MafiaMan

We've been yapping all season long that the WCHA is the best conference in the country. Go Denver! Good luck against Maine or BC. May the force be with you...

What the hell was I thinking today? I overslept and went into work at 10:30 am. At that point, why not call it a day, tell my boss, "I'll see you tomorrow," and stay home to watch this game? Stupid is as stupid does...

I really can't judge how they're "outplaying" UMD on the basis of some posts on a message board. I did watch the UND/DU game and personally, I don't think UND "dominated" that game at all. But since we're going to comment about DU's play today, I believe an earlier poster stated that DU looked like they were happy just to get to the Frozen Four. It would appear now they are not.

Ask the owner of Gemini Sportswear what he thinks of the new Sioux. He'll tell you.

I've been trying to change my avatar for weeks now but keep getting an error message. Help?

How about that? Denver sucks, Denver shouldn't be there, North Dakota's better...sounds like they're giving UMD a tussle. By the way, I am pulling for UMD, but I wanted Denver to show me why they belonged in the Frozen Four. It would appear that they are.

A.B.T.G., I'm going to quote my Italian grandfather here when I tell you to "shut your canole hole!" and quit crying! UND lost a one-game playoff. It's as simple as that. Regular season, WCHA Final Five, blah blah blah. None of that matters in a one-game series. I believe Herb Brooks said it best when he told the 1980 USA kids that the Soviets might beat them 9 times out of 10...but you just never know about that 10th game. My hats off to Denver regardless of what happens today. My issue isn't with why or how they beat North Dakota, it's how UND suddenly has developed the choker reputation. Since 1997, UND is 2-4 in WCHA playoff championship games. 1998 NCAA playoffs: 0-1 1999 NCAA playoffs: 0-1 2003 NCAA playoffs: 0-1 2004 NCAA playoffs: 1-1 And maybe it's just me, but this year's loss to DU was eerily similar to the 1999 BC game. You could see the panic on the players' and Dean's face from the middle of the first period on to the end. I think Dean is more comfortable with the "unexpected" teams (like 1997 or 2000) than he is with coaching teams with expectations of nothing less than the national title. That's all I have for now.

Dagies, That 1997 Final Five game will forever be inked in my memory, too. I was there in person and after watching the Sioux struggle from 1992-1995 and show some promise in 1996, it was awesome to see them win the Final Five. That game was eclipsed a few weeks later when I watched UND overcome a 2-0 deficit to BU and win the national title. Talk about euphoria! "BEST TEAM WON!"

Maybe the best team didn't get there (Boston)? C'mon, Dean, now you sound like Michigan in 1998.

While I love Sioux hockey enough to have the old Blackhawk logo tattooed onto my back left shoulderblade, I must beg to differ with the Sioux/Gopher hockey rivalry labeled the "greatest rivalry in all of sport." Drive to Ann Arbor or Columbus in any given fall and when you're on either the Michigan or Ohio State University campus during "THE GAME," you'll find a bigger rivalry. I've been to Michigan Stadium several times over the years, and trust me, a stadium that seats 1/6 of the population of my former home state in it gives me goosebumps every time. Nothing, and I mean nothing in sports can compare to it. The sun comes out tomorrow and next fall, the Sioux will capture the hearts of fans everywhere. Maybe it's time to add the new logo to my right shoulderblade...

What's the deal with "The Big Sioux," anyways? I was up in GF in December and the artist formerly known as TBS is now the I-29 Cafe and there's a "new" Big Sioux on 32nd and I-29?

It doesn't get any better than Italian Moon pizza.

Hey...just made my 100th post.

Tony Couture. Yea, he had an awesome run going there. They made the NCAA's in 1989-90, spanked BU in the first game of their three-game tilt, then BU slopped up the ice to slow down the Sioux and they won the next two games to advance in the tournament. It was all downhill after that...

Romaniuk, Bobyck, Herter, Hakstol...they had such promise on the 1988-1989 team. I enjoyed watching Brent Bobyck glide on the ice back then. What an awesome player he was.

CFM - I was an accounting major and spent PLENTY of time in Gamble Hall from 88-92. Good times...not!

I had several classes with Duberman when I was in college. The guy thought pretty highly of himself.

That pic and Spehar reference made me laugh out loud. My boss came into my office wondering what was so funny. Nice going, PCM. Where does Justin Duberman rank on the list?

Coteau, I concur 100%. A lot of kids with that kind of pressure fold like a pup tent under it. Take a look at some of the top-tier NHL draft picks of years gone by...Brian Lawton, Patrick Stefan (yes, he's STILL with Atlanta), Radek Bonk, Alexander Daigle, just to name a few. At this point, I think you can even put Eric Lindros on that list of major disappointments. Zach's college career is no indication of what he'll do in the pros, but strictly on the basis of name and expectations coming INTO college, he certainly lived up to the hype.

