Big A HG

Yes and no. Obviously I feel that there isn't much to get excited about, but if someone does find something exciting about March hockey at UND since 2017, then I'd be curious to know.

Titles are too difficult to win to be expected, but the excitement generated during the Hak era was unparalleled. Seemingly every year could be our year. Never missed an NCAA tourney (Brad missed three), 7 Frozen Four appearances in 11 years (Brad 1 in 8), plus all of the conference postseason success with Hakstol. You could spend your money on St Paul or a regional knowing your team would be there and they'd show up. You could buy Frozen Four tickets in advance knowing your team had a better chance of being there than not. It was all very exciting even if they all ultimately ended up in disappointment. What's exciting about UND hockey right now?

We are the Dallas Cowboys of college hockey. Brad Berry is our Mike McCarthy whom won a title of yesteryear but has failed to produce much in the postseason since. Our history and legacy is akin to being "America's Team"...both widely loved by its fans but hated by most others. Now we've both become the laughing stock of the postseason performance.

For cripes sake, how many times do we have to tell you that we won the Penrose old man?!

You'll have to ask the mod that deleted it.

Since my other thread was deleted despite it being just facts.

It's never been about being right or wrong. It's about holding UND to the standard that it should be held to in the college hockey world. Just look at what Brad inherited and look what we've accomplished since. I can appreciate some NCHC titles, but I just don't those matter a ton. I'm not even expecting titles...too much puck luck in one-and-done format tourneys. What I want to see is having top-tier talent excited to play for our program. I want the national pundits to rave about UND like they used to. I want the fanbase to be excited out of their minds for two weeks with another pending trip to the Frozen Four even if it ends in tears. The Penrose is a slow burn that no one thinks about until you have the trophy.

Holy smokes, I almost forgot this time...

I expected more out of you....like more tar and feathers. I'll bring the tar, Mike will bring the feathers, but Berry's a big dude and we're going to need some help!

Maybe all of our training equipment looks so new because they don't use it?

Not expecting anything other than more of the same. We'll supposedly bring in a couple of talented freshmen, but it will be fleshed out by more mediocre transfer portal talent, and we'll get out-skilled in the tourney if we make it.

Why should one not complain about the slow demise of our UND hockey program? Why do we all have to 'sit down and shut up' like the average fan at The Ralph these days? Keep accepting mediocrity and all you'll get is mediocrity.

Yeah, I did say participate, so my apologies on how I worded it. What my brain was trying to say and how I wrote it were kind of different. I guess what I was implying was the way you "phrased" it...like I participated in a manner that agreed with the subject matter. I don't take any of these conversations personal and actually have an honest, fun time participating back with people such as yourself when the replies are thoughtful like yours. The Penroses are fine and all...would rather win one than not...but they just don't excite the fan base. During the Hak era, you knew you could count on buying a ticket to the Final Five, a regional, or Frozen Four and know UND would show up. The excitement was always buzzing in March and April, even in Hak's worst years...though we all know the Frozen Fours were all heartbreak sadly. Now, fewer and fewer have any excitement to go to these events in fear of yet another lackluster postseason performance....to the detriment of not only the UND Hockey program, but the NCHC and NCAA in a small trickle-down effect. The Ralph has had some pretty blah attendance at times too. No doubt it sucks that somehow we never got over the hurdle and won that 8th title under Hak's leadership, but I think it's just one of those weird statistics that will mar him for no other reason than it was just dumb [bad] luck. But, there was impressive talent that Hak would bring in. The style of play we had was fun to watch. His teams had character and you could define the traits of our team. Now, it's a hodgepodge of mediocre transfer portal kids, some okay talent that I wouldn't consider blue chip in all but a few cases, and the hockey world doesn't look at us with the same respect it used to.

What do I actually complain about? The fact that I don't like Berry and the low bar he's set for the program and ??

None were on the radio. I don't know if he had to do some other media or opted to not saying anything at all.

I like how you referenced I "participated". I did participate twice in that thread before it was locked. And in neither post did I ever reference Firing Hak. In one I defended the fact that it's still a long season and the other was some thoughtful data about our string of championships against the law of averages. Over the umpteen years I've been on here I can't say with 100% certainty that I didn't mention the good ol' #FireHak once in a fit of Frozen Four rage, but I don't recall ever doing it and have never believed firing Hak was ever the right choice like I truly believe that replacing Berry is.

I would guess Mama Gaber was playing with the crowd on Flakebook if that counts.

Who?

Just because there was a big thread about "Fire Hak" doesn't mean I was a participant...nor does it mean anyone calling for Brad's head was a participant of the Hak one...though I won't argue that some would overlap. I am a big fan of Hak and think that young recruits, players, other programs, and the hockey landscape as a whole thought incredibly highly of UND while he was coach. You don't hear those same things nearly as much anymore and we're not recruiting elite talent like we used to.

Defender of mediocrity.

Season results were not what was being discussed. "The bar" was the level of acceptance that fans have of the program that gets lower every year. At this rate, Berry could go 0-fer on the season and people would still defend him at some point.

The bar has been lowering every year since Hak left....

Shoot, my bad...I thought Berry & company recruited and coached the players. So you're implying the players invited themselves to play for UND?