farce poobah

Homer would be Bruce Brothers of the Pioneer Press, who picked: Ambroz to go #28. Lucia to go #30. Delusion is alive and well in Rodentland. [rolleyes]

I heard the Seth Ambroz interview too, and had the same reaction: "then why are you going to Minnesota"? Other schools with more NHL-style games and coaches with a proven history of developing players include Denver, Wisconsin, UNO and UMD. Seems like he's destined to be a one-and-done in Minnesota.

Let me start by saying that I am not a fan of Vancouver hockey fans, starting with their treatment of Team USA at the WJC a few years back. However, lost in the chaos afterwards was a strong show of sportsmanship inside the arena and after the game. They applauded their home team with a stick salute. They applauded the Conn Smythe winner. They applauded the Stanley Cup. They applauded when Zdeno Chara raised it. (The booing was pretty much reserved for Bettman. Which is really quite funny.) Beats the h-e-double-hockey-sticks out of Philadelphia.

Well, actually, the Grand Forks delegation - with close UND ties - didn't. But hey, don't let facts get in the way of your delusions. Carry on.

To me, the surprise has always been that we got Travis.

The Last Warrior stands proudly, facing his pursuers. He has not dropped his weapons or his shield. Standing tall to his principles, he has not surrendered. His pursuers are determined to force surrender or death. His existence poses a threat to their sense of being. While others in their community might have tolerated his existence, the posse is determined. The Last Warrior has friends. His friends have given different opinions. Some say fight on, while others say surrender and live. One last choice is to spend a life on the run, independent of a family, occasionally spotted and pursued by the posse. He may be able to exist forever, but such a choice is not really a life at all, but merely an existence. The choice rests with the Last Warrior: will he choose surrender, or death?

I'm looking forward to seeing him develop in the green and white. You could fill a book with North Dakota hockey players who came in with "exceptional" work ethic and left as great hockey players. I might start with Phil Sykes and Doug Smail from my days, and continuing on last years team with players like Frattin and Gregoire.

Agree. You can add "waste of taxpayer money" to the offenses committed here.

I support the decision to close the thread. Everyone had had the opportunity to make their points, over a 2 month period. (All that was going on was a "rehashing match".) In terms of board policy, I think most "old threads" should remain open, based on the possibility of new information about old topics ... it happens a couple times a month and it adds to the flavor. So, routinely closing old threads would be a bad idea. But closing crappy threads does improve the tone of the board, a worthy objective. If we could objectively measure the ratio of "piffing matches" to "solid content", we could set a standard of "when the bulk of discussion is piffing, its time to close it". Until then, making it a judgement call is the next best thing.

Hyperbole = sales job. I have seen 35 years of Sioux hockey, and a few stand out as being exceptionally good at puck possession and using body leverage to ward off an opponent. I would put Gregoire in the top echelon, along with Ryan Bayda, Perry Berezan, Jonathan Toews, Cary Eades, Jim Archibald, Dave Tippett, Lee Goren, Matt Henderson ... to name a few. He may yet be one of the best college players ever, which could be achieved with a Hobey Baker class season. I think he has it in him. (But yes it would be premature to accord that status based on achievements to date.)

Gregoire, if he chooses to return for his senior season, gets to show what he can do in a leadership role. Whether he's named captain or not, he becomes one of the 2-3 top leaders on this team. He'll play top line, PP, PK, and play every night against the opponents top matchup. He's already one of of NCAA's best along the walls, but one more season in NCAA would cement his standing as one of the best ever. Given how important the cycle game is to most NHL teams, and how important puck possession is, that becomes key to his value. I think his value increases with one more season at UND.

I think there's an 80% chance people will still quote arbitrary percentages.

They better hurry up and sign him, because otherwise its looking like there's only 2 games left in their season. I would rather see them take out the Redwings, and see Tippett season continue.

I was with him right up to where he says "almost like the Packers and Green Bay ". Clearly that's backward: UND fans > Packer fans. Other than that, a great read, and a great story about how far hard work plus talent can carry a young person.

An amazing stat of the Hakstol years is crushing the opposition in the regionals. 10 wins, 2 losses. Many of those 12 games were a Sioux team that came in lower-seeded but playing hot coming into the NCAA's. In a four-team regional, the odds are a 25% chance of winning. We've had 3 "extra" trips to the NCAA's because of good performances in regionals. And yes, I'm a glass-is-half-full kinda guy.

