Okposo leaves the Gophers

[sagard]

It's kind of a silly arguement. Okposo for the good of the team was likely being played out of position. If Lucia doesn't do what he feels is best for the team to make a player happy, he'd rightfully get torn a new one by everyone. Many guys would just embrace being asked to play center and get on with their last season with their friends. Others decide they have had enough of it and take off because they have that opportunity.

Okposo wanted out. Lucia shouldn't be blaming the Isles, it does no good to hold a player hostage. Likewise I'm sure Lucia was developing Okposo just fine when he was scoring 1.5 ppg with Tyler Hirsch on his line.

Okposo is a nice well spoken kid. He is an easy guy to root for. I'm just most disappointed that after the WJC I won't likely see him play anymore.

As for the Gophers having long term problems because of this? They'll be OK.

[dagies]

... particularly when the GM played US college hockey.

Let's not lose sight that Lucia threw the first punch here, either, with his public criticism of the Isles. I'll bet dollars to donuts that the reporter got that quote from Snow by reading Donnie's words first.

Exactly. Lucia laid this at the Islanders feet, but when you read the PP story on Okposo last week it's not a big leap to believe Okposo wanted out now. I think the Islanders likely just said "you can come if you want to".

yzerman19, I can see what you say but you can't commit to playing the year with your teammates and then bail half-way through. You just can't do that to your comrades.

[sagard]

Snow's comment was completely unproffessional. For someone who never had a great professional career, should we now say that Maine did a terrible job in developing him?

Snow went from NHL goalie to GM overnight. Eventually if he stays on long enough (no sure thing with the Isles even if they win) he'll realize it's not always the best thing to say whats on your mind.

[yzerman19]

I hear you that it is pretty mercenary, but man, if I wasn't having fun at the rink anymore, and someone offered me a swimming pool full of money. I might feel badly about leaving, but you have to go. Loyalty is important, but not above happiness and financial security.

There are a lot of things that I would love to do, that feel better than what I do, and would make others happier, but bottom line...I gots to get paid.

I wish KO tons of luck, I wish it wouldn't have gone down like this, I wish the Islanders and the Gophers weren't acting like children. KO already seems to understand that its a business, I hope he also realizes that the rink isn't always whiter.

[THETRIOUXPER]

I guess the bottom line for me is this: ko is the one who decided to leave, whatever the reasons were. To me that's bull$%!# to pull on your coach, your team, your school and your fans. ko is a pile of s&!t for doing it.

[yzerman19]

You're telling me that you would put your teammates that you've played with for 1.5 years, your coaches that you've had a relationhsip with for 1.5 years, and fans ahead of yourself, your family and your future.

Big time athletics is all about money. I'm sorry it is that way. I'm sorry that stockbrokers make more money than teachers too, but that's just the way the world works.

If yourself or your child were a superstar and had a chance to leave home and lifelong friends and teammates to go play at Shattuck, would you say go, chase your dream? You should.

The world doesn't do anyone any favors, you have to get yours while you can. Decision is the right one...especially if the money went up from last summer. Handling of the move was poorly done.

[THETRIOUXPER]

You're telling me that you would put your teammates that you've played with for 1.5 years, your coaches that you've had a relationhsip with for 1.5 years, and fans ahead of yourself, your family and your future.

Big time athletics is all about money. I'm sorry it is that way. I'm sorry that stockbrokers make more money than teachers too, but that's just the way the world works.

If yourself or your child were a superstar and had a chance to leave home and lifelong friends and teammates to go play at Shattuck, would you say go, chase your dream? You should.

The world doesn't do anyone any favors, you have to get yours while you can. Decision is the right one...especially if the money went up from last summer. Handling of the move was poorly done.

That's all fine and good, but why didn't they sign him in the off-season instead? The money will still be there in April. This is a cheesy, bull$%!# move by a cowardly, selfish piece of s&!t. By the way, look no further than Oshie, Duncan, Finley and Chorney, they all could have left, but put things like coach, team, school, and fans ahead of themselves. I'm sure that their lives will be every bit as fullfilling as ko's, and even more, because they are quality people.

[yzerman19]

I agree they should've signed him in the off-season. They didn't, they did it this way.

Islanders have a need. Kyle is their property. They have every right to sign him. Happens in the Q, W, and O all the time.

Kyle had every right to look out for his own future, and he made a tough choice. Neither the Islanders nor KO plotted this out to spite anyone. Timing sometimes just sucks.

I don't know how you can expect someone to put team above lifelong financial security. Remember, there's no "I" in team, but there is a "me".

[AZSIOUX]

You're telling me that you would put your teammates that you've played with for 1.5 years, your coaches that you've had a relationhsip with for 1.5 years, and fans ahead of yourself, your family and your future.

