tnt

Are NDSU fans saying it is selfish on UND's part? If so, they would be indicting themselves for moving out of the NCC.

Exactly. UND had one of it's biggest draws ever last year against Alaska Anchorage. How did Minnesota draw against Alaska last year -- and in the playoffs no less.

I think it is very telling that Bruce McLeod says he has no idea this was in the works. Does this guy actually get paid? He had to be compelled to talk to Nebraska Omaha a few years ago, and he wasn't proactive enough after the Big Ten became a reality to find out what the peer institutions were thinking! It speaks volumes that he didn't have the relationships in place to make a brainstorming session (I know an oxymoron) with the remaining league members a priority. Nice leadership! And you wonder why people are bolting a league with that kind of leadership? Yes, they could have gotten rid of him, but people have felt this way about him for a long time, so why wasn't he already gone?

I guess I am with all the fans around the league, including those at Minnesota and Wisconsin, that wish it would have never come to this. When Penn State wasn't even a blip on the radar, why was there constantly talk about Minnesota and Wisconsin leaving the league for a Big Ten conference. I don't think the Big Ten was pushing that talk then. If somebody within the administrations (Barry Alvarez) keeps pushing the idea, then when a club team talks about playing Division 1 hockey, of course the Big Ten is going to make sure that comes to fruition. For that reason, I am not a big Barry Alvarez fan. Those that talked about the Big Ten conference back then were always met with conference realignment as a possibility if/when that actually came to fruition, so nobody should be surprised that is happening now. Let's just hope the hard feelings that have come out of this whole thing don't last as long as that between NDSU and UND. People are acting in their best interests, and that shouldn't come as a huge surprise either.

Then to even it out, why don't you give me a +1 when I have a post that absolutely sucks! Plenty of opportunity there.

If they are trying to court Notre Dame, I don't think St. Cloud fits the equation. Omaha gave up football because they want to put all their resources to going Division 1. St. Cloud gave up football because... I can only guess is that they don't want to spend money to sustain it. That is the exact type of thinking that they do not want in the new league. With their proximity to the Twin Cities, they should have been a powerhouse in football, especially after NDSU, South Dakota, SDSU and UND left. What held them back there is probably what holds them back from being a consideration for the new conference.

So basically we are doing what NDSU did. Hmmm, kind of like the direction that has taken.

Hammy is saying this is all UND's fault. Minnesota was forced into the Big Ten! The guy has no credibility at all. Ryan Cardinal has credibility. Hammy is saying now that Minnesota should only play teams that didn't break up the WCHA like SCSU, Mankato and Bemidji. Do you mean the same Bemidji that you never had time for before they were in the WCHA. Wow! I guess you weren't into growing college hockey in your own state with Bemidji State. Oh and isn't it Minnesota fans who make it seem like the end of the world if they lose to a crummy team like Mankato State? Yet they think UND should stay in that conference and play the leftovers. I think everybody agrees that the Old WCHA was the place to be, and I can guarantee you that UND would still be in it if Minnesota and Wisconsin wouldn't have left. Conspicuously missing at fault here is the NCAA. They can get involved in a Nickname issue, but when the well being of a fringe sport is on the line from a Big Ten conference, they sit on their hands. Of course we know the NCAA is all about money, so why should they expect anything else from their institutions. Maybe Hammy and other gopher fans are not in the loop about history at UND, but the last time they sat on their hands, they lost a rival that actually rivals Minnesota in many respects, and that still has not been resolved in the second most important sport at UND. If UND leadership can equate sitting on their hands and thinking everything was going to be o.k. in Division 2, to sitting on their hands and losing ground on our rivals in the most important sport, then it truly was a no-brainer to get ahead of the game this time around. One could have only wished that the Big Ten told Minnesota and Wisconsin to jump off a bridge -- and likely according to some of their fans, they'd have done it.

They had nowhere to go after their conference disbanded, and UND helped them get into a very good conference. I don't think Bemidji State would effectively blackball UND when the Sioux were one of the constants in scheduling Bemidji before they came into the WCHA. Besides, it's just like us with Minnesota, we aren't happy they are leaving, but they still are a huge draw when they come to town. Just like when NDSU left the NCC, a series of events follows, which forces schools to look at what is in their best interest. I for one am happy that UND was proactive after Wisconsin and Minnesota left, rather than being reactive until their hand was forced after NDSU left.

Didn't see this anywhere in a thread, but Fightingsioux.com says that Jason Gregoire signed with the Winnipeg Jets.

Aren't they in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL)?

... or maybe Don Lucia is sick of the way the Ralph has been a house of horrors lately.

I think the article suggested that he might play in Dubuque again next year, if he indeed decides to decommit.

I got mine from the NHL draft board. http://www.nhl.com/ice/draftsearch.htm?year=2011&round=4

I guess I didn't read close enough. Gaudreau already signed with Northeastern, so he would have to sit out a year.

http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/324875/group/Sports/ So Hakstol still wants to add one more forward for next year huh? How about another 5' 6" dynamo? John Gaudreau, rookie of the year and fourth in USHL scoring, is considering decommitting from Northeastern as well. How would that be for a late recruit? Will probably be staying out east, but who knows.

If this ever did come to fruition, it would be interesting to see who would be the frontrunner for the job -- Mark Johnson, or Mark Osieki. Gotta believe that Mark Johnson would then be happy he didn't get, or didn't take the Penn State job.

Plus Parise is comfortable with Eaves as coach since he coached the gold medal World Juniors. Maybe that would work in helping to sign Parise.

His draft profile said he had a very good work ethic, so I guess time will tell on that.

Anybody else find it funny that Seth Ambroz said that "North Dakota is more of an ideal school for me, the type of player I am" during his interview after being drafted. Wow! He also stumbled with his words saying he could come in and help change ... or not change, but make an impact with the gophers. Kind of speaks volumes. Let's see if the ideal North Dakota type player is liked by gopher fans. My bet is that the hypocrits will like him and he won't be deemed "dirty" by them. I'm not so sure a lot of gopher fans appreciate the type of player that NHL teams love -- those that are hard to play against. You hear that phrase thrown around all the time by NHL teams, and it certainly is a hallmark of Hakstol's teams. I sure hope I never hear a Sioux recruit say "Minnesota is an ideal school for me".

Keep proving them wrong Rocco! Hopefully he will make a lot of NHL teams look foolish, just like Parise has.

Will it be two years in a row where the Sioux have the 15th and 30th picks in the first round?

On the other hand, maybe the Bruins learned their lesson on not selecting Zach Parise when they had a chance and took Mark Stuart. Who would have thought that Blake Wheeler would go #5 in the draft? Probably not likely, but it only takes one team to see something in a player that others don't. There are always surprises of people with questionable work ethics that slip down the draft board, and that leaves room for people with great work ethics like Grimaldi to move up.

Don't want to address the "facts" part of your post, but I think what he is saying is that your remark about the train going is exactly what Kelley wanted, to get people so worried that they would not follow through on the extra time to make one final effort with the nickname. I have been a believer that it was basically gone when they gave up the lawsuit, so I am not naive to what is going to be reality, but one does have to wonder a bit about who is telling the truth -- because flat out, someone is lying-- and we know that is a fact.

I don't know, I think Genoway, Frattin, Malone, etc. handled the loss to Michigan fairly well. Don't group all people together, otherwise all Americans get lumped into the arrogant category. As in college hockey, every fanbase has their idiots, the same can be said of Canada.