The Commodore

Here's some of mine, in more or less chronological order: Denny on the Zamboni Bob Joyce's wraparound shot The shower of plastic cups that would blanket the ice after every home win in 1987 Turkey bowling in the old Ralph After a win in the old Ralph over the Gophers, watching Commodore interrupt a television interview to loft a frozen rodent that had been tossed onto the ice into the section of exiting Gopher fans Karl "claiming the ice" after a five-minute standoff following warmups before the championship game at the 2001 Final Five against SCSU. The following game, Roche's comeback goal to tie it up and send it to OT A slapshot from the point by Jason Herter, Travis Roche, Mike Commodore... Chanting "HAU-ser... HAAAAU-ser... HAAAAU-ser...."

A .600 save percentage over the last 2 periods of the game. OUCH! Just the same, you can't fault Cloutier for Dupuis' first goal. Hard to make a save when the assist is coming up over the top of the net. But 15 goals over 3 games against Cloutier (one was on Auld)... Forget Roloson, Cloutier's certainly my MVP for the series.

...or, it IS Minnesotan. At the risk of derailing this thread, "Minnesota Nice" is a myth. I'm not saying that people here aren't nice, but living here for the past 6 years, I haven't found that people here are any more polite or friendly than anywhere else. It's impossible to offer anything better than anecdotal evidence for either side of the argument, but the whole "Minnesota Nice" thing seems to me to be a sort of confidence-crutch. It's whipped out whenever people feel threatened that they're living in a sub-par state or city. They've got Fenway Park or Hollywood or Miami Beach, but people here are nice. Again, there are heaps of nice people here. But I only hear the phrase "Minnesota Nice" in defensive situations when people feel threatened. Sort of like "State of Hockey" is a passive-aggressive stab at Detroit's "Hockeytown." The pretentious part comes into play in that passive-aggressive manner. These phrases, while instilling a source of pride to many fans/residents, also instill this source of pride at the expense of "outsiders," attempting to show that "Minnesota's better," which, for whatever reason, is a major hang-up of a lot of people who live here. And that's pretentious. To claim that being pretentious is so "un-Minnesotan" is to have bought into the "Minnesota Nice" myth in the first place.

And incedentally, I think his comments about the Eastern Conference were wrong. The Western Conference has Calgary, Nashville, San Jose, and Columbus which are just as bad as the cellar dwellers in the East. Plus I think with Detroit and Colorado eliminated, the East has a better chance at winning the cup than the West does, anyway. I don't know why he included Washington with Carolina and Florida.... I'd sure as heck rather face most teams in the West than Washington on a regular basis.

I said I thought the letter was interesting, not unbiased. He's a total homer and I don't think he should be criticized for it... because he's writing this letter as a private correspondence to Kiszla and not as a public column to be read by millions. I singled out the Belfour potshot because I didn't want this to turn into a pro/con Belfour thread... you're totally right about the number of potshots he takes and I'll get to that in a minute. Regardless of that, Kiszla said at one point that Lemaire has taken everything great and wonderful about this game and put it in a straight-jacket.... not an exact quote, but pretty close. That's the comment that really incensed the guy who wrote this letter. What's great and wonderful about this game is the degree to which TEAM must come before individuals in order to bring success. Sakic, Forsberg, and Roy make more money than the entire Wild team. And they probably deserve it, because they're incredible hockey players. But the Wild's coaching and administrative staff has taken what's great about this game and liberated it. The money and the superstar ego are what puts it in a straight jacket, if containing what's wonderful about this game is even possible. I'm not advocating that every team retool their roster and building philosophy to exclude high-priced superstars and focus on developing hive-mind collective teams like the Wild, by any means. I love to watch the big superstars play... but don't criticize the Wild for their philosophy. The unpretentious, team concept demonstrates how much hockey is intrinsically a team sport. And as an added bonus (in this last series, anyway) it allowed us to beat the Avalanche. The potshots were the result of this guy trying to deal with Kiszla on his own terms. He doesn't walk around our workplace slamming other people's favorite hockey teams or players and I'm sure he would have left out most of the potshots had he been writing his letter to post on a discussion board like this one. But more than coming off as a general jacka$$, Kiszla is flat-out wrong about the Wild. And I think a sports journalist with his clout should have a little more integrity.

