dagies Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 This is the link on the front page of this site. http://www.uscho.com/m/?team=UND&data=seas...season=20032004 A couple things I like were Blais comments about the depth of this team, and acknowledging the lack of a threat on the 4th line, and Smaby's ability to make an outlet pass. Especially the Smaby thing. Seems like a small thing but this has a chance to really help jumpstart the offensive flow which has struggled so much the last couple of years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCM Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 This USCHO story about UND's 2003-04 schedule sort of got buried. Some of you (especially Gopher fans) might be interested in the T-shirt Ralph gave Blais early last season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greyeagle Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 Funny shirt PCM, thanks for the link. If I were a UND fan I think I would find this quote from coach Blais in the article very disturbing. "We felt we took care of business last year," Blais said. "It doesn't do you any good to play top-caliber teams if you don't win. It's one thing to play a tough schedule and another thing to win it." Curious to hear what the Sioux fans think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sioux fan in phoenix Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 Funny shirt PCM, thanks for the link. If I were a UND fan I think I would find this quote from coach Blais in the article very disturbing. Curious to hear what the Sioux fans think. I took that statement about "taking care of business" as pertaining to the non-conference schedule. I don't think he was referring to the season in general. I don't blame his scheduling preferences: Why play only top-caliber teams like BC, Maine, BU, etc. when you stand a chance of losing some of those games and the fact that the WCHA season is grueling enough? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greyeagle Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwing77 Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 I'm surprised everyone is surprised by the quote. After all, wasn't the past time last season taking Blais' quotes out of context? He supposedly did this, he supposedly said that. He said this but it was taken from a speech that said that and this. Status quo. After all, if you have everyone misquoting you, that means they have to seek you out to hear you speak. That means you are popular and that you have status. Then again, you have Woog, which blows that theory out of the water Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sioux fan in phoenix Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 I can't say I disagree with you, I just interpret the quote differently. That's the problem with quotes out of context, I guess.That's why we wear different-shaded glasses Anyway, I view the non-conf schedule as a chance to do three things. 1) provide your team with confidence, 2) enhance the PWR ranking, & 3) provide top-notch competition against non-league opponents in preparation of similar scenarios in the NCAA tournament. I don't think the UND schedule last year accomplished two of the three. Maybe I'm way off base and I realize the UND schedule has been beaten to death, but I am still surprised by the quote. Your reasoning is sound, but so is Blais'. UND plays the Gophers, CC, Denver, UMD, St. Cloud on a regular basis & these games are usually intense. Why is it necessary to wear the guys down even more by playing an additional 5-6 difficult non-conference games? These players are practically semi-professionals with their level of play, but they're still college kids & aren't fully physically developed to play a super-rigorous schedule, imo. I think Blais' quote at the end of Pat's article sums it up: not too difficult & not too easy. I do agree, though, that an all-easy schedule would be detrimental to the players' developments & their preparation for the postseason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinnesotaNorthStar Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 I think our non-conference schedule is fine this year. We play a powerhouse in BC, and then we also have Yale, who isn't exactly Canisius, but at the same time, isn't Michigan or Boston. We should beat Yale, but they won't roll over and die, it'll require 3 periods of solid hockey. Well, maybe 2-2 1/2. You need to have a good mix of good teams and not-so-good teams. BTW...I find it hard to believe that the media of all people would skew the context of a quote. I mean, it NEVER happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottM Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 Couple of things: Nick Fuher is a d-man, unless something's changed. So he won't be fighting for a spot on a line. If anything, he'll probably be paired with Marvin or Foyt. Smaby is an excellent d-man, who can also play the puck. He was sort of poo-pooed by a few in the POI crowd, but he has the potential to make a big impact on both ends. I hope Greene settles down and plays more disciplined hockey. I would expect a year in the WCHA and a few "chats" from the coaches may help. I tend to disagree with the Sioux "taking care of business". If we had, we would have throttled a few more WCHA teams and Ferris Wheel State towards the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skateshattrick Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 Funny shirt PCM, thanks for the link. If I were a UND fan I think I would find this quote from coach Blais in the article very disturbing. Curious to hear what the Sioux fans think. I agree. I would much rather see BC, Michigan, etc., even with the risk of losing, than play teams like Canisius, Brown and Bemidji State. One of the reasons that Ralph built the REA was to enable the Sioux to draw the top teams and to compete with the top teams. Why avoid them to have a better record? The holiday tournament has been an absolute joke and fans will eventually find other things to do if the Sioux do not start scheduling some quality opponents. The Sioux football team is now playing teams like UM-Crookston, Moorhead State, etc. I have absolutely no interest in going to those games. Bring in some top teams and the place will be packed. The Gophers football team does the same thing, and nobody takes them very seriously because their record is inflated from playing inferior competition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCM Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 BTW...I find it hard to believe that the media of all people would skew the context of a quote. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greyeagle Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 When I say the quote might be out of context I am not ripping Pat. I just don't know what preceded or followed Blais' statement. If the situation was reversed and MN had the very easy schedule and had their butts whooped against Ferris wheel state I would have thought the weak non-conf as a factor. Good to see the Sioux schedule been upgraded this year - I'm happy about that. It's good for the WCHA when its marquee members (UM, UND, UW) play top competition from other leagues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCM Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 If the situation was reversed and MN had the very easy schedule and had their butts whooped against Ferris wheel state I would have thought the weak non-conf as a factor. The comment Blais made about the T-shirt Ralph gave him explains it. Everyone knew the Sioux had an easy non-conference schedule. Nobody liked it. But, the fact is, the Sioux didn't lose any of those games, which would have hurt them. They won all of those games, which helped their PWR ranking. That's what he means by "taking care of business." Blais wasn't arguing that the weak non-conference schedule was a good thing or implying that it helped the team in post-season play. If he thought that, there's no way UND would be playing Boston College this season and scheduling more games with Hockey East teams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagies Posted October 1, 2003 Author Share Posted October 1, 2003 I found that comment interesting as well. I guess you have to know what Blais goals were last year and exactly how he meant that comment, as PCM says. I do think after getting beat up the previous year Blais wanted the team to have some success last year to build confidence. He still had a young team. So handling the non-conf teams may have filled that bill very well. As he said in another interview, the team lacked offensive depth last year, and when WCHA teams focused on shutting down the big line we didn't have much to rely on. Many Sioux fans commented on a lack of offense as being a very large contributor to the late season lack of success, rather than goaltending or defense (Hale)... Parise said he was worn down late last year and worked to be better conditioned this year. Put all that together and Blais might feel that the team did about what they could do last year. I don't remember Blais talking up his team as the #1 team in the nation after the first half of last year. So my guess is his outlook was pretty realistic. Regardless, I think that with good teams you want to play a more challenging non-conf schedule in order to prepare the team for the league play. If you play all patsies in non-conf games, you may not know what to expect when you run into the tough league opponents. I would guess Blais would agree with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawkota Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 To recap: The quote, as part of the entire story, is in context. By posting only the quote, Greyeagle takes it out of context, allowing everyone to interpret it their own way. He then gives the quote an interpretation that does not fit if taken within the entire story. Finally, he defends himself by saying the quote may have been taken out of context because he doesn't know what came before or after the quote in the story he took the quote from. Classic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sicatoka Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 If the situation was reversed and MN had the very easy schedule and had their butts whooped against Ferris wheel state I would have thought the weak non-conf as a factor. First, there's no dishonor in being fourth in the WCHA and losing to the CCHA regular season champion in the NCAAs. (Hey, Michigan and Michigan State must have taken a butt-whuppin' from them all season.) Next, 10 non-conference games (including one against Frozen Four team Michigan) or 28 conference games: If UND wasn't properly prepared to play Ferris, which regular season competition didn't prepare them for it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCM Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 Classic. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwing77 Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 I would venture to agree with Parise that he was worn down last season. It's a lot of work to try to wiggle your way out of the boards when some big brute from the other team is holding you against it continuously. Maybe the refs will help us out by enforcing a rule called "holding" or "Obstruction-Holding" but let's not get our hopes up. I got what was needed out of the context of the story. It doesn't bother me very much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagies Posted October 1, 2003 Author Share Posted October 1, 2003 To recap: The quote, as part of the entire story, is in context. By posting only the quote, Greyeagle takes it out of context, allowing everyone to interpret it their own way. He then gives the quote an interpretation that does not fit if taken within the entire story. Finally, he defends himself by saying the quote may have been taken out of context because he doesn't know what came before or after the quote in the story he took the quote from. Classic. Greyeagle is probably the last of the UM crowd that is going to come here trying to stir things up. My guess is he had a legit question. Doesn't mean you have to agree with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottM Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 Greyeagle is probably the last of the UM crowd that is going to come here trying to stir things up. My guess is he had a legit question. Doesn't mean you have to agree with it. Agreed. Since "context" is an issue, and boards are not really the best places to disseminate a great deal of information, I really doubt Greyeagle came here to make trouble. He asked a reasonable question based on the information provided. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawkota Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 Hey, I got nothing against Greyeagle. My post was not meant to be mean-spirited and I don't think it reads that way. Just poking a little fun, that's all. But if we're playing nice today, so be it. I apologize. Now in an attempt to prevent this thread from drifting even further off topic: I'm excited about Smaby. From what little I've see (Green & White), he may provide the element that this team needs. I've never thought we've gotten poor point production from our d-men. On the contrary, I've been very happy with the way that Schneider, Jones and Fuher handle themselves in the offensive zone. But we have struggled breaking out of the defensive zone the past two years. That first pass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagies Posted October 1, 2003 Author Share Posted October 1, 2003 Hey, I got nothing against Greyeagle. My post was not meant to be mean-spirited and I don't think it reads that way. Just poking a little fun, that's all. But if we're playing nice today, so be it. I apologize. Sorry. Seemed to me you were ripping on him seriously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greyeagle Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 Lawkota - I can handle it and no problem. I am not a flamer, especially on this board. I did not want to come across as ripping UND or Blais but did find the comment interesting. Context was maybe a poor term choice. Carry on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sioux fan in phoenix Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 I don't know how that Blais quote Greyeagle used could be so easily misunderstood. Jeepers creepers, the whole theme of that article was last season's nonconf. schedule & why Blais likes a mixture of strong & weak teams. Not flaming, just surprised. On a lighter note, only 3 days to another Sioux hockey season. 6 months of pacing & nailbiting ahead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DamStrait Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 On a lighter note, only 3 days to another Sioux hockey season. 6 months of pacing & nailbiting ahead lol, my wife will be happy to know that I'm not the only one that does it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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