MafiaMan

SI picks Sweden to win the gold medal in men's ice hockey...USA in women's.

For being named captain? I'm a fan of Parise as well, but...

Yea, exchanging 45,000 for about 7,500 in the Ohio State game would have made a big difference.

Right! Bloomington still has plenty of outdoor rinks and Richfield has a few around as well. I never see kids out there playing hockey...just old timers. The kids are either at the cushy rinks or at home playing Xbox.

That's awesome! Some simple math here: 14 game attendance total: 170,786 take away the NSC games: (28,000) take away HCC: (45,000) Total attendance: 97,786 Divide that by 11 games instead of 14 and we get a new fan total of 8,890 per game or 1,110 below the 10,000 seat capacity, or 88.9% of capacity.

Weren't those the ones that were quietly sold the next morning at Home of Economy?

Little doubt that WMU and Miami replacing Wisconsin and Minnesota in terms of tournament fan support is a win for the Big 10 and a loss for the NCHC. I've had enough of SCSU, Denver, CC, and UMD though. It'd be fun to see the new-blood + North Dakota tournament.

I wondered that myself...obviously "tickets sold".

http://www.collegehockeynews.com/almanac/attendance.php Both could do a lot better. I was surprised at Miami's ranking on this list.

Like I said, I agree with Don. However, should this be implemented and we see Kyle Rau giggling on the bench like a giddy schoolgirl after drawing a 5:00 major penalty on an opponent, I think that video review should also be allowed to take a look at that and toss him in the bin for acting.

http://www.edmontonsun.com/2013/11/21/after-10-years-heritage-classic-remains-the-standard-for-players-fans-venue-and-extremely-frigid-temperatures

Well played Mauer, well played.

The thing that bugs me about the outdoor game is that the "fad" started in Edmonton in 2003, but the NHL has turned it into a farce. The 2011 Heritage Classic between Calgary and Montreal got about 1/80th of the attention that the 2011 Winter Classic game did. At least this year's Winter Classic consisted of a Canadian team. http://www.edmontons...id-temperatures Back on topic... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aYvoUXuK7s

Funny that you mention this...Don Lucia went on record yesterday saying he would like to see instant replay used in reviewing penalties. I can't recall which Gopher player got a game DQ last Saturday night for "contact to the head" but the center-ice hit was shoulder-to-shoulder but the Bulldog player went down like a tons of bricks afterward and immediately grabbed his head. I happen to agree with Don on this one...but how do you implement something like this without slowing down the pace of the game? Goal reviews are bad enough the way it is...

It's my thread...why not? I'm sure the record company thought they "needed another single" and that's the reason that "Cherry Pie got the album name and cover.

I don't know if it's EVERY thread...besides, there's a lot to talk about today!

I think Memorial Stadium is about the perfect size venue for an outdoor game. I am not sure how much of an 'experience' watching an outdoor game can be from the top rows of Dodger Stadium or Michigan Stadium.

Tough to be missing key players due to the Olympics...then throw in an injury or two to key players that are left. Yikes.

Mario Lemieux is a living legend. Sidney couldn't carry his jock strap.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/01/31/christian-college-in-wisconsin-drops-crusaders-nickname/ I have often wondered how long it would be before Holy Cross found its nickname in trouble. We're not quite there yet, but I have a feeling the issue is about to be raised.

Yep, Ray77...and don't forget - new "special" jerseys for each and every team for the games! it's so unusual to see outdoor games...I wish they'd make a comeback. Give it another 20 years and it'll be "come see the North Dakota Fighting Sioux as they play hockey INDOORS...just like the good old days of 2005!"

Right on. St Cloud - meh. UMD - meh. Denver - 5-10 fans CC - 1 alumni living in the TC's, his wife, and player parents

You're right, it is funny once you look back. This whole thread started to be about him and then he records a 59 save shut-out win almost immediately afterward. That's funny.

Just get in the tournament...anything can happen after that.

Personally, I would love to see St Cloud, UMD, Denver, and CC all eliminated in the first round just so we can see what Nebraska-Omaha, Western Michigan, and Miami bring to the Target Center. Perish the thought, but if UND is eliminated in the first round, the crowd at Target Center for the NCHC tournament will make the crowd at the WCHA tournament at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids look like the Hockey City Classic