brothers up north had some pretty vicious battles with other tribes. Many of these people didn't have the technology & mobility of whites to spread their terror internationally, but they sure wreaked a lot of mayhem in their own regions; as far as their horses could take them. Point is, every race has blood on its hands; contrary to what GK, Steven Spielberg & Hollywood tell you.

True. It's refreshing to see a couple of white people here who are tuned into what's happening in our public schools & institutions of higher learning. Brown, black, red & yellow = good & righteous; white = evil & racist haters. GK exploits this decades-old mantra & mentions it as often as possible, probably because he can get away with it & there are no social repercussions for him making blanket statements & gross misrepresentations of the caucasian race. Hardly noble but very politically savvy. It's PC to blame Whitey. On the other hand, whites have been conditioned for, oh, the past 50-60 years that anything resembling white pride is taboo & "hateful". Public education sure has been hijacked by a lot of self-hating whites in high places who have instilled this self-loathing/racial denial in our children. This agenda has sure been successful -- the number of whites who have bought into this propaganda is legion. You repeat something over & over & people begin to believe it, regardless of whether it's true or not: Stalin, Goebbels, Mao & most American politicians know this stratagem. Sioux-cia is rather bold here about her pride in her Mexican ancestry & more power to her; I actually admire people who are proud of their lineage. No race should be made to feel ashamed of their family tree. Now if only white people would have this sense of racial awareness & stand up & be counted; very difficult to achieve when the media & schools are bombarding us 24/7 with images & messages quite the opposite. Wake up, white man, & be proud of yourself & your past, just like the other races. The media is not your friend.

At this point in the season, I don't think any team deserves a #1 ranking. Not Michigan, not the Sioux, not Minnesota, not Cornell, not anybody. If I were in charge of a certain poll, I would leave the #1 spot open for the first few weeks until all the teams have had at least a chance to hit their collective strides and demonstrate that one of them deserves to be on top. Right now it's too early: Too much of teams getting-to-know each other & establishing identities, upsets that would rarely happen in later months, players still trying to reach their peak conditioning & other early-season factors. In fact, for the entire month of October I'd have teams ranked 2 through 15 but not #1. The #1 slot would open after the first weekend in November. I think this would be a refreshing change to the traditional concept of polling.

Are political parodies o.k. or would this be too risky & possibly offend someone's sensibilities? I want to upload a political avatar but I don't want to be too "provocative"; simply want to stay within your nicely packaged, non-offensive parameters. No skin, derogatory language, violence or anything of the sort. Thank you. And if I understand this right, a boss might be offended by a woman in a bikini but he wouldn't be offended by his employee surfing the Internet on company time?

Is the Fargo Forum now a subsidiary of USCHO?