Slap Shot

Maybe it does maybe it doesn't - again such an opinion is completely subjective and the only opinion that matters is that of Hak and UND staffers.

The problem with incidents such as this is that I think most people probably agree more than they disagree but it's hard to convey that in a message board. It's ridiculous to mock someone that thinks a 1-game suspension is warranted, but at the same time I don't blame people that think this all amounts to 'nothing' - personally I think it lies somewhere in between. I wanted to see the Gophers involved in the Blarney's deal suspended for a game or two simply because I thought it would send a message the rest of that season - regardless of whether or not they fully 'deserved' a suspension. Outside of what courts rule on in criminal cases where punishment is often mandated, there's no such thing as a 'deserved' punishment for something like this because it's so completely subjective. One man's pleasure is another man's poison or however the saying goes. I will take exception to one piece of this whole puzzle - I think it's foolish to dimiss Oshie and Toews' 'being there' tickets by someone that thinks underage drinking in public is wrong. If they had been busted for actually drinking you know darn well the bar would get moved again to, "everybody does it". Personally I reserve judgement until they day I catch my own boys doing it to make sure I'm consistent. All in all Hak and UND should handle this internally and I don't think they (Oshie and Toews) deserve anything more than Hak and UND think they deserve - unless it's something outrageous like a several game suspension. Bina should only be scrutinized once the facts come out.

Most simply think it was a bad result and aren't choked up.

LOL!! FHG - don't you remember when when Lucia had to wear a neck brace about 4 seasons ago? btw - I also noticed he stopped staring at the camera during interviews and only looks occasionally.

I'm well are the crowd at Mecca is up and down but if you read through the DU-UM weekly series thread you'll note that most people were complimentary about the crowd's involvement last weekend. The other thread you might be referring to was about the idiots that tossed the posters onto ice and not crowd noise. Although it's no big deal either way I guess.

A 'slappy' reference, fast-food job remark and fat joke all in one post? Well I never!

Really? http://www.gopherpucklive.com/index.php?f=3 http://www.gopherpucklive.com/portal.php

I'll accept that and that being the case those stats accurately potrays there's nary a difference in their career NCAA stats.

Assuming you're not just trolling......the difference in stats for Lammy and Briggs career wise (according to your blog) is a whopping 0.07 GAA and .003 SVE%. At that rate Briggs has let in one more goal than Lammy for every 14 games played or about 2 per year for 28 starts. So assuming your stats are accurate I will again point out that if Briggs is the sieve you claim him to be what does that say about a goalie with marginally better statistics? Oh well, should be a fun series.

If Briggs is a sieve then..... ...oh never mind.

Lord have mercy - Gopher fans talking kindly about a Gopher player? The world surely is coming to an end. Hey, did you hope for the same thing in the WJC or because EJ had a USA jersey did you not wish him harm? But because this weekend he'll be wearing the, "M" it's different? Yep, the're nothing more 'proud' than wanting someone that plays the sport all of us love to get assaulted because you don't like the team he plays for or because you think his fans are mean poopyheads. You're not talking about someone like Paukovitch that happened to severely injure a Sioux player, you're targeting one player because Gopher fans are excited about his play and other because he's the son of the coach? Of course perhaps I'm all wrong and you only hope that Finley delivers clean checks to EJ and that when Lucia gets hammered that he is able to walk away unscathed? I happen to also be a Wild fan and while the dip that chased down Boogaard last October asked to get smacked would anyone wish him to have his cheekbone caved in? Here's to a boxing match breaking out, eh?

It's obvious you think that and I'll simply say I disagree. Teams like UND and UM generate more power plays traditionally than their opponent because they have very skilled players that force their opponents into unenviable situations. Situations that often induce illegal reactions intended to try and slow them down.

One of the neatest snippets I saw on Saturday was a story they did on the '81 North Stars, which brought back a lot of memories. My brother worked for the MNS that season and I was able to attend 1 game each of every series against Boston, Buffalo, Calgary and NYI. The Boucha story was great, they relived some of the great Roseau teams, International Falls, Warroad, lots of state tournament recollections, interviews with some players from Silver winning USA Olympic teams, I could have done with a few less SCSU highlights against the Gophers and yes Waibel wasn't very good at all. There are several other stories I'm forgetting to mention that probably should but there were so many during the day. I have the entire day DVR'd and have watched all of it twice through now.

