What trophies are more important?

[dagies]

Listening to Tim and the color guy after the game they are talking about the McNaughton being the toughest award to win in the year. Tim is saying that these days the NCAA Championship is considered to be the topmost award, but in days past that winning the McNaughton was considered the most difficult and paramount accomplishment.

What do people think these days?

I first became aware of Sioux hockey in the mid-80's. Seemed to me we were always focused on winning national championships.

What do people consider the most important accomplishments? I see 3, and I would rate them in this order. How about you?

1. NCAA Championship

2. McNaughton Cup

3. Broadmoor.

I used to think the Broadmoor was in 2nd place here until a few years ago when I realized that, for the most part, it is meaningless.

Curious what others think.

(I think I'll have another beer.)

[sprig]

NCAA is #1, but because of the quality of the WCHA, the McNaughton is the toughest.

[Smoggy]

The most important is the NCAA championship. I would consider the McNaughton to be more...prestigious. Not sure if I want to use that word, but the McNaughton is a nicer older trophy that requires so much more to win.

Often times conference regular season championships are won by the best team in the league. Though unbalanced scheduling does wreck this. I agree with Tim that the NCAA is just a four day tourney. Luck, injuries, refs, and site are huge factors (Playing B.C. anywhere in the east) in winning the NCAA. I think the biggest is hot/cold goaltending.

The broadmore is a joke. Fun to win, but who cares (unless your SCSU and put up banners)? It really bugs me that the conference tourney champs get the auto birth, though this doesn't matter as much in hockey where so many teams go from the big conferences.

I would like to see a conference tourney at the BEGINNING of the season. That would be interesting.

[DamStrait]

1. NCAA Championship

2.  McNaughton Cup

3.  Broadmoor.

I wholeheartedly concur. The 'Mac' may be the toughest, but winning the NCAAs will always be the top of the mountain. It ain't a coincidence that the mighty Fighting Sioux from North Dakota U have the best winning percentage in the NCAAs. The boys should be proud of winning the toughest league in the country (despite what that hockey least hack Eruzzioni (sp?) might think, when 1-10 in SOS is all WCHA, no argument to the contrary can be made). Fact remains, however, that there's a lot left to take off the table. Let's have the boys go get the triple crown (MacNaughton, Broadmoor, NCAA). Heck, I don't even care if the give the Hobey to some undeserving puke again (for the love of Pete, if they can't give it to Jeffy Panzer after being back-to-back WCHA POtY, then is it really anything other than a popularity contest for players playing for NCAA schools South of Grand Forks?).

Finally, in conclusion, LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX LET'S GO SIOUX!!!!!!!

[sioux fan in phoenix]

I agree with everyone's agreements. If the MacNaughton were more important, we'd all have to change our sig lines from 7 to 12.

WE LOVE YA, SIOUX!!

[sagard]

The most important is the NCAA championship.  I would consider the McNaughton to be more...prestigious.  Not sure if I want to use that word, but the McNaughton is a nicer older trophy that requires so much more to win.

Often times conference regular season championships are won by the best team in the league.  Though unbalanced scheduling does wreck this.  I agree with Tim that the NCAA is just a four day tourney.  Luck, injuries, refs, and site are huge factors (Playing B.C. anywhere in the east) in winning the NCAA.  I think the biggest is hot/cold goaltending.

The broadmore is a joke.  Fun to win, but who cares (unless your SCSU and put up banners)?  It really bugs me that the conference tourney champs get the auto birth, though this doesn't matter as much in hockey where so many teams go from the big conferences.

I would like to see a conference tourney at the BEGINNING of the season.  That would be interesting.

I agree with your points on the NCAA Championship and the McNaughton. I hate the unbalanced schedule, but more far more often than not the best team wins the league.

The Broadmoor is not a joke to me due to it usually having huge NCAA seeding implications. Sometimes it is good for the winner: '97 Sioux, '03 Gophers. Sometimes it is not: '01 SCSU, '02 DU.

Plus the Broadmoor usually has the best atmosphere of any tourney, often including the Frozen Four.

