yzerman19

I think the Schmaltz-Jewels-LJ line will be our top scoring line. I can't remember the last time we had a first round forward, slotted to be a top 6 NHLer who was coming in from junior hockey...was it Zajac? My point is that his skill set and experience combo gives me confidence that he will put up rookie numbers more similar to a Toews or Oshie than to say a Nelson.

Nobody will know what a Nokota is... We do have wild horses and could keep the theme- Mustangs?

There is never going to be a new nickname that people agree on. The old one was the pinnacle. At this point I've reverted to simple and bland, because what is the point?! The gimicky names are just a little too contrived, and will not resonate with the next generation of UND fans. The spirit and the green and white do not even fit the general description of a nickname. We could steal a name from rugby...be "the all blacks" I'd say we could be the crows, but that is also a tribe's name... I like the idea of a horseshoe logo somehow...

Remember, the politicians on both sides of the aisle need to cater to their special interests...someone probably built a kicker into student loan funding for funding that position. Also, most lower level administrators in academia don't earn 6 figures. I interpreted the original comments not against the academics, but against over administration. College has changed- it is sooooo expensive, and nobody wants to tell their kid that they can't go to that private school they watch play hoops on TV. The only way to consider under grad affordable these days is to treat it as a 4 year prep program of self-discovery prior to going to trade school: Medicine, Law, Business, etc If you're going to incur six figure student loan debt, the result better be a $200k salary. Otherwise, you should've honestly skipped college.

Our cowboy could wear a black hat...would go with our image as well as our uniforms. Secondary nickname of the black hats Student body section opportunity...

How about real simple- The University of North Dakota Cowboys

This might be the "saddest" thread in the history of the internet

Has there ever been a more talented top dpairing in college hockey than James Patrick and Craig Ludwig??? Think about the NHL careers of those two

Archie...Archie...Archie... Entertainment off the chart...scored big goals...got in big fights...taunted the officials and the other team's bench...got the crowd going. He played 4 years at UND and won a title in 1982, logging a regular shift as a freshman. In the 84-85 season he averaged almost a goal a game and almost 5 PIMs per game This thread is not the most skilled player in UND history, nor is it the greatest single season. For my dollar, Archie was the man.

Michel Leveille of Maine was 26 when he played his last game in the Frozen Four in 2007.

You are correct, but if you give Dan Woog a break for his redshirt season, you have to give Blake a break for having to sit a season due to a transfer...

Brad Fedorenko of the UMD Bulldogs in the mid-nineties turned 25 in April of his senior season too

I can't see Stecher sitting either. He was really solid in a number of situations last year

Thanks for the compliment. My use of "alright" regarding LaDue wasn't meant analogous to "mediocre" it was meant as a real positive. Sorta like saying Toews turned out alright...not comparing him to Toews, just my use of "alright". My bias against older players is probably due to living in rodentville...I don't like hearing the 25 year old Canadian reference. Even though I know it is ignorant, anything that points towards older players just grates a little.

I don't know much about Poolman, but he is older than Jordan Schmaltz, Keaton Thompson, Troy Stecher, and Gage Ausmus...so is LaDue, and he worked out alright...although he did make some freshman mistakes, even as an old man freshman. Not knocking him, as I think he is very solid. I have a bit of a prejudice against these old players coming in, but it is what it is. Not everyone is Zack Parise, TJ Oshie, Drew Stafford, Jonathan Toews.... I would love to see that skill level on the ice again...17/18 year olds that are the best in NCAA...

I like OD on that "energy" line to put at least one slightly higher offensive skill guy on the ice- I could see Pattyn punishing, Gaarder scrapping, and OD picking up some real nice looks from yje high slot. I am counting on him burying a dozen of them this year...agree on Schmaltz...

