Hakstol and his team

[shortbusguy]

Reporting back after a two-day trek over to GPL...not much to report...some good conversations. Some guy named Bucky7 stirring things up...the thread on "You might be a Sioux fan if..." is mildly amusing...some good posters, some not-so-good. Basically, it's SiouxSports.com minus a "Fire Lucia" thread.

Just wait a few weeks and a Fire Lucia thread will pop up.

[MoreSiouxForYou]

Lol @ Bucky 7

Way to laugh at your own joke when no one else is.

[Wilbur]

Then this popped up over there, courtesy of GopherFan85...

You might be a Sioux fan if...

77. You are convinved Eric "Goon" Burton and Brad Schlossman are both unbiased and the two best writers about college hockey.

You might be a gopher fan if.....

44. Grammer's tuff 4 u.

[Dave Berger]

#firehak? Making A Case For Dave Hakstol

Discuss.

Dave

[Old Time Hockey]

Dave,

You make it sound like their is a major coups out there for removing Hak if he doesn't get it done this year. I think you, like many of the others that pledge unconditional support for Hak try to make more out of this than there really is. Its kinda like your "I told you so!" moment. I like to think that I look at our hockey coach as objectively as possible, give credit where credit is due, and criticism when i disagree on certain aspects of the program. Many of us so-called "haters" have given him kudos for what he has accomplished this season. The more I think about it, the more I believe he has become a much better coach over the past three season, specifically on how he manages his team. What his team accomplished during the spring of 2012 was his best job as head coach. I have always thought he was a great ambassador for Fighting Sioux hockey and was a great life mentor to the players. Do I think he should be fired if we don't win it all this year? The answer is simple:NO!

However, I do believe that he needs to meet the high expectations that come along with being the head coach of a program so rich with tradition of winning at the highest level. I strongly disagree with your logic when you wrote, "In my opinion, making it to the NCAA Frozen Four is the equivalent of making it to the title game twenty years ago or winning a national championship thirty years ago." It almost sounds like you are making excuses for someone that has not won a national championship. From 81' until the NC$$ went to a 12 team format, winning the tournament was very difficult as you had to essentially win four games. I don't think the 1997 Michigan or 1998 Sioux teams thought it was easier when it was only a 12 team tourney either! The formula for winning was the same then as it is now show up, play hard, get a bounce or go home!

Another statement I slightly disagree with you is this, "He’s produced a Hobey Baker winner (Ryan Duncan, 2007), developed countless NHL players (including T.J. Oshie, Zach Parise, and Jonathan Toews), and continues to bring in high-quality talent year after year." While I agree he had a hand in signing these guys, I think Blais might make an exception to this claim as he was probably quite influential in these guys choosing Sioux hockey. I know some will blast me for being a Blais guy and someone that can't let go of the past. This is not the case.

I feel for Hak being burned by many top end recruits that decommitted to play major juniors. However, this happens to a lot of top end programs. It is the major reason for our average talent level at the forward position. Has Hak ever had a team that was as average up front as we are this year? Maybe in 2012. Maybe! This has been my biggest criticism of his team this year. It seems like Year after year he gets burned by top end recruits, only to fill the void with third or fourth line talent guys. At some point don't you have to have better contingency plans in place?

I get tired of the fire Hak posts, but the posts that state that he can do no wrong and those that question him are all ignorant "haters", IMO are just as bad.

Here's to the boys skating to 8!

Go Sioux!

[Old Barn Guy at Home]

This is, without a doubt, one of the finest coaching jobs a Sioux hockey head coach and staff have ever done (and I've seen a lot of them). Earlier this season, I told people that this was the worst Sioux hockey team I had ever seen ( I think it was after that loss to Omaha when Zane was out with his injury). But the coaches were working them to become successful as a team, and darned if they didn't do just that. They don't have that usual super star player to score the big goal for them, but what has transpired over the past month has convinced me that this team is an actual threat to win at the Frozen Four. I was hoping for a chance to see them take on the Gophers this season, and here it comes.

