MafiaMan

Actually, this clown supposedly works in marketing for the Phoenix Suns...

I wish. I have the co-rec state broomball tournament this weekend in Chaska so I'll have to resort to finding someone to text message me real-time scores. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Anyone? Our first game? Friday night at 6:55 pm. Ugh...

I'll give Jeff some credit. Plenty of other players (on any team) would have bailed and left the team or been very vocal about being benched. To his credit, unless I just haven't been paying attention, he hasn't done either.

Actually, a friend of mine "in-the-know" just e-mailed me a picture. It's been a long, difficult season for our WCHA brethren from Minneapolis. Rather than a simple display of blonde hair to signify their emergence from the struggle of the regular season, the team opted for something a little more drastic this year. Anyways, I won't make you wait any further...here's a sneak peek at what fans in Mankato will see this weekend... The Gopher player picture below remains faceless in order to protect his identity. After all, he'll look exactly like 20 other doofuses on Friday night. No word on what Don Lucia will look like...

I honestly haven't paid much attention to the Gophers lately. In all seriousness, is he?

That just about made me laugh out loud. Goin' to Grand Forks this weekend, NDH? MafiaMan Jr had a couple of good scoring chances and an assist in the mites jamboree last weekend. I looked for Hakstol and Eades in the stands at BIG but they must have been busy Sunday morning.

I'm not sure I'd advertise 16 year old girls being there with posters like dagies on the board.

Not really. I wonder if Jeff even feels like he is part of the team these days.

As you can see from the map, it's also a very easy drive straight up Rice Street. Just lock your car doors at the intersection of Rice and University...it's a long stop light and you don't want to take any chances. Those North Dakota license plates make easy targets.

Kids are OK during the day. I had MafiaMan Jr in tow with me two years ago...he was four at the time. Mapquest directions from Xcel Energy Center to Hoggsbreath

It's a bar/restaurant that's more restaurant during the day. They have a big-screen TV with NCAA basketball on upstairs and plenty of pool tables and NDH's favorite, dart boards, downstairs. In the past, we've done this on Saturday morning because Friday of the Final Five has usually been St Patrick's Day. Getting anyplace downtown is a madhouse. Hoggsbreath is located about 5 minutes north and 2 minutes west of downtown off of Highway 36 in Little Canada. I know the owners very well and they'd be happy to set up an area for us. Last year wasn't busy at all when we came, but it's still helpful to give them a possible head-count so they can be prepared.

Touche!

To signify team unity, will Jeff Frazee be sporting one?

They can still drink starting at 10 am, can't they?

Hey, you bein' a wise guy or some-tin? 'Cuz you knows I'm not a fan a wise guys. Vinny, why don'tchoo take NDH out for, you know, a nice concrete-boot swim in da lake.

College hockey is a great game and we're fortunate to have the great facility known as the X in order to host what I think is far and away the best conference tournament money can buy. I can honestly say if this tournament were held almost every year in either Denver or Milwaukee, the odds of me attending would diminish greatly.

If you saw me in person, you would realize how funny your question really is. Don't get your undies in a bunch, Gopherguy33, it's all in good fun. Go read the invite to the Hoggsbreath and if you show up, I'll buy you a beer.

I take the whole day off regardless of who is playing the 2:05 pm game. I'm talking about Gopher fans who feel they are 'owed' the 7:05 pm game-time because they are the 'home' team. Oh, wait, except for when things go south, then it's 'neutral ice.'

I'll keep that comment in mind when I'm walking to the X next weekend and a Gopher fan calls me a Nazi.

OK, since I've been asked, I thought I would throw this out there and see if there was any interest in people meeting for brunch late Saturday morning (March 22nd) before the 2:00 pm WCHA 3rd place game. I know the first round of the playoffs hasn't been played yet, but figured I'd see if there was any interest... Without the added festivities of St Patrick's Day being held on Friday, perhaps a few more people would be interested in coming out on Saturday... Even if you're a Gopher fan, cmon out and meet some of the monikers from the board in person. It's a fun time and now the Hoggsbreath is smoke-free!

Shouldn't you be running along to your appointment with your hairdresser, Gopherguy33?

Point #1). Plenty of Gopher fans wouldn't drive 4.5 hours to see a tournament that their team wasn't it. Your point makes no sense. Point #2). I was at that regional at Mariucci and capacity at the John is just over 10,000. Those games weren't even close to a full-house. By the way, nice of Gopher fans to stay a bit late for some free hockey and the OSU/Cornell game. I think about 800 people saw that one. Point #3). Minnesota has never voted against the "Gopher rule." They have abstained from voting at all.

According to a report on www.gopherpucklive.com, the Gopher hockey team will be displaying a show of unity this coming weekend that will put to shame last year's perm jobs. Oh I can't wait to see this. Anyone else want to drive down to Mankato and wear your Sioux jerseys while cheering for the purple cows?

Good point, but there is also no reason to cater to one team year after year to supposedly "boost attendance."

I live in the Twin Cities, stickboy1956, and I know plenty of Gopher fans who would mumble and grumble about having to leave work for an afternoon game when their team is the, ahem, 'home team.' There are conversations in our Final Five section all the time regarding the "Gopher Rule" and as soon as other fans mention how unfair it is, every Minnesota fan in our area explains that because St Paul hosts the tournament, "local fans" shouldn't have to take time off of work to go see Minnesota play. Of course, when I classify myself as a local fan because I live in Bloomington, I'm quickly dismissed because I'm not a Minnesota fan, but that's another story... Go look at the attendance during Easter weekend a few years ago for the Western Regional. The Gopher/Maine game drew 9,583 and the Gopher/Cornell game drew 9,054. Hell, if you think Gopher fans are so supportive of their team, I go check out the attendance from some recent third-place tournament games. Again, I personally know a half-dozen Gopher fans right off the top of my head who had tickets for those games and skipped them because "it doesn't matter." The Gopher train is a fickle one...plenty of people have gotten off of it this season... I'm tellin' ya, if you think a Friday afternoon Gopher/CC match-up would gather more than 16,000 fans, I'd take that bet.