"god" is now a Devil

[TheUltimateSiouxFan]

http://www.insidecollegehockey.com/7Archiv...parise_0231.htm

[MinnesotaNorthStar]

Will Zach be able to play in the playoffs or did they have to have their rosters set already?

Yes he will be able to play because he was drafted. Sejna wasn't becuase he signed as a free agent.

Good Luck Zach!!

Go Devils!! (yech...that's gonna be an aquired taste)

[HAPPY2]

CONGRATS ZACH!!!! BEST WISHES IN THE NHL. THE SIOUX WILL STILL BE STRONG NEXT YEAR. DON'T FORGET TO PICKUP YOUR HARDWARE (TROPHY) IN BOSTON!!

GROUND SQUIRRELS SUCK!!

[CoteauRinkRat]

Good luck to Zach in the NHL, he was one of the greats to wear the Sioux jersey and his legacy at UND will never be forgotten.

[MinnesotaNorthStar]

CONGRATS ZACH!!!! BEST WISHES IN THE NHL. THE SIOUX WILL STILL BE STRONG NEXT YEAR. DON'T FORGET TO PICKUP YOUR HARDWARE (TROPHY) IN BOSTON!!

GROUND SQUIRRELS SUCK!!

STOP YELLING!!!

Zach...if you win the Cup with NJ this year, you gotta bring it back to Grand Forks. Good luck, we'll be backing you!

[sprig]

I say we take this march towards civilized hockey one step further & institute a mandatory "I'm sorry" rule after each infraction. If a player doesn't say this after a called penalty, he will have 2:00 added onto his original penalty & will have the crap beat out of him.

And a hug to go with it reduces the penalty to 1 minute

[HockeyMom]

Fighting and good hits are what make hockey fun. I threw my glove at someone earlier this season.

[GBpakrzz]

I think once players such as ZPar are drafted, they are pretty much at the mercy of the NHL team. ZPar is going pro because the Devils wanted him now. Only a fool would turn millions of dollars down to stay in college. Let's face it... Division 1 NCAA sports is nothing more than an opportunity to showcase your skills to the professional ranks. The goal is to make it to the pros, period. We were blessed to have this kid at UND at all. If he can take the abuse in the NHL, he could be a superstar.

[Siouxdonyms]

Your children see more violence at school

You must be basing this off of what you see on television. I'm in a school everyday, and I rarely see the same type of fighting in an NHL game in a school. I would agree though with the video games and movie part.

[GBpakrzz]

On fighting - Attempting to make the argument that fighting in the NFL somehow controls cheap shots in the game is stupid. It exists in the NHL only because the league allows it to happen. The NFL is a perfect example. Do you think there aren't cheap shots in the NFL? Please! Fighting rarely occurs in the NFL because the league puts the clamps down on it. Fighting in the NHL is anything but necessary.

I won't lie to you and tell you that I don't enjoy a good fight because I do. But to try and justify it by stating it's a necessary evil is laughable.

[Marty]

What would the NHL gain by banning fighting? Less broken noses? Better looking players?

What would the NHL lose by banning fighting? Fans. Revenue from the fans.

[Superman0099]

Ah, but you make many assumptions, DaveK.

What if the refs MISS  the spear or high stick?  What if the player continues to do it and the league does nothing about it?

Not only that, but people need to realize that we as spectators miss a large amount of what happens as far as cheapshotting goes. Hockey players know how to dish things out so that NO ONE sees. Theres a lot of things you can do with a butt end of a hockey stick (for example) on the ice that you can't do on a basketball floor or a football field. The idea of having a 6'4'' 230 pound canadian monster come at you with fists flying is alot more of a threat than a slap on the wrist from the NHL, or a 2:00 penalty. Hockey has developed and changed in many ways over the last century, but fighting has always been a part of the game, there is a reason for that.

Not to say that the NHL condones fighting in any way, but next time you see a fight break out, take a look at the crowd's reaction. They're sure as !@$! not booing. No matter how you look at it, or how bad it reflects on us as fans, people like to see NHL fights. It's exciting, plain and simple. The NHL knows that. Yes, it can, and has gotten out of hand, (Bertuzzi incident) but for the most part, it is done in an eerily respectfull way. Rarely do you see a player get jumped like Steve Moore was. Most of the time, both players drop the gloves and go at it, and when the game is over, they shake hands and move on. "What happens on the ice, stays on the ice."

The NCAA rightly regulates fighting. They deal with students, and it is understandable that collegiate sports try to avoid being associated with any type of violence. The NHL is made up of professionals, who are paid to do what they do. Professional sports are far and away more competetive and intense than NCAA sports, and are situated around earning the most money possible, although the same argument could be made for the NC$$, it isn't nearly as evident. If the NHL were to regulate fighting in the way the NCAA does, it would take away a large part of the phsycality of the game. I love hockey, for its excitment, and physicality. I'm mature enough to know that fighting does not belong in all sports, but the fighting that goes on in hockey is no more violent than a boxing match, and it's effect on the outcomes of games is highly underrated. In reality, fighting in hockey is not the same as fighting in basketball or football, or other sports, and for that reason, it hasn't been outlawed, and never will be.

[dagies]

What would the NHL gain by banning fighting? Less broken noses? Better looking players?

What would the NHL lose by banning fighting? Fans. Revenue from the fans.

This is hardly scientific, but if the NHL banned fighting I know one co-worker who they would lose as a fan. I know one friend they would gain.

