Gophers Week

[SiouxFan100]

Lots of fond memories in college back in the late 70s and early 80s playing the gophers. Wisconsin was a thing back then also. Fun - enjoyed it. 

[Godsmack]

1 hour ago, SiouxFan100 said:

Lots of fond memories in college back in the late 70s and early 80s playing the gophers. Wisconsin was a thing back then also. Fun - enjoyed it. 

The visiting Badgers fans always seemed cool and ready and willing to party at the bars with Sioux fans, win or lose.Is that a pretty accurate description?

[SiouxFan100]

11 minutes ago, Godsmack said:

The visiting Badgers fans always seemed cool and ready and willing to party at the bars with Sioux fans, win or lose.Is that a pretty accurate description?

Wisconsin fans came to have fun

[The Sicatoka]

Mood: 

[Langster019]

Kind of surprising they continue to have games that have that poor of interest with the size of city and recent success. You’d think, even with other events in town, it would still be a big draw for those who want to watch good non-NHL hockey. But if you have to pay NHL prices you may as well go to the Wild and if you want to take kids I’m sure there’s junior leagues that are cheaper. 

[FightingSU]

1 hour ago, Langster019 said:

Kind of surprising they continue to have games that have that poor of interest with the size of city and recent success. You’d think, even with other events in town, it would still be a big draw for those who want to watch good non-NHL hockey. But if you have to pay NHL prices you may as well go to the Wild and if you want to take kids I’m sure there’s junior leagues that are cheaper. 

Still think for the “State of Hockey” and the simple tradition and history that Gophers Hockey has behind it that it would be more full

[fightingsioux4life]

13 minutes ago, FightingSU said:

Still think for the “State of Hockey” and the simple tradition and history that Gophers Hockey has behind it that it would be more full

Their fans are still pi$$ed off about the move to the B1G. B1G Mistake indeed.

[AlphaMikeFoxtrot]

Just now, fightingsioux4life said:

Their fans are still pi$$ed off about the move to the B1G. B1G Mistake indeed.

When Lucia said they just need to get over it was hilarious. Tail trying to wag the dog. 

[sioux rube]

[burd]

15 hours ago, Godsmack said:

The visiting Badgers fans always seemed cool and ready and willing to party at the bars with Sioux fans, win or lose.Is that a pretty accurate description?

Having lived and worked in Wisconsin for over 30 years, I can tell you Wisconsin fans LOVE to have fun and party--in any sport.  We moved to WI in 84 after having lived in warmer places for a number of years, and the minute WI hockey fans learned I was a Nodak and a hockey fan, they would go on about how much fun the rivalry was, and they almost always showed respect for the Sioux program.  Intense, but in a fun way, which seems to be the way most Wiscovites enjoy their sports, which is partly why their hockey program's struggles in recent years and the sharp decline in attendance have been a shame.  

[FightingSU]

1 hour ago, fightingsioux4life said:

Their fans are still pi$$ed off about the move to the B1G. B1G Mistake indeed.

I guess that’s probably true. I would be to. 

[SiouxFan100]

The hated gophers are coming this weekend 

pumped 

cheer like you mean it

[Godsmack]

35 minutes ago, SiouxFan100 said:

The hated gophers are coming this weekend 

pumped 

cheer like you mean it

 

[SWSiouxMN]

On 11/22/2021 at 9:08 AM, siouxfan512 said:

 

Just wanted to share some pre-covid Thankgiving weekend memories. Anything less than a sweep is unacceptable!

This could be be a big pairwise helper for us by the end of the season.

I remember watching that Thursday game, I wish they got to 10

[BusinessSiouxt]

7 hours ago, sioux rube said:

Would make an awesome event jersey…

[shep]

On 11/22/2021 at 6:22 PM, SiouxFan100 said:

Lots of fond memories in college back in the late 70s and early 80s playing the gophers. Wisconsin was a thing back then also. Fun - enjoyed it. 

Loved how everyone got in lines at the old Ralph pregame, then when the doors were opened it was like a land rush in Oklahoma in the 1800s. NO RULES.

An afternoon at Buck Pitchers at the Spud made everyone happy.

[SiouxFan100]

2 minutes ago, shep said:

Loved how everyone got in lines at the old Ralph pregame, then when the doors were opened it was like a land rush in Oklahoma in the 1800s. NO RULES.

An afternoon at Buck Pitchers at the Spud made everyone happy.

Sounds familiar 

oh yea - the Spud.   Godsend for this financially challenged college student- thank god o didn’t have any classes Friday after 10:00 am

[SiouxFan100]

I remember one time kinda losing our bearings trying to get back to campus after an afternoon at the Spud and ended up 10 - 15 miles north of grand forks. To this day I don’t know what happened.

