dagies Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 Minnesota coach Don Lucia after his Gophers were swept at Denver University last weekend: "I have no issues with the way we played. Goaltending was an issue all weekend. It exploded on us." This is from Milewski's USCHO weekly WCHA column. I guess he's no different than Blais after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoteauRinkRat Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 Lucia ripped the goaltending on PA and Dubay earlier this week also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tboneund Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 I wouldn't say he's just like Blais...afterall Lucia didn't single out one goaltender and he did not say that his goaltender "botched it..." That said giving Jake the past four starts, as I've said before, seems to be a goood enough apology... Go Sioux! Let's make some noise tonight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagard Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 I guess he's no different than Blais after all. I've been saying this for quite a while. It is a compliment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAR Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 Lucia pet did not call out a single player, he just basically that both goalies sucked. Blais said " Jake found a way to scerew it up" or something close to that when Jake misplayed the puck in Madison. That is one time this year when I felt Blais deserved to take some heat. These are college kids and not millionaire pros and should not be called out in the media like that. Behind closed doors, fine. All must be well between the two though because Blaiser gave Brandt a big bear hug as the teams were lining up for the handshake after the sweep of the Dogz. Funny how winning can cure all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superman0099 Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 Lucia pet did not call out a single player, he just basically that both goalies sucked. Blais said " Jake found a way to scerew it up" or something close to that when Jake misplayed the puck in Madison. That is one time this year when I felt Blais deserved to take some heat. These are college kids and not millionaire pros and should not be called out in the media like that. Behind closed doors, fine. All must be well between the two though because Blaiser gave Brandt a big bear hug as the teams were lining up for the handshake after the sweep of the Dogz. Funny how winning can cure all! When your dealing with goalies, there are alot of mental issues. Certain things are done for a reason... Jake just held UMD to 2 goals all weekend and led UND to a road sweep that could possibly be the difference in the WCHA championship. I'd say something went right after Madison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WPoS Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 Minnesota coach Don Lucia after his Gophers were swept at Denver University last weekend: "I have no issues with the way we played. Goaltending was an issue all weekend. It exploded on us." This is from Milewski's USCHO weekly WCHA column. I guess he's no different than Blais after all. dags, I think the difference is in the NUMBER of times the two have ripped on their goaltenders.... WPoS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fedorov Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 When your dealing with goalies, there are alot of mental issues. Certain things are done for a reason... Jake just held UMD to 2 goals all weekend and led UND to a road sweep that could possibly be the difference in the WCHA championship. I'd say something went right after Madison. There is no way to show that the stupid comments made by Blais worked. How do you know he didn't play better because of all the support he got on this forum? In the poll created on who to use down the stretch, 75% said Brandt. Plus, who said he is really playing better? I think the rest of the team is playing better, which is has no problem pointing out. One mistake and he was an awful goalie? J Par has not been as good as Brandt this year. But he is a frosh, so he has time to improve. Back to the point, the team was playing poor for a while and Blais was honestly not doing a good job as a coach. He threw out a scapegoat and it was totally wrong. To now look back and give him credit for his comments is a horrible thing. Even if Don did the exact same thing, which he didn't, it wouldn't make it right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sioux fan in phoenix Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 From my understanding, Blais levies similar tongue-lashings against other position players as well. I recall Blais saying last year that Greene was killing the team at times with stupid penalties & also benched him on occasion because of something he did earlier in a game. Massen also had to wear some kind of different-colored jersey in practice last year (I forget exactly) that made him stick out like a leper after some lackluster game performance & this was made known to the media. So it's not just goalies that Blais rips. Maybe Blais' intent, besides just letting off steam, is to see how his players handle pressure & if will they respond. That way, when we get to the FF, Blais knows which players respond best to pressure. Better to test them now than be uncertain when the Big Dance rolls around. Just my 2 pennies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottM Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 I have no problems with coaches pointing out problems in their team's game, or directly pointing at certain players for not stepping up in a public forum. I'd be more worried if coaches ignored weaknesses or glossed them over, and failed to address them. IMO that is what sets guys like Lucia and Blais apart from Dahl, etc. I'd wager whatever these coaches do in public pales in comparison to what they do in their office or in practice to "coach" their players and teams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sicatoka Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 I'd wager whatever these coaches do in public pales in comparison to what they do in their office or in practice to "coach" their players and teams. Don't tell me you've seen Blais in "The Gorilla" mode too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprig Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 IMO that is what sets guys like Lucia and Blais apart from Dahl, etc. Dahl's answer this moring to why SC has no luck in the NCAA's was, he got pi-r-squared. Maybe I missed the question and he was asked how to find the area of a face-off circle, but I don't think so Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greyeagle Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 Dahl's answer this moring to why SC has no luck in the NCAA's was, he got pi-r-squared. Maybe I missed the question and he was asked how to find the area of a face-off circle, but I don't think so It's hard to believe his players don't take him seriously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sicatoka Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 It's hard to believe his players don't take him seriously. I knew there are indications of alcohol problems on the SCSU campus. I didn't know how far they extended in terms of "who" and "time of day." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superman0099 Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 There is no way to show that the stupid comments made by Blais worked. How do you know he didn't play better because of all the support he got on this forum? In the poll created on who to use down the stretch, 75% said Brandt. Plus, who said he is really playing better? I think the rest of the team is playing better, which is has no problem pointing out. One mistake and he was an awful goalie? J Par has not been as good as Brandt this year. But he is a frosh, so he has time to improve. Back to the point, the team was playing poor for a while and Blais was honestly not doing a good job as a coach. He threw out a scapegoat and it was totally wrong. To now look back and give him credit for his comments is a horrible thing. Even if Don did the exact same thing, which he didn't, it wouldn't make it right. I'm not saying that Blais intentionally bashed Brandt in the media, but I'm saying that sometimes these types of things get players going. Coaching deals with alot more psychology than people realize sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Barn Guy Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 I think you're right on, Arizona! Let the coaches do their jobs and they will be held accountable for the results. The public usually doesn't know what goes on behind closed doors between a coach and his players. Sometimes teammates don't know what really goes on between the coach and a player when they meet in private. Dealing with so many different personalities and trying to know how to motivate them, all the while having team rules to enforce and deal with problems that arise away from the hockey rink.........and the list goes on. That's what the general public doesn't often grasp. I would say that coach Blais's record should speak for itself. Sometimes a player needs a pat on the back, sometimes a kick in the rear. I remember what one of my high school coaches once said to us: "Don't worry about what we say to you, or about you. You need to worry when we stop talking to you or about you." Best of luck to the Sioux, I hope to see them carry the Cup around the rink this weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DamStrait Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 Gee, I wish I knew more about coaching hockey than Coach Blais. Then I'd know almost as much about coaching hockey as some of the posters on this board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagies Posted March 5, 2004 Author Share Posted March 5, 2004 No, Lucia didn't name name but really, who was he talking about. Blais said something like Jake found a way to botch it. Lucia says his goalies exploded. Not much difference in my opinion. The only reason I brought this up was because some people were ripping on Blais for singling out Jake, but I don't see a lot of difference in how Lucia laid the losses on his goalies. He didn't put any of the blame on the rest of the team. Maybe they could have played a bit better defensively and not hung their tenders out to dry..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sioux fan in phoenix Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 Let the coaches do their jobs and they will be held accountable for the results. As long as Blais doesn't give his players Jim Harrick, Jr.-like tests I have no problem with him A) How many halves are in a college basketball game? B) How many quarters are in a high school basketball game? C) How many points does a 3-point field goal count for? Seriously, these were the types of Qs he was giving his players in one of his classes at the U. of Georgia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoteauRinkRat Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 sfip When I seen that test, I almost fell over at the computer. How funny is it that one of the questions asked who is the best assistant coach in college basketball? How much of an pompous egomaniac ass does that question make him sound like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WPoS Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 No, Lucia didn't name name but really, who was he talking about. Blais said something like Jake found a way to botch it. Lucia says his goalies exploded. Not much difference in my opinion. The only reason I brought this up was because some people were ripping on Blais for singling out Jake, but I don't see a lot of difference in how Lucia laid the losses on his goalies. He didn't put any of the blame on the rest of the team. Maybe they could have played a bit better defensively and not hung their tenders out to dry..... I think IMploded would be a better way to term it IMO. I agree, Don could have mentioned that the D could have been a bit stiffer. In general tho, Don does not really single any player or positions out at all. Blais does have a tendancy to do thet tho....but does it REALLY matter? WPoS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sioux fan in phoenix Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 sfip When I seen that test, I almost fell over at the computer. How funny is it that one of the questions asked who is the best assistant coach in college basketball? How much of an pompous egomaniac ass does that question make him sound like. I guess what's even more absurd is that the regents approved his curriculum. Now's not exactly a good time to be a Georgia alum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Millionaire Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 Some of you are too Minnesota Nice. Blais will publicly mention a weekend of disappointing effort or an instance of a bonehead play that cost the team, and I seen nothing wrong with that. I note that Blais never says a player stinks overall (that's reserved for the pro level). I see his comments of this manner as a reflection of his expectations. We all know from the past that he expects 100%, even from the star players. Further, his comments always leave room for improvement through dedication, rather than indicating that he has given up on the player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoteauRinkRat Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 Some of you are too Minnesota Nice. The saying around here is North Dakota nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siouxnami Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 OK, first of all Minnesota Nice means passive aggressive... IMO both Blais and Lucia pet were absolutely correct in what they said. Sure it wasn't nice but Brandt seems to have survived any hurt feeling. We'll see if Briggs can. Brandt had a bad series, so what, he is still a solid backstop. The only games that matter are the last for games ending in Boston. BTW does anyone have a link to the last Denver goal (lob shot). That was so cool... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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