Congrats and thanks to the coaches and the players for providing such a great ending of the season, whether they win it all or not.

[scpa0305]

#firehak? Making A Case For Dave Hakstol

Discuss.

Dave

Respectfully, this was on odd time to write such an article. I have seen some fans slightly discouraged with the coach for not winning a natty yet but how many posters have actually stated they want the man fired....I believe it's only been one troll.

As a fan, I would like to read positive articles about the upcoming games and how we stack up against our opponents. Not the "I told you so" mentality that goes on back and forth on this site for 12 months of the year.

[SiouxScore]

Dave,

You make it sound like their is a major coups out there for removing Hak if he doesn't get it done this year. I think you, like many of the others that pledge unconditional support for Hak try to make more out of this than there really is. Its kinda like your "I told you so!" moment. I like to think that I look at our hockey coach as objectively as possible, give credit where credit is due, and criticism when i disagree on certain aspects of the program. Many of us so-called "haters" have given him kudos for what he has accomplished this season. The more I think about it, the more I believe he has become a much better coach over the past three season, specifically on how he manages his team. What his team accomplished during the spring of 2012 was his best job as head coach. I have always thought he was a great ambassador for Fighting Sioux hockey and was a great life mentor to the players. Do I think he should be fired if we don't win it all this year? The answer is simple:NO!

However, I do believe that he needs to meet the high expectations that come along with being the head coach of a program so rich with tradition of winning at the highest level. I strongly disagree with your logic when you wrote, "In my opinion, making it to the NCAA Frozen Four is the equivalent of making it to the title game twenty years ago or winning a national championship thirty years ago." It almost sounds like you are making excuses for someone that has not won a national championship. From 81' until the NC$$ went to a 12 team format, winning the tournament was very difficult as you had to essentially win four games. I don't think the 1997 Michigan or 1998 Sioux teams thought it was easier when it was only a 12 team tourney either! The formula for winning was the same then as it is now show up, play hard, get a bounce or go home!

Another statement I slightly disagree with you is this, "He’s produced a Hobey Baker winner (Ryan Duncan, 2007), developed countless NHL players (including T.J. Oshie, Zach Parise, and Jonathan Toews), and continues to bring in high-quality talent year after year." While I agree he had a hand in signing these guys, I think Blais might make an exception to this claim as he was probably quite influential in these guys choosing Sioux hockey. I know some will blast me for being a Blais guy and someone that can't let go of the past. This is not the case.

I feel for Hak being burned by many top end recruits that decommitted to play major juniors. However, this happens to a lot of top end programs. It is the major reason for our average talent level at the forward position. Has Hak ever had a team that was as average up front as we are this year? Maybe in 2012. Maybe! This has been my biggest criticism of his team this year. It seems like Year after year he gets burned by top end recruits, only to fill the void with third or fourth line talent guys. At some point don't you have to have better contingency plans in place?

I get tired of the fire Hak posts, but the posts that state that he can do no wrong and those that question him are all ignorant "haters", IMO are just as bad.

Here's to the boys skating to 8!

Go Sioux!

I think if you look at committed recruits he has kind of changed the philosophy for the future from the last few years. A lot of the commits are either from Minnesota or North Dakota with a couple other states mixed in but I believe there are only a couple Canadian commits at this time and it doesn't seem like he is looking to the NTDP program too much although there have been a couple guys who have committed and then went to the NTDP. Overall I doubt we see many if any of these future commits bail on UND for major juniors.

[Dave Berger]

Respectfully, this was on odd time to write such an article. I have seen some fans slightly discouraged with the coach for not winning a natty yet but how many posters have actually stated they want the man fired....I believe it's only been one troll.

As a fan, I would like to read positive articles about the upcoming games and how we stack up against our opponents. Not the "I told you so" mentality that goes on back and forth on this site for 12 months of the year.

I understand where you're coming from. I'll have an article coming out every day between now and next Thursday's game, but it's reality that this school of thought has been out there, and I wanted to encourage people to take the long view. After all, either one of UND's regional games could have easily gone the other way, and the conversation would be much different.

