redwing77

I can't. Afraid of heights

Perhaps bad wording on my part there. I should have added "their final year." Truth be told, it didn't pan out their final year. They did flourish. I don't doubt they'd have no regrets in suiting up for the Gophers. Especially Ryan. UND didn't do a very good job with Grant and families tend to stick together. As for Zach Parise and Bochenski's careers, I never said careers. I meant time as collegians, and, according to the Gopher faithful, national championships ARE what count as successful. We hear about that every time the Vanek vs Parise argument comes up. Do I think RPot and Irman were poor players? NOpe. Do I think Bo and ZPar were bad players? Nope. Did it work out NC wise? Nope on all counts. But think about it, when you go back to GPL and ask "How good was Zach Parise compared to Ryan Potulny and Thomas Vanek" What answers do you think you'd get? I'd expect "He was alright, maybe better than Potulny, but Vanek has 2 NCs and ZPar has none, so that's 2-0 Gophers" Please surely admit that that would be the case. And one last thing, how can you not be defending Piper's actions if you are defending the nazi angle to the story? Sorry, it doesn't work. The whole Nazi argument has been over for at least 5 years now. Are you ready to drop it yet? Or should we prolong it another 5?

Triouxper et al., I don't agree about rubbing it in on Potulny and Irman. They lost in a landmark upset, sure, and one we can all get our kicks off of, but those two chose Minnesota for their own reasons and it didn't work out. Look at Irman, he gets to rot away in the Wild farm system (and IMO, he should pray every day that he gets traded). If anything, mourn that! Local kid on a crappy team. Sad. And Irman has offensive talent. All to waste in Lemaire and Risenbrough's system. Ryan Potulny will have fun in the NHL as Philadelphia enjoys fostering offense. Anyways, I don't see RPot and DIrman as having any relevance to Stooge A's calling us Nazis and Stooge B defending it. Want some contraversy? If the Gophers and the Wild were to go head to head in an exhibition game, it would be a close game. The Gophers have the better offense while the Wild has the better defense/goaltending. Gophers have a better Power play and the Wild a better PK. It would be an even contest. Why am I saying this? Because NHL teams should BLOW AWAY even the best of DI and Major Junior teams. Take your pick: the Gophers are that good or the Wild are that bad.

I think it will be whichever team plays the hardest, soundest, and most consistent game, game in and game out, that will win. Look at Buffalo vs Carolina. At times, I thought Buffalo was far superior. They lost. Look at Detroit vs Edmonton. Surely Detroit could have handled Edmonton? Nope. The Oilers played consistent and sound hockey and beat the Wings. That's how it works. I think Carolina will win, but I don't think Roli will be the sole reason why.

And, for the record, how does who a man is dictate how good or bad money is? I don't like Pat Buchanon, but if he donated $110 million to UND, I'd be proud to know he cares about UND. He held two Hitler parties? Hmm.... Didn't know about that. Knew about one... And apologizing does mean something. What was the context of the idea he held at the time he thought it out? Was it serious or a joke? Was it a joke that got serious and that's why he apologized? There's a lot we don't know. Oh, there is something the FBI found out that was mentioned a little while back... I don't know, you wouldn't like it because it favored Englestad. Englestad collected Nazi memorabilia and stuff like Hitler's car. Puleeeaze. Collecting Nazi stuff is FAR different than calling your opponents Nazis. My childhood friend's father had a genuine WWII German machine gun. I suppose he's a Nazi too? Making mistakes doesn't make you a bad person. No one died in what Englestad allegedly did. But it is quite amusing how what Englestad did somehow relates to the $110 million dollars he gave to UND to do whatever they want with it. Whether UND chose to name it after him or not, I don't know. But A: All likenesses to UND and the Nazis, even by way of Englestad HAS TO STOP NOW or you can start your own message board and call us Nazis all you want. I will get offended and report any poster who disagrees with this. I am sick and tired of this useless and baseless argument. B: This has entirely nothing to do with the top at hand. So, WHY THE F BRING IT UP! I don't know how much longer this thread will be open so it may not make a difference.

Never make light of an injury, but look at it this way for Roloson: Would he rather: A) Give it his all and get hurt working for a winning team playing for the Cup or B) Give it his all and stay healthy but play for a sucky team whose only playing hockey if you count XBox360, PS2, or some other gaming device. I'd rather be with a winner than be with a crappy team like the Mild. EDIT: Trust me, if you asked him "Which team would you rather be on right now, even considering your injury?" He'd say Edmonton 1000 times out of 1000 times asked.