[shep]

33 minutes ago, SiouxFan100 said:

Sounds familiar 

oh yea - the Spud.   Godsend for this financially challenged college student- thank god o didn’t have any classes Friday after 10:00 am

Soph year at Walsh, I and some buddies had Friday classes only until noon. It was off to the Spud after lunch.

[shep]

In the spring, I loved the dank darkness of the Spud only to get out to the bright light at 5:00 and feel like a Twilight Zone episode.

[farce poobah]

13 hours ago, fightingsioux4life said:

Their fans are still pi$$ed off about the move to the B1G. B1G Mistake indeed.

 

13 hours ago, AlphaMikeFoxtrot said:

When Lucia said they just need to get over it was hilarious. Tail trying to wag the dog. 

In order to destroy what used to be (arguably) the best college hockey franchise, in terms of money making, recruiting, and consistent on ice winning (if fewer titles than their rivals  ) it took a lot of really stupid, stupid, decisions.

Start with bad decisions on the design of Mariucci Arena, made by Doug Woog in the late 1980s.   They made one enormous bowl instead of a middle-basin concourse, and made it steep.   Hard for fans to get up and down "quickly", especially those "older than average".   They failed to make it big enough when ticket demand was there - after filling 8000 consistently in the old Williams barn, they only added 1000 capacity originally (and have been scrambling to squeeze in additional seats ever since).  Frankly Doug Woog failed to think big enough, and his colleagues and leaders didn't challenge.  Last, the rink itself. They built a trendy Olympic size arena which hampers their players development as their top players seek to move up to NHL.  Another example of obsolete thinking (very few guys made it to NHL when Wooger played; now all the top-end guys want a shot).

Then came B1G.   Minnesota added seat licenses and forced the entire season ticket holder base to pay up or get moved to cheaper seats.  At the same time, they forced  buyers of student season tickets for hockey to buy football season tickets - with predictable results of a plunge in hockey season ticket from students.  And all this was the first years of Big Ten Hockey. 

In the midst of all that, Lucia tells all his disgruntled fans to get over it.  Just wow.

(Gopherpucklive.com has a decent history in their archives, and CityPages in Mpls also wrote about the plunge in 2019.   )

Then came the decision not to include Big Ten playoff tickets in with season tickets, which led to those catastrophic scenes in spring 2019.

Almost Empty at Puck Drop

Add to that the constant shuffling of game times and game dates.

=================================================================================

As of today, UND now has the premier college hockey franchise, in terms of money making, recruiting, and consistent on ice winning.

And the story above is a great lesson in what not to do.  I hope our leadership is paying attention.

 

[sioux rube]

4 hours ago, Godsmack said:

 

This is next level trolling 

[farce poobah]

2 hours ago, shep said:

Loved how everyone got in lines at the old Ralph pregame, then when the doors were opened it was like a land rush in Oklahoma in the 1800s. NO RULES.

An afternoon at Buck Pitchers at the Spud made everyone happy.

Land Rush indeed.   Fortunately, the front of the line was usually the same people, and wanted to capture the same seats each night.  (At least in the late 70's and early 80's.)

I remember only a couple nights where some of the smart people in the Farce asked people not to drink in line, or before getting in line. Those were the exceptionally cold - 35 with 35 mph winds - and it would have been dangerous.   But most nights, people wanted either see the snow snakes, or seek protection from the snow snakes.  Memory is somehow hazy on that point.

(For Gopher Week:  stick the dead gopher in the glove you took off, to hold your ID when getting searched upon entrance. )

[farce poobah]

Gopher Week is also a good time to talk about "Never Give Up.  Don't Ever Give Up."

Fall 1996, UND at Minnesota on Saturday night, trailing 10-3.  They didn't give up, and scored 3 late goals to make it a 10-6 final.   Eventually those 3 goals, combined with a split of the season series (after a legendary sweep in GF), gave the Sioux the tiebreaker (total goals) for seeding at the WCHA Final Five.  Which meant the Sioux got top seed, an "easier" Friday afternoon game, last change vs Minnesota in the Championship Game, and meant Dean Blais could pick and choose matchups, which he did to great effect.   That win gave us an easy route to the Frozen Four in Milwaukee - just one regional game in those days of a 12-team tournament.  Minnesota had to win two games, and didn't, and UND of course did win.   At the Frozen Four, well anything could happen, and it did.  

"Never Give Up.  Don't Ever Give Up."

[The Sicatoka]

11 hours ago, SiouxFan100 said:

I remember one time kinda losing our bearings trying to get back to campus after an afternoon at the Spud and ended up 10 - 15 miles north of grand forks. To this day I don’t know what happened.

Why'd I hear banjo music in the background when I read that?