Is the New Orleans Saints Logo Racist?

This story was on the Daily Caller two days ago. Are the Saints the next ones to come under fire? Thoughts?

Wynton Yates, Eyewitness News -- The fleur de lis is a symbol that is deeply ingrained in Louisiana's history. Seen in architecture, the state flag and on the helmets of the Saints, it's everywhere.

But while it is now seen as the mark of our great state, it was once used to mark slaves.

"Code noir, those words are French and mean black code," said slave historian Dr. Ibrahima Seck.

The black code was a set of regulations adopted in Louisiana in 1724 from other French colonies around the world, meant to govern the state's slave population. Seck said those rules included branding slaves with the fleur de lis as punishment for running away.

Roughriders nickname = Racism

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I have been reading some of the letters to the editors and C.T. Marhula from Grand Forks tells us that we can't select the Roughriders nickname because it's racist. So, let me get this straight,  the nickname Roughriders are racist? 
Does that mean that the Saskatchewan Roughriders also are racist, too? I am getting confused with all of this political correctness run amuck. In the era where everyone has a God-given right to not be offended, what's next? Do we take Teddy's face off of Mount Rushmore? We're going down a slippery slope here. 

If for some reason, the public votes for the Roughriders nickname the school doesn't have to tie it into the former president Theodore Roosevelt. 

As to the growing support for Roughriders: Really? After Teddy Roosevelt? "Nowadays, we undoubtedly ought to break up the great Indian reservations, disregard the tribal governments ... The settler and pioneer have at bottom had justice on their side; this great continent could not have been kept as nothing but a game preserve for squalid savages." Did the consultant provide these Teddy Roosevelt quotes to the committee?

Grand Forks Herald Letter: Roosevelt's racism puts 'Roughriders' off-limits

I honestly don't know what to make of this Letter to the editor, but it seems we're reaching here or that we are quick to find something that offends us. 

First, I love the Fighting Sioux nickname and wore it with pride this past week in Michigan. That being said, the Fighting Sioux nickname isn't coming back. I see no way that it does. Here's the latest letter from Tom Anderson from Fargo, ND. What do you think of this? 

 

As a UND alumnus, I find it interesting how much faith and money UND has placed in an outside consultant. After seeing the final list of names, I conclude that the consultants should be fired for incompetence.

To forward the name "Roughriders" and any connection to Teddy Roosevelt would be a greater travesty than removing the 85-plus year tradition of the Fighting Sioux name.

Doesn't this highly paid consultant know that Roosevelt was a self-admitted white supremacist? Just look at his writings to see glaring examples; such as, "I don't go so far as to think that the only good Indian is the dead Indian, but I believe nine out of every 10 are, and I shouldn't like to inquire too closely into the case of the tenth. The most vicious cowboy has more moral principle than the average Indian."

Further examples of his racism are found in Vol. 3 of "The Winning of the West," in which he viewed American Indians as savages, unworthy of citizenship. In Roosevelt's letter known as the "race suicide letter," he wrote, any white person who did not have children was "in effect a criminal against the race." His thinking was that reproduction was the only way the white race could conquer colored races.

We can't rewrite history. We can't ignore these facts about Roosevelt—or the historical fact that in a Sacred Religious Pipe Ceremony, the Sioux Tribe gave UND the use of the name Fighting Sioux forever.

With UND President Robert Kelley leaving, this is the perfect time to take a deep breath and wait for the name change until a new president is selected. "North Dakota" is the most popular choice by the general public. Don't throw salt in our wounds by selecting a name no one wants or will support.

Tom Anderson

Fargo

UND Releases list of Incoming Freshmen

by Redwing77

UND is going into next season with 10 brand new faces.  This is the largest freshman class since 2011-2012.  Here's an overview:

Forwards:

Brock Boeser (pronounced BESS-er):  Highly skilled forward taken in the first round in the 2015 NHL draft by Vancouver.

