Slap Shot

You just complimented a Gopher - isn't that ban worthy or something?

Bah, there's plenty of you I'd be happy to share a pitcher with, just so long as it's not something crappy. btw - you shouldn't think of yourselves as snakes.

DHG rips on the Gophers regularly (although he doesn't post as often) and is still allowed to post. Melvin doesn't hold punches, brian and dagies have posted well-stated criticisms without being given the boot and there are will continue to be others that are still allowed to post. That's not to say that some fans there never overreact (just like here) to the criticisms, but that's different than a ban from the mods. Not only that, but I and others have come to the defense of a few of you at GPL (dagies and brian come to mind) when I felt fans overreacted by telling them to leave. What Cardinal said here would not have been worthy of a ban at GPL for any of you. The mods may have suggested to 'move forward' but they wouldn't have canned anyone. The fact is don't act like a dip and you won't get the boot. Hammy has been regularly challenged without the poster getting nuked. And asfaik you're not a Gophers butt-kisser but you still have access to post do you not? Because life exists outside one's cocoon? Let's face it every fan base thinks they rule and their rivals suck, but could it be we are far more alike than different?

Then why start the thread? Far be it for me to defend a (former) Sioux , but I don

You mean the greatest moment in your life?

And of course no one at ss.com has ever taken a shot at Hak, right?

If Lucia is such a cancer for NHL development than Vanek, Kessel, Pohl, Taffe, Leopold, Ballard, Martin and others that played under him shouldn't even sniff the NHL.

I'll address this retort with the following: I didn't say the Gophers' season was successful or less than the desired result, but that (shocker moment approaching) misses the point. That point was that I don't measure the Gophers' season-long success vis a vis the Sioux, which is what 'cia' did in reverse by saying, "Could be worse blah, blah, blah...". If the Gophers don't play well I couldn't care less what any other team in the country did because it won't make me feel better about the lack of success, and that my fellow college hockey fan is no spin.

As long as it's done cleanly, just win baby! I know others will feel otherwise, but as long as Minnesotans continue to dominate the roster (not completely fill mind you), the players that are on the team abide by the rules, that they represent the program well, that they regulary compete in the WCHA and the NCAAS, and finally that the crappy seasons are few and far between I will not protest.

So now not winning the NC is ok in Grand Forks as long as they don't also finish 7th in the WCHA.

They can't.

Ah, so because the Badgers took that game seriously they won the NC? It wasn't the coaching, the great goaltending nor the talented and opportunistic counter-attacking offense, it was the emphasis placed on a game two weeks prior? The lengths to which you guys will go to manufacture distaste for Lucia knows no bounds. Anyway this is boring - have a great Memorial Day weekend.

I'll be sure to ask the Minnesota board of regents to take your opinion (of which you admitted "means squat") of a 2-time national championship winning coach under advisement. Hey, perhaps you should start a, "Worthy Coaches" thread and dedicate it to explaining why Lucia isn't.

You don't think the Final Five championship game is important, but you expect someone else to treat the 3rd place game from the same tournament as "balls to the wall" important, ignoring the fact that there was a more important game to be played after? If there is a difference it stems from hypocrisy.

Which is no different than some of your fans saying that the Final Five isn't as important as NCAA regionals and the Frozen Four. At some point this will sink for you...

1. Incorrect - I as much as anyone understand that "a few do not represent the many" - or shouldn't at least. I simply asked for your opinion about the comparison and you don't seem too upset since you answered. 2. No it's not. Lucia feels the same way about the 3rd place game in relation to the team's goals for the rest of the season (such as winning the WCHA regular season title, the regionals and the FF) as you do about something even more important than that game - the Final Five title.

Interesting. So what say you to those here that have roasted Don Lucia for pooh-poohing something even less meaningful than a Final Five title - the Final Five 3rd place game.

Oh sorry - I forgot that we're supposed to take all of this seriously.

1) You're saying a Gopher fan started this thread and was also the first to bring up Lucia? 2) You're saying this thread was started purely for the purpose of sincerely discussing Mike Guentzel's future endeavors and not Don Lucia? 3) Either way - it's all good in the love and war that is WCHA hockey.

Am I now to assume your pleasantries at USCHO are just you blowing smoke? Apparently the art of the wink is a bit too subtle for you?

1) You assume there's enough validity to the accusation that it requires scrutiny. The only reason citing unhappy players is relevant is if there is a significant portion players that feel this way and/or the coach has engaged in questionable behavior. Sometimes it's the kid and not the coach. 1) Define "a lot". 2) After you've done that, apply that same criteria to the 2003 Gophers team that won the title then compare and contrast. 3) When you're done there, if you still wish to claim Lucia only won 2 titles because he was handed talented rosters, explain Hak's 4 straight FF appearances without a NC despite heavily talented rosters. 4) Finally, explain what supposed advantages Lucia walked into at CC, Goon, where he won 3 straight McNaughton's? Is Lucia infallible? Heck no, but I think it's disingenuous to claim he's not a good coach despite the body of work and a bit premature to call for his head. As a Gophers fan no coach is above the program and if the team continues to fall short of the NCAA FF I'll be one of the first in line to call for a change.

Thank Parise.

'They' are?

Pretty sure all the losses in question added one 'L' to the record of each team and both losses (or in UND's case all three) ended their respective seasons. I don't care either way - I think it's all in good fun and part of one the best rivalries in all of sport (UM-UND hockey) but I don't buy that as being the main reason why most of those jersies were bought for a second. Que sera, sera.