Here are my thoughts for today- Scoring 1: Easy Mac between LJohnson and Parks (most complete line) Scoring 2: Jewels between Poganski and Schmaltz (most raw talent line) Energy 1: Pattyn between Gaarder and OD (line that will be very difficult to play against) Energy 2: St Clair between whomever earns it ( I think St Clair gets in because of his pk ability) D1: Schmaltz and LaDue D2: Mattson and Stecher D3: Thompson and Ausmus G1: Zane

just imagine one of those dresses next to a guy in the canadian tuxedo (jeans, jean shirt, and jean jacket)... a two-four of Labatt's in the day time watching the world juniors... then some awkward, horrific sex in a pick-up in the parking lot of a Timmy's or Robin's donuts

They are both excellent players, however... If I were a GM, I would build from the middle of the rink out, and the back of the rink up...Suter is absolutely a dman you build a team around, and some of the youngsters have potential. I think the missing element is truly a great 2-way center...a Toews or a Kopitar or a Bergeron type guy who will score 25-35 goals, 60-80 points, against other teams' top forward lines, playing plus hockey, winning draws, and playing well in all 3 zones. The 3 guys I named not only have those skills in common, but also have rings from each of the last 5 seasons. If you go back further some names pop up...Yzerman, Datsyuk...great 2-way centers. You need an elite 2-way center to win the cup. Mikko is a good two-way center. He is a dream as your #2 pivot...Wild need a top-end, two-way center.

Saw Rocco's deal on capgeek. Its a rookie max deal plus a couple spiffs in the two out years. Guessing by the deal and his signing that all parties expect assignment to the A next year- no big surprises.

Ox's "Mt. Crushmore" I am honored...actually, I am...thanks for the props

This thread has a good mix of opinions- educated and uneducated... Regarding the recently removed CEO- I have also had the opportunity to interact with him...he is a decent man and intelligent...none of this was malicious. So, as a result of ACA, Maryland opts to put up an exchange...Noridian says they can do it...they fail, and it costs them many, many millions. So, ACA plays a role in the loss by creating the environment/opportunity which ultimately costs BCND a boatload of cash. Had they been successful, the ACA (by the same loose logic chain) would've then made them cash. ACA will have winners and losers...the lawmakers are keenly aware of how the statutes impact each interest and are effectively choosing winners and losers...this is not a partisan statement, it is a statement about how our current gov't works... The interesting thing is that the BCND loss is not an "insurance loss" this isn't risk based capital or a result of a failure to manage the underwriting cycle correctly. It is a failure of a business to execute in a profitable manner. As for the whistleblower allegations- BCND is under a microscope, and management should understand that and work to ensure all practices are so far above board that there can never be any doubt. Oversight can be hard, especially when you have to trust those beneath you...and when you are in an industry that most people don't understand fully and certainly don't trust fully, you have to make things crystal clear. ACA- has good and bad in it...it will raise the cost of insurance for most people...there is a big time 80/20 rule in insurance...20 percent of the people drive 80 percent of costs...with community rating on underwriting and guaranteed issue, that means that premiums (benefit neutral) will go up for 80 percent of people and down for 20 percent of people. I said benefit neutral...add benefit requirements in, and costs go up even more for the premiums. The cost savings argument is a bet that more people covered will improve health outcomes and also greatly reduce provider bad debt, which in theory would allow providers to accept lower reimbursement which would then lower premiums...okay, the logic is fairly accurate, but the reality is that provider payments will not go down, especially if demand for services requires more access and more providers... In my opinion, BC's losses are not driven by ACA, but rather driven by a failure to execute and operate an efficient business.

Fair point- it isn't about business, nor NHL readiness, but a kid chasing a long-shot dream.

The odds of him getting hurt and earning nothing are incredibly small. I would say his upside odds resulting from staying and having a monster year are exponentially greater, but still small. If you rule out the extremes, and assume that he will not have a career ending injury nor will he be in the NHL, his deal looks the same next spring as now. In the meantime, he will have had another year living a free college life. The time value of one year is offset by the small increase to the CBA. Gotta make the business decision based on likely, not unlikely events.

$70k...terrible, terrible business decision by Rocco...I believe his NHL dream is gone, and he should've enoyed college and gotten a degree. Wow...love the kid, but he is not NHL ready