fightingsioux4life

It's the job of the coaching staff to get the team ready for a big stage like the Frozen Four. Otherwise there is no point in paying them what we pay them. And any team good enough to get there shouldn't flame out like that over and over again.

2006, the Holy Cross-Minnesota game.

Never too early to start.

Yawn.....where have I heard those talking points before? Oh yeah, right here. You cannot refute the points I made, so you resort to the same tired old talking points. To each their own.

First of all, nobody expects an NCAA title every year. This isn't the 1950's when Michigan was heads and shoulders above everyone else and we still used chicken wire instead of plexiglass. We won NCAA titles in 1997 and 2000, but fell short in 1998 and 1999 with loaded teams. But the bookend NCAA titles made the middle two years easier to live with. The point being, we cashed in at least a couple of times when we had the talent to do so. That has not been the case during the current regime; especially with some of the talent that has come through Grand Forks during the past 10 years. When this program regularly chokes on the national stage, plays down to the level of their competition and had a coach that simply will not make in-game adjustments when needed, people are going to talk about it. As they should. Second of all, most people in Ann Arbor care about two things: 1) Michigan FB in their precious "Big House" and 2) Michigan Men's BB and their quest to return to the glory days of the Fab Five. Hockey ranks a distant third, which means old Red has more wiggle room than coaches in places like North Dakota, where REA is the "Big House" and hockey brings in the most money for the athletic department and the most media attention to the campus as a whole. And, although it's been a long time since his last one, Red does have two NCAA titles. Not as many as you would expect, but he does have them. Hakstol has ZERO. That is an irrefutable fact. Third of all, this discussion is about what kind of program we want to have in Grand Forks. Do we want to just "be there" every year? Do we want to just have winning records every year? Or do we want to be feared and respected like Boston College is today? I am a Vikings fan and I hate the Packers, but this quote from the great Vince Lombardi is pertinent to our discussion: “Gentlemen, we will chase perfection, and we will chase it relentlessly, knowing all the while we can never attain it. But along the way, we shall catch excellence.” To paraphrase the legendary NFL coach, "Gentlemen, NCAA titles are the mark of excellence in NCAA hockey". It is all that people really remember and it is what builds a legacy for future kids to aspire to. If we aren't willing to live up to this standard, then we might as well start hanging participation banners. So, to sum up, the "In Hak We Trust" crowd need to just put things in perspective.

Agree with this, but they should have more buses and more routes with all the students we keep adding to our enrollment. Then complaints will probably go down.

I suppose if you wanted to trade him for draft picks, this would be the time. In a couple of years, he won't have as much value.

Scared of the Knights? You should be. Maybe next time the Riders will manage to score a goal.

I am thinking he'll be gone by the time the Vikings pick at #8. I will also say this; another season with the same QB's is another wasted season. If I'm AP, I am putting pressure on management to solve the QB problem NOW.

Did you really think I was going to complain about a sweep at home? I call them as I see them, good, bad or ugly. Sweeping Miami (regardless of their current record) at home is a big positive with four tough road games coming up. I just hope the momentum carries over.

I think this illustrates the need to have a much tougher regular season schedule in the future. Playing the likes of Lindenwood hurt us this time of year when the Pairwise Rankings become so important to getting an at-large bid. This isn't a bottom-feeder program anymore; we need to start scheduling better teams.

The weekend sweep was awesome and badly needed by our team. That being said, we have to maintain the level of play we established this weekend for the next two weekends, both on the road (@UMD and @SCSU). This team cannot afford too many losses down the stretch from this point on. We need to play well all four games, not well one game and putrid the next (which happens way too often with this team). I know we still have a mathematical chance to win an at-large bid, but I would feel more comfortable about it if we at least make the NCHC tournament and win at least one game there. The next three weeks will determine how far this team can go.

Very funny. So you are a "narcissist" if you have the guts to go against what the majority think? Whatever floats your boat.....

You know your team has a bad PP when 4x4 is preferable to a 5x4 advantage.

A solid win and this time of year you take the points however you can get them. Tomorrow night is the next most important game of the season. We must win our home games from here on out. I do not want to be on the road for the first round of the playoffs.

Yeah, that is kind of strange. I think FB will turn it around in a couple of years.

I appreciate your input to this topic (seriously, I do), but let's remember that Jerry York took over a putrid Boston College team and had to rebuild it before he was in contention for NCAA titles. Dave Hakstol took over a Porsche and has underachieved with it. That is the issue some of us have with him.

Nice to see Central back in contention this year; the last few years have been brutal.

Fire Brewster? No way; he is one of our top performing coaches right now. The women's team helps take my mind off of the woefully underachieving men's team.

If pointing out obvious problems counts as a "negative rant", then so be it. Ignoring it won't make it go away. And Starman is the poster child of ducky and bunny logic. I honestly don't pay much attention to what he thinks. We have ZERO margin for error from this point forward and will probably have to win the NCHC tournament, unless we get help from other teams.

Actually, it's the eternal optimists that rake the pragmatic realists over the hot coals for daring to question the coaching staff and how they do things.

I think he started to realize that a coaching career involves a lot of travel and long hours at the office. I am thinking he wants to spend more time with his wife and kids. Good move Brooks.

Come on ladies, don't blow it down the stretch! We could use some playoff excitement in Grand Forks in March!

I guess I am willing to give Jones one more year based on the fact that his first Division I recruits are seniors now and will be gone next year. I want to see if the next batch of kids work out better for him. But if it's the same old crap next season, then it's time to move on.

Jones has definitely been here long enough to be held responsible for the current state of the program. As was Mussman. When Brewster can have the women's team contending for a Big Sky regular season title (and with it, home court for the Big Sky postseason tournament) in his second year, that makes the struggles of the men's team look even worse by comparison. I give him one more year. If it's more of the same tired old crap next season, time for a buyout.