 Ht: 6-0    Wt: 191      Pos: F     Hometown: Burnsville, Minn.                 Previous Team: Waterloo (USHL)    

Drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in the first round (23rd overall) of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft ... Spent the 2014-15 season with the United States Hockey League’s (USHL) Waterloo Blackhawks … Earned USHL All-Star First Team and USHL All-Rookie Team honors … Appeared in 57 games for the Blackhawks … Tied for the league lead with 35 goals and finished third in the USHL scoring race with 68 points …  Invited to the 2015 U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp Roster by USA Hockey … Captained USA to a bronze medal at the 2014-15 Ivan Hlinka Tournament and led the team with six goals in five games … Tied for the team scoring lead with seven points in five games and led USA to a silver medal at the 2013-14 Ivan Hlinka Tournament … Helped lead the U.S. to a gold medal at the 2013-14 Five Nations Tournament.

Redwing77's Take:  I've seen him play a few times against Omaha.  He did quite a good job on the ice.  He was always a factor in the game for Waterloo, despite the fact that the closest Waterloo came to beating Omaha was a shootout loss (Boeser shot second and Oldham made the save).

Name: Rhett Gardner                   Ht: 6-2    Wt: 215      Pos: F     Hometown: Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan                Previous Team: Okotoks (AJHL)                                                       

Spent the past two seasons with the Okotoks Oilers of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), where he totaled 37 goals and 54 assists for 91 points in 106 career games … Appeared in 54 games in 2014-15 and led the Oilers in points (54), goals (24) and assists (30) … Added a team-leading six points in seven playoff games … Earned AJHL All-Rookie Team honors in 2013-14 when he collected 13 goals and 24 assists in 52 games … Represented Canada West each of the last two years at the World Junior A Challenge, serving as team captain in 2014-15 and winning a bronze medal in 2013-14.

Name: Shane Gersich                   Ht: 5-9    Wt: 174      Pos: F     Hometown: Chaska, Minn.                      Previous Team: Omaha (USHL)        

Drafted by the Washington Capitals in the fifth round (134th overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft … Spent the 2014-15 season with the USHL’s Omaha Lancers and led the team in goals (27), power-play points (16), power-play goals (10) and game-winning goals (5) … Added 23 assists for 50 points in 52 games … Represented the U.S. at the 2014-15 World Junior A Challenge … Spent the 2013-14 season with the U.S. National Team Development Program … Had 16 goals and 16 assists in 61 games with the U.S. Under-18 Team and helped team to a gold medal at the U-18 World Championship.

Redwing77's take:  I've watched him play all year long.  He started out being pretty much the SOLE goal scorer for the Lancers, during which they were AWFUL at home.  As the season progressed, the Lancers got better and, though Gersich didn't necessarily diminish in performance, he became less noticeable.  Shane is an energy player and he LOVES to shoot the puck.  It's hard to predict what he'll be like in Grand Forks, but he's served on a scoring line in Omaha and on a checking line with the U.S. NTDP.  He could be just about anywhere... adding grit to a scoring line or adding scoring to a grit line.  My armchair prediction is that he'll be on the third or fourth line as a freshman.

Name: Mike Gornall                     Ht: 5-9    Wt: 201      Pos: F     Hometown: Irwin, Pa.                              Previous Team: Topeka (NAHL)       

Spent the past two seasons with the Topeka Roadrunners of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) … Amassed 21 goals and 50 assists in 113 career games with Topeka … Added 10 goals and 14 points in 19 career playoff games … Served as team captain in 2014-15 and collected 15 goals and 34 assists in 58 games … Had a team-leading seven goals and nine points in eight playoff games … Was a teammate of fellow UND freshman Matej Tomek in 2014-15.

