farce poobah

Sad news out of Madison: http://www.startribune.com/local/274513211.html My first experience with Bob Suter came at the old Winter Sports Building on UND campus. He was a truly fiery competitor, and the nightly trash talk during warmups got raised a notch between UND fans and him. (I'm recalling the glass was then low enough to allow spectators to talk over the glass with players and officials. [sigh]). I'm sure that competitive fire will burn on in his son, Ryan Suter. On the lighter side, one memory stands out. Bob took a lot of penalties one Friday night, and so on Saturday we offered him a "Change of Address" form from the US Postal Service. It was filled out, and it would forward his mail to "Visitor Penalty Box, Winter Sports Building, Grand Forks, ND 58202". He laughed. 2 minutes later, went back out to continue the battle. And 2 years later, he would be integral to the Miracle on Ice. Rest in peace, Bob Suter.

Link: http://www.gallup.com/poll/175403/north-dakota-legendary-among-states.aspx A lot to feel good about ... and a few things to work on.

My best birthday present ever: December 3, 1982. Sioux Gophers, in Minneapolis, game tied late. Brawl breaks out ... somehow UND gets two extra major penalties. (cue halo) But under the rules then, since both teams had 2 guys with double minors, it was preceded by 4 minutes of 3x3. Patrick pulls the puck of Jon Casey's pads, skates the whole way down the ice, and scores. UND withstands 30 seconds of 5x3, and wins 5-4. (If he hadn't scored, Minnesota would have had 4:30 of 5x3 in overtime ... not quite certain death but pretty da## close, until Patrick wins the game for UND.) Yeah I was lubricated and loud, and lucky to get out of ye olde Williams Arena in one piece. Like I said, best birthday present ever.

Great idea for a late August doldrums discussion. I vote for Mark Taylor. Played four seasons. That was a differentiator for me over a long list of superb 2-year players (Hrkac, Parise, Toews...). #2 on the UND all-time scoring list. Leader on and off the ice (could say the same for Doug Smail), and absolutely instrumental in breaking the title droughts in 1979 (WCHA, 12 years) and 1980 (NCAA, 17 years). Killed penalties; the pairing of Smail and Taylor on the PK might be the best (at least in the 40 years I've been watching UND hockey). Excellent situational awareness ... saw the entire ice. All that said, I would have no problem voting for anyone on the above list.

I think its terrific that Mr. Henry Boucha has agreed to join their board. His voice and strength of character are a powerful addition to that organization.

I think we still have a "VandeVelde for Hobey" sign that we brought to the 2007 WCHA Final Five ... the day after he scored twice. The team liked it ... laughing and pointing during warmups.

Hear, hear. Well said, MafiaMan.

I used to think the Americans complaining about diving by Mexico were exaggerating. Not anymore.

Old school. Genius. Either works for me.

capgeek.com The cap rises by about the same amount that the salaries for these two would rise. But yes, I agree with your central point ... a top-heavy roster can't consistently contend in the new NHL. (Example: Pittsburgh ... superb top 6 players ... then a steep fall off.) That's just the reality ... less spent on the top 6 means a team with better depth.

Thanks for posting. I am okay with 7 of their picks but would replace at least 3 of their list: Ryan Suter in over Ryan McDonagh (geez .... maybe the author should watch a Wild game once in a while). David Backes in, Ben Bishop out. Zach Parise in, Gustav Nyquist out. In the seriously considered list: Chris Kunitz (he of Team Canada's top line ....), Alec Martinez (GWG Stanley Cup 2014), Ryan Miller, JVR, and I wouldn't be a genuine American if I didn't list Team USA's Olympic sensation TJ Oshie.

I had the game on , did homework during, and paid attention off and on.

For all we rag on soccer players,and it's typicallly deserved, ..... There was some True Grit on the USA side tonight.

To all who've posted, I'd like to send a truly heartfelt thank you to those who have shared perspectives and stories so far. I am all the wiser, and even more appreciative of the sacrifices made by your forefathers. TBR: Condolences on the passing of your dad. Congratulations on receiving his blood, genes and character. Anchors Away. Speez, I'm glad you heard the rest of the story, even if posthumously.

Dagies, if you ever write a book, put me down for a copy.

If D-Day had failed, a deal between Germany and USSR to carve up Europe and turn their alliance to face against the US and UK would not have been out of the question. Stalin was furious at the US / UK for not opening up a western front earlier, and a failure on D-Day might have ended the USSR participation in the Allied Powers. (Of course, Roosevelt was equally frustrated that Stalin refused to join in the war against Japan. ) Of course none of that mattered to a man on the landing craft in the early hours of 6 June 1944. The only things that mattered were getting onto the beach, getting off the beach, and silencing the German guns. Unimaginable bravery.

Indeed. Most of those I know who served have passed, but none would ever admit to being a hero.

