UAA AD Cobb not a fan of "Mystery Alaska"

This past Week the remaining teams in the WCHA had their conference meeting and have begun to work out some of the details about how their league is going to be run going forward.

There have been various news stories to come out of the WCHA meetings that concluded last Wednesday.With each passing day it seems some more news emerges, some of this news adds to the already released information.

Apparently the UAA athletic director Steve Cobb is not a real big fan of the nWCHA's new playoff format - after reading his comments he has basically said what I and others have said. Actually, he has some sharp words of criticism for the new format as well  - Cobb called the "Mystery Alaska Rule" embarrassing - I have to say that I agree with him. The new rule challenges the integrity of the WCHA's conference tourney.

Doyle Woody, Anchorage Daily News --- The unusual playoff format for the Alaska schools, a cost-saving measure approved by an 8-1 vote during league meetings in Detroit last week, did not receive a stick salute from Cobb, who said he cast the only dissenting vote.

"I think it is embarrassing, and I think it is bad for college hockey and bad for our league,'' Cobb said. "Don't get me wrong, we love playing Fairbanks. But the playoffs are supposed to be an earned deal. You don't pick your opponent.''

Having UAA travel to UAF for a best-of-3, first-round series, or vice versa, would save the new league considerable money compared to either Alaska team traveling to the Lower 48 or having an opponent, or two, travel to Alaska.

It also looks like the WCHA is going to have their conference tourney in the Xcel Energy Center in 2015 when the B1G is going to be in Detroit. So the NCHC is going to go head to head with the WCHA and the B1G conference tourneys.

Cobb said the league will play its Final Five at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., in 2015 -- that's been the site of the Final Five for years -- but has yet to determine a Final Five site for 2014. The Big Ten has booked the Xcel for its tournaments in 2014 and 2016.

It will be interesting to see where the first nWCHA conferece tourney will be held - you have to wonder if some of the Michigan schools like LSSU, NMU, MTU, FSU will lobby for the conference tourney to be held in the Joe Louis Arena for the 2014 season?

NCHC to the Target Center

I had been rumored that the NCHC conference tourney was going to be be held at the Target Center, the official announcement is coming soon - as early as Monday. I know there are a lot of fans that aren't excited about this move nor is the Target Center a very attractive choice for a "college hockey" conference tourney.

There are some positives to look at - while the Target Center is a building built for basketball and hockey is kind of an after thought for the Target Center - there will be 100-150 million dollar  renovations to the facility very soon. The positive aspect about the Target Center is that UND, SCSU, UMD and UNO are all within close driving distances and will be the four schools that the majority of the attendance will come from, so it makes sense as a centralized location.

Related articles

• Is the NCHC close to picking the Target Center for their Conference tourney?

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• NCHC conference tourney in the Target Center

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• B1G Hockey announces conference tourney schedule

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BC Interruption, "NCAA Ice Hockey Regionals Were Run Like College Baseball? "

As we are about four months away from the start of the Division I college hockey season - here is a great idea from Brian Favat from B.C. Interruption for you to chew on. Favat throws the idea of having the four highest seeds host the regionals and have a double elimination tourney. I think this would definitely prove to be an exciting regional format.

B.C. Interruption --- Had an interesting thought while taking in some of this weekend's NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament regional action. After another year of poor Regional attendance, lots of talk about ways of improving the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Regional format. Could the answer come from college baseball?

What if the men's ice hockey tournament Regional round took on the same format as the NCAA baseball regional format?

The baseball regional round is a four team, double elimination format hosted by the top seed in each region. The regionals start on Friday, pairing the 1 seed up against the 4 and the 2 against the 3. The winners of those two games advance to the 1-0 game, while the losers face each other in an elimination game.

It would look something like this, I don't know if the NCAA would approve of this Idea... I am up for improving the current state of the college hockey regional format - as we saw from this last year that the NCAA regionals were poorly attended.