This post is going to be lengthy, but I've got to show you this letter. It was written by a coworker of mine (also a high school hockey coach and Wild season ticket holder) to Kiszla in response to his articles which berate Granato and the Wild. Personally, I think it's great and maybe it will stir up some good discussion. Disclaimer-- he does take one pot-shot at Belfour which, as a die-hard Sioux fan, I wish he hadn't made... but it's there as an aside to make a larger (and more valid) point. Don't flame this letter just to defend Eddie: "Mr. Kiszla, and others who detract from the Wild: I first took notice of Jacques Lemaire in 1995 when he coached an enthusiastic Devils club to an upset Cup sweep over Bowman's Red Wings. In four games, you saw mastery at work. Unfortunately for him and for the game itself, many who don't understand hockey took the concept of the "neutral zone trap" and carried it off to their uninformed newspaper articles, where they berated the slow clogging style of play, and railed against the defensive brilliance - to the point where even the NHL called for rule changes. Despite the fact that every single team in the NHL adopted some sort of "trapping", and despite the fact that commentators and journalists love to cling to the term "trap" and make all sorts of complicated and other times oversimplified explanations for what really amounts to a combination of the pro forecheck, backchecking in general, and an overall commitment to team defense; despite all of this Jacques has been maligned by many as someone who slowed the game down, brought boredom and empty seats to arenas, and ruined any chance of the 100 point season. Take heed, take notice, listen to your eyes and ears, watch the Wild... Watch, wake up, and try to learn despite your disadvantage at not living in the state of hockey where you would never grow up with such misconceptions. I have watched an overpaid Avalanche team clutch, grab, and hold young stars like Marion Gaborik at least as much as Willie Mitchell and Wes Walz were sent out on the ice with the mission of stopping Peter Forsberg, who I must say deserves an A-plus for his acting ability and uncanny knack of having Kerry Fraser in his back pocket most of the time. I have listened to Adam Foote whine about the boring style, but have noted that he is amongst the first to use interference and holding tactics to cover up for his skating shortcomings in his own end. I have read and heard things from outside the State of Hockey about the Wild's inactivity at the trade deadline for not picking up such superstars as the aged Phil Housley or the wunderkind Steve Thomas... And while nobody outside of Minnesota seems to understand the team philosophy that the Wild were built on, it bears repeating. To bring someone in, you have to scratch someone. Yes, there were some mid-level talented players available, but who on the Wild hasn't earned the right to wear his sweater in the playoffs? Name one. I challenge anyone to find a player on that roster that hasn't committed himself 100% heart and soul to this season. I challenge because I know the answer. There isn't a man amongst them that doesn't belong there. This point bears merit because it is the essence of the difference between the Avalanche and the Wild. While Forsberg, Roy, and Blake skip their optional practices, leaving underpaid teammates like Hejduk and Tanguay wondering why they are there working their tails off, the Wild shows up in unison, not a man knows what an "optional" skate is, because there aren't any. Why? Is Lemaire a dictator? No, far from it. Because the Wild is a team and they all want to be there. Doug Risebrough has brought in players over the past few years and he has always stated the number one priority whether it's a draft or a trade or a call-up. Does this player fit in our locker room? If not, no amount of talent will get you an ugly green sweater. Doug knows the concept of team. Jacques knows the concept of team. I wonder how many other organizations out there now are scrutinizing this thing they call the "Wild" and wondering 'how can we build something like that?' Ask yourself this before you criticize so freely with your tongue and your pen. Listen to Lemaire... Believe only what your eyes see before you. Is Marion Gaborik a superstar in the making? After scoring a scant handful of goals after the allstar break, many outside of MN were ready to say he is years away from being a top contributor. Fans with a knowledge and sense of the game know that he has started to draw an awful lot of defensive attention; and well he should, for he is truly a top player in the league right now. Mario Lemieux himself said he is one of the top five players in the world right now. But, the critics always say, show it in playoffs, and I agree. Well, in 