burd

Good game last night. Nice to see us quiet the crowd still high on the Michigan game. The people out on Regent and State streets were pretty pumped after the football game. About Wisco fans and the jump-around stuff. Those folks know how to have fun at hockey games. When you think of how boring their team has been in recent years, it's amazing that they have such a great atmosphere--not quite as good as the old Dane, but good. It's not all paint thinner and beer--they just love their band and their fun. One guy I think will really be missed next year is Bina. He is so dependable, with the right mix of fire and cool-headedness. He is a rock at defense but can go to the net too. Finley had a few miscues, but for a big guy he is surprisingly skilled at getting the puck off the boards and on the break-out. LaPoint seems to have good confidence to go along with his stick skills. He's going to be very very good for the Sioux. The team speed really becomes evident when you see this team in person. You guys who get to watch them in person week in and week out are fortunate.

I would be interested in whether anybody is doing the whole deal: Two nights of Sioux/Badger hockey; UW/Michigan football on Sat; and Packers/Vikes. That's a bonus weekend in great rivalries.

Can we at least expect you not to sit on your hands when LaPoint scores on the PP?

Chuck, people with male parts don't straddle fences.

So, Chuck--how divided are your loyalties this weekend?

I don't know, Bison football must be a big thing--why elso would so many 'SU fans pee all over themselves when they beat the gophs? I mean, when the Sioux beat the gophs in hockey, what I mostly feel is relief.

The Sioux lost 8 games in '86-'87.

SCORE radio, arguably Chicago's No. 1 sports talk station, has been promoting tonight's Hawks game as "Jonathan Toews and the Chicago Blackhawks." Granted, the Hawks have not had much to promote in recent years, but it's pretty flattering to have a 19-year-old ex-Sioux get top billing. The expectations in Chi-town are high for JT.

I hate people who get there theirs mixed up. I hate hypocrites to.

Yeah. Goofy eh?

Comparisons to Blais are inevitable, but to suggest Blais would have won the title with Hak's talent is unfair. Blais had powerhouses in '98 and '99 and couldn't get it done. Red B couldn't get it done in '97 with a team that was supposed to win it. While we have brought in a lot of elite players under Hak, he has also had to deal with a yearly bumper crop of early departures. What I like about Hak is that he always seems to get his teams to play their best hockey in the second half when it counts. And I like that toothy grin of his . . . .

He satteth in the sin bin so that our penalties would be overlooked . . .

Naw, you were clear enough. I'm just slow. Toews was also freakishly good at maintaining possession along the boards and on the cycle, partly due to his reach and strength. Puck control was what made that line so scary. How many times did D score from that kill-spot of his on feeds from T after T had played keep-away, often along the boards? But as a previous poster said, we don't have another Toews. If Hak keeps O and D together, it will take a while to develop into the killing machine DOT was last year. Because D and O are such great team players, you have to think they will eventually find a rythm with whoever Hak puts with them. We were so spoiled by what we had the last half of last year in that line, and our expectations are so high this year that we will probably be forced to exercise a little extra patience before the holidays.

I was thinking Finley should be on that line. The "T" would stand for "Tree." But I see your point--the defensive offensive play is kind of a chicken-or-the-egg thing. But Toews was probably the best defensive high-scoring forward the Sioux have had since God. Whether any of the new recruits are up to Hak's standards for two-way play I haven't a clue. But it matters, at least to Hak.

I know DOT was a scoring machine, but what about the defensive play of these new guys? Toews was a real presence defensively (and Oshie and Duncan were strong too), and I think that was part of what allowed them to wreak so much havoc in the O zone. Seems strange to say their defensive play contributed to their strong offensive play, but I think it is true. It's also one of Hak's mantras.

He said "sex," which all boys know includes or enhances all activities that can be considered a sport.

Fortunately, you could store enough booze to host a party in those old Air Force parkas--plus the ushers and everybody else knew you needed booze to survive. And the lines at the urinals were brutal.

Paper clips and hangers, the way they can't let go of each other.

I know this is supposed to be just about a "fantasy line," but . . . If you have more than one line, you should pair the pure scorers with great set-up guys. For example, G Johnson/Dixon Ward; Hrkac/Joyce; Parise/Bo; Toews/Ohsie. Blake and Panzer need to be there too, not necessarily together. The PP needs Roche paired with a stay-at-home guy like D Hale. Hard choice between the Eagle and Karl in net. I would let a younger Gino coach them. Put them in the old Ralph and pit them against a team with a rodent mascot (red or gold), and let some of the old-timers like Farce P smuggle the dead animals in. Bring back Frenchy's for the pregame. Would make for a fun evening.

Whoa! Eight DOT lines?!!!!!

I don't know--and I heard he was the best of the three. I guess he wasn't comfortable with going to college, where he would have to talk.

And there are those that could make the line list if they would just straighten up and quit running around in circles.

Larry and Daryl Drader

Whoa boy!!! I like that attitude, but maybe you better sit down, take a deep breath, and think for a moment about what you're dealing with here.

Are latex gloves included?