tnt

Were they worse than the Mitchell Miller issues? I would think that our culture would really been able to help him become a good citizen. Seriously, depending on the issues, sometimes it is better safe than sorry, especially after the black eye with the Miller fiasco. Hindsight is 20/20, but it sure worked out well for Western, as no issues and he will be gone after this year.

Yeah, don't go through the dog and pony show for appearance. At some point, people from outside won't even bother applying.

Even though I was hoping for real change, I am willing to give Jackson a chance. I do wonder though if all the players and Alumni that are throwing their support behind Jackson are willing to buck up the buyout money if things look poor a couple years down the road. And yes, I say a couple years, because I don't give someone that has been inside the program while it has deteriorated the same grace I would give a new coach.

I often think if they were constantly told to have consistent effort from start to finish of the game, and they failed to do so, I get the impression someone like Blais would make them hoof their gear to the city arena for practice to get them out of the cushy confines of the New Ralph and back to the roots of what built the program.

Not saying either are the answer, but what were Gino and David Carle’s credentials?

Too bad Zmolek isn’t a forward, we could put him with Zellers and Zakreski, and call it the “Sleeper” line. Also too bad Luke Toporowski who played for Spokane a few years ago wasn’t available to form the ZZTop line.

He did take some very undisciplined penalties, but maybe Jackson could have cracked down on that. Not going to be a make or break loss, especially if they can round up a talented replacement.

I'm with you. Was thinking of deleting the post due to the excessive lameness.

I always thought he was an Older MacDonald!

...and part of that is going to need to be results in developing players to the next level, and having a real shot at winning a Championship. If we get tangible results on both those fronts it makes it a lot easier going forward. Hopefully another part of the equation is the brand of hockey we play.

But even then, I think it was a better brand of hockey to watch. Of course winning is the most important, but at least with guys like Romaniuk, Ward, McLean, Bombardir, etc. they played an up tempo game.

Curious, why they would want to take a lateral move and go through North Dakota winters. Not that Grand Forks is a bad place to live, but if you aren't born to it, living in the Rockies is probably the bigger lure, all things being equal.

Maybe Jackson should think about hiring an assistant coach that actually is tuned in to U.S. hockey. I know Karl was part of a few tournaments, but we need to better utilize connections to U.S.A. hockey and the development teams.

It is amusing that the players can't see their own culpability in the decisions that have been made. How many times did Berry have to drill it in you that you need to start on time? I think that many players took advantage of Berry's good nature.

I think I will know if anything has changed when I see the level of aggressive play. If I see us up by one goal and not pressing hard to make it two and not forechecking, it will be disappointing. Hopefully aggressive play will help with recruiting those high end guys when they see them putting up numbers.

From the team with the best postseason winning percentage, to just about the worse, when they get there. Tons of fans that wouldn't miss a second of the action, to many that don't watch at all, and others flipping to see what the score is. That is the very definition of fallen. You said it yourself, the landscape is changing, and it is changing to be more of a pro landscape. When you are a school that is paying players above and beyond a scholarship, it is what have you done for me lately. This is the new landscape, perhaps you need to deal with it.

Imagine how Berry felt when every postgame interview he stated that they didn't come out to play, and they need to play a full 60 minutes. Having to put that on auto repeat suggests that the players weren't practicing what Berry preached.

Per very inside source -- me -- the fans of said hockey team were blindsided by the lack of dedication, fundamentals and passion this team had, given they said they were focusing on building for the post season. To state that as a goal, then have the dysfunctional locker room and then in the final period of the season to be dominated by a team whose season wasn't on the line totally blindsided me.

Maybe being Hakstol's good friend, Jackson is just holding the place for Hakstol until he gets fired from his next NHL stint.

Wait, weren't you telling us that Carter Bear is coming here? You don't consider a probable high first round pick a Chippah?

If he is indeed waiting for Motzko, then I imagine he figures he can wait 3 or 4 years. I guess we will see. The problem with that line of thinking is you aren't guaranteed anything, as we have seen that Potulny at one point was thought the heir apparent. Personally, if I was being realistic and a competitor, I would definitely be going somewhere where I could have a decent chance at a National title. How many teams from that league have won a title?

…and how many of those guys hate UND, and would love to see them flounder in the tournament for another decade. Do they think UND being tied or behind teams like Bemidji, Air Force, St. Cloud, and the rest of the teams on this list is what UND fans should expect? Probably, because they hate us. The fact that all these guys are backing Berry up, while they absolutely hated Hakstol tells you all you need to know.

The same group probably said the same thing about Lucia, Gasparini, Berenson, and probably York feeling the pressure. What happened to those programs that had become irrelevant after the changes? I would argue that becoming irrelevant in the age of NIL would be far more detrimental than people on the fringe looking from the outside and not seeing the actual culture change that has happened. When you aren’t winning and you have major locker room issues on two separate occasions, you have to look a little deeper.

List the National Championship coaches that began their career as an Associate or assistant at a blue blood.

Was this to save face if their guy doesn’t pan out? …and shouldn’t a lot of this vetting happened before you have to buy out a coaches contract?