7 games, he has 4 goals and 2 assists. Six points isn't bad, isn't at the top of the league, but when you look at the timing of his efforts and how he factored on all three goals in the OT victory in game 6, you'd have to be a moron not to realize his impact and potential. Interestingly, Jacques has handled coaching this young phenom with a master's touch. Beethoven and Mozart would be proud of how he has finely crafted this symphony on ice. By teaching Marion defensive responsibility first, slowly working his game into a complete one, we have a young star who can kill penalties, and regularly play at the end of periods and in critical situations that go beyond his obvious skill-driven talent. Can you say the same for Kovalchuk? By the way, who is Rick DiPietro? Defensively his game is worth noting - of the 12 players ahead of him in playoff scoring, 5 are now on the golf course. How did they help their clubs? Was that really Mogilny shooting into his own net last night? Yes, I think it was, the same regular season, third period hero who Lamoriello and anyone who watched him disappear in the Devils' Cup defense knew was no longer a playoff asset. Yes, the same Mogilny whose five goals lit the hearts of the Leafs faithful, but whose sixth went in the wrong net. Yes, that Mogilny, the type of big name, big money player, who the lowly Wild would never have the courage or savvy to sign. Well, Alex, enjoy your vodka with Eddie the Eagle, because you two will make one hell of a tandem on the golf course. The Wild at 20 million dollars, dead last in the league, are playing deeper than the Colorado Avalanche, the Detroit Red Wings, and the Toronto Maple Leafs, who combine for team payrolls of about 183 million dollars US. It isn't worth much discussion but the Rangers, Montreal, and LA combine for about 163 million dollars, and none of them made the playoffs with two of the three playing in the weaker eastern conference where you have the privilege of seeing the likes of Florida, Carolina, and Washington on your schedule on a routine basis. Interestingly, 15 out of the top 20 paid players in the league are no longer playing after one round of playoffs. Will the league wake up and build teams instead of hiring superstars who won't pay the price? I doubt it, but I'm glad my team did. Officiating. Before anyone says anyting about officiating let's get this clear. The Avs go ahead goal on their power play with Hendrickson in the box has got to go down as the worst playoff call in modern history. Anyone disputing that needs their head checked. If anyone got breaks, throughout the series, it was the Avalanche. And, with their multiple power plays, they didn't convert often enough against the only team in the league using a goaltending tandem. But, keep complaining about the trap, even when Lemaire's boys flourished under the crackdown on interference this year and the emphasis on the skating game. Just because the Wild don't score much doesn't mean they trap all the time. What it means is they have a lot of young hard working players and a mix of guys who just dont' have a lot of scoring ability. And, we are glad they haven't jacked the fans in the stands to pay for prima donnas who bow out early. Will this be the case every year, this miracle defeat of Goliath? Of course not. Lastly - I will not even discuss other coaches or management in the league much here. We know in Minnesota that we have the best coach in the league bar none. Frankly with Bowman out of the game, nobody else even comes close. But I will not even get into the mismatch that creates versus other clubs, because I think guys like Tony Granato are good natured, hard working fellas who get fired all the time because of the shortcomings of their players. Frankly, doing a rip job on your coach who was your hero a few weeks ago for getting your team their ninth bought and paid for division title is a little bit shabby. Maybe that's just the Minnesota nice in me, but I doubt it, because we are pretty hard on people here if they are idiots. Idiots like Pleau who doesn't get a goalie the past five years then thinks Osgood is the answer, and idiots like Quinn who can't fill out a lineup card and hasn't addressed a pathetic defense, who admittedly cannot be faulted for being surprised at their own 5.5 million dollar superstar shooting pucks into their seemingly soccer-sized net. I close by repeating an earlier question: Will this be the case every year, this miracle defeat of Goliath? Of course not. But, to all detractors, all season long, I suggest one thing. Watch the Wild and try to learn something about hockey, and enjoy it for what it is, the greatest sport on earth. Because if you live in Toronto, New York (either sub-par club), Detroit, or Denver, you sure as hell won't be watching your team."

