fightingsioux4life

Wow, this program was in even worse shape than we all suspected! A couple more years of Mussman and.....I don't even want to think about it.

First of all, this was Williston, not the entire region. What about other areas in western North Dakota? Should they be thrown under the bus because of something Williston did? I say no. But I imagine the almighty moral supremacists in Bismarck will do just that. After all, Al Carlson usually gets his way. Second of all, this is something the people of Williston obviously wanted. When a community triples in size, you will get demands for additional amenities from the people that now live there. Not all oil workers came here alone; some of them brought their families with them. If Williston had refused to consider it and/or refused to put it on the ballot, then the people probably would have voted them out of office and elected people that would do what they wanted. Or maybe Williston should just sell off all their public parks and whatever other recreation assets they have to prove to the almighty moral supremacists in Bismarck that they have the right PRIORITIES and that they are frugal and prudent? Thirdly, what is "more important and time-sensitive" is in the eye of the beholder. Everything in North Dakota shouldn't always revolve around what the Harold Hamm's of the world want. This is our state, not theirs, they are just guests here. And if that sounds too parochial for some people, too bad. I am so sick of our "leaders" in Bismarck selling out North Dakota to the likes of Hamm and Walmart. And lastly, even if they hadn't built this thing, they would still need help from Bismarck. I would rather Williston get that money then the good folks of Bentonville, AR. But what do I know? All I've done is live in North Dakota for the past 37 years. That really doesn't count for much anymore, does it?

So you think they are wasting money on stuff? They have roads that are being pounded into gravel by heavy trucks and people being killed because the roads aren't big enough to handle all of it. They have had to build public infrastructure for this huge influx of people after years of depopulation. These are things we take for granted in the east, but they don't happen without money being spent. I realize Al Carlson thinks we are raking in too much money from the oil boom, but if anyone should pay for all this stuff, it's the oil companies. They are the ones making the mess, so we should use those oil tax dollars to do it.

I am all for increasing aid for western ND county and municipal governments to deal with the pressures of the oil boom. Unfortunately, some super-geniuses in Bismarck think everything is just fine and dandy in western ND, so it hasn't happened.

Really? I think he just told the truth. An uncomfortable truth, but the truth nonetheless.

What is wrong with thinking big for a change? The "too much mistake" boogeyman has to be retired. Either you are growing or you are dying. If some people in North Dakota had their way, we would still use rotary-dial telephones mounted on the wall.

Then why don't they dump NBC and strike out on their own? I get tired of local affiliates whining about not having all the advertising revenues to themselves. That's part of the trade-off of being an affiliate for a national TV network; don't like it, don't do it. I guess the people will make themselves heard if they are really ticked off with KVLY for showing the Bison Spring Game instead of the NHL playoffs. The letters, phone calls and e-mails will flow in and if it's negative enough, they won't do it next year. Wonder what they will try next, preempting daytime soaps for Bison practice during the regular season?

THAT would stick it in the face of the Big 6 (oops, I mean Big 10)!

I think it's way too early to start panicking over the performance (or lack thereof) of the NCHC Tournament. I think after 5 years, we can make an honest assessment of how the tournament is doing and, if needed, make necessary changes.

No JohnboyND7, it's not American, it's "Muricun" (spits out some tobacco as he says it).

I think Oval Shapes are a more efficient use of available space.

You are still hanging onto that fantasy? That wouldn't work in Grand Forks with college hockey sucking all the oxygen out of the room.

I think .500 is a solid goal for this team to shoot for.

He means Hakstol did a good job of getting us to Philadelphia as a #4 seed, which I believe he did.

Yes, you can argue with his numbers, based on the fact he was in a weaker league than Panzer and he had a defense-first system in front of him (I know some people think that doesn't matter, but I think it does). Also, as others have pointed out on here, there are other goaltenders since 2001 that have put up great numbers as well. The idea that Ryan Miller is somehow untouchable just doesn't make sense when you look at all the stats. And it's more than East Coast vs. Midwest, it's also Big School vs. Small School and that is one reason why Panzer was screwed out of the Hobey in 2001. And after 2001, you saw players from smaller schools and/or players that didn't play in big media markets win the award. Coincidence or a result of backlash from the 2001 decision (and some of the decisions made before that)? I guess that is open for debate, as is the relevancy of the Hobey Baker award itself.

