Fighting Sioux Coaches' Show

[PCM]

Sorry, folks, the Sioux hockey team is on its way to Achorage. No hockey talk tonight.

In other news, I will be out of town next Wednesday and unable to do the coaches' show summary. This is someone's chance to take on sudo-reporter duties in my absence.

[dagies]

Strange weather we're having but I'm picking up another skipping signal. However, some sort of ethereal shift must be going on as it appears some other dimension has leaked into ours. Anyway, apparently Dean Blais is still the coach. I took copious notes and now I share them all with you:

Live, from the Restaurant at the End of the Universe, is the coaches show with Dean Blais hosted by Tim Hennessey.

TH: Coach, I'd guess where you are right now isn't where you hoped you might be at this time of the year.

DB: Well, Tim, if I may....."ARE YOU KIDDING ME?"! Starting out the year we thought we had a chance to take a kick at the can at the end and now we're trying to hang on to home ice.

TH: The goals just aren't coming the way you'd hope.

DB: Well exactly Tim. We've got some guys who are about to finish up who could feel a whole lot different about their career depending on how they decide to finish.

TH: You look to your seniors to lead the team.

DB: Well yeah. Sometimes, though, guys know they aren't going to play pro hockey and it's about over for them, and the season isn't going so well, so they figure "what the hey". That's not the attitude that will help the team.

TH: Minnesota is struggling to score too.

DB: (laughing) Maybe Ryan Potulny does realize he made a mistake.

TH: Your guys aren't taking the penalties they took earlier in the year.

DB: I don't know that we're playing any different but finally they're letting the guys play. For crying out loud they were putting us down 2 guys the whole first half of the year just because we had big physical defensemen. I don't know if they were watching a hockey game or basketball.

TH: Speaking of basketball, how has it worked out to have basketball in the hockey facility?

DB: Well you just can't get good ice, Tim. I talked to Denny before the Bemidji series and he was afraid to take the Zamboni on it. The ice reminds me of last year at Mariucci.

Lets take some calls:

Caller: Coach, why is the team struggling to score goals?

DB: I don't know if anyone watched the AHL All-Star game but I think you saw the answer to that. That, and every goalie we face is giving us his A game. Sooner or later we're going to get the bounces and someone is going to be sorry.

Caller: I saw this Kessler kid who played for the US world junior team isn't signed with anyone yet. Are you going after this kid?

DB: Sagard, Phil Kessel is an excellent player, and we'd love to have him on our team if he wants to come.

Caller: Your goalies started out strong but have really tailed off lately. Have you thought of hiring a goalie coach to work with these guys like Stauber at Minnesota?

DB: I've got your goalie coach right here.

Caller: Coach, I had this bad dream that you had resigned and Dave Hakstol put his name in to replace you. Say it isn't so!

DB: I've always told Dave that if he works hard, good things will happen.

[Diggler]

You forgot about the question where Dean backs me as the new AD.

[jk]

A work of art, dagies.

[sagard]

Now that's refreshing. Finally someone answers some questions.

[scorengoren]

I get a kick out of Dagies reporting. Its sure a hell of alot more refreshing than listening to what Hak has to say.