burd

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?

I've lost my head on the golf course more times than I can count. Never been reshafted. That, and if Toews comes back the Sioux will be tough.

Speaking of logo, and I apologize if this has been discussed at length on a nearby thread, but what is the status of the logo/name litigation? I thought the final hearing was scheduled for April. I have the feeling this is a real dumb question . . . .

Think acid. He was never a hippie, but that word will usually bring him to mind for most people.

PCM, stay out of this and get back to your summary. Your past excellence has made us an impatient lot.

Larry and Daryl Drader from Estevan and I think the DePiero brothers from Thunder Bay

Name the visiting coach in the first regular season game in the old Ralph.

The D1 Championship is not always won by the best team. The best team each year is UND. If UND does not win the D1 Championship, it is because of bad officiating. If you understand those few things, you have arrived.

Goalies will be goalies.

Thanks, PCM. A lot of us look forward to this.

I know people who were there, and this is how it went: Oshie, Toews, Bina and others go into Judy's under cover of darkness. A shadowy figure slips through the door behind them and moves unobserved to a booth on the far side of the room--about six feet away. This person, a gopher fan whose name rhymes with "Slappy," cannot take his eyes off Toews and Oshie and begins make soft gurgling sounds while drooling into his Dr. Pepper. Thinking nobody else would possibly think to take their eyes off the three Sioux studs, he slips on his "Mr. Briggs Junior Goalie Glove" and commences to do nasty things into it, ala Portnoy's Complaint. Unfortunately, members of the Red River JV hockey team are also there, including the goalie, who, unaware that something disgusting is going on, comments on the glove and asks to try it on. Our gopher fanatic, thinking the Red River goalie is probably an undercover news reporter, panics. Realizing that diversion is his only chance, he jumps up, points at Toews, shouts, "UNDERAGE CANADIAN!!" and bolts out the door. That, at least, is what I heard.