Hak vs Blais

[Tommiejo]

Speaking for myself I'm finding this to be one hell of a game, furthermore I'm going to be watching this year's frozen four & for the record I'm be wearing my SIOUX JERSEY.  In closing "GO SIOUX BRING HOME NUMBER 8."

 

FIGHTING SIOUX FAN SINCE 1973.

[The Sicatoka]

I hope players are focusing on what's important ...

 

The only pivotal game is the next game. 

 

 

If not, instead of "H v B" it'll be an all HEA final. 

[stoneySIOUX]

I hope players are focusing on what's important ...

The only pivotal game is the next game.

If not, instead of "H v B" it'll be an all HEA final.

Good thing none of us are players then, eh?

We all know this.

I find it hard to believe any of us are overlooking BU. And the players DEFINITELY aren't.

We've got a huge task to take care of next Thursday. That being said, we're still 10 days away and it's beyond intriguing. We need something to fill our time

[UNDBIZ]

I hope players are focusing on what's important ...

 

The only pivotal game is the next game. 

 

 

If not, instead of "H v B" it'll be an all HEA final. 

 

I think the Hak vs Blais thing is more for the fans.  We have something of a connection with Blais.  Most if not all of the current players don't have that connection.

[Fetch]

Sure we respect Blais - if there is a Sioux Team that can do it this is it - I have more respect for this team than any since Hrkac bunch & that says a lot- This team can do it - the coaches have done the majority of their work at this point - Goal Tending & the will to win will decide this

[burd]

This team strikes me as very mature, exemplified by Pattyn. They are all talented at that level but our team does have a bunch of guys who need to understand their roles and work very hard in order to succeed. That' partly why it's been interesting to see how N & J S jell with the team. They sometimes seem a little aloof, but they just appear to be quiet kids. I'm sure you guys closer to home know about the team dynamics.

[Old Time Hockey]

Couldn't agree more. They just don't impact the game day result like a football or basketball coach, or a baseball manager.

I have just nominated you for Dan "the common man" Cole's PST.

[ringneck28]

am I missing something here?  I think the board needs to be like the team, one game at a time.  BU BU BU

[bigskyvikes]

Hope this happens and ends all the BS on here!

Here is what Hennessey had to say about it!

http://740thefan.com/page.php?page_id=82

[GDPritch]

He would if he was the head coach of the men's BB team at UND..............but I digress.

Good point Oxbow6.

[GDPritch]

Ortega's a diving, showboat punk. Easy to root against, not sure I'd like him even if he was wearing green and white. (For the record, wasn't a big fan of the Rocco experiment)

 

That said - the winning coach of one hockey team has less impact on the game then the zamboni driver or penalty box door-opener. Hakstol and Blais are both great coaches, and internet threads speaking in absolutes about this kind of stuff make me think some people have never actually played a game involving 10-20 other players, officials, and a bouncing ball/puck of some sort.

Spot on.

[MafiaMan]

Agreed that no one gets fired for losing in a championship game, but the discontent would certainly grow. UND fans hate this analogy, but it's apt -- Doug Woog was a superb, high win percentage coach who never brought home the big one while fans watched their rivals bring home championships. As long as he was making the playoffs, he was safe, but he had lost the goodwill to keep his job through even a mild downturn. I think any coach who continues to succeed but not bring home a championship at a school that expects championships will eventually find himself in a similar situation.

Lucia has gotten waaaaay more leeway than Woog ever did thanks to those titles in 2002 and 2003. In the last 10 seasons, Minnesota has made the NCAA's 7 times. Of those 7 appearances, 4 resulted in one-and-done losses (06, 08, 13, 15), 1 resulted in a second-round loss (07), 1 was a Frozen Four semi-final appearance (12), and 1 was a Frozen Four championship game appearance (14). In addition, the team has not advanced out of a regional other than when they were played in St Paul (12 and 14, obviously); going 1-5 in 6 tournament games outside of the X, 4-0 at the X.

Doug Woog went 27-12-1 in 1997, the year North Dakota won the title. 17-22 and 15-9-9 later (two seasons), he was ousted. No way he's shown the gate that quickly following two consecutive less-than-memorable years if Randy Skarda's shot off the post in the 1989 title game goes in the net instead.

I guess in short, oh great and powerful jimdahl, is that I concur with you.

[Shawn-O]

I have just nominated you for Dan "the common man" Cole's PST.

Thanks! He'll just end up agreeing with me.

[dagies]

Lucia has gotten waaaaay more leeway than Woog ever did thanks to those titles in 2002 and 2003. In the last 10 seasons, Minnesota has made the NCAA's 7 times. Of those 7 appearances, 4 resulted in one-and-done losses (06, 08, 13, 15), 1 resulted in a second-round loss (07), 1 was a Frozen Four semi-final appearance (12), and 1 was a Frozen Four championship game appearance (14). In addition, the team has not advanced out of a regional other than when they were played in St Paul (12 and 14, obviously); going 1-5 in 6 tournament games outside of the X, 4-0 at the X.

