fightingsioux4life

Jeff Panzer was flat-out amazing. Full strength, even strength, power-play, penalty-kill.....he was great at all of them. He did everything except play in goal. I sometimes would sit in the Old Ralph and just watch him, whether he had the puck or not. He was so smart and so talented. And yes, he was ROBBED of the Hobey Baker Award in 2001. If he had played on the East Coast, he would have won it.

Wow, some short tempers on here! What is it boys, the cold spring weather? There will be some growing pains for a few years, but things are looking up for this program. Let's not overreact to anything that happens in a dozen practices.

Har, har har! I guess the point of my post was that if you are an inspiring NHL player, you need to believe in yourself or you might as well quit hockey and do something else. Of course these guys in the AHL believe they can make it. Not all of them will, but nobody wants to look back 20-30 years later and wonder what might have been.

If you don't expect to, it probably won't happen. You must believe in yourself and believe that you are capable of rising to the top of the ladder or you don't stand a chance. Someone like Jonathan Toews had his sights set on the NHL as a kid and believed he would get there. And all his hard work and belief in himself has paid off big-time. Confidence is necessary to succeed in anything and hockey is no exception.

I hope you are right about changes at MSU, but I wouldn't bet any money on it. Weasels and snakes at this level seem to get out of trouble more often than not. And no, this isn't the same as the Saban-Miami-Alabama affair; I just get tired of coaches jumping from one job to the next, while the players are supposed to remain loyal to their school forever and ever. Collegiate athletics need some major reforms.

And Mr. Real World 2, in this mythical "real world" you live in, shouldn't there be consequences for breaking a contract you signed in good faith with someone else? If I was the owner of the Dolphins, I would have been tempted to sue the crap out of Saban for breaking his word with me and with the Dolphins organization. But that world doesn't really exist, does it? Saban prospers by being a snake and, until those MSU administrators are fired for almost ruining Hoffner's life, they also will prosper for being a snake. Welcome to the (Real) Real World (not to be confused with an album by Mr. Mister! ).

Really, Mr. Real World? Well, in this mythical "real world" you are talking about, the suits at MSU would have been fired for treating Hoffner like they did. Last time I checked, they still have their cushy office jobs. Obviously, someone is protecting them. So who is looking out for the student-athletes that have been jerked around for the past year? Bueller? Bueller? And Mr. Real World, yes, in collegiate athletics, you do get to "pick your boss". Athletes often determine which school to sign with based on whether or not they like the head coach and his staff and the culture of the program. And when something bad happens (Penn State anyone?), athletes often get a chance to transfer without penalty because they didn't have anything to do with the incident in the first place. That is what should have happened here, although it looks like the players are going to stick it out, which I commend them for doing. The very idea that the players (who had absolutely nothing to do with creating this whole mess) should have to take any responsibility whatsoever in cleaning this mess up or in accommodating the incompetent suits at MSU in any effort by them to save their own arses is absolutely outrageous and wrong. Second to Hoffner (obviously), the players are also victims in this whole fiasco. The final act in this scandal had better be the termination of the AD, the President and whomever else was involved in proclaiming Hoffner guilty until proven innocent and probably ruining his public reputation forever. End Rant.

It's only a matter of time before the 4 team FBS playoff expands. As soon as the bean counters realize how much profit potential there is in playoff expansion, it will happen. I see it expanding to 8 teams in a few short years. The biggest it could get is 16 teams (11 auto bids and 5 at-large). Of course, if this radical realignment ever happens, it would change the timetable on this.

Is this your way of saying this thread should be locked because "it's none of our business"?

Really? All the blame for this mess lies at the feet of MSU administration. They have screwed this whole thing up from the start and have thrown everyone's lives into a blender. Also, I think one of the more hypocritical aspects of college sports is that coaches can move around all they want, while the players are supposed to just suck it up no matter what. That needs to change. I think a waiver of the one season sit out rule for transfers is in order here. Any player that no longer wants to put up with the three-ring circus MSU administration has built in Mankato can transfer to a different school and be eligible immediately. The sooner everyone moves on with their lives, the better.

No we shouldn't, because you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. Our team didn't get a chance to take their shot at Union and that is something the team (especially the seniors) will be carrying around with them for some time.

Nobody remembers second place (except for the team that finishes second place). And losing a championship game is one of the most painful experiences in sports (just ask the Buffalo Bills of the 1990's). I have heard NHL players say it is better to miss the playoffs than get to the Stanley Cup Finals and lose. But again, your program hangs runner-up banners, so I guess it's different for you guys.

IALTO!!!

IALTO!!!

Runner-Up U > 0.6 Deal with THAT.

Considering that your school hangs banners for Runner-Up finishes, I am not surprised at this response. Whatever floats your boat I guess.....

Yes, stay in school Rocco! You are just starting to tap into your potential as a player. Enjoy college while you can, it's all about money and front office politics once you sign that first contract.

And the Gerbils got dominated by Union in the NCAA title game 48 hours later. Gerbil fans will just have to get used to it. Second place in Women's Hockey. Second place in Men's Hockey. The University of Minnesota.....Runner-Up U!!! Maybe you can have a parade in Downtown Minneapolis with both Runner-Up Trophies at the front and the players for both teams following with a banner that says "We're #2, where are the Whioux?". Then Don Lucia-pet can give a speech saying the NCAA semifinal win over UND was "just another win for us and didn't have any meaning beyond that" and whatever other garbage he has come up with since we changed conferences a year ago. Two can play this game. Have a nice day!!!

Yes, he should have until the end of his current contract. But if we are still muddling around .500 and fighting hard to get into the CIT on an annual basis, then it will be time for a change, even if those average records are good enough for 2nd or 3rd in the Big Sky. But I have a strong suspicion that some people on here will want him to stick around even if there is no improvement. Those are the people I am getting tired of. And what was wrong with my analogy? It's not perfect, but it illustrates the principle that the CEO/General/Head Coach/General Manager is the boss, is in charge and is responsible for getting results.

And we won two NCAA titles in the "Old Barn" (a.k.a. The Winter Sports Building), which was a WPA project completed during the Great Depression.

Blah, blah, blah.....we heard the same song and dance from the Mussman apologists and look where that got us. This is Jones' program, top to bottom, backwards, forwards and sideways. He has been here long enough to be held accountable for the results or lack thereof. In the military, if an army loses battle after battle, do we get rid of all the soldiers and keep the commander or do we sack the general? I think you know the answer to that question.

I think in order to get an up and coming assistant coach from a big-time program to be your head coach, you must be willing to pony up the cash up-front. There is risk in doing that, but there is risk in everything. It's tough on the athletic department budget, but that's the world we jumped into when we moved up.

Everybody is "unproven" at some point in their careers. Everybody gets their start someplace. Based on your statement, we should just recycle the same coaches over and over again.

I personally would have taken their money, told them to *bleep* off, and continued my career. What kind of relationship can he have with his bosses at Minnesota State; people that tried, convicted and sentenced him without all the facts?

Just a trademark early season tease from the Twins. They'll be in the basement before the end of May.