Thursday

No. 1 seed vs. No. 4 seed
No. 2 seed vs. No. 3 seed

Friday

1-0 game: 1/4 Winner vs. 2/3 Winner
Elimination game: 1/4 Loser vs. 2/3 Loser

Saturday
1-0 Game Loser vs. Elimination game Winner

Sunday
Saturday game winner vs. 2-0 team

Monday (if necessary)
2-1 Elimination game

Here are the attendance figures from the four regional final games from this season’s NCAA regionals – 5,328, 10,974, 4,470, 3,108 – The highest attended regional was the West Regional in Xcel Energy Center. The NCAA should have more fans attending the regionals, something needs to be done to improve attendance.

Another Idea that I am in favor of - having the four number one seeds host the regionals on their campus sites and keep the format the rest of the way. I think that the number one seeds should have some benefit from playing well all season long and gaining a number one seed. You call also probably have higher attendance numbers that we had last season.

One problem facing UND is that the school is currently under NCAA sanctions and would not be able to host an NCAA regional.

Home Field advantage?

Goldy Gopher, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities mascot. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I figure we can start a debate on Tuesday afternoon with nothing going on today.

Recently, we have heard from Gopher fans how the Xcel Energy Center is not a home game for the Minnesota Gophers. that is false since the Xcel Energy Center is eight miles from the University of Minnesota campus.

Check out this stat, it's pretty telling, the Minnesota Gophers have hosted a regional championship, both at the Xcel Center and Marucci Arena (2003, 2005) five times since 2003 and made the Frozen Four three times.

Also, the three seasons the Gophers missed the making the Frozen Four when they were the host team, was when they failed to qualify for the NCAA tourney (2009, 2010 and 2011). 

B.C. Interuption --- Since the tournament expanded to 16 programs for the 2002-3 season, the University of Minnesota has hosted the West Regional on five separate occasions (2003, 2005, 2009, 2010 and 2012). In three of those years, the Gophers were able to advance to the Frozen Four. Still don't think there's an advantage to playing closer to home come tournament time?

Granted many times the NCAA Regionals are hosted by schools that won't even sniff an NCAA Tournament bid in any given year. Teams like Holy Cross, Fairfield and Michigan Tech rarely make an NCAA Tournament appearance but continue to host a regional every few years. Other college hockey heavyweights -- like New Hampshire, North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin -- are regular hosts for either the Regional round or the Frozen Four.

So to claim by Gopher fans and others that the Xcel Energy Center is not like home ice for the Golden Gophers is disingenuous and short sighted.

Congrats to the Minnesota Golden Gophers for making the NCAA tourney and we see how your team matches up with the high flying Boston College Eagles. [Goon's Prediction]

Related articles

• A quick look at the regionals... Goon's Pontifications.... (ndgoon.blogspot.com)
• My prediction for the Frozen Four (ndgoon.blogspot.com)
• UND's tentative 2012-13 Schedule (ndgoon.blogspot.com)
• NCAA West Regional Capsules (insidehockey.com)

J.T. Brown Bolts to the Lighting

The annual defections of college hockey players to the professional ranks is in full swing as the UMD Bulldogs lose their star power forward J.T. Brown,

Brown inked an entry level deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning this afternoon.  It was rumored that Brown could have signed a professional deal last summer after wowing the college hockey world with outstanding performance during the 2011 NCAA Frozen Four at the Xcel Energy Center. Brown was also named the Most Outstanding Player during the 2011 NCAA Frozen Four, for his efforts.

Damian Cristodero, Lightning Strikes --- The Lightning on Wednesday acquired one of the nation’s most-coveted college players when it signed Minnesota-Duluth sophomore forward J.T. Brown to a two-year, two-way contract that runs through the 2012-13 season. The plan is to get him into the lineup Saturday at the Tampa Bay Times Forum against the Jets, GM Steve Yzerman said.

"He’s very talented, very competitive, good skill level, good skater,” Yzerman said. “I’m anxious to see him in there.”

Brown, 21, led UMD this season with 24 goals and in 80 games in two seasons had 40 goals and 84 points.

“Definitely exciting,” he said of signing with Tampa Bay. “It came down to having the right opportunity and being the right fit.

J.T. Brown is the son of former Minnesota Vikings running back Ted Brown who played in the NFL from 1979-1986.  Brown scored (40g-44a—84pts) in 81 games for the Bulldogs.

Brown is expected to make his NHL debut on Saturday when the Tampa Bay Lightning play the Winnipeg Jets in Tampa. 

NCHC conference tourney in the Target Center

Jess Myers of 1500 ESPN and of Inside College Hockey has this little nugget in his post on Thursday and my first reaction is no thank you.

The Target Center is less than attractive option for hockey and the ice was horrible last time a hockey game was played in there. 

Jess Myers 1500 ESPN --- And what about those armies of North Dakota fans, with their team heading to the new NCHC (with Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State) at the end of next season? For now, it looks as though they could be heading to Minneapolis, as NCHC officials have reportedly been offered a sweetheart deal to hold their post-season tournament at Target Center.

Of course, that idea raises several questions about the future. The initial good news that there would be one or two college post-season tournaments in the Twin Cities every March is tempered just a bit by several "yes, but..." factors to consider.

For example, while a Minnesota-Michigan tournament final in St. Paul in St. Paul would surely be a sought-after ticket, the notion of filling Xcel Energy Center for a match-up between "new" WCHA teams like Michigan Tech and Bowling Green has no basis in reality. A title game featuring Bemidji State or Minnesota State, Mankato might draw a respectable crowd, but in most years where the Gophers are at Joe Louis, there will be oceans of good seats available.

And the inadequacy of Target Center as a hockey building is one of the reasons the North Stars headed to Dallas rather than moving from the antiquated Met Center to downtown Minneapolis in 1993. A 2010 game between the Gophers and the Badgers is the only hockey game the building has hosted in more than a decade.

Personally, I like the option of rotating the tourney between Denver, Colorado Saint Paul, Minnesota and or Omaha, Nebraska.  Seriously, unless the Target Center is going to upgrade it's hockey capabilities,  more specifically, the ice making capabilities would have to improve quite a bit. That being said, there are better restaurants and bar options in the Target Center area, than around the Xcel Energy Center.

Related articles

• WCHA Final Five Capsules (insidehockey.com)
• NCHC Commissioner Jim Scheer press-conference (ndgoon.blogspot.com)
• Sioux rally to stomp Gophers (insidehockey.com)
• Thursday at the Final Five (insidehockey.com)
• Dell Backstops Sioux to 4-0 Win Over Denver (insidehockey.com)
• Goon's predictions for the Final Five (ndgoon.blogspot.com)

DQ Cup Redux?

This seems to be the talk of twitter this afternoon, seems like some fans aren't very excited about it as well. There is a little thing about perception. 

Roman Augustoviz, Roman Empire --- In 2013-14 the five Division I hockey programs in Minnesota -- now all in the WCHA -- will be in three different conferences.

But those same five teams are near finalizing an agreement to play in a four-team tournament in late January at the Xcel Energy Center, according to Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi.

"We are very close to getting it done," Maturi said. "It will be at the Xcel, that is what we are considering right now."

Maturi said on Saturday that all those schools have all agreed to the general format, but nothing has been signed. Presumably the Gophers would be in the field every year, and three of the other four Minnesota teams.

"We have to work out the finances and make sure everybody agrees to what it is," Maturi said, "and move forward."

Me personally, I agree with others that think it's a bit narcissistic on Minnesota's part, because the Gophers can have their cake and eat it too. The officials at Minnesota will claim that they are helping the have nots in out state Minnesota and will still be able to have their precious 20 home games at Mariucci Arena. Call it what you want, this is all about Gophers.

Let's not kid our selves, the chances of a BSU or a Minnesota State getting the Gophers to come to the Sanford center or the Verizon Wireless Center will still only happen maybe once every four or five years if they are lucky.

TV Contract coming for the NCHC?

