jk Posted June 25, 2004 Share Posted June 25, 2004 Let's keep the replacement speculation out of this thread. THANKS Coach Blais for bringing UND hockey back. It was a hell of a run and the program is on as firm a footing as it has ever been. Good luck to you and your family, professionally and personally. Signed, a student in your ninth-grade phy-ed class at Minot High School in 1979. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoteauRinkRat Posted June 25, 2004 Share Posted June 25, 2004 Thanks Coach Blais for everything you did for the hockey program at UND. I will miss his style of coaching, especially his gutsy decisions late in games to pull goalies with several minutes left in the game (2001 Nat. Championship). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airmail Posted June 25, 2004 Share Posted June 25, 2004 Thanks for giving the fans a style of hockey that was exciting to watch, and thanks for all of the success we've enjoyed in the past years. You've certainly left your mark here at UND, and you will be missed. Good luck in Columbus. (not that you read this internet stuff anyway) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubz Posted June 25, 2004 Share Posted June 25, 2004 Thanks Coach You've given us fans a hell of a ride. When I first met you, (24 years ago) I knew then you were a unique, gifted, all around funny dude. Good luck Dean. Let the "Big Show" see what you're made of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawkota Posted June 25, 2004 Share Posted June 25, 2004 Thanks to Dean for 10 great years. If you have to leave, going out when you've got the program in very healthy shape is the best way to do it. I wish you the best of luck at the next level and I hope you always consider yourself part of the Sioux family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DamStrait Posted June 25, 2004 Share Posted June 25, 2004 Coach, Thanks for everything. You're the coach every father wishes his son could play for. I wish you nothing but success in all your future endeavors. Any chance that your successor was hand-picked by you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siouxnami Posted June 25, 2004 Share Posted June 25, 2004 The mark of a great coach is leaving a program better than he found it. Dean certainly did that. Dean will be missed... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwing77 Posted June 25, 2004 Share Posted June 25, 2004 Thanks Coach for the good times, the stressful moments and the National Championship in 2000! I'll regret not truly signing on to the Sioux until your tenure was nearly at an end, but from what I saw, it was a great ride! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manderleigh13 Posted June 25, 2004 Share Posted June 25, 2004 Dean is not leaving. NHL.com reports that Gallant is to be named coach. http://nhl.com/onthefly/news/2004/06/214840.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airmail Posted June 25, 2004 Share Posted June 25, 2004 Dean is not leaving. NHL.com reports that Gallant is to be named coach. http://nhl.com/onthefly/news/2004/06/214840.html Are you kidding me? Maybe you need more coffee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manderleigh13 Posted June 25, 2004 Share Posted June 25, 2004 NHL.com is apparently behind the Blue Jackets website. Sorry, I found the real story now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cratter Posted June 25, 2004 Share Posted June 25, 2004 Thanks Deano. Truly one of the best. You will be missed. Not only does UND prepare the players for the NHL but coaches also. Dean would never hold a player back from the NHL if he was ready to go, and Dean, you are definately ready for the NHL. Good Luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sioumann Posted June 25, 2004 Share Posted June 25, 2004 THANKS COACH AND GOOD LUCK TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.GOD BLESS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OETKB Posted June 25, 2004 Share Posted June 25, 2004 Congrats on getting the new gig, Dean. Thanks for many great years of Sioux hockey. I guess it's time to change my message, below? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagies Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 Thanks for everything, Coach. Would love to be able to say I played for you. (Would love to be able to skate.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HKNTSMN Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 Thanks for everything you did for Jason and our Family. Good Luck in Columbus. The Notermann's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#1siouxfan22 Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 Blais is a truely great coach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiouxMeNow Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 Thanks Dean, ...for being a "regular guy" although you had a super high pressure job that would have turned many into an uptight jerk ...for always making "us" feel welcome at practice every week, even though we were just doing our jobs, you always had a smile on your face and patience we really appreciated ...for making every season, even the few not-so-great ones, fun to watch and be a part of ...for your honesty...you never were one to sugarcoat the truth...and that's something else "us" guys appreciated ...for bringing some great athletes to GF...we don't know how much we (and hopefully they) will appreciate their UND experience in the future.... ...and finally, thanks...for putting your trust in Hak...if you think he's the man - I and many more are willing to go along with that endorsement for the future of this great program!!! Best of luck in the NHL!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilbur Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 Good luck in Ohio coach! It was a privilege to be able to watch your teams play! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost of Smith Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 I am going to miss the big time risks you would take when our team was down and needed a lift. Usually when the goalie is pulled you feel as if it was a last gasp of desperation but I have seen it succeed more than I have seen it fail. In the final five game this year against the rodents when you pulled the goalie and then put him back in on the fly by the reaction of rodent fans around me you had everyones respect in that arena. Thanks for being a great coach that gave the Sioux a chance to win every game! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MafiaMan Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 My favorite memory of Coach Blais: I was in Ann Arbor for the 1998 West Regional and seriously, the ONLY person in the building wearing a Sioux jersey. Yost was a madhouse of maize Michigan jerseys. I walked right by Dean in the concourse area and said "good luck coach." He quickly pulled me aside, shook my hand, and said, "looks like we might be the only people in the building pulling for the Sioux, huh?". I laughed, he chuckled, and he went on his way. The guy is truly down-to-earth and a genuine good guy. It was a nice ten year run in Grand Forks, Coach Blais, and I wish you all the best in the NHL. I hope the 2004-2005 Sioux run the table and win the NCAA title as your going-away present. MafiaMan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommiejo Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 All I want to say is thanks coach for the memories & the championships. I have been a UND "FIGHTIN SIOUX" HOCKEY FAN for 30 years hey so i'm giving everybody my age here. Anyway, you have made this GATOR one proud SIOUX HOCKEY FAN. Don't laugh folks there are folks that graduated from UF that have follow UND HOCKEY. You see what I have started. Thanks again coach for everything. SIOUX FAN SINCE 1973 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taz Boy Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 Dean is proof that with an environment rich in tradition and hockey excellence, even a former Gopher can be converted. Thanks for banners, Dean! I believe we should put up a few more in your honor. taz will miss the crazy guy who pulls the goaltender in the title game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supertrex Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 "My 19 years at UND have prepared me for the next challenge," Blais said. There are few guys at the my old fraternity house that have said the same thing. Their problem was they were students the whole time...Good luck to Dean. We'll see you at the Frozen Four in Columbus cheering on the Sioux... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinnesotaNorthStar Posted June 30, 2004 Share Posted June 30, 2004 Thanks Dean...You brought a fun, exciting brand of Sioux hockey night in and night out...Good Luck in the NHL!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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