I'm still in denial.... go firebirds. but if you want to get really technical about it, Dahlen attended DLHS before the name change. Just doesn't have the same appeal as a crowd of people chanting "Satans! Satans! Satans!" and being able to tell opposing teams "welcome to hell."

I'm not one to comment on spelling, but to set the record straight-- it's Devils Lake. No apostrophe. It's my hometown and the apostrophe thing drives me nuts.... probably akin to saying "Grands Fork" or something. And yes, Dahlen is a former Satan.

I don't know... I like Granato. It seems to me that if the Avs lose tonight, any sane person wouldn't blame it solely on Granato. He (and Forsberg) managed to revive the Avs season and win the division title. And while I felt that the main problem for the Avs in game 1 was that they were clearly outcoached, I don't think that's the case anymore. Fernandez is playing his heart out (for the first 55 minutes, anyway) and there's no pressure on the Wild to win this series. I think last night there may have been a little pressure on MN in winning a home game, but tonight it's all on Colorado. They were supposed to finish the Wild off in 4 games and are now in a must-win situation. But firing Granato? Nah... I don't think the problem for the Avs is in the coaching department this series... unless you're talking about the coach on the other bench. Colorado isn't being out-coached, they're being out-worked by a team virtually free of egos. The Wild aren't even a team, they're more of a collective. It's amazing. I said Wild in seven after game 1 and I'm sticking with it.

I don't know if this has any bearing on why the schedule is home-heavy in the beginning, but there's a lot of season ticket holders who have to drive to get to GF... my family's from Devils Lake, which means we get home after a game at 11:30 or 12:00, which has never been a big deal to see UND play... but if it's a home series in January and there's snow, there's going to be less fans in the seats. Since there's better weather in the first half of the season (statistically, anyway), maybe they set up the schedule as such to decrease the chance of a snowstorm preventing hundreds of out-of-towners from getting to the game. And take it from me, the fans from Devils Lake that I know cheer their @$$es off... because if there's a loss, we've got a 90 minute drive home (and the bitter knowledge that we drove 3 total hours to watch UND to get beat by f#%*ing Michigan Tech) to brood about it, and that sucks. So for self-interested reasons only, I'm all for the "weird home-away schedules"

I'm going to answer my own question, with an article in the P.Press today: "With three extra healthy and contributing forwards, coach Jacques Lemaire had several options for selecting his opening lineup. He went with the brawn of Marshall and Johnson instead of the finesse and speed of rookie Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Bill Muckalt. The decision was more personal than strategic for Lemaire, who saluted Marshall for his quiet work ethic and Johnson for his role as the team sentinel."

You don't even have to make the joke, MNS. The Wild are undefeated when leading after 2. It's something like 32-0-4-0.

Heck of a game by Jacques. Colorado was clearly outcoached last night. The Wild made some excellent adjustments between the first and second periods. I didn't think with the AMP line and Roy that Jacques' experience in the playoffs compared to Granato's would prove to be much of a factor, but what a difference. This will be a fun series to watch, as the Wild have nothing to lose now. I don't think any fans of the Wild realistically expected their team to beat Colorado in a 7 game series (that may have changed a bit now, though three more wins against the Avs is a tall order), so everything beyond this first win is gravy. I'm taking the Wild in seven. Why wasn't Muckalt playing last night? Or maybe he was and I just didn't see him. Excellent work in the defensive zone last night for the Wild. Also, what'd you think of that 4th goal, where Roy was wandering behind the net? He must have learned that from Hauser.

I've got 2 tickets for all five games in section 116, row 21. Any other Sioux fans sitting around us?

I don't know if I dare enter this game. I can't skate backwards to save my life. On the positive side, I'm a decent puck handler and have a hard shot. Are we talking full-pads, full-check? Or just a pick-up for-fun precursor to some beers?

Although this may be beating a dead horse, I have to say that the "who's he, he sucks s***" chant is not unique to UND. And to suggest that the fans at Mariucci don't use profanities in their cheers is completely incorrect. There's one repeated chant done at Mariucci--though I couldn't make out the first few words--that ends with "...you f***ing piece of s***!" Every time I've been to games at Mariucci they've done that chant. The profanity happens everywhere, and while I'm not encouraging it (I too, lament the lack of originality more than the profanity itself), to infer that this is only done at UND is wrong. If you think UND's chants are bad, try wearing a Sioux jersey to the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud!