redwing77

Hey, I think the Wild took a MAJOR step forward today by announcing that DR won't be back as President/GM. Almost all the idiots are gone from Minnesota pro sports now. All that needs to happen is the Tpussies to fire McHale and Childress to leave town and voila... all it would take is good hiring. I know I haven't been a Lemaire fan, but I can't believe that he thought he could bring the 1995 Devils back and succeed. The new NHL wouldn't work that way. The year it almost did was, IIRC, the year before the holdout. Or at least it was before the lockout... Anyways, Goon, who do you think the Wild go after? After firing the front office and the coach, I wonder if Gaborik might give Minny one more shot. Certainly scorers might take notice. If the Wild owner was smart, they'd try to make a run at Havlat and/or Cammallerri (even though he is a punk that cheap shotted Havlat tonight). I guess the most important hire for the Wild is the GM. A GM that understands the importance of a balanced team rather than a defense first team is vital for the Wild to be anything more than a perrenial first round exit. If the Wild want to model their team after any other team in the NHL, I'd go either the complete youth route ala Chicago or the balance model ala Calgary or San Jose.

Don't worry. With the situation with the Wings D and especially their goaltending, repeating with the Cup will be nothing short of miraculous. I think Boston is a wild card. I think Chicago is still a goaltender away from being a serious threat....that and experience. They're VERY inconsistent. However, when they are on, I don't think Boston can keep up with them (if they'd even be playing the Bruins at all). Vancouver has a shot. I don't know if the Blues can outlast Vancouver. It is going to be a wide open playoffs.

I remember someone (perhaps Chuck Schwartz) likening LaPoint to Brian Lee at one point (I think that was right after or just before LaPoint committed to UND). I think from there, the seed was sewn. Big A Hg is exaggerating a bit. LaPoint had nowhere near the "hater" contingent Finley had (and even Fins had it better at UND than Lee in that department). However, where Big A is wrong is that the first "hate" i noticed about LaPoint seemed to happen after a few games in the bag...maybe even a few series. Finley haters began just about after the first series. Lee Haters began maybe halfway through his first game. But yeah.... Finley progressed every year he played with UND and there were some respect, especially this season. Lee never had any respect, but that's old news. LaPoint haters haven't gone away, but I also don't believe that they have the cahones to speak ill of someone who took the kind of blow LaPoint took (provided LaPoint isn't a Gopher). But let me just wrap this up by saying this: Be it Lee, Finley, LaPoint, or whatever future whipping boys wear the Sioux jersey (MacWilliam seems like the likely next one...or maybe Gleason if he is too aggressive offensively), we're talking about a group of "sioux fans" that constitute maybe 1% of the posters on this message board and maybe .5% of all who read the board. It sucks to have such a vocal (at times) minority though.... heh... sounds like a different debate in another part of the message board.

Though it is tough to see Stalock go, he was part of what probably prolonged Sandelin's career at UMD. IIRC, he was on shaky ground before he came along. Also, Hjelle isn't a bad goaltender from what I hear.

If I'm going to armchair predict, that means, if VV goes and Forney doesn't come in, then Rowney will come instead of Mattson. IMO, that's a GOOD MOVE by Hak and Co. I'd rather have Mattson come in after a season of USHL.

Boogaard is a lightweight when it comes to ALL THINGS NOT FIGHTING. Take your pick. I'd trade Boogaard, popular or not, in a SECOND for a sixth round pick. Remember, there are gems in the late rounds potentially.... like Brett Hull, Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Luc Robitaille, and I'm sure I'm missing a few others.

I'm not disappointed that Duncan stayed too. I don't see his game translating to the NHL like Gerbe's did and does. Goehring was dominant at the DI level and did darn good at the AHL level too. Still, he never made the NHL except for one game where he sat on the bench and watched. I would have thought Goehring would have made it. Now, he'll never do it. Fortunately, he held a 4.0 GPA in, IIRC, marketing when he left UND. I was thinking what BETTER could an NHL team do than to hire a former pro goaltender to be their marketer of some sort once Goehring hands up the skates? I think Duncs will play some minor pro for some years and then move on. He'll do just fine.

That's ridiculous. I choose not to watch because I don't like or don't care for the teams involved AND I have other things to do. But then again, being a true fan as defined by subjective methodology (such as those defined by DaveK) is ludicrous in its own right. I'd expect no one to bend over backwards to try to be my definition of a true fan (which is, of course, giving me suite tickets to every Gopher series from now until I die )

Uh... I've said it all along. However, either way would be gold for ESPN. BU was the optimum choice, but VT is just as good as they would be a feel good story and a New England based team. ESPN ALWAYS backs the New England schools or the programs with the biggest population. That means they'll always root for BC, BU, Michigan (provided they aren't playing BC or BU), and yes, UNH (please don't forget how much loving they gave UNH on the days leading up to the game where they were NEVER EVEN COMPETITIVE against the Gophers).

I'm in Seattle on my own dime visiting my brother and my friends. I'm not going to spend a minute of it watching a game between one team I don't like (BU) and another team that has had a fluke-like season and is overrated (Miami). BSU was a great story and one I'd root for.... but... I'm not watching the game. I wouldn't be even if BSU were in it. I might've if UND was in it but even then there is no guarantees. I am not spending $300+ just to schedule everything around a game where two teams I don't care for are playing regardless of the signifigance. This is my birth weekend if you will (No, today nor Sunday matter to me, but Saturday is my birthday) and I'm not going to waste it in front of a TV, even for a few hours. GUess I'm not a true fan.

MIghty Mouse? That M?

It's too bad the Redhacks are winning. Now, ESPN gets to rev up the love fest. There's going to be more love in the air at this NC game than a VW bus full of hippies on an aphrodesiac high. In the end, though, ESPN will do the only logical thing: Root for BU. So, in that sense, it makes no difference if BSU wins or loses except if BU ends up losing. I'd love to see a BSU-Cornell NC game. ESPN would still root for Cornell, being it is in New England, but oh well.

I don't understand why he doesn't just do what Clarke did with UND? Morin commits to BU/BC/UND and then bolts for the OHL? Everyone knows he's playing the NCAA, so why not bring it out into the open?

I'm more like "meh" when it comes to fights. I don't care either way. But I think the team that contributes the most from top of the active roster to the bottom of the active roster is the team that is going to be dangerous down the stretch. I can't see that happening with one dimensional players on the team when that one dimension is fighting. One dimensional players exist in the NHL.... stay at home defensemen for example. However, even the one dimensional goal scorer can be covered and legitimized on an NHL roster. He may get burned a few times and be relatively nonexistant in his own zone (see Vanek in UMN days) but you know that he's contributing by advancing the score by 1 as many times as possible. Boogaard can fight... really well... but that's about all he can do. I say make Clutterbuck the Boogaard and trade Boogaard this off season for a draft pick. And stop drafting fighters that fit the Boogaard model. The Clutterbucks and Lucic's of the NHL are the future of enforcers in the league.

I'm more like "meh" when it comes to fights. I don't care either way. But I think the team that contributes the most from top of the active roster to the bottom of the active roster is the team that is going to be dangerous down the stretch. I can't see that happening with one dimensional players on the team when that one dimension is fighting. One dimensional players exist in the NHL.... stay at home defensemen for example. However, even the one dimensional goal scorer can be covered and legitimized on an NHL roster. He may get burned a few times and be relatively nonexistant in his own zone (see Vanek in UMN days) but you know that he's contributing by advancing the score by 1 as many times as possible. Boogaard can fight... really well... but that's about all he can do. I say make Clutterbuck the Boogaard and trade Boogaard this off season for a draft pick. And stop drafting fighters that fit the Boogaard model. The Clutterbucks and Lucic's of the NHL are the future of enforcers in the league.