Congratulations UMD. As someone who witnessed first-hand the pain of 1984, and the unfair way Fate treated them that night, and 1985, and 2004, this was one step toward balancing the Scales of Justice. I know a lot A LOT of long-time UMD fans who can enjoy the moment. Enjoy the summer; it will seem far too short.

Did anyone else notice the HUGE mistake Clay Matvick made at the beginning of the game? As he introduced Neal Broten, he said he was "the only player to win a national championship, and Olympic gold medal, and a Stanley Cup". That is so obviously wrong I can't believe his writers screwed that up. I can think of one Sioux - Eddie Belfour - who won all three. There might be others out there (probably les Canadiens...)

One line team indeed - the all-tournament team had 3 Bulldogs and none of them were Connelly, Connelly or Fontaine. Brown was outstanding tonight. As was Faulk ... his triple-dangle early in the OT was one where we'd have seen that goal a million times if it had gone in. (We think we've got puck luck run against us ... UMD before tonight had had 25 years of it ... nice to see it come to an end with a trophy for them.) Congratulations UMD!

Given that the bookmakers are trying to balance the wagering, and because I don't imagine these games bring in a lot of "professional wagering" money, I would think Michigan and Notre Dame would be natural favorites, since they have more alumni than UMD or UND, In that context, UMD as an underdog is not surprising ... even though KRACH rates them higher. And I'm surprised that North Dakota is that high. Must be all those Gopher / Badger fans wagering on us.

1984, Lake Placid. This was soon after the Miracle on Ice, so it was a thrill just to be in the rink. Also got to ski the slalom runs (took me 45 minutes vs 2 minutes for a real skier, it was like totally because my skis sucked and had nothing to do with my conditioning), sit on the bobsled run (it was slushy but scary even at zero miles per hour), and stand at the bottom of the ski jump (it was steep). Lake Placid itself is a cool little town, kinda Bavarian at the time... I hope it hasn't gotten all chain-store driven. The Frozen Four was four Western schools (UMD, UND, Michigan State and Bowling Green), so the rink was basically half full - 4000 people with 8000 capacity. This was the 4th Sioux appearance in 6 years, and the turnout kept getting better all the time ... distance and lack of nearby airport notwithstanding. I remember strolling down Main Street with the SIoux fans chanting "Where's the East!" (as in the Wendy's Where's the Beef commercial ... if you're under 30 you may not get that one ...). Link to Wendy's commercial: Things I remember about the games: * Jon Casey was amazing in the semifinal, but we couldn't buy a goal. Finally well into overtime, UMD got one to win it 2-1. * Jim Archibald was well behaved. * In the 3rd place game, I think Dean Barsness got a hat trick and the GWG. * Also for 3rd place, as is the case today, every time the SIoux strapped on the pads, they played with intensity. That part of tradition is intact. It could be a game for no stakes at all, and our guys would still play for pride. Part of why I am proud to be a fan. * Talking to Mickey Krampotich in a hotel, and how honored he felt to be assigned jersey #8. The two previous wearers were, Dave Tippett and Doug Smail, who need no further introduction around these parts. Yet another sign of the respect and honor for the program and its tradition, and that was 25 years ago. * The final was an absolute classic. We almost left early - long drive back to MSP - but decided to stick around. Bowling Green tied it late on a fluky goal, and then won it in the 4th overtime. * The first of back-to-back heartbreaks for UMD ... losing in the national semifinals in 1985 in 3OT. All in all, another great road trip. I started learning that Frozen Fours were something to be at, regardless of who was playing.

Michigan is a tough match in a couple ways. First, they are as physical as we are. Second, they have great team speed. If we have an edge, its in goaltending, depth, and disciplined play within our systems. You can bet Red will have looked for a weakness, and will have watched the WCHA Final Five games with an eye for closing a weak spot. I would be surprised if he didn't also watch the tapes of our recent games with BC. Krach notwithstanding, I actually like our odds in the final better than the odds in the semifinal.

That may very well have been the case. In either case, what he did worked.

