redwing77

If we have to change our nickname we will be able to use the REA, but it will not be like the current make up. You see, UND will have to rent the space and be subject to the REA's private scheduling instead of the other way around. There is even the possibility that the Sioux could be bumped. If UND agrees to that set up, the students would lose as I am sure the REA would mandate a minimum approach to the student section, having it be in one or two upper bowl sections. No lower bowl sections at all. Of course, they will not be able to use the REA for any tourneys, making it nearly impossible for any future post season hosting outside of the first round of the Final Five. They will then invariably, start a capital campaign to refurbish the Old Ralph which would include renaming the arena.

I agree. The remedy would be making it only for kids. Then allowing the kids to decide to sell those bobbleheads to those 30-40 year olds at an exaggerated price or trade in for pro shop attire

I'm happy he's able to skate and work out! That's great! Still, I hope he takes the safe path and makes his glorious return opening day 2006. As for the Bertuzzi thing: At least Todd was convincing when it came to being sorry it happened. Paukovich wasn't really genuine at all. The point everyone misses in this comparison is simple: The NHL took action. The WCHA/NCAA in this case said "oh yeah uh... yeah, he was injured.. yeah. uh... ok, one game." If the NCAA was as dedicated to fixing problems like the Bina tragedy like they were about Bertuzzi (even though the suspension turned out to be somewhat of a joke), then Paukovich wouldn't be playing at least the first half of the season and Don Adam would be a spectator instead of an on ice anything with the WCHA

Yeah, that's the bozo's name. He did NHL games on ABC every now and then. As for Moriarty, fair enough.

Sorry. The worst in the hockey biz belongs to Mike(? or Dave or whoever. I really could care less what his first name is) Edwards of 2000 FF fame. He may have gotten the names right, but he would ridicule players based upon stature (He was always calling Goehring "short stuff") and would always pull for the bigger market team regardless of talent. Him and Dan Moriarty were the worst pairing I've ever heard. Moriarty, is at best, a rink side reporter, not a booth announcer. But, I can't fault Moriarty that much for his 2000 FF performance, Edwards wouldn't let him talk at all. Thorne is not the worst. Sorry.

No, they won't come close to filling it. However, many of the arenas in the CHA, AHA, and even some of the bigger conferences only hold 3,4, 5 thousand people. I doubt they'll reach that this year, but that is an adequate goal to reach... if filling the arena isn't going to be realistic. Maybe they can convince the Thrashers to play an exhibition game against them?

Being that I've wanted Kupchella gone for so long (since I met him just after he took the position), I can honestly say that this open letter surprised me. I thought he didn't much care for the Sioux name. At times in the past, I grew to believe that (if he could find a different source of revenue) he'd cut athletics completely. To read where he is now supporting the name and going up against the NCAA is quite amazing. It's hard for me to question his true motives behind it, but I'll take what I can get!

Not bad... They get to use the Thrasher's rink. A pretty good recruiting tool. Yes, I know they are CHA and they still will more than likely stink, but it will be interesting to see how they do.

I'm not going to jump on the "His loss" bandwagon, but I do have this question: I'm not good with numbers, but with Marto coming in next year, would there have been a slot for him even if Smaby left early?

No word on this on Kelowna's nor WHL's website on this. Kelowna is evidentally the outfit who is signing Dowzak if indeed that is the case. Kelowna, by the way, is the WHL champs from last season. EDIT: I've also been to Kelowna. It's a BEAUTIFUL place. Surrounded by mountains. Great skiing. In any case, like the Greene signing, I'll believe it when I see a press release.

The way I see them is that they are pretty good defensively and in goal. They have only one big ego (Gaborik) which means there isn't going to be a lot of waves in the lockeroom. However, they lack scoring. The Wild is basically a one line team and even that one line isn't that scary. Middle of the pack, IMO. They won't completely suck like I expect the Panthers to do. But they won't be Stanley Cup contenders either.

Thanks, but I'd be careful about saying that I know a thing or to lest you get caught up in the relentless teasing I undergo all the time. But truthfully, lighten up. This /is/ a UND board you know. It's not like Reichmuth is...say... UMN's JJ or Hauser or nothing.

Oxygen, IIRC, is owned and operated by Oprah Winfrey's company. GOod luck getting that off the air.

Relatively speaking, which league's officials would you rather have? NHL or WCHA? IMO, I'd rather have Kerry Frasier and the NHL crew over the chumps that skate for the WCHA.

Ok, I'm not a doctor, but my father is one, my brother is a third year medical student and most of my family's friends are in the medical profession. I ran it by those that are into hockey and even some who are not and asked about the risks of participating in high paced high impact sports after an injury to the spine, even if it did no damage to the spinal cord. I used that to determine my opinion and I stated it. Like I said, I have no qualms with Robbie. I like him. If you all recall, I have argued for his playing time (as much as one can do on a message board that the coaches and players rarely read) often. I want the best for him and I honestly don't think that coming back early would be in the best interests of his health.

Well, we'll see what kind of progress he made over the summer with his neck. Quite frankly, I'd be shocked and appalled if Bina was cleared to play. I'm not saying I don't want him back, I'm saying that his chances of paralysis upon coming back too soon is extremely high. It is a risk I would never want to see one take.

I agree. However, the quality of officiating in the NHL is far superior than college. So, 25 percent of Greene's penalties that he got in college won't be called in the pros. And that's being conservative. As for Bina, it's largely assumed that he'll medical redshirt this year. No guarantee that is the case, but still, he won't play this season, that much I am sure of.

First off, bash sagard all you will, but he's right. The problem isn't coaching or a problem UND or UMich can fix unless they switch recruiting styles. UND, UMN, and UMich are elite teams as far as recruiting is concerned. We go after and get the top prospects available. However, these prospects aren't the best COLLEGE prospects available, they are the best OVERALL prospects available. This means they garner a lot of attention from the pros. If four year players were our main priority, then look at the teams who suffer the least amount of early defenctions like MTU, MSUM, SCSU, and to a certain extent, UMD. Why am I not naming a team that has finished routinely in the top 4 teams in the WCHA? Because our talent is above those teams. We have better talent but face early departures. They have steady rosters with no or few early departures but less talent. It's a trade off. As for Radke, I don't discount him. In fact, I worry about him the most. Even more than our freshmen D. Why? Because he got thrown around like a dog's play toy. He looked lost on the ice, but who can get comfortable if you are only going to play MAYBE one game and, in all likelihood, see less than 5 minutes for the entire game anyways? He looked lost because he was never allowed to get comfortable in a game situation. That's why I consider him a second year freshman. He's got genuine talent and can score from the blue line. Something that Matt Jones and, at times, Andy Schneider has done in a limited capacity. Potentially, Radke is another Travis Roche. He just needs playing time.