Brian Gomez of the Colorado Springs Gazette has this little news nugget in his media blog today, sounds like a TV deal is coming soon for the NCHC.

Also, it looks more and more like the NCHC is going to have it’s conference tourney in the Excel Energy Center. This is not the first time that I have heard this and former Colorado Gazette Colorado College beat writer Joe Paisley had posted this as well in one of his weekly Gazette chats.

Brian Gomez, Gazette.com --- A TV contract for Colorado College’s new conference will be announced within the next three weeks, and the NBC Sports Network, formerly called Versus, as well as Fox Sports regional affiliates have emerged as legitimate competition for CBS Sports Network.

National Collegiate Hockey Conference commissioner Jim Scherr (above) told CC play-by-play man Ken Landau of the timetable for the eight-team league that will begin in the 2013-14 season during Tigers coach Scott Owens’ radio show Tuesday on 103.9 FM RXP. A total of 75 games are being broadcast this season on Fox College Sports, Fox Sports North and Fox Sports stations in Colorado, Michigan and Wisconsin; NBC Sports Network has 16 games, including the Hockey East Tournament; and CBS Sports Network has 23 games.

Before Scherr was appointed last week as the NCHC’s first commissioner, an agreement with CBS Sports Network for 16 games was thought of as imminent. Earlier Tuesday, on a USCHO.com radio show, Scherr said the TV deal will offer “uniform exposure across the conference,” adding the NCHC will “have a strong package

Here is the bit on the NCHC tourney. I think the NCHC getting the Xcel Energy Center makes perfect sense because there is no way that the new revamped WCHA is going to be able to fill the arena without UND, UMD and SCSU.

The inaugural NCHC Tournament – rumored to be held at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., the site of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Final Five in March – no doubt will be carried by the conference’s TV partner. Scherr didn’t confirm St. Paul as the 2014 site with USCHO.com, saying only that the event will be held at a “geographic location that makes sense for the fan bases to get there and support their teams.”

Related articles

• NCHC Names Jim Scherr as First Commissioner (mvn.com)
• Video; NCHC Introduces Commissioner (mvn.com)
• RW77′s Take on Conference Realignment Part 2 (mvn.com)
• Waiting to Exhale, the WCHA is Back (mvn.com)

College Hockey fan behavior.

Image via WikipediaThis is an article that I wrote for the Illegal Curve back in October 21, 2009.


My dad sent me an account of a Gopher fan’s experience at Ralph Engelstad Arena this past weekend. Was I sitting in a different arena this past weekend?

Sioux Gophers and idiots on both sides.

I was at the Sioux/Gopher hockey games this weekend. The games were in Grand Forks and I was wearing Gopher gear on Friday night. Our tickets were also in the student section. We sat on the very far side of the student section. There were some Gopher fans in front of us who were clearly from the U. They were receiving a bit of heckling, and for the most part it was all in good fun, but there were a few weekend warriors” that went over the line from the UND side of things. They were invading some personal space and getting face to face with the kids from the U. Lots of you are a bitch. and you suck balls. Luckily for everybody involved where I was at, the Gopher kids stayed very chill about the

The UND kids clearly had had way too much to drink. The problem was they kept coming back trying to instigate more and more each time. It could have turned bad pretty easy. Check out the story below. On Saturday night we also had student section tickets. I was not looking forward to the abuse again.

 The night before there was a very drunk kid behind us who fell into our seats a few times. We were standing each time, but my wife got kicked once. He’s lucky he did not catch the 4 year old girl with a foot. So we got lucky Saturday nights, while we were waiting in line to get into the game some kids from the U said they had normal tickets but wanted to sit in student section. I overheard this and we traded our 4 student tickets for their 4 normal tickets. It was a much better game Saturday and we did not have to get kicked by drunk 19 year olds. All around a better experience.