Thanks a lot. It defied logic what he said. I'd like to believe that coming onto this board and expressing a dissenting opinion respectfully would be well recieved. However, coming onto this board with the express purpose of smack talking and insulting the team, the school, the students, and the team's fans is just downright uncalled for. And, yes, Slap Shot/buckysieve/et. al. you have all wondered why certain posters never give Gopher posters a fair shake around here. Well, read Piper's post and then maybe you'll understand why. It takes a lot of offend me, and Piper did. Well, it takes an equal amount (a lot) to get me to forget it. I won't hold it against Gopher fans at large, but unfortunately, I can't speak for everyone here.

You know what? On a side note, the biggest loser if the NCC goes away would be Roger Thomas. He leaves UND as it is on the cusp of going DI to head up a dead conference. Too bad so sad.

Piper- And you expect to be respected here after saying that? That is downright disrespectful and you are a disgrace to the Gopher fan base, one that has had the finest coach in collegiate history in Herb Brooks, no less. I may not like the Gophers, but at least I respect them enough not to smear them for some alleged shenanigans. Gosh, I can't even stand to look at this post. I'm just going to put you on ignore and pray you will go away. It's not even worth asking for an apology and deleting the post. Oh, and by the way, before you question my qualifications, you should speak to my grandparents on my father's side. They're one of only 4 people total (3 on my grandmother's side and my grandfather stands alone) to have survived the holocaust out of a group of at least 10 family members each. I am HIGHLY offended. HIGHLY.

Few things of note: 1. I wouldn't be surprised if Chicago went off the board and drafted Sanguinetti (Major Juniors). Why? Chicago wants speed over all else and he reportedly is the fastest player in the draft. In any case, Chicago will draft for speed first. Boston (sorry Goon) will more than likely blow their first pick like they've done quite often over the past 16 years. The Bruins are the Minnesota Vikings of the NHL draft. 2. Forney won't go 17th overall. Most draft rankings have him 20th to 35th in ranking. Yeah, there are a few that have him as high as 15 (and a few rubes predicting that he could go in the top 10 or 15), but I just don't see it with Forney's injury trouble as of late. Trust me when I say this, Forney will be better off if he doesn't get drafted by Minnesota anyways. Forney will either go with one of the last picks in the first round or somewhere in the first half of the second round. Just my hunch. 3. Okposo is a wild card. He did pretty good so far in the combine and his stock is definitely rising. I don't see him cracking the top 5, but he could go higher than 8th overall. 4. Again, I don't see Zach Jones going before the 5th round, if he gets drafted at all. Yes, I think there is a chance that he gets overlooked entirely.

I watched the Kessel, Toews, and Johnson interviews. Toews and Johnson are really well spoken. I get the impression that Kessel is somewhat introverted. Yeah, I expect a bunch of the usual suspects will jump all over this, but I sense that Kessel's really quiet because he definitely doesn't look comfortable in front of the camera like Johnson and Toews are.

Bah, you're right. He was drafted 38th overall in the 2nd round (isn't that something like the 7th pick of the second round?). Arguably, he learned a lot the hard way his freshman season. I don't like his off ice "antics" good goaltender or not. Talented or not. What he did is generally something you don't do, or don't want to get caught doing. Talent is something that is purely subjective. Dan Risenbrough sees the Wild as immensely talented. I see that team as extremely mediocre. PM Bouchard is supposedly a scoring phenom, or was when he was in major juniors. Haven't seen it yet. Anyways, Frazee does have talent (if you go back to preseason last year, you'll probably find that I pegged Frazee as the Gophers' #1 goaltender by December 2005) but somethings not right in his head. And the way things have progressed makes me question his motivation. But anyways, talent doesn't mean a whole lot if production doesn't exist to go along with it. Two years ago we didn't have any offense really to speak of and we did pretty darn well thanks to our defense. I argue that our defense is shaping up to be a lot like the team two years ago with more offensive talent. I think we'll do just fine. I don't see many here predicting the trifecta.

