dagies

IMO at least KnowtheFacts appears more willing to discuss the topic than GK who may have thrown out some information but threw so many wild accusations and generalizations of his own that any point he tried to make was lost.

1. I don't understand why the Sioux should be a unique microcosm of Native American opinions nationwide. 2. So the opinions of the people are less important than the opinions of their elected leaders? 3. I'm aware of statistics, but of the polls I mentioned I haven't seen anyone object to the validity of the studies. If you find it, I'm sure you'll let us know.

Some published information like this helps back up my personal experience. As posted by others previously: Survey on "Redskins" nickname And don't forget the "surprising" results of the Sports Illustrated? poll of a few years ago which showed Native Americans in large numbers supported use of Native American nicknames by sports teams. I didn't meet the only 2 Native Americans who supported my point of view, KnowtheFacts.

This is the part that tells me the end of The University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux is near. I hope not, but I'm resigned to it. However, I have these thoughts: 1. DON'T wear F--k the NCAA t-shirts to the regionals. All that will do is harden the hearts of the NCAA to win the day, IMO. 2. Everyone just continue to wear their jersey's, shirts, etc with the current logo plastered all over it. 3. If indeed this causes the nickname to change, then I will write letters to the NCAA urging them to continue the fight against the Fighting Irish and all other similar types of nicknames. If they want to pick on us, then push them into the uncomfortable realm of being consistent with their pathetic decisions. 4. Change the UND nickname to The University of North Dakota Fighting NCAA's to mock and embarrass the NCAA.

I was thinking the same thing the other day.

I also expect Greene will be gone. My assumption is that Hakstol says Greene is coming back because that is the position Greene is taking in his $ negotiations. Hak's just helping him out.

Don't forget the nice press for Vande Velde in that same write-up. Seems to indicate we'll have him for 4 years too. And while we're at it, maybe a few pats on the back for our program:

Look where Spirko's stick is and look where Harrington's stick is. I guess the trickle down theory works. Lucia said this was a meaningless game and Harrington's effort pretty much proved it.

I was thinking of the same situation but was tired of typing.

Back in the late '90's I remember opposing coaches talking, almost in awe, of how the Sioux could roll 4 dangerous lines all night long and the opposing teams never felt like they could catch a break regardless which line came out. Frankly, the last few years it's felt to me like we threw out a 4th line for no reason but to kill time. The 3rd line was kind of a grinder line and the 2nd line we just hoped would score. I'm sure I'm overly critical here, but my point is that this team has a chance to have the deepest lineup of dangerous forwards in the last several years. Maybe we won't see that this year because of youth, but IMO most teams try to score throughout the lineup and maybe have a line that could be depended on to shut down a dangerous opposing line, and this team has a better chance to do that than any of our recent teams, IMO.

I was going to suggest picking an avatar with naked female anatomy on it but I would guess your suggestion was more appropriate.

You mean Toews doesn't have to be the savior the way Kessel does?

Very good point.

I agree with the others above. The pressure is on the freshmen D. The one with the most pressure on the team might be Radke.

Yes, I'd like to make clear that I'm not dissing Gretzky's prowess as a GM. He may be an excellent judge of talent. I just don't know if that's been proven or not, and for now, to me, the claims that "Gretzky picked him so he must be great" sound hollow.

Miller. The forgotten forward. I'm always excited to watch the new guys and see what they bring to the team and how they develop. I've been real interested in seeing what Miller might be able to contribute. He gets absolutely no press, but I've heard he has great hands and puck skills. Will be interesting to watch him over time.

I've heard enough about the Great One's talent judging prowess to feel the need to say this: There's little evidence in sport that great skills actually playing the sport make one a great coach or talent evaluator. Many times an unskilled or lowly skilled player makes a great coach or talent evaluator. Just because Gretzky was a phenom doesn't make him a better judge of talent than other GM's. His track record makes or breaks him. I don't follow NHL hockey closely enough to know what Gretzky's track record of drafting talent is, but others can fill me in there. It's my impression that he hasn't yet distinguished himself from the crowd. (If indeed he IS considered elite in this category, I retract my point!) He was THE Great One as a player, but that doesn't make him The Great GM, yet.

In defense of said people, the majority of posters here and elsewhere get their information on the majority of players by what they read on the internet or at best by limited viewing on TV or occasional live performances. While I can agree that anyone portraying such opinion as fact is off-base, it's not surprising that in the face of new information those opinions might be readjusted.

IMO, I doubt there would be much value to bringing in a defenseman at this time to replace Smaby, should he leave. I wouldn't expect there are too many good defensemen available that could really help the team this year. And picking up a body now to fill a spot might reduce the options for great players you could add next year. Therefore, my guess would be to get by with what is available. That, and how many defensemen do we REALLY want in 1 class?

I was surprised too, but then I wondered if size might be an issue with Zach attracting NHL attention, since he appears to be more of a defensive defenseman. This from HF Hockey's Future

Great results for Sioux recruits. Besides those first rounders mentioned, didn't it seem like Kozek went pretty high relative to expectations?

Yow. I don't have time to research but my impression is that most college recruits come in a year after graduating high school. The majority of those that come right after high school have played a year of juniors at least. The Sioux have their share of those, but IMO a disproportionate number of players who are coming directly from high school or have accelerated and will be playing D1 in what would normally be their last year of high school. I don't disgree about the talent level, but experience plays a big part too. You can have your expectations but I for one will be more conservative in mine. I see this team getting wide-eyed at times, especially early this year.

I have no personal info but here's a snippet from a recent Research On Ice report on Finley. You've gotta like his attitude. (Thanks to Schmittdoggydog for posting this first and recommending this service). Interesting Sioux connection in this article from some time ago: Joe Finley/Rick Zombo The Heartland Eagles selected Finley with the 10th pick in the USHL 2003 underage draft. When the team dispersed, Sioux Falls selected Finley #1 in that dispersal draft, for what that is worth. The interesting thing is that all the other players selected had actually played USHL hockey. Finley was still in high school.

I like that!