And, from June 6, 1944, on national radio broadcast, this prayer from Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Last night, when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment that troops of the United States and our Allies were crossing the Channel in another and greater operation. It has come to pass with success thus far. And so, in this poignant hour, I ask you to join with me in prayer: Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity. Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith. They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph. They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest — until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men’s souls will be shaken with the violences of war. For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and goodwill among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home. Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom. And for us at home — fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas, whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them — help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice. Many people have urged that I call the nation into a single day of special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts. Give us strength, too — strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces. And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be. And, O Lord, give us faith. Give us faith in Thee; faith in our sons; faith in each other; faith in our united crusade. Let not the keenness of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but fleeting moment — let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose. With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogances. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace — a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil. Thy will be done, Almighty God. Amen.

(Note: The following are remarks delivered by President Ronald Reagan on June 6, 1984 commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the Invastion of Normandy.) We're here to mark that day in history when the Allied armies joined in battle to reclaim this continent to liberty. For four long years, much of Europe had been under a terrible shadow. Free nations had fallen, Jews cried out in the camps, millions cried out for liberation. Europe was enslaved and the world prayed for its rescue. Here, in Normandy, the rescue began. Here, the Allies stood and fought against tyranny, in a giant undertaking unparalleled in human history. We stand on a lonely, windswept point on the northern shore of France. The air is soft, but forty years ago at this moment, the air was dense with smoke and the cries of men, and the air was filled with the crack of rifle fire and the roar of cannon. At dawn, on the morning of the 6th of June, 1944, two hundred and twenty-five Rangers jumped off the British landing craft and ran to the bottom of these cliffs. Their mission was one of the most difficult and daring of the invasion: to climb these sheer and desolate cliffs and take out the enemy guns. The Allies had been told that some of the mightiest of these guns were here, and they would be trained on the beaches to stop the Allied advance. The Rangers looked up and saw the enemy soldiers at the edge of the cliffs, shooting down at them with machine guns and throwing grenades. And the American Rangers began to climb. They shot rope ladders over the face of these cliffs and began to pull themselves up. When one Ranger fell, another would take his place. When one rope was cut, a Ranger would grab another and begin his climb again. They climbed, shot back, and held their footing. Soon, one by one, the Rangers pulled themselves over the top, and in seizing the firm land at the top of these cliffs, they began to seize back the continent of Europe. Two hundred and twenty-five came here. After two days of fighting, only ninety could still bear arms. And behind me is a memorial that symbolizes the Ranger daggers that were thrust into the top of these cliffs. And before me are the men who put them there. These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. These are the men who took the cliffs. These are the champions who helped free a continent. And these are the heroes who helped end a war. Gentlemen, I look at you and I think of the words of Stephen Spender's poem. You are men who in your "lives fought for life and left the vivid air signed with your honor." I think I know what you may be thinking right now -- thinking "we were just part of a bigger effort; everyone was brave that day." Well everyone was. Do you remember the story of Bill Millin of the 51st Highlanders? Forty years ago today, British troops were pinned down near a bridge, waiting desperately for help. Suddenly, they heard the sound of bagpipes, and some thought they were dreaming. Well, they weren't. They looked up and saw Bill Millin with his bagpipes, leading the reinforcements and ignoring the smack of the bullets into the ground around him. Lord Lovat was with him -- Lord Lovat of Scotland, who calmly announced when he got to the bridge, "Sorry, I'm a few minutes late," as if he'd been delayed by a traffic jam, when in truth he'd just come from the bloody fighting on Sword Beach, which he and his men had just taken. There was the impossible valor of the Poles, who threw themselves between the enemy and the rest of Europe as the invasion took hold; and the unsurpassed courage of the Canadians who had already seen the horrors of war on this coast. They knew what awaited them there, but they would not be deterred. And once they hit Juno Beach, they never looked back. All of these men were part of a roll call of honor with names that spoke of a pride as bright as the colors they bore; The Royal Winnipeg Rifles, Poland's 24th Lancers, the Royal Scots' Fusiliers, the Screaming Eagles, the Yeomen of England's armored divisions, the forces of Free France, the Coast Guard's "Matchbox Fleet," and you, the American Rangers. Forty summers have passed since the battle that you fought here. You were young the day you took these cliffs; some of you were hardly more than boys, with the deepest joys of life before you. Yet you risked everything here. Why? Why did you do it? What impelled you to put aside the instinct for self-preservation and risk your lives to take these cliffs? What inspired all the men of the armies that met here? We look at you, and somehow we know the answer. It was faith and belief. It was loyalty and love. The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead, or