tnt

Roughriders and North Dakota are the only two that have any weight in my eyes, and everyone knows how I feel about us being right back here in a few years with the latter.

When your rivals are urging message board people to vote often on online polls for Sundogs, you know what others think of that as a joke of a nickname. Will someone please put the brakes on this joke!

We were told that unique and pertinent to the state were traits they wanted in the new nickname ... and this is what they came up with. Remind me why they paid a consultant all that money! No respect at all for committee members.

Don't know if I'd feel that way if they went somewhere else.

It is amazing about a lot of the stuff behind the scenes that Hakstol has done and was not common knowledge. I had no idea that he is the one that pushed for a series like "Through these Doors". He also gave the fans more access to the inner workings of the program with Dan Hammer's weekly TV show about UND Hockey. That will be huge going forward in giving exposure to the program, and will help with giving us a recruiting advantage going forward over most programs. Like him or not, he has moved the program forward by leaps and bounds on giving the average fan access to the program.

I'm sure Minnesota fans would have loved to see Mario Lucia in a gophers uniform even with the issues that could arise with the Father/Son relationship. I think it is the same here. True, the perception is quite different about favorites or what not, but I think fans question who is in the lineup and what roles they play regardless, as do players, I'm sure. I think Hayden Shaw has the potential to be a great player, just like Troy Stecher, because they both have dad's that are coaches, and when a player with ability has the bonus to think the game like a coach, you can often times get an elite player.

It is so great to have all those guys back next year. With LaDue, Stecher, Thompson and Poolman all staying we will have a formidable defense to say the least. As lucky as we were this year, all four underclassmen could potentially leave after this coming year, so could be pretty green the following year. Can you imagine if Schmaltz would have stayed? Would even be less experience the following year. The expectation is that Ausmus would stay through his Senior year, but he has a game that a lot of teams would love to have as well. Guess we just need to enjoy what we have next year and can make a run and possibly finish it with some hardware. That would make some of the probable losses easier to deal with.

It isn't 12 years at the professional ranks, it is 12 years coaching experience at NCAA, Junior or Professional. Still requirements are pretty lofty.

I too, thought of him, but then wondered if he would have a degree.

Was thinking Rick Wilson must have those qualifications, but why would he leave the Minnesota Wild. Just thinking that anybody with that much experience, are they going to be eager for getting out on the long recruiting trail and the work that it requires to stay on top? I realize that the NHL is an absolute grind as well, but I hope someone isn't looking for security without being all in on the amount of work it takes, even at the college level. Would rather have an up and comer than someone that just is looking for a little job security.

Not sure if it was dismissed, but wasn't there a domestic assault charge against Patrick a year or so ago?

Just a note to these professors, it is North "Dakota" State University, so people could use those same derogatory terms against NDSU as well. Now knowing that, are they going to propose changing the name of the state. It is to the point where professors are so out of touch with the mainstream, that it detracts from their ability to teach facts rather than feeling.

I realize that, but I think they came across that nickname quite naturally, and I don't think we need to go down the same route that we had with the Sioux nickname where we had a group telling others they needed to be educated on why they should be offended. People can find something to be offended by if they look deep enough and we can see this play out every day in society.

Maybe we should start a movement to get rid of the Grand Forks girls high school team nickname Knight Riders, because it is too close to Night Riders.

http://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/und-hockey/3748136-former-und-hockey-assistant-coach-eades-expected-be-named-force-coach Just going by this article. Not saying who is at fault, but like I said, winning is usually a cure all.

Usually winning overlooks a lot of things, but the fact that he didn't have his contract renewed in Sioux Falls, makes a person wonder why they couldn't get along under winning circumstances.

I don't agree with Fetch on a team full of the Gaarder types, but it will be interesting to see if any of the young faces we have in the lineup, or some other underclassmen can have an impact down the stretch of the season like Gaarder did. Scoring goals during playoff hockey is a lot different than scoring during the regular season. Hopefully somebody steps up and keeps the ball rolling as a big game scorer.

...and if it is, we will be right back here starting from scratch in 5 years or less. Not a scare tactic, but do you think that the people that shouted down the Sioux nickname won't start a campaign to find a politically correct name themselves? Jeanotte is probably already getting a plan ready because people are still yelling "Sioux", whether it has anything to do with having a nickname in place or not.

I could never understand how the people who thought the name was hostile and abusive and created that type of atmosphere for them on campus could overlook the possibility that there would be those type of people that wanted to "stick it to the man" after their beloved nickname was gone. You can see the blind passion that some have for the nickname could create a hostility that was more real than the perceived hostility that some attached to having the Fighting Sioux nickname. Guess what, there are jerks and racists around, and they aren't necessarily tied to a nickname.

I would be willing to bet that if they stay just North Dakota that we will be having this same conversation time and again, and more money spent on consultants and panels in the future. It will be the same scenario as the back and forth on the Fighting Sioux nickname controversy, until they finally decide to pick a new nickname and move on.

Wow, just wow. I think the Noise Inside Your Head is clouding any rational judgement. I thought maybe your silence was due to shame from sitting back and taking a look at the whole situation, and then you come back with that retort.

Yes, let there be discussion about what would possess someone to perform such an act, then what would possess a person to make light of it.

Depending on when the game is scheduled, it could be very interesting. I have a feeling with the chatter back and forth between Major Junior and college programs, it could get quite contentious. If we are in the middle of our season, we would have much more to lose, because fighting would mean sitting the next game as well. (See Andy Schneider vs. Manitoba).

But the sentiment is that Brian Faison doesn't care about football. Is he not tied to the same restraints as past Athletic Directors? I see a great new football facility going up, and maybe he wasn't the author of it, but he has some credit in getting it through all the red tape and even some funding aspects. Just don't think that the attitude that Faison cares less about football, or other sports other than hockey are accurate.

I would argue that Roger Thomas was the Athletic Director that hurt UND football the most by using the wait and see approach, rather than being proactive like NDSU. We had gone ahead of them in football, now look at where the programs are at.