Fire Berry Please!

[UND1983]

2 hours ago, ILOVEHOCKEY15 said:

I haven't posted in years but if you are comparing Brad Berry to Bubba you are crazy.

Parallels are quite close the last 8 years

[Brett0909]

Setting aside the generally dissatisfied nature of fans on here…it’s a fascinating debate, if you can appreciate it as such.

We could all argue both sides with a winning argument - how Berry has struggled and a change is needed (postseason, eye test, trending wrong direction) vs. how Berry has been highly successful (wins, regular season championships, full seats, and a natty). 

I, for one, value all the differing perspectives. Especially when I’m frustrated and need to be checked on my overreaction (thanks to those trying to temper the more extreme reactions).

Whether good or bad, I’ve just lost my passion for this argument and shifted into wait-and-see mode. Of course, that may be partly because I’m heading to Cabo next week. Berry’s performance or this lost season just isn’t needling me the same. Hope everyone else finds their zen and perspective while we see what the future holds. 

[UND1983]

It’s been 9 years of mediocrity.  Not sure why that has become so acceptable.  This year is just another example. 

[siouxweet]

15 hours ago, InHeavenThereIsNoBeer said:

Because it's fun? Or it's supposed to be at least. 

And I am sure the first thing Berry says to the team in the locker room after each game is I hope you had fun out there tonight as he pats them on the head just like in youth hockey when they were mites and termites.

[SIOUXELEVENS]

#culture 

[Oxbow6]

At the end of the day IMO this program needs to win more.

[tnt]

North Dakota State Bison (North Central Conference) (1997–2002)
1997	North Dakota State	9–3	7–2	T–2nd	L NCAA Division II First Round
1998	North Dakota State	7–4	6–3	4th
1999	North Dakota State	9–2	7–2	3rd
2000	North Dakota State	12–2	8–1	2nd	L NCAA Division II Semifinal
2001	North Dakota State	7–3	5–3	3rd
2002	North Dakota State	2–8	1–7	9th
Total:		46–22

This is Bobby Babich's record at NDSU.  One bad year.  Probably doesn't make him a bad coach, but sometimes you need a new voice.  Why weren't NDSU fans just happy and go with the flow because it is just a sporting event?   Whatever you do in life, do well and get the most out of it.  I think most of us believe that UND hockey should aspire to be in the conversation every year, and that there is a lot being left on the table.   Doesn't make Berry a bad coach, but sometimes a change is needed to change the culture and mindset because based on the postgame interviews the message doesn't seem to be getting through to the players.   It certainly worked for NDSU.  Do you think NDSU would be fine making the NCAA playoffs about every other year, then when they do make it suffer a one and done?

[RhettRingers]

OUR EVERLASTING TRADITION

Big A HG

 

 

As each season passes, North Dakota Fighting Sioux fans continually pour their emotions into their beloved program while proudly proclaiming and boasting about our cherished tradition. This tradition is unique, not alike any other in the college hockey world, and among the greatest in all of sport. However, as I learned of these traditions through my growth to becoming a life-long Fighting Sioux fan, it was commonplace to wonder where these traditions came from and what they truly meant.

 

North Dakota hockey has come to be known as a program that elicits hard-working, hard-nosed, grind-it-out athletes and coaches. Once you are a Fighting Sioux, you are a part of that family forever. Players arrive on campus and are immediately transformed from boys to men. Off the ice, the young men tied to the team are known as humble and well-spoken, whom never take credit for their own personal accomplishments. The coaches are tough and rugged, and instill a mentality of hard work and team building from day one. Oftentimes, it takes weeks or months for these traits to grow over the course of a season, but they are commonplace from one coach and player to the next. All of these characteristics have taken a small-town university in a state most wouldn't dare visit in the heart of hockey season to the elite echelon of college hockey. Many Sioux legends have come and gone (but never are forgotten), each of whom has been transformed in a way that will be carried on with them for a lifetime, and it's all thanks to one man who gave birth to it all.

 

His name is Cliff Purpur.

 

Many Sioux fans may recognize the name, most notably from the Purpur Arena in Grand Forks. Cliff "Fido" Purpur Grew up in Grand Forks in the 1920s and '30s, raised by a family who never had it made. There were many hardships for he and his family, but Cliff was set out to set things straight. Their family was in debt, and their house needed some major repairs. As a teenager with tremendous hockey skill, Cliff promised his parents that he'd use his determination and love of hockey to one day make things better. Eventually, he made his way into the National Hockey League, ultimately playing for Chicago, Detroit, and St. Louis.

 

Cliff was by no means your typical hockey player. He was 5'5", not weighing more than 157 pounds in his career. His tenacity at the elite level of hockey earned him the nickname "Fido", dubbed by a Minneapolis sports writer due to the way he "hounded" opponents. He was fast and skilled, but his physicality set him apart, sometimes sending players 70 pounds heavier than him flying over the boards with monstrous hits. Cliff, who played with his brother Ken on the Grand Forks Amerks team of the States-Dominion League, scored 4 goals in 25 seconds one game, and when Ken mentioned the fact they he thought Cliff had a record, Cliff said "Let's get another one." And that he did.

