ScottM

It's nice to know that Jethro's spelling and logic are still shining examples of an 'SU education. Any truth to the rumor that the Stream Yellow crowd is checking into forming a conference with Josef's School of Hair Design and/or the Moorhead Vo-Tech?

If I were an SCCC fan, God forbid, the "Ultimate" would be winning just *one* NC$$ tourney game, or having a never ending supply of paint thinner. If I were a UAA fan, the "Ultimate" might be finishing above .500 for more than one consecutive season, or opening a Krispy Kreme store across from Fournier's place.

If an MSUS school can afford to pay a very good coach $110k+, UND should be able to step up and pay Blais something in Lucia or Berensen's range.

Ban my a.. butt. The Strib's continued use/inclusion of Indian names, in spite of its "ban" merely shows the pathetic editorial caliber of the paper. Hell, if the NY Times and Washington Post continue to use Indian names without a second thought, I don't see where the Strib or any other third-tier rag gets off by adopting some moral "high ground" in such a half-ass manner. Strib This editoral pretty much sums up the Strib's myopic view of the issue. Apparently, only those Indians who oppose Indian nicknames have an opinion worthy of gracing the "illustrous" Strib's pages.

I wouldn't be so quick to stamp Blais' plane ticket to Raleigh. Coaching in the NHL is a different animal than college, or AHL. By and large, college coaches don't have a great deal of success in the NHL. It's a different game, different pressures and you have players who make more money, and have larger egos, than the coach. Besides, I'd bet any deal Blais, or any college coach, has will have an "out" provision for an NHL or other high-end job. That said, if Blais was truly interested in the NHL in the near term, he wouldn't have gone public with his frustration at the snails' pace of the current round.

I agree with the above comments. I'm not sure what Roger's thinking, but he'd better realize that UND is a hockey school, much like Florida State and Nebraska are football schools. The team regularly plays teams from all D1 schools and who have a great deal of "name" recognition, e.g., Michigan, Minnesota, Yale, etc. If you want to keep your program in that top-tier you open your wallet to attract and retain the best coaches and staff. Dicking around your school's marquee coach is not really a good negotiating tactic. Really. If Blais leaves because of a rotten offer, Roger had better be right behind him.

I think even the most biased Sioux fan would have to admit that Parise probably won't be ready for an NHL line for another year or two, at least. He still has alot of growing and learning to do. Most NHL teams probably are going to watch their payrolls in view of the likelihood of a strike/work stoppage and not rush to sign high $$$ draft picks unless they can contribute almost immediately. It's cheaper than having them earn their stripes in the AHL. On a somewhat related note, I understand that some of NHLPA reps are whispering that the strike/work stoppage could last 12-18 mos.

I can't remember the exact time when the "ban" went into place, but I think it was at the height of the PC movement, in the late 80s-early 90s when the goobers forced Minnesota High Schools to change their names from Indian-related names to something more "acceptable" to the white liberals in MSP. In any event, I do not recall a single article where UND's teams were featured that did not include "Sioux" or "Fighting Sioux" even at the peak of the name change controversy when REA was being built. And that battle did generate some serious ink here. Indeed, I also believe that the Strib used the "Redskins" name a few times during the last NFL season, as well as "Braves", "Chiefs", "Seminoles", "Illini", etc.

The very myopic, often liberal StarTribune has apparently decided to drop its "ban" on Indian nicknames in articles. This is especially shocking as I don't recall an article where they didn't refer to UND's teams as the "Fighting Sioux" or "Sioux". It's especially asinine that they might refer to the "Cleveland Indians" as the "Cleveland indians". I'm glad I don't waste the money to subscribe to this rag, but find myself wasting time reading the online edition. Strib

"Fatal Attraction" --Minnesota fans' unwavering obssession with a hockey player named Parise gets the best of them, and they finally lose it and recruit an all-Canadian roster.

People collect a variety of war-related memorabilia. There's a strong market out there for weapons, uniforms, equipment, medals, etc. from WWII. Ever been to the Imperial War Museum in London? Any military museum on a military post? West Point? The odds are great you'll find a variety of Nazi-era exhibits. Soethby's, Butterfield's and Christie's have all auctioned Nazi-era vehicles, weapons, books, art, etc. in the past. One of my favorite generals of all time is Rommel, right after Patton and Sherman. In your book, that might make me a nazi too, not that your views interest me in the slightest. Of course, since you're a Bison fan, we can always expect your own myopic biases to get in the way of fact.

I agree that Blais and Lucia are pretty similar. Very successful, competitive and they aim to keep it that way. Blais is probably more surly if you watch him on the bench. I don't think Donnie's facial expression changes too much. That said, I think a player makes a choice dependent on a number of factors including coaching, facilities, teammates, school, system, etc. It's likely many are also concerned about playing time, but I'd guess the better players have enough confidence to believe they'll earn their rights to hit the ice. I can't imagine the specter of getting cut or a reduced ride factors into their thinking. If if does, maybe those are the guys who leave early for any number of reasons, except due to draft position/$$$.

So, are we to infer that Lucia has never pulled a player aside, at Minnesota or CC, and told him that he's not working out under his system, he isn't delivering the goods, that his future is destined to wear a suit or hold a clipboard and he might be better off seeking other opportunities, e.g. Augsburg, MJ or tap dancing school, etc.? Spin it anyway you want, but every program that's worth a damn gets rid of players who don't work out for any number of reasons, academics, work ethic, changing of the guard, etc. That may smack of "professionalism" but coaches pulling in six figures for themselves and 7-8 figures for their schools are pros, and we expect results. SCCC on the other hand is just happy to get there, and then leave. I view a scholarship, academic or athletic, as a two-way street. You work hard, contribute and show improvement throughout your time and both sides are happy. Like I said before, I doubt any coach worth his/her salt is going to get rid of somebody who shows promise, contributes or otherwise returns the school's investment in him/her. Blais may have/get a reputation as a hard-ass, but but I've never heard of him being cast as unfair to any player who is willing to work hard. Maybe we should hire Sid for our PR department.