Ok, irrational thoughts aside, I will half disagree with buckysieve on a few points: 1. Don't assume that most Sioux fans will do anything. You are a Gopher fan. Last time I checked, Gopher fans don't speak for most anything Sioux-related. I don't like anyone lumping all of us into a pile and labelling us something. I also don't like people assuming that, since you feel your perspective is more objective than another person's, that other people will agree with you. What you said may make sense to some, but it is still an opinion. 2. I disagree with the term "major" in the dropoff part of your post. No, we won't be replacing Zajac, Stafford, and Spirko with players of their caliber. However, Forney is, at worst, a second round draft pick. Kozek was a second round draft pick. The scouts opinions on them spoke of scoring among other things. No, I don't expect Kozek to score as much as Stafford did. And yes, I do think there is a dropoff in offense after one and a half lines, but not a major dropoff. 3. Frazee is a talented goaltender. However, can he be a disciplined goaltender? Isaac Reichmuth was a good goaltender his first two years at UMD but then he dropped off like a stone in a deep lake. Like Isaac, there are rumors flying around about his attitude off the ice. And, like Lamoreaux, it seems as though Frazee hasn't earned the confidence of his team in game situations against top tier teams. Is Frazee a poor goaltender? No. I trust New Jersey wasn't smoking something when they drafted him in the third round. Most goaltenders, if they get drafted at all, get drafted in the 5th round or later. I don't think Kozek and Forney are going to be as bad as you, and some others, are projecting as replacements. Kozek plays a more physical game than any of the players he'll be replacing on the top two lines (Stafford, Spirko, and Zajac were great forecheckers, but didn't really play the body much). And if there is much harm at all that is right off the bat, it will be in the forechecking department especially among forewards on the PK unit.

Maybe this has been coverred already in the lacrosse thread, but could the old Memorial Stadium be renovated to handle both the Football requirement AND a lacrosse field?

Did they at one point? I thought that was the US U20 WJC team that had the national anthem boo'ed.

Well, this is a tough question: Matt Greene is probably not going to see a whole heckuva lot of ice time, but he'll be in attendance and travel with the team. Mike Commodore will suit up every game and play significant ice time. However, Commie plays on a team that, quite frankly, is very spotty at times during the game. Sometimes they can pass, sometimes they can't (with or without pressure from the opposing team). Fundamentally, Edmonton's game is much more solid. Their offensive attack is pretty even. Their defense is pretty solid. Even though Roloson has done exceptionally well, though, how much longer can it last? The last time I saw a goaltender who didn't have a remarkable career prior to the Stanley Cup finals (as a starter) petered out in the Finals (JS Giguere). So, will Roloson's great play last? Carolina is a flashier team that is very good in the transition and outlet passing parts of the game. I feel they are more solid defensively than Edmonton but are relying upon a rookie goaltender. They have a tendency to pressure and hold the stick too tight at times, which causes them to take risks and provide their opponents with quality chances via the odd man or just positionally. In any case, I'd probably take Mike Commodore simply because he'll get more ice time. Come to think of it, it is a win win situation. If Matt Greene wins it, he'll bring it to Grand Forks. If Mike Commodore wins it, he'll probably bring it too, but at the worst case scenario, we can travel down to Fargo to see it.

Great win by the Canes even though at times, they reminded me of Game Six. I can't imagine what I'd be saying about Justin Williams had he missed the shot that put them up 4-2, though. That makes Williams 1 for 3 in open net attempts in the past two games. Admittedly, the second attempt that missed was because Weight made an awful pass. Anyways, Buffalo has nothing to be ashamed of here. They played a really good series and a great game. Ryan Miller was fantastic. It was genuinely entertaining. And Nate Miller is half right. Off the ice, Commodore IS a side show. I mean, how many other players go around in robes etc off the ice and, if there are, how many make it a media ploy? His hair is for a good cause (some sort of cancer or disadvantaged kids charity), There is NOTHING wrong with being a fan favorite for something other than scoring goals or making great saves. It brings glamor to an otherwise unglamorous job. I mean, right now, do you think there is at least one kid that is saying to mom or dad "I want to be like Mike Commodore!" You better believe it! No, I don't expect Commie to change the role of a defenseman (and a defensive defenseman at that) into a role that's as glitzy as that of a football QB, a baseball's power hitter, or even a hockey's goal scoring superstar, but it does bring some attention to the role to youth hockey. Oh yeah, and Ryan Miller and Cam Ward both did their parts to further that position among the youth hockey faithful. I mean, they are young and they went that far. Both took different routes to get where they are (Miller went to Michigan State, Ward went to Red Deer in the WHL (Coincidentally, Red Deer owned and still owns Drew Stafford's rights), a major juniors team), and both are highly touted and regarded. What a great series but an unfortunate short coming ratings wise. Let's face it, between OLN and the market size of Edmonton, Buffalo, and Carolina, this isn't the best Stanley Cup Finals to bring back to NBC after the lockout. I'm ok with it personally, as I'm such a HUGE proponent of parity in the pro ranks, but I understand the ESPN analysts on this one.