Do you think a current UND player would have asked the sports information director if he could use the hashtag "#firehak" if it was just one poster on our message boards?

I hope you enjoy today's article more than yesterday's, and thanks for reading!

Dave

[Dave Berger]

Dave,

You make it sound like their is a major coups out there for removing Hak if he doesn't get it done this year. I think you, like many of the others that pledge unconditional support for Hak try to make more out of this than there really is. Its kinda like your "I told you so!" moment. I like to think that I look at our hockey coach as objectively as possible, give credit where credit is due, and criticism when i disagree on certain aspects of the program. Many of us so-called "haters" have given him kudos for what he has accomplished this season. The more I think about it, the more I believe he has become a much better coach over the past three season, specifically on how he manages his team. What his team accomplished during the spring of 2012 was his best job as head coach. I have always thought he was a great ambassador for Fighting Sioux hockey and was a great life mentor to the players. Do I think he should be fired if we don't win it all this year? The answer is simple:NO!

However, I do believe that he needs to meet the high expectations that come along with being the head coach of a program so rich with tradition of winning at the highest level. I strongly disagree with your logic when you wrote, "In my opinion, making it to the NCAA Frozen Four is the equivalent of making it to the title game twenty years ago or winning a national championship thirty years ago." It almost sounds like you are making excuses for someone that has not won a national championship. From 81' until the NC$$ went to a 12 team format, winning the tournament was very difficult as you had to essentially win four games. I don't think the 1997 Michigan or 1998 Sioux teams thought it was easier when it was only a 12 team tourney either! The formula for winning was the same then as it is now show up, play hard, get a bounce or go home!

Another statement I slightly disagree with you is this, "He’s produced a Hobey Baker winner (Ryan Duncan, 2007), developed countless NHL players (including T.J. Oshie, Zach Parise, and Jonathan Toews), and continues to bring in high-quality talent year after year." While I agree he had a hand in signing these guys, I think Blais might make an exception to this claim as he was probably quite influential in these guys choosing Sioux hockey. I know some will blast me for being a Blais guy and someone that can't let go of the past. This is not the case.

I get tired of the fire Hak posts, but the posts that state that he can do no wrong and those that question him are all ignorant "haters", IMO are just as bad.

Here's to the boys skating to 8!

Go Sioux!

This is a great post, and I appreciate your comments. It's one of the things that I love about this fan forum, and when I write the word "discuss" after my links, I really mean it. Good, honest dialogue (and even disagreement) makes us all better and more knowledgeable hockey fans.

I didn't intend for this article to be an "I told you so" moment, to be honest. I wanted to encourage everyone to look at the big picture and how, despite the changing college hockey landscape, Hakstol has achieved quite a bit. I have always said that great coaches need to be great in three areas:

Recruiting

Practice/player development

Game planning/adjustments

Despite the de-commits (and someone alluded to the fact that the coaching staff has mitigated this risk somewhat by recruiting in other areas), the talent continues to come to Grand Forks. I am amazed at this freshman class. Stecher, Thompson, LaDue, and Ausmus have played major minutes on the blueline, and without them we are not in the Frozen Four. And Luke Johnson could put up Frattin-type numbers if he stays and develops.

No one questions how Hakstol develops players for the pros. Regrettably, I misspoke on Parise - definitely a Blais player - and I've corrected that in my article. But Travis Zajac was a freshman in Hakstol's first year, and Drew Stafford was a sophomore. There are plenty of examples of Hakstol helping players make it at the next level. They were Blais recruits, yes, but Hakstol had a hand in their development.

In Hakstol's early years, he was getting out-coached in games. Jerry York had adjusted to the changing college game - the way it was officiated and the way that smaller, quicker forwards could pounce on mistakes and turnovers - and North Dakota's teams had not. I see growth and change in his coaching in the last three seasons, and that bodes well for the future. UND teams are more skilled on the back end, and that speaks both to recruiting and game planning. Lastly, I think the coaching staff has found the right balance between systems and creativity, and between hard work and a little bit of fun. It seems to be working this year.

