PCM

If you can't contribute the the fund to help the Wicox's with their medical expenses, please take a couple of minutes to send Jeri Wilcox an e-mail of encouragement and support through the Rapid City Regional Hospital's Web site here: http://www.rcrh.org/Patient/PatientEmail.asp Bob Wilcox, Jeri's husband, prints out the e-mails and reads them to her. I think it would mean a lot to both of them to hear from hockey fans around the country. Again, anything you can do will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

How does a player get a phantom assist from the bench?

As far as I know, the only way to contribute at this point is through snail mail. Sorry.

And here I thought it was the frequent flyer miles and the free bag of peanuts.

That's not what I'm saying and I certainly wouldn't advocate the Sioux depending on it. All I'm saying is that in the past, the selection committee hasn't always gone strictly by the PWR and has fiddled with it to get the strongest teams in the tournament at the end of the year. If the Sioux have a strong finish, I think it improves their chances against teams with very similar rankings. There are cries every season by coaches and fans of teams that didn't get in.

Although the events I'm about to relate happened hundreds of miles away in my home state of South Dakota, I'm posting here because I know the hockey community is an incredibly close and tight-knit family. There's a hockey mom and a hockey dad -- both high school classmates of mine -- who need our help and support. On Feb. 5, Jeri Wilcox was driving home to Ft. Pierre, S.D., from a youth hockey game in Rapid City in which her daughter Kristin had participated. Also in the SUV were Jeri's sister Jean Denton and Kristin's friend Kayla Gabriel. According to an eyewitness, the vehicle skidded on some ice, hit a bridge and then rolled several times, landing on its wheels. Three of the women were injured, but Jeri's injuries were by far the most serious. She suffered broken vertebrae in her neck and back, had a number of other fractures and received severe head lacerations. Kristin and Jean have since been sent home to recover, but Jeri remains in the intensive care unit of Rapid City Regional Hospital, 180 miles from home in Ft. Pierre. She has undergone surgery on her neck and back. What makes this situation even more tragic is that Tyler Wilcox, the 19-year-old son of Jeri and Bob Wilcox, lost his three-year battle with cancer just before last Thanksgiving. He was a high school athlete and, like his sister, a hockey player. Both had attended hockey camps at UND. Jeri told me that Kristin some day hoped to play for the Sioux women's hockey team. Two years ago when I asked Brad Berry if UND's players would autograph a Fighting Sioux shirt for Tyler, he went one better and had them sign a hockey stick for him, too. Jeri wrote to let me know how much her son appreciated the gesture and enjoyed the gifts. At that time, he had lost a leg to the cancer, so his hockey career was over. Today, I received an e-mail from one of my classmates who lives near Rapid City. She had just visited Jeri in the hospital and wrote: Obviously, the Wilcox family will have substantial medical bills as a result of Tyler's illness and Jeri's accident. My class has set up a fund for them. If you would like to make a contribution, you can mail it to: Class of '73 Wilcox Fund Home Federal Savings 322 S. Coteau Pierre, SD 57501 If you can't contribute but would like to send some words of support and encouragement to Bob and Jeri, you can address an e-mail to Jeri Wilcox through the hospital's Web site here. Anything you can do will be sincerely appreciated.

If I had to rely strictly on my memory, I'd still be sitting here trying to remember.

I tend to agree with you. If, for example, UND is 27-16-1 coming out of the WCHA Final Five (meaning that the team went 7-3 down the stretch), I have a tough time believing that teams hovering just above .500 will get into the NCAA tournament over the Sioux. My memory might also be flawed, but I seem to recall that the selection committee wasn't above adding bonuses and such to the PWR to get the strongest field for the tournament rather than strictly adhering to the formula.

Either that or Erik Westrum is coaching the Russians.

NDFlyer Here's your sign.

This item was in today's Grand Forks Herald College Clipboard:

NOTE: I missed some of the comments during the show because the reception was lousy at the beginning and got steadily worse. Fortunately, the reception improved for the second half. From the Green Mill, Tim Hennessy and Scott Swygman are the hosts with Sioux hockey coach Dave Hakstol. TH: At the Olympics, it

Or any other sense, for that matter.

Mike Madano says it's all because USA Hockey doesn't make reservations and stuff. Way to sound like an overpaid, spoiled superstar, Mike.

It's the cat's meow!

I will bet $1.5 million of Mrs. Gretzky's money that you don't dress as snappy, either.

It's big for Sparky, I know that much.

Not to mention the hockey fans who live on it.

He should be replaced by redwing77.

There's always a silver lining.

Misery loves company. It's back to the drawing board for North American teams.

Probably.

Probably Mrs. Gretzky's fault.

I can think of at least one Canuk in North Dakota who is, too.