buckysieve

I don't think I've ever seen a more talented freshman fly under the radar before entering college more than Oshie did. I have no idea why he was underrated the way he was. Nobody had any idea that he would be arguably the best freshman in the nation. These are 18 year old kids were talking about. The pressure of high expectations from fans and most of all the media can have a big impact on their performance.

So you're admitting you're a delusional lunatic? If you would've just admitted that months ago we could actually be friends by now. Seriously though, you guys overreact to everything negative said abot Kessel. What about all the good things that have been said about Kessel lately? He's been called the player with the most upside in the draft, the best skater in the draft, the most explosive player in the draft, the player that makes you sit at the edge of your seat when he gets the puck about to make a rush. He's the player that everyone HAD to find negatives about because he was labeled with completely unrealsitic expectations for the last couple years that NO ONE could have lived up to. He's not a bad kid, no matter how bad you all want that to be true. He's the most scrutinized player I've ever seen play college hockey. I honestly feel sorry for him in that regard. You guys knew I couldn't stay silent forever right?

I think you might be the one taking this all too seriously. Sprig calling the gophers the Golden Chokers didn't make me mad, it made me laugh. It looks like you're the one who got riled up over a post. Why can't I give back some good natured ribbing when things are said about my team? Don't take it so seriously, it's all part of the rivalry.

Oh really? Tell me, which team is 0-2 in their last two NCAA title games? It's the Sioux. Which team is 2-0 in their last two NCAA title games? It's the Gophers. When the Gophers get there they finish the deal. When the Sioux get their they pee down their legs. Nice try though. Since UND has to change their name anyway, here's a suggestion. The Fighting Chokers. It's new, it's fresh, and it's very appropriate.

Yeah, I agree about Wheeler. The reason I mentioned him is because he's a number five pick overall so there's always a chance he could leave but he's nowhere near ready. Kessel and Johnson are obviously HUGE risks to leave. I think there's a better chance Johnson will be a Gopher next year than Kessel but that's just what my gut is telling me. If I had my pick between the two I'd rather have Johnson on the team over Kessel. The Gophers will score goals regardless but a big strong two way d-man who controls the play like Johnson does is what this team needs. A Goligoski-Johnson defensive pairing would be fun to watch.

Potulny, Irmen, Chucko, and possibly Kessel and Johnson. We've taken some hits and we might not be done. Wheeler and Goligoski are even possible risks although they're probably long shots to leave. That said, UND has definitely had it the worst this off season but Minnesota has hardly been immune to players bolting.

I have no idea about his parents but there are no conflicts with his current teammates. I just read an article on Kessel a couple weeks ago(I don't remember which publication, someone posted a link to it on a message board) and one of the things the author talked about was Kessel's superb work ethic. I guess it just depends on who's doing the writing and what his opinions are because there are certainly some differing opinions out there. The more he falls in the draft the better chance he'll come back for one more season I would think, so this is all good news for Gopher fans. That said, I'll be shocked if he falls out of the top five. He's just to talented to pass up. I think Toews, Kessel, and Johnson will all go in the top three.

No obsession here. It's just that you guys are kind of like the Fox News Channel of message boards. You watch it, and you just can't believe the outrageous comments that are made and you have to speak up about it. The Triouxper definitely plays the role of Sean Hannity, while us Gopher fans try to play the role of Alan Colmes.

Where's the dickhead stat? You'd certainly be leading in that category.

Known sieves don't get drafted in the first few picks of the second round. He was by far the number one goalie recruit in the nation a year ago. He's hardly a known sieve. Don't get me wrong, I don't trust him yet one bit because of his immaturity(mainly off the ice) but he still has a chance to be great.

I'm just saying that we have no idea if Stalock will be better than Frazee yet. Can he play at least one game before we conclude who he's better or worse than?

How do you know? Stalock has never even played a single college game yet and Frazee was a more prized recruit than Stalock. Look at Frazee's freshman stats, there actually pretty solid numbers.

The FBI report found that he's not a nazi. I never said he was a nazi. Nothing will ever change the fact that he threw two birthday parties for the most hated man in the history of the world. That's all I need to know.

I guess that's where we differ. I don't put throwing a Hitler birthday party(twice) in the category of doing something dumb. It's far worse than that and you know it. Quit making excuses for him. What he did was flat out disgusting and so is anyone who defends these parties he threw.

What do you mean he didn't? Are you saying he only threw one party? It's a fact that he threw two of them separated by two years. Maybe you need to learn how to read.

