MafiaMan

Ahhh...good times, that 1997 Final Five. I think I've mentioned this story a time or two, but I'll do it again. Four drunk Gopher fans were sitting about three rows in front of my friend and I at that game. The rest of the section was pretty much non-committed St Cloud fans. These four clowns went thru beer like it was going out of style and each one did his share of yelling..."where the f***is North Dakota," "Sioux s**k s**t," and "Where's the sheep?...Grand Forks!" comments rained down on us all night. The whole section was pretty peeved at these guys and someone had to shut them up. Anyways, Peter's goal goes in the net and these four bozos scamper for the exits. My glee turns to revenge as I grab one of the guys by his shirt as he runs by me and I yell at him "do you know where North Dakota is now, a**hole?". The look on his face was priceless. A close second that night? Spotting two other Gopher fans wearing Jesse Bertogliat jerseys and mittens sitting in the section next to us (Jesse remembered for his 20 career points at the U of M along with his 99 PIM's)...during a quiet moment when these guys were standing up hamming it for the camera, I yelled out "Hey everyone, it's discount night on Bertogliat jerseys at Gold Country." The whole section burst into laughter and these guys suddenly realized I was talking about them. One disappointing thing about the Peter Armbrust article...how about mentioning what he's doing NOW? It's been seven years since that memorable season.

Thanks Jim and Airmail. I guess I just have to pay attention to picture sizes. I did pick several different ones...they were barely over the legal limit. As my good friend Homer Simpson would say..."DOH!".

Jim, Here's the message I got. It occurred right after I picked out a file to use as the avatar. I tried several different pics to be sure it wasn't a size problem... Sorry, an error occurred. If you are unsure on how to use a feature, or don't know why you got this error message, try looking through the help files for more information. The error returned was: You are not allowed to upload that type of file as an avatar or personal photo

Capece, dagies. I'm just confused why people would even think that way. You're not grooming a successor to Hakstol a) in case he fails or b) in case he leaves. Pick an associate coach, not someone wo watch over Dave's shoulder and tell him what he would have done instead. By the sounds of it, some clowns here would see the Sioux go 30-2 on the season, lose in the NCAA regionals, and they'd be calling for Hakstol's head on a platter. 7 titles in 50+ years, folks. It doesn't happen every day, that's why it's special when the stars align and everything comes together. Ask Maine in 1999 or Denver in 2003. Or the 1997 or 2000 Sioux.

Good grief, Dagies, would you mind letting Dave Hakstol actually be the head guy for ONE game without worrying about grooming his heir apparent? Are you kidding me? It's not like Hakstol is 55 and ready to be pushed out the door.

UMD does not play in or host a holiday tournament this upcoming season. Denver hosts the Denver Cup 1/1/05 & 1/2/05 along w/Air Force, Northeastern, and Colgate and Colorado College is playing in THE Ohio State University tournament 12/29/04 & 12/30/04.

There are good points and bad points to be made on both sides of the World Junior issue, PCM. I guess we just differ on what to do with the games while the best players are absent. I'd prefer to just play the young guns and hope for the best against other WCHA teams. You prefer to not play league games while these players are gone and schedule a tournament. Both have their pluses and both have their minuses. Personally, I think the only true measure of a regular seson champ is when you play everyone in the conference four times. And for that reason alone, I'd like to dump the tournament. I'm guessing that in years when Minnesota or UMD don't make the trip to Grand Forks due to the unbalanced schedule, most fans won't be thinking it's a great opportunity to see Canisius or Union College play in their place.

The Sioux don't seem to mind when the Gophers have 2-3 players missing those big conference games...

I am pretty certain Michigan State is a staple at the GLI...you won't see them in any other tournament. And with BU in the Beanpot, they're most likely out too. If you want top-notch NCAA talent, Maine would be a good place to start.

By the way, PCM, I read your tribute to your friend, Ken Hendrickson. Nicely done.

It's going to take longer than a couple of years to replicate the enthusiasm of the GLI or the Beanpot. That's where the idea of the NCC wouldn't be a bad idea...UND, UMD, St Cloud, and Mankato...hmnnnnnnn...

Hey, I like hockey as much as the next game, PCM, but a Wayne State/Brown matchup hardly instills a "gotta see it" attitude from the fans. I'm guessing Providence College, Maine, Northern Michigan, or even Nebraska-Omaha would have gathered more interest. Brown may have been on a roll, but I wouldn't consider them a powerhouse by any stretch of the imagination. And for all the talk of their Hobey Baker candidate goalie, you and I both know that the quality of candidates has been weakened in the past few years to appease the Mercyhursts of college hockey.

Tried to change it again today...no luck. Maybe it's just me?

Ask the 100 or so fans in attendance at the Brown/Wayne State game (I was one of them) if they thought that game was worthwhile...BORING! Brown ranked in the top ten? Yes, they were at the time. Funny I didn't see them in the NCAA tournament, though. After all, rankings and polls in November/December are clearly an indication of how good/poor a team is.