Anyone know anything about Amateur Tryout Contracts? I know they are relatively short term and are not the most stable of contracts (meaning, you could get as little as one game before the contract is nullified by the team or as many as however many games left in that particular season). Kozek is being referred to as having been signed by Atlanta in one spot , and to an ATO by Chicago AHL in another spot. I guess I'm confused.

BU's coach is simply pushing back. Morin is pushing for a better deal from the MJ organization that owns his rights. BU simply took their associate head coach or assistant head coach and told him "let's make it interesting." Look, if you use the NCAA route as leverage and most of the NCAA doesn't believe you'll go their route and the finalist in "the hunt" says "we're not interest" there goes some leverage.

Formatted wrong. I meant to put Lucic in the realm of Clutterbuck not Boogaard. The only one who should be worried is Boogaard. And Clutterbuck's 10 goals being noteworthy is just how sad the Wild organization is offensively.

How about former Wolverine's used as a verb? This season, when a goaltender gives up the weakest 5 hole goal known to mankind, they say the goaltender was just "Turco'd" Of course, Turco turned his season around a bit.... I still like the verb though... but to put it in dictionary format: Turco'd: verb: In hockey, the scoring of an opponent through a goaltender's 5 hole in such a manner that it can be rationally percieved that such a goal would not normally be possibly achieved in almost any other circumstance or situation. USAGE: Stephan Veillieux shoots and SCORES! Osgood just got Turco'd!!! Oh wouldn't he like to have that one back. How'd that even get in the net, Bob? restated: Veillieux skates in from center ice and just shoots the puck down low and ended up Turco'ing Osgood.

I say turn it into the college football bowl selection method. You basically have to have a season like MTU did this season NOT to make the NCAAs. I like the autobid system and the 16 team field. It gives teams in the AHA a reason to play hard. Looking at college football, look at some of the DIA leagues that aren't the SEC, Big 12, Pac 10, etc. What do they have to play for? Some secondary bowl game that no one really cares about? What's the point? Sure, I find it HIGHLY unlikely that the AHA will make the NC game anytime soon, but at least they have a shot. Not sure I can say the same for teams in other DI sports.

I don't like Clutterbuck, but I respect him. I think players like Clutterbuck have a future in the new NHL. These are the types of players that enforcers should become. Not as cheap as Downie, but not a worthless fighter like Scott Parker or Derek Boogaard. He's a little like Hextall is for the Sioux. Though I doubt Clutterbuck will be a big offense guy, he's certainly worth something to the Wild other than as a guy who is willing to drop the gloves. If I were Boogaard, I'd be VERY worried. Same thing with Boston's Milan Lucic.

I know that looks like a knock on Fink, but it really isn't. He's been so unlucky in his tenure in the USHL with injuries and finding a way into the lineup. I have only really sensed things changing when he was traded. Zajac had a more effective junior career by comparison to Fink. Big A Hg, you're right on. Maybe Fink will be an Erik Fabian type. Maybe he'll be a Martens. Or a Lee Marvin. Or maybe it will take until his senior year for his role on the team to really shine like Canady and Massen. Hard to say.

I was just in Fargo and I can't tell you a single person I've talked to that put any credence in the NWS. They all said it will crest again at no higher than 40 feet. There is a possibility of error, as there always is, but I think the worst is over. Next we can start building nice beaches on our lakefront with all the used sand.

I agree with BDB. He might as well save what money he can and change majors. In fact, if he is allowed to walk from this incident, he'd be best served to transfer to a different college in a different state.... say Virginia Tech. Their admission standards are low enough that those who are unstable can get in. Maybe that's a low blow, but seriously... Posey is about to watch his whole world crash and burn. It will not be a fun few months...if not weeks.

How's Fink "effective?" I still don't know much about the guy, but he's not had the most fortunate of USHL careers with injuries and healthy scratches... I'm not sure how effective he'll be if we have next to nothing to go by when he's coming in.