Boy you're sharp. I think the entire purpose of my last post flew entirely over your head.

We do need another word for "MONEY" as that term was mainly used as a somewhat chiding fashion towards Bochenski and his previous criminal record. The defense looks really good, but I'll disagree on your pairing ideas. Berry (if I am not mistaken, he's in charge of the defensive pairings) likes to pair defensemen on a myriad of points but mainly sticks to one offensive minded defenseman with a defensive defenseman. Here's my thoughts: Defensive Defensemen: Joe Finley, Zach Jones, Taylor Chorney* Offensive Defensemen: Brian Lee, Robbie Bina, Kyle Radke Unknown: Chay Genoway Note: *- Taylor does have an offensive upside, but last season his defensive skills far outshone his offensive ones, hence the designation. I listed Chay as an unknown because I don't know how his game will translate to the DI level and what his role on the team will be (including whether or not he'll play forward or defense) So, using this logic, it would make no sense to pair up Jones and Finley unless you are talking special teams (specifically penalty kill).

So you are saying that asking for clarification on the truth of a rumor isn't using your head? Attacking a person for asking a simple question, as unbelievable as it may be, is simply wrong. I certainly hope junior24, that you simply hit "Submit" before rereading this quoted post and saying it the way you did was simply poor judgement. As you assert: use your head.

If anyone's Luck has run out, it's Carolina's. They were lucky to get back into the game last night and Buffalo knew it. My goodness, Cam Ward and Ryan Miller played well. Conversely, my goodness was that some sloppy-arsed hockey played by Carolina. I mean, if they could have passed better and if they could have finished better. Yeah, I know Justin Williams blew a HUGE open net goal and Doug Weight picked a brilliant time to get caught playing too much of the body, but did you see how many times the Hurricanes couldn't corral the pass even when they weren't being pressured by the Sabres? Folks, all Buffalo has to do is play their game like they did last night and all Carolina has to do is have a passing game like they did last night and Buffalo goes on to play Edmonton. I don't care how good Ward is in net. Carolina looked like the Sioux did during their toils last season at times. They had Buffalo in the position they wanted, had the pressure they needed, but couldn't complete a pass to save their butts.

This is more rational than the "Only offer scholarships to athletes who will stay 4 years" argument. I agree, Fetch.

I'd love to see Hakstol visit a recruit like Toews or Oshie, turn to them and say "My, I'd love to have you play for us, but I don't see you staying in college for more than a year. Sorry." Heheh That's classic. Sure, the team full of 4 year athletes is nice, but the quality of the game you'll get is alot like something youd see in AHA or CHA. We're UND, not Harvard or Yale so we wouldn't even attract ECACHL quality athletes if we turned away all of those "blue chip" recruits just because we don't think they'll be there four years. Hakstol recruits the best players that can withstand the rigors of academic and athletic life simultaneously. He goes there pushing BOTH sides of UND life (the classroom and the arena). He has no control over what the NHL teams think of the players he recruits or when his players will "jump ship." He advises them to the best of his abilities and will try to push the 4 year approach, but it is really up to the student more than it is up to the coach or even UND administration. Scholarships to only 4 year athletes is assinine.

And I'm sure you would enjoy the hordes of Gopher faithful mobbing this site and USCHO dedicating whole threads to how cheap Parise is, if that became a regular practice.

Roloson is feisty as a goaltender. He doesn't like people entering the crease and bumping into him, but he doesn't do a full gainer every time he's touched like Hasek (Parise it hurts bad mouthing one of my all time favorite goaltenders) does. When Roli was with the Wild, I just wonder if some of it was the frustration that comes from not getting anything going his way. The Wild never scored for Roli. They never did anything but play 60 minutes of penalty kill style hockey when he was in the nets. Plus, he also knew that his career was going nowhere (like the Wild when it comes to post season chances) behind Fernandez. Stuff like that eats at a goaltender. Especially since goaltenders have a reputation of being somewhat eccentric to begin with. Ryan Miller is the same way. We saw that tonight when he got up in Justin William's face, legs, ankles... Commodore had a pretty good game if you don't count the hiccup that resulted in that goal by Lydman (Or Ludeman if you are the commentators ). The commentators blamed it on Commodore and Wesley, but I think Commodore was just beat and he did his best to get in when Wesley decided to try to luge his way back into position for some dumb reason and that basically sprung Lydman.