Admittedly, I didn't make this point very well in my article, but I still think that it's harder to win a title now. It has a bit to do with the field being expanded, but more to do with the fact that there isn't the same disparity between top teams and middle teams as there was twenty or thirty years ago. Goaltending has improved, game tape is available, and the talent pool is deeper than ever before.

I know we focus on national titles (and rightly so, as we need to win one sooner rather than later), but for potential recruits, I believe that a track record of success like Hakstol has put together is more impressive than Scott Sandelin's in Duluth (for example), who has an NCAA championship (2011) but only one league playoff title and three NCAA tournament appearances (one Frozen Four) in the last decade.

Would Sandelin have won a title here over the past ten years? Maybe. More than one? We'll never know. All we can do is look forward, and I am of the opinion that Hakstol's accomplishments and growth as a coach should afford him the opportunity to see this season's freshman class all the way through. That would take him to 2016-17, and if he hasn't won a title or been given a contract extension by then, we'll be having a far different conversation with one year remaining on his contract. The athletic department wouldn't want an unsettled situation, because that's a killer for recruiting.

Discuss.

Dave

[fightingsioux4life]

In Hakstol's early years, he was getting out-coached in games. Jerry York had adjusted to the changing college game - the way it was officiated and the way that smaller, quicker forwards could pounce on mistakes and turnovers - and North Dakota's teams had not. I see growth and change in his coaching in the last three seasons, and that bodes well for the future. UND teams are more skilled on the back end, and that speaks both to recruiting and game planning. Lastly, I think the coaching staff has found the right balance between systems and creativity, and between hard work and a little bit of fun. It seems to be working this year.

This is part of the problem I have with Hakstol. He inherited a program from Dean Blais that was built on "smaller, quicker forwards" and he turned it into an NHL-style dump and chase trapping team. In short, he inherited a Porsche and drove it like a Pinto. When I point this out in our various discussions on this forum, I get snarky comments about how "College Hockey today is about goaltending and defense, take it or leave it". Well, I don't think Jerry York got that memo because he builds his teams the way WE used to. We won two NCAA titles and a boatload of WCHA titles with that style. And I honestly think if Blais hadn't gotten the itch to coach in the NHL and had stuck around, we would have at least two more NCAA title banners hanging in the rafters of REA. You can call that "living in the past" if you want, but I truly believe that. The brutal truth of the matter is this: Boston College collects NCAA title trophies, while we collect bridesmaid dresses. Some people are okay with that, I am not. I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.

[scpa0305]

I understand where you're coming from. I'll have an article coming out every day between now and next Thursday's game, but it's reality that this school of thought has been out there, and I wanted to encourage people to take the long view. After all, either one of UND's regional games could have easily gone the other way, and the conversation would be much different.

Do you think a current UND player would have asked the sports information director if he could use the hashtag "#firehak" if it was just one poster on our message boards?

I hope you enjoy today's article more than yesterday's, and thanks for reading!

Dave

Must be a Twitter thing....I don't have an account but I do look at this site almost daily during the season.

On a positive note, I do like what you put out there....especially most of your predictions

[siouxnatty#8]

This is part of the problem I have with Hakstol. He inherited a program from Dean Blais that was built on "smaller, quicker forwards" and he turned it into an NHL-style dump and chase trapping team. In short, he inherited a Porsche and drove it like a Pinto. When I point this out in our various discussions on this forum, I get snarky comments about how "College Hockey today is about goaltending and defense, take it or leave it". Well, I don't think Jerry York got that memo because he builds his teams the way WE used to. We won two NCAA titles and a boatload of WCHA titles with that style. And I honestly think if Blais hadn't gotten the itch to coach in the NHL and had stuck around, we would have at least two more NCAA title banners hanging in the rafters of REA. You can call that "living in the past" if you want, but I truly believe that. The brutal truth of the matter is this: Boston College collects NCAA title trophies, while we collect bridesmaid dresses. Some people are okay with that, I am not. I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.

very well articulated, this echoes alot of my feelings. I really like hak but yes in his early years he tried to kind of emulate some of gino's philosophy which was from a different era. The last 5 or zo years though hak has been trying to build tezms better suited to winning in the ncaa tournament

[gfhockey]

Lol I have never said I want him fired

All i ask is a simple question looking for a simple answer

[siouxweet]

Then this popped up over there, courtesy of GopherFan85...