Big time athletics is all about money. I'm sorry it is that way. I'm sorry that stockbrokers make more money than teachers too, but that's just the way the world works.

If yourself or your child were a superstar and had a chance to leave home and lifelong friends and teammates to go play at Shattuck, would you say go, chase your dream? You should.

The world doesn't do anyone any favors, you have to get yours while you can. Decision is the right one...especially if the money went up from last summer. Handling of the move was poorly done.

theres nothing wrong with leaving, just fulfull your commitment when you said you would come back for the season. not halfway through because things werent going your way or the teams way. thats the problem with this obviously. the isles sound like idiots questioning lucia as they were the ones that wouldnt sign KO last summer. just really sheds a bad light on kyle and the islanders and now the gophers with garths comments. he could have just moved on but he obviously didnt enjoy lucias comments when he said he didnt like the position te isles pout KO in but i have a feeling KO was going to do this either way. sorry lucia

[AZSIOUX]

Feb. 9, 5:00

Isles at Wild

this is also part of that annual "HOCKEY DAY IN MINNESOTA" im sure kyle will be welcomed back with open arms at the X

i can see the segment that was already made on him probably, hometown boy growing up in st paul, tears it up at shattuck then goes to his dream school UM then the tape stops and they roll to commercial, woops

better find a new hometown boy to feature

[THETRIOUXPER]

I agree they should've signed him in the off-season. They didn't, they did it this way.

Islanders have a need. Kyle is their property. They have every right to sign him. Happens in the Q, W, and O all the time.

Kyle had every right to look out for his own future, and he made a tough choice. Neither the Islanders nor KO plotted this out to spite anyone. Timing sometimes just sucks.

I don't know how you can expect someone to put team above lifelong financial security. Remember, there's no "I" in team, but there is a "me".

For myself, I'll put more faith in what a guy like TJ Oshie or Ryan Duncan says about the subject rather than what you and okposo think is right.

[mikejm]

I'm torn on this deal: I feel for the Gopher program and its fans. It seems like a real crappy deal for Kyle to bail at mid-season. But I also feel for Kyle and the holy he77 he's going to receive when he comes home as a pro; no kid deserves to be booed (well, unless he's killed a litter of puppies or something). What it ironic in that is many of the "boo-ers" at the X will be the same people who soundly booed our own TJ Oshie when he was introduced before every Final Five game.

What bothers me most out of this whole deal is the arrogance Islanders' GM Snow displays in his comments about the UoM program:

"Quite frankly, we weren't happy with the program there," Snow said in a telephone interview. "They have a responsibility to coach, to make Kyle a better player, and they were not doing that."

Asked for specifics, Snow said, "[Okposo] just wasn't getting better -- bottom line. And to me, that's the frustrating part. We entrusted the coach there to turn him into a better hockey player, and it wasn't happening. We feel more comfortable in him developing right under our watch."

This is tacit acknowledgment of college hockey's unpaid and uncompensated role in developing players for the NHL. If Snow's sentiments are shared among a majority of the league, then its time for the NHL to start sending college programs bags full of cash.

As to the rest of the Gophers' season? I'd say this will make them a hungrier, more dangerous team.

[THETRIOUXPER]

I'm torn on this deal: I feel for the Gopher program and its fans. It seems like a real crappy deal for Kyle to bail at mid-season. But I also feel for Kyle and the holy he77 he's going to receive when he comes home as a pro; no kid deserves to be booed (well, unless he's killed a litter of puppies or something). What it ironic in that is many of the "boo-ers" at the X will be the same people who soundly booed our own TJ Oshie when he was introduced before every Final Five game.

What bothers me most out of this whole deal is the arrogance Islanders' GM Snow displays in his comments about the UoM program:

This is tacit acknowledgment of college hockey's unpaid and uncompensated role in developing players for the NHL. If Snow's sentiments are shared among a majority of the league, then its time for the NHL to start sending college programs bags full of cash.

As to the rest of the Gophers' season? I'd say this will make them a hungrier, more dangerous team.

To myself (and other's), snows comments are nothing more than smoke and mirrors with the intent to shift the blame from ko and the islanders and put it on the shoulders of lucia and company. I have to sympathize with lucia on this one. mikejm, you are probably right, with one less dead weight-crybaby on board the goph's may be able to salvage this season.

[yzerman19]

You are entitled ot your opinion, and I do think it is a noble stance. 100%.

You reference Duncs and Oshie, but what about JT? Yes, it was done in the offseason and more on the up and up, but do you slight him for leaving his team and group and saying "no" to the pact.