For 1981 and 1982, I plead impoverishment and work. In 1981 the Sioux were only so-so, having lost 8 guys who turned pro early after the 1980 title. The NHL realized all of a sudden (after the Miracle on Ice) there was not only talent in the college ranks, but fan appeal. So 1981 (Duluth) and 1982 (Providence) are TV memories for me. What I did see in person in 1982 were the events leading up to the title. That included a fantastic sweep of the Badgers in February to win the MacNaughton, with Phil Sykes getting back to back hat tricks at the old Winter Sports Building. It was never louder at the old tin can than that weekend. And the horrific sweep just 3 weeks later by the Badgers 9-0, 3-1. The old tin can had never been quieter. That rolls us up to 1983 in Grand Forks. The games were sold out (nearly a first for the NCAA), but it was SIoux fans of course who had done so. When Wisconsin beat UND in triple overtime in the WCHA playoffs, and the NCAA committee which included UMD AD Bruce McLeod stiffed the conference runnerups UND in favor of lower ranked teams including magically UMD, our season was over. (I've never seen a pairwise for 1982-1983 season, would be interesting to do the math some day.) So the Frozen Four was Wisconsin, Minnesota, Harvard and Providence. By acclamation, also magically enough, Wisconsin became the local favorite. Maybe it was because about 3000 of them descended on Grand Forks and partied their way to the title. (Interestingly enough, there was a pipeline that distributed tickets that went mostly to Madison but not to Minneapolis ... still surprised more Gopher fans didn't come.) The bars were a sea of red, Elroy Hirsch and Carl Miller were dancing on the tables, and I learned a fair number of Wisconsin songs that weekend. Anyway, Wisconsin dominated (and Minnesota lost, which made most local happy because Brad Buetow had been ripping on the Sioux fans in the papers) I also got to see a few hundred Badger fans on the ice dancing one the ice for about 30 minutes after the game, along with the players, which was a unique aspect of the weekend. Somewhere, I still have a "Go Badgers! This Sioux's For You" button. So 1983 was bittersweet because NCAA home ice is so rare for UND, but the Sioux-Badger rivalry became more friendly that weekend. (Remember that previously it had been extraordinarily bitter - pregame brawling bitter - water bottle brawl bitter - think current Denver x 500% bitter.) In fact, I went to the games in Madison the following winter and didn't even get ripped on once. The opposite happened, in that people were welcoming us.

OK, its late but I'll do one more. 1980 (my 2nd) was in Providence. The trip itself was a great adventure too (car, plane, car), and included "defacing" (or at least lampooning) early American history. Imagine our shock when the band was there (remember it was a recession and budgets all over were tight, plus people just didn't fly as much back then ... it was my first flight). Upon further conversation, we realized these were rented imposters from Warwick, Rhode Island high school. Most of them were stunned that we had driven all the way from Boston in just one day, but they were having a blast. As we arrived in our seats for the beginning of warmups (blue line, next to the opposing penalty box and across from the opposing bench), some Dartmouth fans were encouraging their players. "Come on Buddy, get a hat trick!" (Buddy Teevins, all-american captain of Dartmouth) To which a Farce member replied "Your whole TEAM isn't going to get a hat trick." After that the tweedy Dartmouth fans, more of them wearing tweed sportcoats and ties than not, ceded our seats to us referee-shirted helmet-wearing Sioux fans. The evening was like being on a giant stage, because the Providence CIvic Center was so quiet. Every time we fired off a one-liner, we could hear a buzz of laughter behind us. Standup hockey comedy. After two periods, the Sioux trailed Dartmouth 1-0, and a reporter for Hockey News came down. He started with "You guys are obviously crazy." We looked at each other (nobody even smiled) and said in unison "yes". He asked if we were concerned, and again in unison "no, we're a third period team. We'll win this one going away." Of course the SIoux did, hammering in 4 goals in the 3rd period to win, 4-1. During the final game, Mark Taylor (all-time leading scorer at that time) went down with an injury, and Doug Smail ripped in a record 4 goals that night as the Sioux won 5-2. But the final wasn't without a bit of heartstopping tension. Earlier, Smail got checked into the boards right in front of us. He crumpled, and it looked like we'd be forced to continue without his heroics. As we informed the referees to reconsider whether a penalty might have occured right under our noses ("and I can call it if you give me your whistle for a second"), Smail lay on the ice. So we were yelling at everyone on the ice, when Smail looked up at us and winked. After a momentary pause of astonishment, we continued our yelling. A highlight for me was meeting several parents. More than one dad wanted to give us some money, but we were not ready to give up our amateur status, even if it would have enhanced the quality of beer we could then afford to purchase. Ahh Providence. UND's first title in 17 years, and the beginning of a stretch of 5 in just 20 years.