You might be a Sioux fan if...

77. You are convinved Eric "Goon" Burton and Brad Schlossman are both unbiased and the two best writers about college hockey.

on their blogs they can be as biased as they want to be. as for things published in the actual paper Brad is very unbiased. in fact he calls it as he sees it for the most part even in his blog and during live chats. Goon has actually tones down his his bias since he got his credentials.

[Walsh Hall]

This is part of the problem I have with Hakstol. He inherited a program from Dean Blais that was built on "smaller, quicker forwards" and he turned it into an NHL-style dump and chase trapping team. In short, he inherited a Porsche and drove it like a Pinto. When I point this out in our various discussions on this forum, I get snarky comments about how "College Hockey today is about goaltending and defense, take it or leave it". Well, I don't think Jerry York got that memo because he builds his teams the way WE used to. We won two NCAA titles and a boatload of WCHA titles with that style. And I honestly think if Blais hadn't gotten the itch to coach in the NHL and had stuck around, we would have at least two more NCAA title banners hanging in the rafters of REA. You can call that "living in the past" if you want, but I truly believe that. The brutal truth of the matter is this: Boston College collects NCAA title trophies, while we collect bridesmaid dresses. Some people are okay with that, I am not. I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.

What is Blais's winning percentage as a college coach and what is Hak's? Surely Blais's Porsche is substantially better than Hak's Pinto. If we are collecting Bridesmaid dresses what is Blais collecting?

When did a "trap" style of play become the norm in college hockey? Please describe the various left wing lock and trap methods and for each the most effective manner in which to advance the puck. Please describe the various in-zone and neutral zone penalty kill strategies and your thoughts on the best method to counteract the strategies. I ask that you answer these questions without the assistance of the interweb.

In response to these thoughts, please indicate specifically where Hak's coaching is inadequate, and what in-game changes he should be making. Maybe Blais can help write a response as he typically has free time this time of year.* Thanks in advance.

If the reply is that we need to carry the puck into the zone without further explanation I don't think I'll be able to stop pounding my head into my desk.

*No offense to Mr. Blais. I love the man and what he has done to continue and advance our program.

[Big A HG]

This is part of the problem I have with Hakstol. He inherited a program from Dean Blais that was built on "smaller, quicker forwards" and he turned it into an NHL-style dump and chase trapping team. In short, he inherited a Porsche and drove it like a Pinto. When I point this out in our various discussions on this forum, I get snarky comments about how "College Hockey today is about goaltending and defense, take it or leave it". Well, I don't think Jerry York got that memo because he builds his teams the way WE used to. We won two NCAA titles and a boatload of WCHA titles with that style. And I honestly think if Blais hadn't gotten the itch to coach in the NHL and had stuck around, we would have at least two more NCAA title banners hanging in the rafters of REA. You can call that "living in the past" if you want, but I truly believe that. The brutal truth of the matter is this: Boston College collects NCAA title trophies, while we collect bridesmaid dresses. Some people are okay with that, I am not. I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.

So why isn't Dean's Porsche running on all cylinders down in Omaha?

Boston College has been awesome, no doubt about it. We aren't the only elite program struggling to win the big one. It just proves what BC doing is exceptional and everyone else is trying to play catch-up. Where's Michigan been? Minnesota? Maine? BU? Denver? Wisconsin?