I saw a few Gopher fans posting what I thought to be pretty pold predictions given I think the UND that comes to town this weekend is like many others before, one starting to hit its stride. Meanwhile the Gophers need to build off the success of their PP from Saturday and continue what's overall been mostly strong defensive play. It should be obvious to anyone the talent gap on these teams isn't as great as the the points gap in the standings and out of respect for UND and the UM-UND rivalry I expect UND to give the Gophers a hell of a series. Should be a great weekend of hockey from a great rivalry (my favorite one) but I'd be lying if didn't admit I hope the Gophers put the final nail in UND's coffin. [edit] I think it's a bit early to start complaining about the reffing considering the games haven't been played yet. The Gophers don't 'get away' with anything more than any team they play. In fact I'd say the refs let MSUM get away with plenty cheap action and UW got away with several boarding calls. These things happen to all teams it's just easier to notice it when the call goes against your own and/or in favor of your biggest rival. Blaming the refs disprespects the game and the Gophers. If UND wins this series they will have earned it as will have the Gophers should it go their way.

Millard did in fact run over the drive-thru sign at the Mankato Hardees (next to the Albatross, both of which I believe are now gone). At some point during the incident Millard uttered those infamous words. However, from what I understand it was mostly a comedic situation that didn't involve any serious resisting. Summer in Mankato with the Vikings in town - that always made for interesting times.

He should have said, "My arms are more powerful than your guns". (obscure Vikings reference for some of you younger folk )

I don't want to know.

BDB - if Hirsch were cleared to play by his doctors and more importantly by his family, I don't think it's out of the realm of possibilities there was a mental condition that was diagnosed as treatable with medication. People with mental conditions aren't automatically relegated to the back of the bus - many of them function quite regularly every single day in every walk of life. Perhaps he lapsed, perhaps there was a mis-diagnosis, perhaps there were other issues involved that most of us will probably never know. I think it's natural for an event like this to spur speculation - we're only human after all. But I think unless an official statement is released it's a moot point. Does it really matter what specifically happened, or is the only thing that truly matters that Tyler be able to move on with his life and be productive, healthy and happy?

This again? Most people that used to hate on Woog have come around to realize he's not the huge homer people originally accused him of being. As for the last comment - you're really not trying to argue a team could win 75% of it's games in the WCHA with 8 forwards, 6 defensemen and 1 goalie are you? Think about that - 14 skaters - on the road and the game was never in question. To simply shrug and say, "no big deal" is ridiculous but I suppose you won't ever give the Gophers credit for something. That said last night is over and it will mean very little in March and April (although it could add something to the team chemistry). I don't care how good this team is it's still only January and I will never, ever assume the Gophers will do anything because all it takes is one bad game and you're out.

I didn't hear any whining from Frank or Doug - just mentioning facts. Perhaps it got overplayed a bit during the game but what they did to Mankato last night considering who was missing is quite an accomplishment - and that would be no different were it North Dakota to overcame so many missing pieces.

lol I've heard stories, but Blake played mostly at a time when I worked overseas for a long stretch and couldn't follow the Gophers in great detail. Therefore, outside of second-hand references I only really know about him from the NHL and aside from the perception he seems to always do well against the Wild I've admired his NHL carreer. I'm sure I've been annoyed by a Sioux or Badger here and there but time seems to have gotten the best of any bad or menacing thoughts I had in years past.

I think it's possible to be a big fan of Toews and at the same time appreciate the talents of players such as EJ and Okpokso and vice versa without having to rip on one just to boost another. I love seeing guys like Parise do well in the NHL because it speaks highly of both the NCAAs and the WCHA. Unless a guy is a total jerk (trying to think of an example) I want him to succeed no matter where he played college hockey. Toews is awesome and fun to watch and here's to seeing him do well except when playing Minnesota.

A bill from Jim for sucking up all that bandwidth?

For those of you in the TC area I picked up the game by accident in my car on AM 660 (which sometimes serves as a second feed for 690 The Score). Not sure if they have any affiliations in ND or even if future games will be broadcast, but I thought some of you could benefit from the heads up if they air the game tomorrow.