No. A scholarship, athletic or otherwise, is an annual deal, and can be renewed if you meet certain conditions. You don't meet the expectations, you don't get the ride again. Much like "real life" where if you don't do the job, you are out of a job. It's not a f'ing welfare system, although certain "welfare state" fans would argue otherwise, or spin it as a "mutual decision" or whatever bilge they develop. FWIW: Most players who are cut from UND or any school generally deserve it. They don't pull their weight, they won't pick up their grades or work to at least improve their game. I don't think any coach cuts a ride out of caprice or anger. A player isn't showing improvement or won't accept the coach's system and he's gone. Sandelin did it at UMD when he arrived, and will probably do it in the future. Lucia's let people go, regardless of how they spin it. I generally don't have a problem with Blais cutting unproductive or disruptive players. He's here to do a job, and any player is given a fair shake at playing, sitting or getting bounced. Welcome to adulthood.

Blais' frustration is pretty evident in the article. Justifiably so, IMO. Few things are worse at any job than getting jerked around about your future. Given how public the other WCHA coaches' deals have been lately, you'd think Thomas would have at least penciled in some numbers and passed them over. If Thomas thinks he's going to save a few $$$ by making some meely-mouthed comments about getting around to it and then sitting there until June 30 ... he'd better get his own resume ready if Blais leaves as a result.

Hell, if Eddie's too busy in Toronto, or wherever, I hear Patrick Roy might have some time on his hands. I do agree, as I've argued in the past, that a goalie coach is a critical element to any team, especially to work on technique and the finer points of the position. However, no amount of coaching and playing "muscial goalie" is going to help if the rest of the team doesn't do their job upfront.

An interesting article in the Hurled about Blais' contract. It sounds like he's pretty anxious to "get pen to paper" especially after Lucia, Sandelin, etc. have been given nice deals. So, is Blais posturing to move the process along or has Thomas effectively ignored "The Coach" at UND with his reliance on budget, reviews, etc. ? Hurled

I tend to agree with the comments on tenure. Tenure is often justified on the basis of "academic freedom" etc. However, I believe it protects ineffective, incompetent academics who use tenure as a form of lifetime employment which often breeds intellectual complacency. It's ironic that given the overabundance of PhDs in "soft disciplines", the academics would continue to support a system that "keeps them down" and doesn't allow them to advance on their own merits. Universities have a vested interest in keeping the best and brightest around. I don't believe that removing tenure would create any dogmatic hiring/firing atmosphere on most quality campuses. Not to say that one doesn't exist already in a number of disciplines.

Anybody, anybody, who thinks Blais would waste any scholarship $$$ on a goalie to appease Zach has no idea how he operates. He'll sit stars, and he'll take serious risks. Jordan has nice numbers in his own right, and I think he'll definitely work to get the starting spot. With Ziggy, and now another Parise, in pursuit of the starting job, I think we'll definitely see if Brandt has the mental toughness to make the job his own. Now, if only the rest of the team would step it up, we might be in business.

I don't place a lot credence in what Red Line reports. Notre Dame? Northeastern? UND ahead of Minnesota? Only God knows what these guys have been drinking. I think Eaves is a solid coach. However, I think his "pipeline" to the NDTP is about over in a couple of years. Moreover, I'd rather have a guy with 1-2 years in the USHL or BCHL than somebody coming right out of that program.

I'd guess that Greene and Marvin will be much improved on D. I was especially impressed with Marvin over the season, as he came in relatively unheralded. On offense, I'd hope that McMahon and Lundbohm finally find a consistent stride. I think Massen and Money will probably do better too. If Canady stays healthy, and avoids the dumb penalties, I could see him turning it up too. Parise will probably benefit with the addition of the SSM crowd, especially Murray. I have a *feeling* Prpich will move into his game more too. I don't think the comparisons to Bayda are unwarranted. I agree with Jim that scoring needs to be spread across more players/lines. Relying on the "stars" seems to make some of the other players lazy IMO. Goalie ... Brandt probably has the job for now. However, with the arrival of Ziggy and somebody else, he's going to have make the job his. I think Blais tended to misplay the goalies by moving them around the job too much. This probably undermined their confidence to a large degree, and probably affected the team's confidence in them. Hopefully, some strong offseason training and a year of maturity will help him develop into a consistent, reliable goalie. I also hope that we can retain a goalie coach to help these guys work on the finer points of the position. Say, I heard Patrick Roy is looking for work.

Corona? WTF? Too many yuppies here ...

Yeah, but 'SU is going D1, sans conference and travel partner, so that's all that really counts.

I tend to agree that everytime the Presidency of UND is up for grabs the name/logo issue becomes the prominent issue for the name change crowd. They prance, dance and write to the Hurled and the Stupid arguing the same tired points about "sensitivity" and "human rights". Of course, they ignore the need for maintaining academic quality, reasonable tuition and recruiting, and retaining, the best faculty. Where can I get those rose-colored glasses? Ebay?

Yeah, the Wild watch their wallets so closely Parise would have to live at home. Besides, the last thing the Wild need is another smallish forward.