Between the five teams I questioned, and including North Dakota, the six teams combined have won a combined three championships (DU '05, UW '06, BU '09) since Dave Hakstol has been head coach. Other than BC, everyone has struggled over the last ten years to have any sort of consistency even being a contender, except us. No, we haven't won one under Dave, but it's only a matter of time (whether it's this year or down the road). Hakstol is batting .600 for Frozen Four appearances, and has a 100% attendance record in the dance. A championship is the only thing that matters, but it's not all on the coach to win one. The players must score, the goalie must make saves, and you need a timely bounce or two (or 12), which we haven't had.

One unrelated item that I feel should be mentioned...UND is making it's 20th appearance in the "Frozen Four". That means we are currently 7 for 19 in winning a title in those appearances. Law of averages say we're doomed to have numerous appearances without winning, and we're going through that right now.

[jk]

This is part of the problem I have with Hakstol. He inherited a program from Dean Blais that was built on "smaller, quicker forwards" and he turned it into an NHL-style dump and chase trapping team. In short, he inherited a Porsche and drove it like a Pinto. When I point this out in our various discussions on this forum, I get snarky comments about how "College Hockey today is about goaltending and defense, take it or leave it". Well, I don't think Jerry York got that memo because he builds his teams the way WE used to. We won two NCAA titles and a boatload of WCHA titles with that style. And I honestly think if Blais hadn't gotten the itch to coach in the NHL and had stuck around, we would have at least two more NCAA title banners hanging in the rafters of REA. You can call that "living in the past" if you want, but I truly believe that. The brutal truth of the matter is this: Boston College collects NCAA title trophies, while we collect bridesmaid dresses. Some people are okay with that, I am not. I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.

I think you should have said he turned a Porsche into a Hummer, given your argument.

I also think Blais stumbled onto that type of team in the mid-90's, as it's pretty well established that he didn't get a lot of his top targets early on, and had to go to the second and third tier recruiting targets. It's not surprising that he ended up with smaller skilled guys because that's often what's left at that point. What he was apparently brilliant at was picking the right smaller guys. (Although the current guys picked Gaarder out of a crowd as well.)

By the time Blais left, the team he turned over to Hak was more Hummer than Porsche. Lean sports car doesn't come to mind when you consider the Red Pepper line that was so important in 2005, Canady, Massen and Fabian. So I don't think it's fair to pin the changed makeup of the team on Hak, when it actually occurred before he took over.

While you may believe Blais would have won at least two more titles, as an argument it's poor because we just don't know that. The last data point we have is a first round loss with one of the most dominant Sioux teams of this era. You hanging your hat on Blais' hypothetical titles isn't living in the past, it's living in an unprovable fantasy world.

[Siouxperfan7]

The real question is would you rather be a mediocre team that struggles to make the NCAA tournament year in and year out, has a couple of losing records, wins one tournament game every other year and then has 1 year where it wins a National Championship, or have a team that makes the tournament every year, has won multiple league and league tournament championships, has success in the National Tournament and has been to several Frozen Fours but doesn not have a National Championship? Hak has put this team in the posotion to win a National Championship year in and year out. UND hockey has been a model of consistency. Making the tournament every year and not only making it, but winning games. Hak ranks in the top 5 of NCAA coaches right now. You don't fire a guy like that.

[Dave Berger]

I also think Blais stumbled onto that type of team in the mid-90's, as it's pretty well established that he didn't get a lot of his top targets early on, and had to go to the second and third tier recruiting targets. It's not surprising that he ended up with smaller skilled guys because that's often what's left at that point. What he was apparently brilliant at was picking the right smaller guys. (Although the current guys picked Gaarder out of a crowd as well.)

Funny you should mention this... here's today's article:

UND's Edina Connection: From Brad Becker to Conner Gaarder

Discuss.

Dave

[Old Time Hockey]

Hakstol is batting .600 for Frozen Four appearances, and has a 100% attendance record in the dance. A championship is the only thing that matters, but it's not all on the coach to win one. The players must score, the goalie must make saves, and you need a timely bounce or two (or 12), which we haven't had.

One unrelated item that I feel should be mentioned...UND is making it's 20th appearance in the "Frozen Four". That means we are currently 7 for 19 in winning a title in those appearances. Law of averages say we're doomed to have numerous appearances without winning, and we're going through that right now.