The differences in conference schedule are relevant. The WCHA was tough top to bottom in 2001, while the CCHA was very top heavy during that time (3 to 4 good teams and a bunch of average to mediocre after that). I think it is obvious that slamming the door on Bowling Green is a little easier than doing it against the likes of Minnesota, Denver, Colorado College, Wisconsin and North Dakota on a week in, week out basis. And as others have pointed out, Michigan State didn't win the NCAA title that year; Boston College beat us in OT. UND beat Michigan State (and Karl Goehring outdueled Ryan Miller) 2-0 in the semifinals.

I have never liked judging college players based on what they do at the next level. Some great college players do nothing at the next level, while some good college players end up on the right team in the right system and flourish.

Okay, here's a simple question: If it was between Ryan Miller and Johnny Gaudreau this year, who wins? I say it would be Gaudreau by a mile, with Miller a distant second and whomever else (doesn't really matter, does it?) third. And it's because Johnny Hockey plays on the East Coast in a major media market and Miller plays in the Midwest in a much smaller media market (East Lansing, MI). And because goaltenders generally get overlooked for these awards (only two goaltenders have ever won the Hobey), while forwards are usually favored too much. Unless of course you play in a place like North Dakota, in which case your resume is somehow just not up to par. And this idea that Karl Goehring was somehow "not that good" is pure baloney. Karl Goehring was as good as anyone else that ever played the position at UND. Without him, UND could not have played their "Speed Kills" system without giving up more goals than they would have liked. I really get sick and tired of people dismissing Goehring off-hand. I watched him play for four years, he was a great player the moment he set foot on the ice and he was one of the backbones of those legendary teams of the 1990's and early 2000's.

Real classy troll, real classy. And people wonder why Fargo is resented by people in other parts of the state.

First of all, don't even bring that one-dimensional cherry-picker Johnny Pohl into the discussion. Second of all, Panzer was not a "dime a dozen" player. I don't think we've had a forward with the well-rounded game that Panzer brought to the ice since he graduated in 2001. If anybody is a "dime a dozen" player, it's Johnny Pohl. Third of all, I don't think Miller would have had a .950 save percentage if he played on a more wide-open team like North Dakota or Boston College (the two teams in that year's NCAA title game). It would certainly have been above .900, but it wouldn't have been quite as good. I imagine Karl Goehring would have had an even better save percentage than he did if he had played behind a more conservative system than what Blais put in at North Dakota. Finally, I am with you on Ryan Potulny; not putting him in the Hobey Hat Trick was a joke and another example of how subjective this award really is.

The fact that we needed "a little better help" from other teams in the NCHC tells you that our schedule wasn't all that strong this year. Not beating the weaker teams on our schedule was a much bigger liability this year than in previous years.

Yes, this is all subjective and dependent on whose ox is getting gored. But I think the original poster was trying to be a smart-mouth and didn't use an emoticon to illustrate that. And I used it to take a shot at Mariucci, whom I was having a debate on another thread on this topic.

Sorry, I think it does matter. A lot more than plus/minus rating, which is the main argument the Gionta crowd was using. Every year, there are probably a half-dozen players that are deserving of the award. I am simply saying that Panzer was given the short end of the stick in part because of where he played and where he was from. Gionta didn't have the numbers to win it that year, so they gave it to Miller so a kid from a small, non-Division I school (at the time) didn't win it. The year Duncan won it (2007), there was an unusual absence of candidates that really stood out. And even Hrkac had his detractors in 1987, which is so ridiculous I am not even going to go there. I also will point out that after 2001, players from smaller schools started winning the award after years of practically ignoring them. I have always wondered if there was a backlash of sorts over the 2001 decision and it might have influenced the voters after that? I think it would make more sense to have an award for every position (forward, defense, goaltender, special teams, fourth liner, etc.) so that we are comparing apples to apples. The Hobey, as it stands right now, is a subjectively political award.

But according to Mariucci, Miller is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I, however, agree with you.