While this weekend I didn’t see a lot of this stuff going on, I have witnessed this type of behavior first hand in the past at venues like the Final Five at the Xcel Energy Center. Who uses this type of language when talking to another fan from a different team in front of young children? These people should have their mouths washed out with soap. That does cross the line of what is considered acceptable behavior at a sporting event. If I brought my two year old daughter to the game I don’t want her to have to listen to this kind of vile stuff. Just because you’re a college student doesn’t give you the right to act like an ass. There is no birthright to sit in that seat at the arena; if you can’t behave, I am sure the REA management can sell that prime seat to someone will be able to conduct themselves in an acceptable manner.

Not to pick on the college students there are many examples of adult fans, both Sioux and Gopher fans, getting out of hand and acting like imbeciles as well. I heard from a friend that a female Gopher fan who happened to be pregnant was heckled and jostled at the arena this past weekend. Who the heck does that kind of a thing? Imagine your girlfriend, wife or mother having this happen to them.

In yesterday’s Grand Forks Herald there was a letter to the editor in which a person described an experience where someone dumped a beer on a Gopher fan’s head from the upper deck. That kind of behavior is unacceptable and only a moron would defend behavior like this. People like this are going to ruin it for the rest of us that like to enjoy a beer without having the game ruined by drunk, belligerent idiots. I can foresee a time where the REA might ban beer sales to college students and or everyone.

These types of incidents do not paint a positive picture of Grand Forks, ND, the University of North Dakota, the University of Minnesota or the WCHA. As fans collectively we must behave better, we don’t want to look like a bunch of knuckle-dragging Neanderthals.

I know, call me old-fashioned, but some of the stuff that happened this past weekend seems to be borderline criminal or at least anti-social behavior and should be deemed as inappropriate and unacceptable. None of us should have to be a witness to this type of crap. To top off the weekend, we had an incident between two fans that could be classified as felonious with one person ending up in the ICU wing of Altru Hospital. There is nothing about this series that should lead any of us to start throwing punches at each other.

I am as pro-Fighting Sioux hockey as they come: I am all for a loud arena and an intimidating atmosphere, but some of this stuff is atrocious behavior and unfit for television. My boss who is new to the area went to a Sioux hockey game for the first time and I am sure she was impressed with the F’ the Gophers cheer, way to go UND. Remember there is friendly acceptable back and forth banter and then there is crossing the line. I also have friends that are Gopher fans, and some of them won’t even come up to Grand Forks anymore based on the type of treatment they have received from our fans.

I have to wonder if it is time for college hockey to institute a fan code of conduct for its fans like some NFL teams have. Eventually the University of North Dakota is going to have to address the behaviors of its fans at the REA.

Fan code of conduct
“The National Football League and its teams are committed to creating a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable experience for all fans, both in the stadium and in the parking lot. We want all fans attending our games to enjoy the experience in a responsible fashion. When attending a game, you are required to refrain from the following behaviors:
» Behavior that is unruly, disruptive, or illegal in nature.
» Intoxication or other signs of alcohol impairment that results in irresponsible behavior.
» Foul or abusive language or obscene gestures.
» Interference with the progress of the game (including throwing objects onto the field).
» Failing to follow instructions of stadium personnel.
» Verbal or physical harassment of opposing team fans.
“Event patrons are responsible for their conduct as well as the conduct of their guests and/or persons occupying their seats. Stadium staff will promptly intervene to support an environment where event patrons, their guests, and other fans can enjoy the event free from the above behavior. Event patrons and guests who violate these provisions will be subject to ejection without refund and loss of ticket privileges for future games.”

Like another hockey fan suggested from DU, I like the NFL fan code of conduct policy and I am all for this if being enacted at REA. If you’re an unruly fan and you can’t act in an acceptable manner, your ticket should be taken from you and you will no longer be allowed to be able to attend events in the arena. Attending college hockey is a privilege, not a right. If you can’t act like a member of the human race, do not bother coming to the arena. Someone else will gladly pay a handsome fee for that ticket and act in a respectful manner in your place.

