yzerman19

Most midget hockey came into existence because of poorly run or non-existent community based hockey. We are fortunate in GF and in Roseau, Warroad, heck most of ND and MN, to have strong community based hockey. The BIGGEST driver in the old days was simply ice...we always had outdoor ice from Dec-Feb in the upper midwest. That is not the case in the rest of the country (as a generalization). The bigger question is about competition- you only get better by playing the best. Is a midget AAA schedule better in terms of competition than a good high school section? Maybe...maybe not...depends on where you live. Did playing at Shattuck make Parise or Toews better or were Parise in Toews already better and just played at Shattuck. I don't know. My guess is they would've been great if they played in India.

Gophers will be pre-season #1 in the WCHA. They won the MacNaughton and they made it to the Frozen Four. Who would oust them? Us? Assuming we lose Blood, Lammy, Eids, Kristo, Nelson and Dell- unlikely. DU lost Zucker, CC lost Schwartz, UMD lost Reider, Brown, and Connelly (to name a few) UMN will be pre-season #1

Congrats to Dave. This is well deserved. He and his staff and his senior leaders did a remarkable job considering the hurdles we faced.

He'll come up to GF and visit big brother one time, and his mind will be made up. Maybe we could just happen to have Parise, Toews, Oshie, Stafford, Zajac, Frattin, Blake, Commie, and Greene up that same weekend.

I see what you're getting at, but it assumes a fairly equal program status. If Eades left to coach Minnesota or one of the Boston schools or New Hampshire or Maine or Michigan you might run that risk of a recruit following. I don't think that would be the case with Mankato. No offense meant to the purple cow program, but any rational person would not put it in the same tier as UND for the top-end recruits

I'm pretty sure he got banged up that year. Oshie's entry contract SEASON AHL SALARY NHL SALARY P. BONUSES S. BONUS CAP HIT 2008-09 $62,500 $850,000 $450,000 $85,000 $1,275,000 2009-10 $62,500 $850,000 $425,000 $85,000 $1,275,000 2010-11 $62,500 $850,000 $400,000 $85,000 $1,275,000 Toewser's entry contract: SEASON AHL SALARY NHL SALARY P. BONUSES S. BONUS CAP HIT 2007-08 $50,000 $850,000 $1,750,000 — $2,800,000 2008-09 $50,000 $850,000 $1,950,000 — $2,800,000 2009-10 $50,000 $850,000 $2,150,000 — $2,800,000 Brock's entry contract: SEASON AHL SALARY NHL SALARY P. BONUSES S. BONUS CAP HIT 2012-13 $67,500 $900,000 $1,925,000 $90,000 $2,825,000 2013-14 $67,500 $900,000 $1,925,000 $90,000 $2,825,000 2014-15 $67,500 $900,000 $1,925,000 $90,000 $2,825,000 So, as you can see, Brock's deal is richer- assuming he plays in the NHL

Brock got the best entry level contract I have seen. It wasn't going to get any better for him. Might as well take the dough. Seriously, he maxed out everything under the CBA, AND he got huge incentives baked in. I do not fault him for taking that deal.

true...and if Kristo stays...well, looks like we could roll 3 pretty talented forward lines out there... Say Kristo stays and we decide to break-up the Rowney line...maybe put Rowney with a couple kids again? It worked last year... Knight with Kristo and O'Donnell Grimaldi with Parks and MacMillan Rowney with Koules and Chyzyk St. Clair with Pattyn/Rodwell/Gaarder Kristo goes and you go to: Knight with Parks and O'Donnell Grimaldi with MacMillan and Koules Rowney with Chyzyk and Rodwell St. Clair with Pattyn and Gaarder At D: Schmaltz and Forbert Mattson and MacWilliam Simpson and Gleason

Top Six forwards assuming Kristo goes pro: Knight, Grimaldi, Rowney, O'Donnell, MacMillan, Parks Challenge is that you probably don't want to break up the chemistry of Rowney, Parks and MacMillan, but Knight is an awesome center, and Grimaldi also plays center. Big question is if you move Grimaldi to wing or if you bust up the chemistry. I'd do Knight with Grimaldi and O'Donnell Rowney with MacMillan and Parks

No one is irreplaceable. Kaner is a dynamic offensive weapon, AND he puts butts in seats. He is one of the guys people pay to watch. He might be a one-dimensional player, but his offensive skill set is elite. GMs have two goals: win and draw attendance and television viewers. Kane helps do both.