Terbele, That's why I suggested making UNO a permanent tournament participant. Keep in mind that with the weighted schedule, it's very possible that UMD and Minnesota State, Mankato won't be making any trips to Grand Forks during the regular season. You're only guaranteed to host St Cloud under the current WCHA arrangement. In fact, that comes into play this winter as UND does not host a single game against UMD. Now there's 3 of your 4 teams already...UND, UNO, and UMD. Not a bad start.

Funny how timing is everything. I went to Belfield High School and was a decent (10 ppg) basketball player there. Had I been born a few years later, there's no question I'd have wanted to go to Dickinson and play hockey.

I can't believe no one has mentioned Brent Bobyck. Now that guy could FLY up and down the ice...he was really something to watch on the penalty kill. Someone did mention Curtish Murphy...I read the other day that he signed a contract to go play in Russia. Too bad he never got a real shot in the show...one of my favorite college players.

I understand Blais' logic in that area, PCM, but it didn't help UND this past season when they had to trek to St Cloud minus a couple of pretty good players. I'd rather watch UND minus a couple of players playing a big conference game over the holidays as opposed to seeing Brown or Wayne State any day!

In all seriousness, I am curious about the quality of "western" North Dakota hockey since 1992. I am originally from Belfield and was at UND when Bismarck played Minot for the state high school championship. Dickinson had just gotten a team organized that season and although their varsity played everyone else's jayvee squads, at least it was a start. Anyone know the 4-1-1? Have Dickinson and Williston improved? How do Bismarck Century and Bismarck Demons hold up against the Red River's and Central's. And does Minot continue to wear the Gopher wanna-be jerseys? Where can I buy an old Devils Lake Satans jersey? I guess that should keep everyone busy for a while. I miss bein' in the h.s. hockey loop in Grand Forks... MafiaMan

Anything would be better than seeing the likes of Brown, Wayne State, and the Dickinson JV squad. Subway Classic my a**. I realize it's a token tournament for the home team to parade around a new trophy at the end, but even the Gophers schedule some decent teams at the Mariucci Classic. I kinda like the idea of this, although I'd say the best bet would be to make UND and UNO permanent participants and rotate the others around since the Sioux see enough of them in the regular season anyways. Or...here's an idea...dump holiday tournaments altogether and schedule league games that count so no one gets left off the the schedule! Home and away against all opponents...now THERE is a radical concept.

Since when did it become a prerequisite that you have to have been a UND alum to be a head, associate head, assistant coach, or towel boy for the Sioux hockey team? Has anyone forgotten that Cary Eades USED to be on the Sioux bench (or up in the booth, depending on how you look at it)? Or maybe you didn't know he was there. And now you think he'd come back to be second fiddle again? As if. On another note, for all you naysayers out there about David Hakstol. Now considered one of the best coaches in all of college football, he hadn't even held a head coaching job until he was in his 50's. Nobody started the 2001 college football season with more pressure than he did. After all, he was a nobody. All he did that year was go undefeated and win the national championship. His record in the past three seasons is 35-3. I'm talking about Larry Coker. Give Dave Hakstol a chance, but let's put an end to the b.s. that he'd better win an NCAA championship right now or else he's a dud. In 50+ years of Sioux hockey, they've won 7. The Gophers have won 5, but went 23 years between #3 and #4. It's a bit unreasonable to expect a team to win it every year. That being said, go Dave go! Good luck with your newest challenge!

Sweeny? Dickinson? I was born there. Always thought the Midget nickname was the second-best in the state. Right after Satans. Now it's apparently #1. MafiaMan

My favorite memory of Coach Blais: I was in Ann Arbor for the 1998 West Regional and seriously, the ONLY person in the building wearing a Sioux jersey. Yost was a madhouse of maize Michigan jerseys. I walked right by Dean in the concourse area and said "good luck coach." He quickly pulled me aside, shook my hand, and said, "looks like we might be the only people in the building pulling for the Sioux, huh?". I laughed, he chuckled, and he went on his way. The guy is truly down-to-earth and a genuine good guy. It was a nice ten year run in Grand Forks, Coach Blais, and I wish you all the best in the NHL. I hope the 2004-2005 Sioux run the table and win the NCAA title as your going-away present. MafiaMan

The World Cup of Hockey is right around the corner and I was curious if anyone on the board was planning on going to the games at Xcel. Here's the schedule: Sept 2 USA vs Russia Sep 3 USA vs Slovakia Sep 7 North America Pool # vs North America Pool #4 or North America Pool 2 vs North America Pool #3 Sep 10 Semifinal 1 Semifinal 2 is schedule for Sep 11th in Toronto with the championship being held on the 14th (also in Toronto) European Pool (Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Sweden) North American Pool (USA Canada, Slovakia, Russia) Some good hockey, folks. Get your tickets now!

Everyone's missing the point. College hockey has gotten so good over the past few years that it's become NCAA basketball. Watch the Paul Martins, Zach Parises, and Keith Ballards while you can for the year, two, or three that you have them, because quality players putting in four years of college are quickly becoming a thing of the past. Unfortunately, I might add. It would have been something watching UND and UM duke it out next season with their full corp of upper-classmen and new recruits. You think a Ballard or a Parise wouldn't have had a burr in their saddle all season long after the way this past year ended for both of them? Alas, we'll never know...