Related articles

• UND Races Past Harvard on New Year's Eve (insidehockey.com)
• Merry Christmas from Goon's World (mvn.com)
• Frank Mazzocco gets second chance... (mvn.com)

HOCKEY: ‘A real, living Paul Bunyan’

Image via WikipediaFighting Sioux beat writer Brad Schlossman has an awesome article on former Bemidji Lumber Jack star George Pelawa. I had the pleasure of meeting George when I moved to Bemidji, Minnesota in 1984.

I transferred my senior year of high school from International Falls, Minnesota to Bemidji, Minnesota, where I met George Pelawa who was also playing football for the Bemidji Lumber Jacks. I can tell you everything that they said about George Pelawa was true, George was an amazing athlete, and an awesome person, I don't think that you could meet a nicer guy and I can't ever remember anyone ever saying anything negative about him.

Brad Elliott Schlossman, Grand Forks Herald --- George Pelawa was 6 feet, 4 inches and about 240 pounds.

“The biggest hockey player I ever saw,” UND associate coach Cary Eades said. “He was a real, living Paul Bunyan.”

He could skate, puck-handle, shoot and hit, too.

The rare skill set made the Bemidji native one of the most coveted players that northern Minnesota has ever seen.

Eades recalls rejoicing in the Sioux hockey office 25 years ago when Pelawa committed to UND, then watching the power forward dominate at the 1986 state hockey tournament.

Three months later, the Calgary Flames selected Pelawa in the first round with the No. 16 overall pick. At the time, no Minnesota-born forward had ever been drafted higher.

“He had the total package,” said Eades, an assistant coach who helped recruit Pelawa. “The sky was the limit for him. There was an unbelievable amount of potential for him. . . just never realized.”

A week after moving into the dorms at UND, Pelawa was killed in a car accident just north of Bemidji.

An estimated 2,000 people attended the funeral at the high school auditorium.

Among those in attendance: UND head coach Gino Gasparini, U.S. Olympic head coach Dave Peterson, Miracle on Ice coach Herb Brooks and Calgary Flames general manager Cliff Fletcher, whose son Chuck will make the home state team’s draft pick Friday night in Xcel Energy Center as the general manager of the Minnesota Wild.

Pelawa’s parents, Frank and Winnie, are considering making the trip to St. Paul for the event. It will certainly conjure up many memories of the guy who was affectionately known as “Big George.”

Remembering former Wild Enforcer Derek Boogaard.

Yesterday morning I woke up at my hunting shack to find a depressing email on my iPhone from the Whistler; telling me that the former Minnesota Wild enforcer the "Boogeyman" Derek Boogaard had died in his Minneapolis apartment. Cause of death unknown at this time, pending the results of a autopsy from the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office... The Boogaard family is going to donate Derek's brain to science.  I don't want to speculate what caused Derek's death and I would actually urge others to not jump to conclusions like some have before we know the truth.


This was Derek Boogaard's last NHL goal which game against the Washington Capitals back in November of 2010. Incidentally that goal by the Boogeyman had broke a long goalless streak going back to January 7th of  2006, that goal broke a 234 game goalless streak.
 
Boogaard's last NHL game was on December 9th, 2010 against the Ottawa Senators where Boogaard sustained a concussion in a fight with Matt Carkner. Boogaard would never play again do to post concussion syndrome.

In closing I would like to express my deepest sympathy to the Boogaard family and may Derek Boogaard rest in peace. Personally, this is a sad day for me because I admire the enforcers in the NHL and I like what Boogaard brought to the ice for the five years that he played for the Minnesota Wild. Boogey might have been a tough guy but he played by the hockey code and was not a dirty player and he played the game straight up and you didn’t see him head hunting like some of the agitators around the NHL today.From everything that I have heard and read Derek was an awesome selfless person that gave back to the communities that he lived in.

Former Wild Enforcer Derek Boogaard Dead at 28

Sad:

Boogaard's body was found by family members in an apartment in the 400 block of First Street North, in Minneapolis' warehouse district, late Friday. Police said they would not release further details about the death Friday.

Boogard was just 28 years old.




I'm sure that Goon will have more to say. I wish that his family and friends can find peace somehow.