on the next. It was the deep knowledge -- and pray God we have not lost it -- that there is a profound moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest. You were here to liberate, not to conquer, and so you and those others did not doubt your cause. And you were right not to doubt. You all knew that some things are worth dying for. One's country is worth dying for, and democracy is worth dying for, because it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man. All of you loved liberty. All of you were willing to fight tyranny, and you knew the people of your countries were behind you. The Americans who fought here that morning knew word of the invasion was spreading through the darkness back home. They fought -- or felt in their hearts, though they couldn't know in fact, that in Georgia they were filling the churches at 4:00 am. In Kansas they were kneeling on their porches and praying. And in Philadelphia they were ringing the Liberty Bell. Something else helped the men of D-day; their rock-hard belief that Providence would have a great hand in the events that would unfold here; that God was an ally in this great cause. And so, the night before the invasion, when Colonel Wolverton asked his parachute troops to kneel with him in prayer, he told them: "Do not bow your heads, but look up so you can see God and ask His blessing in what we're about to do." Also, that night, General Matthew Ridgway on his cot, listening in the darkness for the promise God made to Joshua: "I will not fail thee nor forsake thee." These are the things that impelled them; these are the things that shaped the unity of the Allies. When the war was over, there were lives to be rebuilt and governments to be returned to the people. There were nations to be reborn. Above all, there was a new peace to be assured. These were huge and daunting tasks. But the Allies summoned strength from the faith, belief, loyalty, and love of those who fell here. They rebuilt a new Europe together. There was first a great reconciliation among those who had been enemies, all of whom had suffered so greatly. The United States did its part, creating the Marshall Plan to help rebuild our allies and our former enemies. The Marshall Plan led to the Atlantic alliance -- a great alliance that serves to this day as our shield for freedom, for prosperity, and for peace. In spite of our great efforts and successes, not all that followed the end of the war was happy or planned. Some liberated countries were lost. The great sadness of this loss echoes down to our own time in the streets of Warsaw, Prague, and East Berlin. The Soviet troops that came to the center of this continent did not leave when peace came. They're still there, uninvited, unwanted, unyielding, almost forty years after the war. Because of this, allied forces still stand on this continent. Today, as forty years ago, our armies are here for only one purpose: to protect and defend democracy. The only territories we hold are memorials like this one and graveyards where our heroes rest. We in America have learned bitter lessons from two world wars. It is better to be here ready to protect the peace, than to take blind shelter across the sea, rushing to respond only after freedom is lost. We've learned that isolationism never was and never will be an acceptable response to tyrannical governments with an expansionist intent. But we try always to be prepared for peace, prepared to deter aggression, prepared to negotiate the reduction of arms, and yes, prepared to reach out again in the spirit of reconciliation. In truth, there is no reconciliation we would welcome more than a reconciliation with the Soviet Union, so, together, we can lessen the risks of war, now and forever. It's fitting to remember here the great losses also suffered by the Russian people during World War II. Twenty million perished, a terrible price that testifies to all the world the necessity of ending war. I tell you from my heart that we in the United States do not want war. We want to wipe from the face of the earth the terrible weapons that man now has in his hands. And I tell you, we are ready to seize that beachhead. We look for some sign from the Soviet Union that they are willing to move forward, that they share our desire and love for peace, and that they will give up the ways of conquest. There must be a changing there that will allow us to turn our hope into action. We will pray forever that someday that changing will come. But for now, particularly today, it is good and fitting to renew our commitment to each other, to our freedom, and to the alliance that protects it. We're bound today by what bound us 40 years ago, the same loyalties, traditions, and beliefs. We're bound by reality. The strength of America's allies is vital to the United States, and the American security guarantee is essential to the continued freedom of Europe's democracies. We were with you then; we're with you now. Your hopes are our hopes, and your destiny is our destiny. Here, in this place where the West held together, let us make a vow to our dead. Let us show them by our actions that we understand what they died for. Let our actions say to them the words for which Matthew Ridgway listened: "I will not fail thee nor forsake thee." Strengthened by their courage and heartened by their value [valor] and borne by their memory, let us continue to stand for the ideals for which they lived and died. Thank you very much, and God bless you all. Read more: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2014/06/06/the_boys_of_pointe_du_hoc_96877.html#ixzz33sxwc64r Follow us: @RCP_Articles on Twitter

Coach Q is as good as anyone in making tactical adjustments against an opponent. Tonight, by double-shifting Kane for most of the night, he created matchup space - and Doughty was not on the ice for Kane's GWG. And tonight, Chicago got a bounce. (Smith's bank shot off Quick.) A Game 7 is always magical... I can hardly wait.

If Sutter sends Doughty out against Kane/Saad/Shaw all night long, I predict Toews/Hossa get the game winner.

Los Angeles: Dave Taylor Chicago: Troy Murray

The world would be a lot better place if we had more weed and less lawns.

... But every time an announcer says "Tokarski", I hear "Koharski".

You should look again. Prust suspended two games: ... "extreme lateness and significant head contact". http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=720474&navid=DL|NHL|home And Stepan's jaw didn't break on its own: http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=720423&navid=nhl:topheads