[MinnesotaNorthStar]

1. NCAA Championship

2. McNaughton Cup

3. Broadmoor.

(I think I'll have another beer.)

I wholeheartedly concur!!!!

[UMDDogz]

The Broadmoor is not a joke to me due to it usually having huge NCAA seeding implications. Sometimes it is good for the winner: '97 Sioux, '03 Gophers. Sometimes it is not: '01 SCSU, '02 DU.

Plus the Broadmoor usually has the best atmosphere of any tourney, often including the Frozen Four.

I agree here. The Broadmoor can be difficult to win as well,especially for #1 seeds!!

I am a bit biased here as I see this trophy awarded every year, but I just love the Broadmoor playoff. Great atmosphere for college hockey!!

[NorthDakotaHockey]

Plus the Broadmoor usually has the best atmosphere of any tourney, often including the Frozen Four.

If things hold true to form, the Final Five will be unbelievable this year.

Hopefully, the Huskies and Gophers will hold serve, or steal a playoff series, and that there will be no upsets of the top three seeds.

I wouldn't mind seeing CC make a run either. Hate to see them not host their own regional.

The NCAA Trophy is, of course, the granddaddy. With all the money that the NCAA reaps, I always have been a bit disappointed over their chunk of wood and metal. It is a HUGE trophy, but it is an ugly one from a design and asthetics standpoint. Just my opinion. I'll take about eight more in my lifetime anytime.

[CoteauRinkRat]

NCAA is #1, but because of the quality of the WCHA, the McNaughton is the toughest.

I would definitely agree with this.

I think why Tim H. says that the McNaughton Cup might be the hardest to win is because teams fight their way to the top of the WCHA and have to play hard week in and week out to win it. The NCAA championship is of course the ultimate goal, but the NCAA tourney doesn't last that long so it might seem tougher to win the WCHA some years than it does the NCAA.

[Smoggy]

I agree with your points on the NCAA Championship and the McNaughton. I hate the unbalanced schedule, but more far more often than not the best team wins the league.

The Broadmoor is not a joke to me due to it usually having huge NCAA seeding implications. Sometimes it is good for the winner: '97 Sioux, '03 Gophers. Sometimes it is not: '01 SCSU, '02 DU.

Plus the Broadmoor usually has the best atmosphere of any tourney, often including the Frozen Four.

It's a great and fun tournament. Don't get me wrong. A lot of times I'd much rather watch the Final Five than the Frozen Four. But no team at the beginning of the year says they want to win the Broadmore. They say they want the McNaughton and the NCAA.

The reason I said its a joke is because of the auto bid. Has any WCHA team that won needed it? I realize that some teams have come close and I guess its fun to see if they'll do it. Though most WCHA teams that make the Final Five have their bids secured, but it is fun to see if NCAA seeds will change.

I'm just against this process of awarding a tourney champ instead of the regular season in every sport. Suppose you're a team in the CHA and you worked your butt off all season to win the regular season title. Then lost the championship of the conference tournament due to one bad game in a string of twenty. I just don't think the team that won that one game deserves to be in. But it's all about the benji's. $$

Now if things were done as they are in high school I'd think differently. Each conference only gets one team in the big dance, so they have their tourney to award the bid. It's more like every team in the state is entered in the tourney.

[sagard]

One other quick item of the Broadmoors importance. The last two times the Sioux have claimed it, they later claimed the NCAA Title. The recent Sioux teams who failed to win it, failed to win the NCAAs as well.

Congrats to all you Sioux fans on the McNaughton!

[Fedorov]

Now is a great time to take notice of the classy fans on this forum that are cheering for other schools. The classy ones are still here talking about hockey, maybe even offering us praise. The trolls are gone and are just waiting for some type of failure. Thanks to all the classy fans, including the UND ones, that make this forum great.

[Smoggy]

One other quick item of the Broadmoors importance.  The last two times the Sioux have claimed it, they later claimed the NCAA Title.  The recent Sioux teams who failed to win it, failed to win the NCAAs as well.

Congrats to all you Sioux fans on the McNaughton!

Good point.

[nodakvindy]