 

When playing with the Chicago Blackhawks, Mr. Purpur had a recognizable teammate, John Mariucci. While together, the two set in stone plans to each go back to their respective home states after their time in the NHL, and create and grow programs for each respective school they came from, Cliff's being the University of North Dakota, John's being the University of Minnesota. Both Cliff and John lived up to those promises.

 

Cliff took his natural traits and applied them to a program that wasn't in existence at the time, the start of a tradition that would forever bear his likeness. Purpur never coached a championship team at North Dakota, but he did so much more. This tradition we all know and love started with this one man. He gave everything his all, and reaped the rewards...but never keeping anything for himself.

 

After making the NHL, Cliff followed up on his promises of fixing up his family's home and paying off his parents debts. He came home after that great pro career, and continued to give and give and give some more. He created this now proud program from nothing. Cliff built rinks all around the community, and walked the streets for any donations he could come up with, just for scholarships. His efforts were tireless and not once did he ever give up.

 

As each new Sioux player enters our program, they become molded into the shape of our North Dakota traditions. This mold bears the face of the man who started it all, Cliff Purpur. So, when a new team takes the ice each year, we know exactly what to expect. A tireless team who is humble off the ice, works tireless on it, and never ever gives in to anything that could bring them down. It is essential we never forget these roots, for every win and every championship were all born from this true North Dakota legend. This is what tradition is, and will continue to be for many more years.

 

"I love my teams, I love you, and I love my country and North Dakota. I would die for North Dakota." --Cliff Purpur

[RhettRingers]

20 minutes ago, RhettRingers said:

As each new Sioux player enters our program, they become molded into the shape of our North Dakota traditions. This mold bears the face of the man who started it all, Cliff Purpur. So, when a new team takes the ice each year, we know exactly what to expect. A tireless team who is humble off the ice, works tireless on it, and never ever gives in to anything that could bring them down. It is essential we never forget these roots, for every win and every championship were all born from this true North Dakota legend. This is what tradition is, and will continue to be for many more years.

 

 

I remember a post-game interview with Kunz this year where he said, "We get scored on, and then we fold." 

I don't ever remember a team under Blais or Hak that was as soft as the teams under Berry. 

#culture

[Wilbur]

Being humble off the ice doesn't include teammates girlfriends does it?  I mean was Fido really clear on that one?  Probably more like Munski's Geography class? 

 

[AJS]

If you want optimism, look no further than the similarities between the Football & Hockey program. Expectations, for Football it would be to be at the top tier of the FCS with its peers (Dakota, Montana schools) and for hockey it would be to be back in the top tier of college hockey with its peers (BIG schools, Denver). Optimism comes from the fact that everything is in place for those programs to accomplish those goals (Academics / Campus, Facilities, FCOA, Altson, NIL, Fan support). The only thing that has been holding those programs back is bad coaching / coaching & recruiting in the NIL era. Football has been fixed. We're one turnover in coaching staff for hockey to be back too.

*I didn't include M/W Basketball, because although both badly need new coaching staffs, I'm not sure there's a guarantee both programs will be better under new leadership. Bubba / Berry are (were) so bad that it's a guarantee the programs are better under new leadership. 

[The Sicatoka]

17 hours ago, ILOVEHOCKEY15 said:

I haven't posted in years but if you are comparing Brad Berry to Bubba you are crazy.

 

On 2/10/2025 at 8:20 AM, The Sicatoka said:

Tell me if you have heard this one:

A 60-ish coach nearing end of contract whose style is "score three* and play D" and hasn't won a meaningful playoff game in a while and is slipping mid-pack while conference foes keep winning the NCAAs. 

*is that 3 goals or 3 TDs

I must be crazy.

@burd will vouch for me. 

[jdub27]

17 hours ago, siouxkid12 said:

You are right that most people don't live and die vicariously through the success of a college hockey and from my perspective, I don't think people are. I believe you are assuming that most people here are demanding a national title every year but I believe most are just unhappy with how the last 8 years have gone and want to see some sort of success (making the NCAA tournament and winning a couple games). That expectation isn't that unreasonable, I mean Brad says that in a lot of interviews himself. So if the coach is holding himself accountable in saying what is the expectation each year, why shouldn't the fans have that same mentality?
I remember games from the early 90's and you couldn't even give away tickets to games because they were terrible, why would we want to go back to those days?

I remember when we had a coach who did that but couldn't win "the big one". Pitchforks were out in full force annually.
Pretty sure the Venn diagram of the people complaining now overlaps significantly with the ones who wanted to run Hak out of town...

Schlossman had a pretty good article today showing that the team's record is actually pretty close to quite a few of those teams people are pining for, but unfortunately UND (and the NCHC as a whole) screwed up the non-conference schedule so Pairwise, they are in a much different spot.