As much as I love TJ, I don't think his game is ready to be what it could be at the next level yet. I am sure the discussion was long. TJ will be a very good NHLer, he has a little more developing to do. He is dynamic and resembles Jeremy Roenick to me, but I do think he can learn to use his teammates better. He makes the players around him better, but he hasn't quite gotten to where he can make his teammates make him better. Not knocking him, he is 1 million times better than i ever was and is my favorite player on the squad. JT left because he was ready. One needn't look much further than the WJC.

I think that KO is ready physically too. He can be used as a grinder while he continues to hone his offensive skills. He is ready.

Duncs isn't looking at the same kind of dough that a first rounder is looking at, so it is a little different. He may have passed up his biggest signing bonus opportunity, but he wasn't going to step right into an NHL scoring line shift.

Yes, it endears those guys to me for coming back and being so selfless, but I don't fault KO for doing what is best for himself and his family.

[buckysieve]

To myself (and other's), snows comments are nothing more than smoke and mirrors with the intent to shift the blame from ko and the islanders and put it on the shoulders of lucia and company. I have to sympathize with lucia on this one. mikejm, you are probably right, with one less dead weight-crybaby on board the goph's may be able to salvage this season.

Brace yourself TRIOUXPER, but I've been agreeing with every one of your posts on this subject.

[THETRIOUXPER]

You are entitled ot your opinion, and I do think it is a noble stance. 100%.

You reference Duncs and Oshie, but what about JT? Yes, it was done in the offseason and more on the up and up, but do you slight him for leaving his team and group and saying "no" to the pact.

As much as I love TJ, I don't think his game is ready to be what it could be at the next level yet. I am sure the discussion was long. TJ will be a very good NHLer, he has a little more developing to do. He is dynamic and resembles Jeremy Roenick to me, but I do think he can learn to use his teammates better. He makes the players around him better, but he hasn't quite gotten to where he can make his teammates make him better. Not knocking him, he is 1 million times better than i ever was and is my favorite player on the squad. JT left because he was ready. One needn't look much further than the WJC.

I think that KO is ready physically too. He can be used as a grinder while he continues to hone his offensive skills. He is ready.

Duncs isn't looking at the same kind of dough that a first rounder is looking at, so it is a little different. He may have passed up his biggest signing bonus opportunity, but he wasn't going to step right into an NHL scoring line shift.

Yes, it endears those guys to me for coming back and being so selfless, but I don't fault KO for doing what is best for himself and his family.

I disagree again, TJ could have very well stepped into the Blues lineup and been competitive from day one. Duncan's stock may have been at an all time high last year. What these guys have given up for their coaches, their teammates, their school, their fans, and their families should not be trivialized by saying things like, they have more developing to do, blah blah blah. It's a tidy bit of fiction at best. As far as Johhny goes, he now has the benifit of playing in a league where the rules are actually enforced, same goes for the WJC. So to compare JT to these guys and say he was ready is also misleading, he was by no means a completey dominant collge hockey player. That's not a knock on Johnny, but more of a black eye on the WCHA being a joke of a league where elite players are not allowed to showcase their skills. Mostly because of the "head-up-our-ass" officials and administration. (By the way, JT is one of my favorite players, and maybe the best to come though UND, and I'm glad that he has been able to thrive at the NHL level.)

[THETRIOUXPER]

Brace yourself TRIOUXPER, but I've been agreeing with every one of your posts on this subject.

Yeah well, I can't find fault with lucia, his program, or the UofM in general. However, we are still not going to take warm showers together, sorry.

[yzerman19]

agree 100% on the rules issue. Remember when Parise came back from being MVP at the WJC and was held scoreless and bloodied by Anchorage. That's the game where Blaiser ordered the code red and sent Greeney out there to straighten things out.

I do think TJ has a little more developing to do. Right or wrong. He goes one on one a lot. He wins a lot of those one on ones, but not most. Again, he is a GREAT player.

JT was pretty dominant after the WJC last year. He was only 18 at the time too.

Anyway, I am happy that we have the players we have with the kind of character they have shown.

Merry Christmas Sioux fans....ask Santa for #8 in your stocking this year.

[tnt]

Snow went from NHL goalie to GM overnight. Eventually if he stays on long enough (no sure thing with the Isles even if they win) he'll realize it's not always the best thing to say whats on your mind.

I agree, but it is also not in Lucia's best interest to piss off pro teams, no matter what he is thinking. I know there was also a problem with Sutter, although that one Sutter brought on himself with his hatred for college hockey. I don't know how you can be a professional coach and not try to keep your relationships across the board professional, and I think it is probably the same with college coaches today in the new NHL environment. The less said in the media the better, and that probably goes for both sides.