(Whoa Siouxdonyms....for a second there I thought that was Ernie from Sesame Street! )

[PCM]

What would the NHL lose by banning fighting? Fans. Revenue from the fans.

Don't kid yourself. It might be more of a net gain than a net loss. Hockey has a bad image because of fighting. Many people refuse to watch hockey because they don't consider it a serious sport. (Think of the Rodney Dangerfield's famous hockey joke: I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out.) For some, hockey is on the same level as professional wrestling.

[Marty]

So you're telling me that if hockey banned fighting the people who don't watch it now would start to. I doubt it. I do think the NHL would lose more fans than it gained if it banned fighting.

Anybody who puts hockey at the same level of professional wrestling, I assume, have never seen a hockey game in their life.

[Smoggy]

I don't mind when a scrum breaks out in front of the net. When it's spontaneous, then fine. Fight. I have a problem with the dancing around for two minutes while players size each other up. Not exciting watching that.

[SiouxFanInBoston]

The Boston Bruins play the NJ Devils 4/3 and 4/4. I think I'm going to be sick. I didn't think Zach would stick around, but being knocked out of the NCAA's and then finding out that it's official that we're losing him just like that, and THEN seeing him play for a Bruins' opponent so quickly (along with Brian Gionta, no less) is almost too much to take...

Right now, I feel like I felt when the Red Sox lost to the Yankees in Game 7. So many Sox players had such tremendous seasons last year that it seemed if they didn't make the World Series then, they never would. Losing Zach brings back that same feeling-- if we didn't make it to the Frozen Four with him, will we ever make it again without him?

Of course, I know we will (the Red Sox may be a different story). But, it's still hard to swallow right now. Quite painful.

[PCM]

So you're telling me that if hockey banned fighting the people who don't watch it now would start to.  I doubt it.

You don't know. I don't either. But I do know that hockey has a bad image because of the fighting.

Anybody who puts hockey at the same level of professional wrestling, I assume, have never seen a hockey game in their life.

All it takes is watching one NHL game and seeing one fight. Of course, it doesn't help that wild hockey fights almost always make the sports highlights. That's the only exposure to hockey that many sports fans have, and that's enough to fuel their perception of the sport.

[redwing77]

The Boston Bruins play the NJ Devils 4/3 and 4/4. I think I'm going to be sick. I didn't think Zach would stick around, but being knocked out of the NCAA's and then finding out that it's official that we're losing him just like that, and THEN seeing him play for a Bruins' opponent so quickly (along with Brian Gionta, no less) is almost too much to take...

Right now, I feel like I felt when the Red Sox lost to the Yankees in Game 7. So many Sox players had such tremendous seasons last year that it seemed if they didn't make the World Series then, they never would. Losing Zach brings back that same feeling-- if we didn't make it to the Frozen Four with him, will we ever make it again without him?

Of course, I know we will (the Red Sox may be a different story). But, it's still hard to swallow right now. Quite painful.

In 1995 the NJ Devils won a Stanley Cup with a bunch of (then) nobodies. The Florida Marlins won their first World Series with a bunch of (then) nobodies.

Gosh, you could say that the Gophers won in 2002 with a bunch of nobodies. As did the Sioux in 2000 (speaking from the perspective an outsider would have).

Sure we had Panzer, but Bochenski has Panzer's scoring touch, even if he's a tad slower and bigger than Jeff. Bo will need to step it up next year, but next year, we're going to be faster, even more aggressive, and more solid.

We'll have speed and extreme lateral movement among forwards (Spirko and Murray), we'll have scoring (Stafford, Murray, and Bo), 2 way Dmen (Radke, Fuher, Jones, and (hopefully) Schneider), great roleplayers (Bina, Fabian, Marvin, Massen, and Porter), and solid goaltending. We're a shoe in to be at least competitive next year regardless.

How many are the Gophers and Bulldogs losing?

[SiouxFanInBoston]

Thanks, redwing77 -- you're absolutely right. That's the right perspective... I'll stop my crying.

[redwing77]

[ol' time sioux]

I remember when Zach was a freshman, the Herald did a story that said that he had 10 goals coming to UND and he wouldn't let them know what they were. I wonder how many of those he attained. Missing him already.

[jerseychaser1]

I can't wait to see him play for the Devils!

Did anybody answer the question, is he still available for the Hobey Baker award now?

[Smoggy]

I can't wait to see him play for the Devils!

Did anybody answer the question, is he still available for the Hobey Baker award now?

I'm going with a yes. The Hobey Baker is what you did this college season. Zach's college season is over.

Actually, I think Zach's stock just rose for Hobey Voters. At least if they go with the same reasoning as they did when Ryan Miller won. "We have to give it to him, because he's going to leave for the NHL." And then he returns.

[AZSIOUX]

We may never know unless he comes out with a tell-all autobiography after his playing days. Frankly, I don't give a rat's as* now that he's gone. I'm still in the anger stage of the grieving process. But at the same time, I do wish him all the luck for a successful pro career--he's a class act & deserves the best.

I am just as saddened by this as all others are. We will be OK as a team.. Kepp reloading is the name of the game at UND... Zach was great and a pleasure to watch every weekend. I think he made the right decision .. he is ready for the NHL and hope to see him play tuesday night againast the rangers.. He is a rare person and player. He gave it all 200%% every weekend for the Sioux and i respect that so much. Its been a tough weekend overall but in the long run I hope everything works for Zach in the near future and many years to come. GO SIOUX!!!!!!!!!