I'll PM you

<p> </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>No, I did not. One great grandparent does not qualify for anything that i am aware of, especially when there has been no &quot;official&quot; tribal affiliation by my family since before the turn of the 20th century. &nbsp;I also did not attend UND. &nbsp;I am actually (whisper now) a double Gopher...However, I have never, not once, cheered for the rodents in hockey. &nbsp;You can't grow up in GF and be a Gopher fan, even if you move. &nbsp;I have actually now lived in the twin cities longer than I lived in GF too, but Sioux pride runs deep. &nbsp;Much deeper than two degrees.</p>

"liberalism" is supposed to mean an open mind, by definition. I grew up believing that definition. Now, I understand that it is an allegory for a political agenda. That agenda is to cause discourse and to oppose any belief that is not core to the agenda. It has never been more manifest than it is in the nickname debate. My position on the nickname is that it is over and time to move on; however... I am 1/16th Dakota Sioux. All my family has been raised white. Regardless, I am part Sioux. I am offended by the fact that someone in an office somewhere believes that they are more capable of making decisions than I am. I have an MBA and make multi-million dollar decisions daily, but I guess someone, somewhere believes they know what is best for me. I question how many are aware of the native ties to the State of ND. I know that they don't respect the pipe ceremony- which means more to a native than any of this "white man paper". I know they don't comprehend the respect that is given at the Ralph or before each puck drop. They have no idea about the fact that the logo is a piece of art created by and for "the people" with each color meaning something, each feather meaning something, and even the direction of the face meaning something. It bothers me that a bunch of fat white men in a room can make a decision about the SIoux name...it reminds me of other legal papers and promises and presents delivered by white men to the Indian. The NCAA is no different than the gattling gun- eliminating all remnants of the people from the land, so that the white man can live in peace. Long live the fighting sioux, and way to go Hak for your quiet rebellion.

I don't understand it if coming from the family...All first rounders take out an insurance policy in case of injury, so it isn't fear of that...whatever the reason, he is gone, and I wish him all the best and thank him for his contributions these last two years.

You know this for fact? If he (Brian) got that worked up about fan criticism, that is a personal character flaw. You play big time sports, you need a thick skin. I was no big fan of Lee, but I was never brutal either...I can't believe that a player would care that much about fan gossip. Seems pretty pathetic if true

Yes, if he stayed and played two more years, he could've been in that boat. I wish he was coming back!!

Agree! You can never, ever, cheer for the rodents.

Brad- You missed Brian Lee leaving after 2 years as well... As for the Lee Goren and Brock Nelson comparison- really not a good comparison, but I will play- THE biggest difference is that Brock Nelson is a first round draft pick. Brock will get many opportunities and will have to prove that he can't play at the NHL level...guys like Goren had to prove that they can play before even getting a shot...that is a lot harder to do.

Nelson would not have been a free agent after next year, that would only be 3 years after draft year, free agent status occurs after 4. Brock came to UND having been drafted that summer before.

Oh...and the Parise and Toews comments- well, those two are 2 in 100 million kinda players. Tough to compare anyone to those guys.

Best of luck to Brock. He definitely has NHL skill and an NHL frame; I agree with other posters that he needs to get stronger to compete as an NHL power forward. I am sure his decision was made after consulting with his coaches, advisors, and the Islanders. I would guess he got a rookie max deal, and looking at the Isles' top 6, probably is going to get good minutes if he shows his best stuff in camp. It would've been nice to get him back, and another year at REA wouldn't have hurt him, but it is hard to turn down the big bucks and your dream.

To our 3 biggest flight risks: Please stay one more year at UND! We love you guys!

I could've sworn that I drank beer at the Frozen Four last year...am I mistaken?

Bummer you can't make it down!

Thanks for coming on this board. We welcome this opportunity to play our new NCHC rival! Congrats on a great season so far! It must've felt great to knock off Michigan. This isn't a typical Sioux team. It is a lot less deep on talent, but it does have big time heart. In a "normal" year, we would be skating two more big time NHL prospects in Grimaldi and Miller, and two skilled depth guys in O'Donnell and Rodwell. That said, we've had everyone step up from the Walk-ons to the #1 draft picks. In fact, our two #1s: Nelson and Forbert played their best hockey all year last weekend. Again, I congratulate WMU on a great season and wish your program continued success...except on Saturday afternoon!