OK, forgive me for not completely fawning over Zach Parise like some of the people on the board. Here's his legacy at UND: 0 NCAA titles 0 WCHA Final Five Playoff Titles 1 WCHA Regular Season Title 1-2 post-season record Hardly the stuff of "legends." If you want to make a case for him being a fabulous player, that's fine. I completely agree. It was a pleasure to watch Zach handle the burden of being THE #1 guy night in and night out, the media pressure, the fan expectations, etc. But to compare him with Jeff Panzer, Aaron Schweitzer, Karl Goehring, Troy Murray, Tony Hrkac, Matt Henderson, Ed Belfour, and plenty of others who stepped it up and took their team to a different level (that being an NCAA title) is a different story. I'm sorry to say, folks, but Zach's legacy as a Sioux will be as player with exceptional talent and skill who made the players around him better. However, to call him the greatest Sioux player ever? Sorry, I don't buy it. Tony Hrkac may not have been a "great" NHL player, but there's NO QUESTION that he is the greatest Sioux player of all-time. Think of all the athletes over the years and what separates the "good" or even "really good" from the "great." It's taking your team to the top. I wish Zach the best and I think he will be a phenomenal pro player, but in my mind, when I think of his Sioux career, it will always be the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 seasons and "what might have been..." Michael Jordan was never "great" until the Bulls won an NBA title. Charles Barkley is STILL not considered an elite player because he never won the title. Steve Yzerman was beloved by the Red Wings, but now he's seen as the ultimate captain for his three Stanley Cups. Had Zach Parise stayed another year and left school 5 minutes after winning NCAA title #8 next season, I would have smiled and said "thank you" and appreciated what he had done. His promise and expectations as a player would have led to the ultimate prize as a college hockey player...the NCAA title. And THAT would have been a fitting end to the Zach Parise Sioux legacy, not this. I can't say I blame him...an NHL contract, signing bonus, etc. And if his name gets etched on the Stanley Cup in June, I'm sure he'll have no regrets. I do wish him the best, but it's a disappointing day for the Sioux.

I have a Red Wings one in my living room but a Sioux one would be awesome. No geometric stuff...I'd gladly pay too much for a new-logo one!

NDFlyer, Didn't Moore "honor" the NHL code by fighting in the first period of that game recently? Yes, Bertuzzi's hit was goon-ish and doesn't really qualify as "fighting." I was trying to point out that fighting serves its purpose, but there are places where it's totally out of line. Since the overall plan of hockey is to increase fan base, you can either do it two ways: Turn it into "Slapshot" and encourage the typical redneck who loves WWE, mud-wrestling, and shinin' rabbits to come to see fights at the hockey arena... or reduce fighting, impose harsh penalties for being a thug (the year suspension for Bertuzzi is a good start), and make the casual fan interested in the finer points of the game...the skating, the passing, the scoring, and the goal-tending. Now tell me how baseball, football, and the NBA can be successful by changing their marketing strategies all the time, yet you ask the casual sports fan about hockey and their response is "isn't that the sport where they fight all the time?". Do the math, folks. Hockey's a niche sport about to be overtaken in the US by soccer. SOCCER!

DaveK, Very gutsy stance on fighting. Let me explain why I like fighting and then why I don't. Why I do: The 1997 Red Wings playing Colorado Avalanche at home. Red Wings were embarrassed at the hands of the Avs in the 1996 playoffs and hadn't won a game against them in 1997. This was a March game and it was 5-0 Avalanche in the third period. The Wings started mucking it up and the whole thing got out of hand. After multiple player ejections and Patrick Roy and Mike Vernon duked it out at center ice, they resumed play. In 10 minutes, the Wings scored 5 goals and put the game into OT and they ended up winning 6-5. A few weeks later, they met in the playoffs and any doubt about how the Wings would play was erased. They wound up winning the 1997 Stanley Cup. The fights changed their attitudes against Colorado and losing to the Avs was no longer tolerated. Why I don't: Marty McSorley gooning it up, thugs taking the ice specifically to injure the opposing team's superstar, starting a fight with 10 seconds left in a game where you are losing 5-1 and the outcome has long been decided. Stupid! Fighting does serve its purpose in a 2-0 game much like switching goalies is designed to do. It does have a purpose. However, when not used for a purpose (see Todd Bertuzzi video from a while back), it makes the sport look bad, and THAT should not be tolerated either.

Relax dagies. Come join us for that drink! I can see the 3-peat banners for the Gophers already and UND hoisting banner #8. Pssst...cmon Mafia...dream's over.

Zach Parise won't HELP Sioux recruiting? Let's see...Dean practically gave his blessing to Zach turning pro. Do you think there is something to be said for that? Imagine Don Lucia telling a recruit that Zach regretted his decision to go to UND and a prospect wanted to confirm that with Dean Blais. Dean hands the kid a cell phone number and says "call Zach yourself and find out." I think Zach has no regrets about becoming a Fighting Sioux and I'm sure he'll do his best to encourage other kids to go there. And THAT, my friends, is a positive. UND has won 7 national titles without Zach Parise. In fact, the 1997 title was one without a real bona-fide superstar. It can be done and it will be done again without Zach. It just would have been nice to see the Sioux win one WITH Zach, but that's not going to happen, so it's time to set course for new waters.