fightingsioux4life

I think I can explain this nonsense. Ever since Karl Goehring graduated and moved on, no goaltender is good enough for our fan base. And our opponents always have the greatest goaltender in the history of the game. Hence "The Brad Schlossman Rule". Hence the annual tradition of blaming UND goaltenders for every loss, no matter how many shots he was peppered with and no matter how bad our offense was. I think a lot of people have taken this attitude and applied it to the NHL playoffs. I'm afraid there is not much we can do about it, but I share your disgust.

I honestly don't have a favorite NHL team; I just like to watch good games and the Stanley Cup playoffs are as good as sports ever gets. I like it when former UND players make it in the big leagues in any sport, but that doesn't change which teams I like or don't like. Like MafiaMan has said before, the emphasis on having UND players make it in the NHL is not necessarily good for the program when that becomes the focus instead of winning championships at the collegiate level. If it has to come down to a trade-off, I will take winning championships at the NCAA level over having a bunch of former UND players in the NHL. I guess we all have different opinions on that, which is okay.

If these kids don't think they fit in, they should leave. Having kids on the roster that don't want to be there is bad for team chemistry and bad for locker room culture. We might have to get worse before we get better and I am fine with that.

Let's see..... A Wild-Blackhawks rematch from last year.....CHECK. Team Thug-N-Slug (Philadelphia) knocked out by the Rangers.....CHECK Getting Montreal out of the playoffs.....Opps, not yet. Overall, I like what is happening so far.

Well said, this is good advice for all our fans.

No, no, no, not that "Pride of Lions" crap. Some people at G.F. Central High School were pushing that in the mid-1990's. Thank God Knights was chosen. I have no problem with the others on your list, however.

True, but this is all about the long-term and not the short-term. I can accept a couple of lean years if it leads to success down the road.

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.