[Siouxdonyms]

I agree, but it is also not in Lucia's best interest to piss off pro teams, no matter what he is thinking. I know there was also a problem with Sutter, although that one Sutter brought on himself with his hatred for college hockey. I don't know how you can be a professional coach and not try to keep your relationships across the board professional, and I think it is probably the same with college coaches today in the new NHL environment. The less said in the media the better, and that probably goes for both sides.

I don't think Lucia's comment was out of line. College hockey is unique in the fact that if you lose a player, you just can't sign another player immediately. You have to follow the guidelines of the NCAA. Yes, the Gophers can definitely call up one of their recruits now that it's semester break, and they can enroll in the university, but it's not like they can shop around for the right player.

Which Sutter are you talking about? Somehow, I either missed that story or it's too far back in the memory to shake loose into recollection.

[sagard]

I do think TJ has a little more developing to do. Right or wrong. He goes one on one a lot. He wins a lot of those one on ones, but not most. Again, he is a GREAT player.

The next big development stage for TJ will take place when he gets to the NHL. If he can take another big step he will be a top line forward. If he doesn't take the big step he'll have a nice career anyways. In my opinion he came back to UND because he loves playing there, not because he needed more development. Although with the physical all out effort game he plays, it certainly wasn't bad advice to let his body mature another season before tangling with the NHL.

[AZSIOUX]

dont fk with tDON aka the godfather

didnt garth snow give dipietro their goalie a 15 YEAR contract, i will bet that Garth wont have this job in 2-3 years. they should keep more guys around with more character like Simon. He only tried to cut another players ankle off with his skate. sounds like a hell of a organization

[THETRIOUXPER]

agree 100% on the rules issue. Remember when Parise came back from being MVP at the WJC and was held scoreless and bloodied by Anchorage. That's the game where Blaiser ordered the code red and sent Greeney out there to straighten things out.

I do think TJ has a little more developing to do. Right or wrong. He goes one on one a lot. He wins a lot of those one on ones, but not most. Again, he is a GREAT player.

JT was pretty dominant after the WJC last year. He was only 18 at the time too.

Anyway, I am happy that we have the players we have with the kind of character they have shown.

Merry Christmas Sioux fans....ask Santa for #8 in your stocking this year.

Well, I guess I, along with the Blues organization disagree with you on the development issue. TJ's reason for coming back had nothing to do with whether or not he was physically ready for the NHL grind. They wanted him bad, he shut the door because he loves it here, the school, the program, ect. He came here to win a NC, and being close the last two years tends to leave a bad taste in a guys mouth. However the season happens to play out, he along with the other guys gave up alot, and by alot I mean $$$, for the love of playing the game in it's purest form. After this, it becomes another job, and all the bull$%!# that comes with a job, probably even more.

[dagies]

I'm torn on this deal: I feel for the Gopher program and its fans. It seems like a real crappy deal for Kyle to bail at mid-season. But I also feel for Kyle and the holy he77 he's going to receive when he comes home as a pro; no kid deserves to be booed (well, unless he's killed a litter of puppies or something). What it ironic in that is many of the "boo-ers" at the X will be the same people who soundly booed our own TJ Oshie when he was introduced before every Final Five game.

What bothers me most out of this whole deal is the arrogance Islanders' GM Snow displays in his comments about the UoM program:

This is tacit acknowledgment of college hockey's unpaid and uncompensated role in developing players for the NHL. If Snow's sentiments are shared among a majority of the league, then its time for the NHL to start sending college programs bags full of cash.

As to the rest of the Gophers' season? I'd say this will make them a hungrier, more dangerous team.

I don't think anyone criticized The Great One when he said he was going to let Wheeler develop at MN because he thought it was a good place to leave him instead of signing him to a pro contract. I think a lot of gopher fans beat their chest about that one.

You can't have it both ways.

I, too, think this is going to unite the gophers team in a way nothing else could have. I think they will have a strong 2nd half, unfortunately.

[AZSIOUX]

I don't think anyone criticized The Great One when he said he was going to let Wheeler develop at MN because he thought it was a good place to leave him instead of signing him to a pro contract. I think a lot of gopher fans beat their chest about that one.

You can't have it both ways.

I, too, think this is going to unite the gophers team in a way nothing else could have. I think they will have a strong 2nd half, unfortunately.

i think the whole lets show we have a great coach and screw kyle mentality will only go so far with what they have in the lineup. maybe right away it may work but after that they have a their tough part of the schedule in the 2nd half of the season. carman coming back will be good but losing kyle will hurt, hell they only have barriball left from that really solid first line they sported in game 1 of stoa,okposo, barriball. i think they will be playing on the road in the wcha playoffs. that doesnt mean they cant make the final 5 but the road just got tougher without a hell of a player.

man can christmas just happen so we can see the sioux whoop up on the east coasters!!