Doug Woog went 27-12-1 in 1997, the year North Dakota won the title. 17-22 and 15-9-9 later (two seasons), he was ousted. No way he's shown the gate that quickly following two consecutive less-than-memorable years if Randy Skarda's shot off the post in the 1989 title game goes in the net instead.

I guess in short, oh great and powerful jimdahl, is that I concur with you.

I'm not as sure about that.    I think the reason Woog was fired was because it was becoming clear to everyone that the old way of recruiting players was going away.  You could no longer win by recruiting the cream of MN's high school crop and having them report to work straight from HS.  Until that time MN had thrived and reaping the best of the MN players (with exceptions, of course) and having them come straight from HS to college.   And they were successful for many years.  The landscape was changing and most players were coming into college with 1+ years junior experience, and coaches needed to cast a wider net to get the best players (remember, Woog had an ALL-MN rule, if I recall correctly, with just an exception or two).    Woog wasn't changing with the times, and 2 down years was enough.  

 

I'm not sure a National Championship under the "old" way of doing things (late 1980's) would have been enough to save Woog's job after 2 very average years when it seemed pretty clear to most observers that there was no change in Woog's ways to stay current with the times.

 

Our benefit was many years of listening to Woog as a color analyst, and IMO we profited from the experience. 

[ericpnelson]

Thanks! He'll just end up agreeing with me.

I think Common actually went on a rant about how little coaches matter during games. I forget which coach/manager was gone for personal reasons, but it was a unanimously accepted very good coach, and his team won like three in a row without him on the bench. 

[Old Time Hockey]

I think Common actually went on a rant about how little coaches matter during games. I forget which coach/manager was gone for personal reasons, but it was a unanimously accepted very good coach, and his team won like three in a row without him on the bench.

I found out that if you are going to win games, you had better be ready to adapt.

-Scotty Bowman

As much as a like "Common" I would put my money on Bowman on coaching perspectives.

[Sioux17]

My opinion on hak.  I think hes great.  He just needs to get over the hump and win the big one.  TO me its like the old saying win one and he will get a bunch.  Look at what he has done with some of his teams.  We are always in the hunt for a title.  never missed the tourney.  I know a lot of people are always saying fire hak but I always remind them of 2012.  I didn't think that team would make the dance and they went in as a number one seed.  I am not worried about him being fired but a few more years with this success I start to worry about losing him to the pros.  #inhakwetrust

[siouxnami]

My 2 cents on Hak, I have never seen a team block 50 shots in a regional, ever. Talent is great, but that kind of effort is legendary. 

[.357]

Old Time Hockey: If ss ever has a contest for best sig, you'll win in a landslide. Too funny.  

[snova4]

My opinion on hak. I think hes great. He just needs to get over the hump and win the big one. TO me its like the old saying win one and he will get a bunch. Look at what he has done with some of his teams. We are always in the hunt for a title. never missed the tourney. I know a lot of people are always saying fire hak but I always remind them of 2012. I didn't think that team would make the dance and they went in as a number one seed. I am not worried about him being fired but a few more years with this success I start to worry about losing him to the pros. #inhakwetrust

I honestly don't see this, losing him to the pros that is. That man bleeds green and white.

[.357]

My 2 cents on Hak, I have never seen a team block 50 shots in a regional, ever. Talent is great, but that kind of effort is legendary. 

I think it shows just how much this team wants it all & how far they're willing to go to get it. If they can get in the shooting lanes & block 25 shouts against BU, that's 25 less potential saves that Zane needs to make.

 

Eichel has a great shot, but I think he's more dangerous going wide on defenders with his speed to get in alone with the goalie.

[.357]

My opinion on hak.  I think hes great.  He just needs to get over the hump and win the big one...

Agreed. I think once he gets #8, #s 9 & 10 could very well be right around the corner, what with the confidence & sense of accomplishment it will give him. Not to mention that ugly 800 lg gorilla being taken off his shoulders. I really feel that UND can have similar success to the 80s in that timespan after he wins his first title bc it'll avalanche after that ....

[Irish]

Agreed. I think once he gets #8, #s 9 & 10 could very well be right around the corner, what with the confidence & sense of accomplishment it will give him. Not to mention that ugly 800 lg gorilla being taken off his shoulders. I really feel that UND can have similar success to the 80s in that timespan after he wins his first title bc it'll avalanche after that ....

I've been hearing this for so many years now it is almost a joke.  Time to shoot pool, Fast Eddy.  

[.357]

I've been hearing this for so many years now it is almost a joke.  Time to shoot pool, Fast Eddy.  

That's how I see it. 

 

It stands to reason that anyone in any field tends to do better once they get over their major obstacles. I'm not implying he's been a HOF coach to this point, but I see this program going even higher after #8 is earned ....

 

What's this Fast Eddy allegory?

[Irish]

That's how I see it. 

 

It stands to reason that anyone in any field tends to do better once they get over their major obstacles. I'm not implying he's been a HOF coach to this point, but I see this program going even higher after #8 is earned ....

 

What's this Fast Eddy allegory?

From The Hustler - Fast Eddy Felson (Paul Neuman)  vs Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleeson) - gets to a time when it's time when you have to prove it by your game and not rest on  the "wait til tomorrows" or "could have beens".