PCM

This is from Inside College Hockey January 6, 2005, CHA Notebook.

Hey, don't go away mad, just go....kidding! It is an open forum for those who behave. As far as I know, you're in that category, which is surprising considering who you cheer for. Yes, I, too, sometimes get perturbed by some of your "weenie" posts, but I'd hate to see you leave because of a few cranky posters.

And some guy who played three seasons for the Sioux and is second in career game-winning goals for UND. I forget his name, but I have a picture of him from his younger days.

Yeah, but look who was scoring goals.

Sioux fans probably need to be remined of this.

The only thing I've heard is that it will be handled internally by the coaches. I think we're all curious to know what that means.

I saw a rumor posted about Matt Greene. I had no idea whether it was true or not. If it was true, it was newsworthy. I called the UND sports information department, the office run by the people who normally provide me with information about Sioux hockey, and asked them if they knew anything about the alleged incident. Is that so odd? True, a real reporter might have handled the situation differently. And I can almost guarantee you that practically everyone on this board would have liked that even less than what I did.

Call me an egomaniac, but I write articles with the idea that people will want to read them. That's why most writers write. Some writers like the idea of languishing in obscurity, but I'm not one of them. Sue me. Yes, I could write articles and hope that people interested in Sioux hockey happen to stumble upon them. Or I can give Sioux fans a heads-up here and provide them with a link. Nobody has to read it. In any event, I don't really understand why anyone should care whether or not I plug an article I write. It's not as if I make any money from it. I don't make a single penny. And who would that be? First contact: There's a rumor on the Web about Matt Greene. Second contact: The rumor is true and the media knows about it. In both cases, the people I contacted thanked me for providing them with information because they didn't know anything about it. I did them a favor. I didn't have to, but I did. If I hadn't contacted UND, the coaches would have been blindsided when the story came out. I gave them the opportunity to get ahead of the curve. I was told that at least one coach would talk to Greene before practice. I could easily have written a story and submitted it to USCHO before that happened, but I didn't. Why? To give the coaches time to speak to Greene before the story broke publicly. It was only a matter of time before that happened. I have no idea what the players knew or intended to do. I do know that when I contacted the athletic department and told them what I knew, neither Dave Hakstol nor Brad Berry had any inkling about Greene's problem. If I wasn't being objective, it was in erring on the side of letting UND know everything that I knew before I publicly released anything the information I had. Wrong. I could have reported it first, but I didn't. I didn't even start writing a story until UND issued its statement and told me that the statement was being faxed to the media. Right. I did know that at least one media outlet had the story. And I did know that the rumor about Greene had been posted on a public forum. I had no idea how many people in the media knew about it and were pursuing the story. If I was interested in scooping everyone with this story, I certainly wouldn't have waited until UND issued a statement to the media to begin writing my story. So?

Having made some mistakes in my life of which I'm not proud, I certainly understood that part of your post. What I don't understand is the desire of some to explain away DUI based on climate.

I am a climate victim. Global warming is my only hope.

Finally, someone explains why, for the past 13 years, I've spent most of the sub-zero winter nights in Grand Forks driving around drunk. I now understand that it's caused by of forces of nature beyond my control. Therefore, it's not my fault. Thanks!

I have seen a grown man cry and shriek in pain as he was pulled from the twisted wreckage of a car that he crashed head-on into a tree while driving under the influence. I have seen the limp, lifeless bodies of two teenaged girls pulled from a mangled car that was hit head-on by a drunk driver. I watched as two of their friends -- broken and bloodied -- were loaded into an ambulance. They survived only because they were in the back seat. I have seen a mother literally go insane after her son was dragged for miles under a car. A drunk driver read-ended the motorcycle on which he was riding, then ran over him as he lay helpless in the street. A saw a veteran police officer who found the child's body break down on the witness stand in court as she attempted to describe the events of the day. A judge who routinely presided over DUI cases once told me that a drunk driver was like a bomb traveling down the street. Nobody knew when it would go off. He was exactly right.

Some background: I do not enjoy writing negative stories about Sioux players. In fact, I hate it. If someone hadn't posted a message on this board Monday morning about what Greene allegedly did in Warroad, I wouldn't have known about it. After I read the message on this board, I immediately alerted UND officials to it. That gave the Sioux coaches time to visit with Matt and find out more details. Shortly after 1 p.m. on Monday, I received confirmation from a media source in Warroad that Greene had been stopped for suspicion of DUI and failed the sobriety test. I alerted UND officials to this, too. About mid-afternoon, I was told that UND was working on a statement regarding the incident involving Greene in Warroad. At 5:22 p.m., I received an e-mail from the UND athletic department containing the official statment. I also received a phone call saying that the statement was being faxed to the media. At 5:48 p.m., I submitted my story to USCHO. It was posted online a short time later. If you want to be angry at somone, be angry at the person who anonymously posted the rumor about Greene on SiouxSports.com. I let UND know the rumor was out there. And when I learned that the Warroad media already had the story, I informed UND about that, too. As far as I know, USCHO knew nothing about the Greene story until I submitted my article based on UND's official statement.

This article about Matt Greene being arrested Sunday in Warroad was just posted at US College Hockey Online.

This article by Brad Schlossman was in Sunday's Grand Forks Herald.

What happened to all those Gopher fans who came here to gloat when the Sioux split series at home?

I think you just jinxed the Sioux.

As posted in another recent thread: Sioux record in old REA: 400-171-22 (0.693) Sioux record in new REA: 49-19-7 (0.700)

Having shot hockey photos in both arenas, one thing I really missed about the old Ralph was the plank next to the penalty box that enabled photographers stand and shoot over the glass near center ice. That was always the best place to be. The new Ralph is built with TV in mind. Still photographers got hosed in the design.

In my best Dodge Hemi redneck voice: Sweeeet!

Well, the Sioux did get SCSU to replace Tim Boron with Jason Montgomery, but only because Chris Porter's slapper split open Boron's thumb. (Ouch!) Cam Ellsworth, MTU's hero against Denver, was replaced when he gave up three goals against the Sioux in the first period in Houghton. Josh Johnson replaced Isaac Reichmuth in Duluth in the Friday night game. Other than that, it hasn't happened very often this season.

It was front-page news in the Herald for two days in a row. I don't think it's that nobody cares. It was somewhat expected. When Blais announced he was leaving, it was a shock to most people.

Not that anyone should be surprised.

There's the problem. Your crystal ball is working much better than mine. I think mine needs a good cleaning. Where's the Windex? I bow to your superiority in predicting future performance and leadership abilities of all Sioux players. Following your example, I will attempt to be less arrogant and opinionated in the future. I've certainly learned my lesson.

Thanks, jk. I get it now. I thought that the ties probably needed to be accounted for somehow. Besides, I didn't think The Sicatoka would ever lead me astray.