You conveniently left out Haks batting average in the Frozen Four. Before the Hakstol era, we were 7 for 14 at the Frozen Four.

Not hating on Hak, just objectively trying to tell the entire story!

[fightingsioux4life]

The real question is would you rather be a mediocre team that struggles to make the NCAA tournament year in and year out, has a couple of losing records, wins one tournament game every other year and then has 1 year where it wins a National Championship, or have a team that makes the tournament every year, has won multiple league and league tournament championships, has success in the National Tournament and has been to several Frozen Fours but doesn not have a National Championship? Hak has put this team in the posotion to win a National Championship year in and year out. UND hockey has been a model of consistency. Making the tournament every year and not only making it, but winning games. Hak ranks in the top 5 of NCAA coaches right now. You don't fire a guy like that.

That's a false choice question.

[stoneySIOUX]

7 more days, ladies and gents.

No. 7 on DDC's countdown of Top 10 UND/Minnesota moments in the rivalry.

http://bit.ly/1lEi9A0

[fightingsioux4life]

What is Blais's winning percentage as a college coach and what is Hak's? Surely Blais's Porsche is substantially better than Hak's Pinto. If we are collecting Bridesmaid dresses what is Blais collecting?

When did a "trap" style of play become the norm in college hockey? Please describe the various left wing lock and trap methods and for each the most effective manner in which to advance the puck. Please describe the various in-zone and neutral zone penalty kill strategies and your thoughts on the best method to counteract the strategies. I ask that you answer these questions without the assistance of the interweb.

In response to these thoughts, please indicate specifically where Hak's coaching is inadequate, and what in-game changes he should be making. Maybe Blais can help write a response as he typically has free time this time of year.* Thanks in advance.

If the reply is that we need to carry the puck into the zone without further explanation I don't think I'll be able to stop pounding my head into my desk.

*No offense to Mr. Blais. I love the man and what he has done to continue and advance our program.

When Hakstol took over back in 2004, we were all told that the average fan (not an expert) wouldn't notice a difference in style of play between a Blais coached team and a Hakstol coached team. That turned out to be false. Hakstol's dump and chase, cycle-cycle-cycle system hasn't worked in the NCAA tournament. The 1-5 record in the Frozen Four proves that. But nice try clouding the issue. And please don't hurt yourself over this; it's just a game!

[scpa0305]

What is Blais's winning percentage as a college coach and what is Hak's? Surely Blais's Porsche is substantially better than Hak's Pinto. If we are collecting Bridesmaid dresses what is Blais collecting?

When did a "trap" style of play become the norm in college hockey? Please describe the various left wing lock and trap methods and for each the most effective manner in which to advance the puck. Please describe the various in-zone and neutral zone penalty kill strategies and your thoughts on the best method to counteract the strategies. I ask that you answer these questions without the assistance of the interweb.

In response to these thoughts, please indicate specifically where Hak's coaching is inadequate, and what in-game changes he should be making. Maybe Blais can help write a response as he typically has free time this time of year.* Thanks in advance.

If the reply is that we need to carry the puck into the zone without further explanation I don't think I'll be able to stop pounding my head into my desk.

*No offense to Mr. Blais. I love the man and what he has done to continue and advance our program.

First off, this response has absolutely nothing to do with Hak and everything to do with Blais. Blais came to UND at a very low point and turned it around substantially (2 NCAA titles). He is a coach that appears to always be moving and ready to accept a challenge. Going to a place like UNO was no easy task so I have no idea why you would even do the whole winning % debate.....not many other coaches (with his type of stature in the hockey community) would have accepted that position. Do UNO and UND have anything in common regarding their tradition and stature in college hockey? No. The man has 2 national titles and resurrected this program. Again, I'm so confused why some people are saying anything in a disrespectful tone about Blais.

Also, Blais has some darn good recruits coming in next year. If Archibald had stayed....they would be 1-2 in the NCHC next year...still probably will.