If he knew the party was stupid and insensitive then why did he do it again two years later? That's why I'm convinced he's a racist and a nazi sympathizer. He offended A LOT of people with the first party and then he did it again knowing full well what kind of reaction it would get. And stop using the fact that he donated lots of money to different organizations as a way of defending these parties. Even racists can donate money, but it doesn't change the fact that they're racists. But I would like some Sioux fans to answer my original question. If he knew the party was stupid and insensitive then why did he do it again two years later?

Yes, it was two parties, one in 1986 and another in 1988. Google Englestad and Hitler and you'll find some articles about these parties that will make you sick. They describe these parties in detail and after reading them I have no problem calling this man a racist. One of the details you'll read about talks about the Imperial Palace printing bumper stickers that read "Hitler was right". It's simply unimaginable that someone could do this which would make you think maybe he really didn't understand what he was doing. You could accept his apology and move on. But then he did it again two years later? Are you kidding me? That clearly shows what kind of person Ralph was. And you're right, making mistakes doesn't make you a bad person. But throwing a Hitler birthday party that offended a lot of people and then doing it again two years later does. If you're offended by Pipers comments then you should be ten times more offended by the fact that your arena is named after him. I'm serious, google "Englestad throws Hitler birthday party" and read those articles. If you dare to continue to defend Ralph after that then I'm the one who will be offended. One piece of advice though. Have a paper bag near you or make sure you're close to a bathroom while reading these articles because it's tough to stomach. If I get banned from this site for this post that's fine. It's so backwards that Sioux fans get offended by people calling him a nazi instead of being offended themselves by his actions.

Oh come on. The real reason you don't like the Gophers under the Don's reign is because of two NCAA titles, two Broadmoor trophies, and a Macnaughton Cup. In all honesty I expected the Gophers to play poorly against the Badgers in the third place game because they played the night before. I'm not whining about the fact that the Gophers play in the Friday night semi every year but the one downfall is if they lose that game there really isn't a lot left in the tank for the next afternoon. And yes, I do think that third place games are meaningless unless you're on the bubble for the NCAA's. There's a reason the NCAA dropped the third place game years ago in hockey and in basketball. It's a pointless game where your only concern should be to get out of it without any serious injuries.

Didn't work out? So by your logic, you'll surely admit that Z. Parise's and Bochenski's careers didn't work out. I didn't know you had to win a National Title in order for your college choice to work out. That's a new one.

The past two years Irmen and Potulny went 3-1 against the Sioux at the Ralph while scoring an insane amount of points. Their freshman year Irmen was on the third line and Potulny was injured and only played in about 15 games. Neither player was a go to guy until their sophomore year, the same time they started owning the Sioux at the Ralph. And you bring up '98-'99 and '99-'00? Those were the two worst teams the Gophers have had in the last 35 years. I would hope that the Sioux would've had success against crappy teams like that especially considering how great those Sioux teams were. And Red Wing, I wasn't defending Piper or what he said. I never called anyone a nazi and I never will. And I also think you're crazy if you think the Gophers have a better offense than the Wild. I truly think that Gaborik and Rolston could put up 90-100 pts if they played 45 games against collegians.

I was there also. They would have been crying no matter where their careers ended. If the Holy Cross game makes you feel any better about two native North Dakota boys spurning their hometown team to play for their arch rival and then owning them EVERY time they played at the Ralph then go ahead, what do I care.

As the off-season goes on, I've gotten the feeling that Toews and Kessel have both played their last collegiate game. They will both be top five picks who have already played one year of college hockey. It's not very often that you'll get two years out of a top five pick. Heatly and Vanek are exceptions to this, not the rule. Can anyone else think of top five picks who played multiple years of college hockey?

For the record, I'm not sticking up for Piper. But I have to tell you that I would like to see at least some Sioux fans stop defending Englestad. I've heard a lot of Sioux fans say that he simply made a mistake and he apologized for it so let's move on. For most people it's not that easy. It takes weeks to plan an elaborate party like the one(s) he threw. He knew EXACTLY what he was doing and then he did it again for crying out loud. Apologizing doesn't change a thing. It just seems like Sioux fans are more offended by people calling him a nazi then they are by his actions and that's not right.

Please tell me that you're more offended by Englestad's disgusting behavior(throwing not one, but two Hitler birthday parties) than you are by Piper's comments.

The final laugh was on them? Are you joking? Irmen and Potulny absolutely OWNED the Sioux at the Ralph. Every time they played there they were the two best players on the ice. They have a three game winning streak at the Ralph against the Sioux(and Parise). Their careers may have ended in that building but it wasn't at the hands of your squad. Those two players will always have the final laugh when it comes to playing the Sioux at the Ralph, that can't be debated. It's obvious why you people love Holy Cross so much. Now you can finally cheer for a team that knows how to beat the Gophers at the Ralph. But to say that the Sioux got the final laugh on Irmen and Potulny because a team other than the Sioux beat them is laughable.