[gfhockey]

It doesn’t bother me one bit

 

wr can’t expect to make the playoffs every year. That’s asking to much

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

20 hours ago, UND1983 said:

LOL - Exhibit A

Serious question: What has being unhinged on a message board accomplished for this program?  What noticeable difference have you made in the trajectory of UND Hockey?

[tnt]

30 minutes ago, jdub27 said:

I remember when we had a coach who did that but couldn't win "the big one". Pitchforks were out in full force annually.
Pretty sure the Venn diagram of the people complaining now overlaps significantly with the ones who wanted to run Hak out of town...

Schlossman had a pretty good article today showing that the team's record is actually pretty close to quite a few of those teams people are pining for, but unfortunately UND (and the NCHC as a whole) screwed up the non-conference schedule so Pairwise, they are in a much different spot.

UND used to have the best winning percentage in the NCAA tournament.   UND made the NCAA tournament just about every year under Hakstol and made the Frozen Four a good deal of the time.  Yes, there were those that wanted Hakstol run out of town, but there were also a lot that knew if they kept getting that close the door would be knocked down. 

Now they make the tournament about half the time, and are one and out when they get there. To miss the tournament when you are bidding on regional sites is even worse.  I don't even want to start on the destination performances and Frozen Faceoff one and outs. 

The same people that are fine with the decline, would have not recognized the need to move on from Gasparini.  Sometimes a new face is needed to bring the program to another level.  We could still very well be at five national championships if there weren't people that could see a change was needed.  

 

[fightingsioux4life]

16 minutes ago, tnt said:

UND used to have the best winning percentage in the NCAA tournament.   UND made the NCAA tournament just about every year under Hakstol and made the Frozen Four a good deal of the time.  Yes, there were those that wanted Hakstol run out of town, but there were also a lot that knew if they kept getting that close the door would be knocked down. 

Now they make the tournament about half the time, and are one and out when they get there. To miss the tournament when you are bidding on regional sites is even worse.  I don't even want to start on the destination performances and Frozen Faceoff one and outs. 

The same people that are fine with the decline, would have not recognized the need to move on from Gasparini.  Sometimes a new face is needed to bring the program to another level.  We could still very well be at five national championships if there weren't people that could see a change was needed.  

 

THIS x 1000!

I was there at the end of Gino's tenure; it was ugly. Very ugly.

When Gino was pushed out, Virg Foss wrote an opinion piece in the Heraldo where he acted like someone had executed his mother.

But the change had to be made and Terry Wanless (with whom I didn't always agree) made the hard decision.

Blais took over and the rest is history.

Let's please not repeat the 1991 to 1994 time period.

[90siouxfan]

1 hour ago, fightingsioux4life said:

THIS x 1000!

I was there at the end of Gino's tenure; it was ugly. Very ugly.

When Gino was pushed out, Virg Foss wrote an opinion piece in the Heraldo where he acted like someone had executed his mother.

But the change had to be made and Terry Wanless (with whom I didn't always agree) made the hard decision.

Blais took over and the rest is history.

Let's please not repeat the 1991 to 1994 time period.

I wonder is we are currently in that similar phase at this time?  But I don't think myself acting like a child and throwing tantrums will accomplish a damn thing. 

[fightingsioux4life]

Just now, 90siouxfan said:

I wonder is we are currently in that similar phase at this time?  But I don't think myself acting like a child and throwing tantrums will accomplish a damn thing. 

Tantrums?

I am stating historical facts.

And the road from where we are now to the early 1990's is shorter than you think.

Wisconsin collapsed in just a few years and they are still trying to fix it.

[90siouxfan]

19 minutes ago, fightingsioux4life said:

Tantrums?

I am stating historical facts.

And the road from where we are now to the early 1990's is shorter than you think.

Wisconsin collapsed in just a few years and they are still trying to fix it.

All true, but your antics on here won't change a thing.

[Blackheart]

1 hour ago, InHeavenThereIsNoBeer said:

Serious question: What has being unhinged on a message board accomplished for this program?  What noticeable difference have you made in the trajectory of UND Hockey?

What are you saying?  This is all a waste of time?

[fightingsioux4life]

2 minutes ago, 90siouxfan said:

All true, but your antics on here won't change a thing.

Neither will the passivity and shoulder shrugging of fans like yourself.

william.chaves@und.edu

andrew.armacost@und.edu

I suppose posting those e-mail addresses is a "tantrum" and/or an "antic" too?

[UND1983]

1 hour ago, InHeavenThereIsNoBeer said:

Serious question: What has being unhinged on a message board accomplished for this program?  What noticeable difference have you made in the trajectory of UND Hockey?

How is questioning the direction of a program and pointing out it is woefully underperforming being "unhinged"?  Real programs fire their coaches when expectations are not met repeatedly.  Like blue-blood FBS football programs that actually have expectations.  

[90siouxfan]

You think your emails to those persons don't get in a spam file?  Incredible. 

[UND1983]

5 minutes ago, 90siouxfan said:

All true, but your antics on here won't change a thing.

The UND football program and it's fans would disagree.