Name: Joel Janatuinen                Ht: 6-0    Wt: 176      Pos: F     Hometown: Espoo, Finland                    Previous Team: Sioux City (USHL)   

Spent the 2014-15 season – his first in North America – with the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers and registered 21 goals and 29 assists in 50 games … Also owned a plus-20 rating … Added a team-leading three goals in five playoff games … Spent the 2013-14 season in Finland’s Jr. A. SM-Liiga league and led the Blues U20 to a league championship … Had 22 goals and 26 assists in 46 games, tying for second on the team in goals and tying for third in points … Won the league’s Jere Lehtinen Award as Gentleman of the Year … Joins fellow freshman Matej Tomek, Slovakia’s Rastislav Spirko (2004-06), Denmark’s Lars Oxholm (1991-93) and the Czech Republic’s Zdenek “Stan” Marek (1950-51) as the only Europeans to play men’s hockey at UND.

Redwing77's take:  I've watched him play 3 times last season and, though he scored 1 goal and 1 assist in the first game of the year last year, he was pretty good overall.  To be honest, though, I really wasn't paying too much attention to him at the time because all three games took place before he committed to UND.

Name: Chris Wilkie                      Ht: 6-0    Wt: 195      Pos: F     Hometown: Omaha, Neb.                       Previous Team: Tri-City (USHL)        

Drafted by the Florida Panthers in the sixth round (162nd overall) of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft …  spent the past two seasons with the USHL’s Tri-City Storm and was named to the USHL Second All-Star Team in 2014-15 after tying for the league’s goal-scoring lead with 35 goals … Added 20 assists for 55 points in 59 games … Had 17 goals and 19 assists in 57 games as a USHL rookie in 2013-14 … Won a bronze medal with Team USA at the 2012-13 Under-17 World Championship … Father, David, was a defenseman who spent parts of six seasons in the NHL with Montreal, Tampa Bay and the New York Rangers.

 Redwing77's Take:  Ok, I'm not going to give you stats, but I watched Chris play a lot this year and he was ALL over the place when I was watching him.  He was by far the most fun player to watch on a very talented Tri-City team.  He seemed to play in every situation and he also manned the point on the Power Play.  He was very effective in that capacity vs. Omaha.  I really liked Wilkie's play, even if he's more inconsistent than Boeser and not as good defensively as Boeser or Gersich.

Defensemen:

Name: Danys Chartrand              Ht: 6-1    Wt: 188      Pos: D    Hometown: Winnipeg, Manitoba           Previous Team: Flin Flon (MJHL)      

Spent the past three seasons with the Flin Flon Bombers of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) … Amassed 11 goals and 39 assists in 146 career games with the Bombers … Earned Flin Flon’s Academic Award in 2014-15 … Received the team’s MVP and Best Defenseman Awards in 2013-14 after totaling eight goals and 14 assists in 56 games … Named Flin Flon’s Rookie of the Year in 2012-13 … Father, Ken, attended UND … Sister, Nik, swam collegiately at Delta State University.  Name prounounced:  Danny SHAR-trand

Redwing77's Take:  Ok, I don't have much to say about this guy except Coach Berry said that he's used up his junior eligibility and talked about needing depth in case of injury.  My guess is that this guy is much like a Coltyn Sanderson and Jim Senkbeil type guy.

Name: Hayden Shaw                    Ht: 5-9    Wt: 191      Pos: D    Hometown: Woodbury, Minn.                Previous Team: Dubuque (USHL)     

Spent the previous two seasons in the USHL, playing for the Waterloo Blackhawks in 2013-14 and splitting the 2014-15 season between Waterloo and the Dubuque Fighting Saints … Earned USHL First All-Star Team honors in 2014-15 after tying for third among the league’s defensemen in scoring with (6-36—42) and plus-minus rating (plus-20) in 46 games … Tied for the playoff scoring lead among defensemen with 12 points (3 goals, 9 assists) in eight games for Dubuque  … Was named to the 2013-14 USHL All-Rookie Team after amassing eight goals and 21 assists in 53 games … Son of UND assistant coach Matt Shaw.

Redwing77's Take:  I liked Shaw.  He factored in most of his games vs. Omaha this past season despite splitting time between two teams.  I think he's a puck mover and an offensive defenseman.  One thing I noticed (though not live) is that he seemed to be far more noticeable in the playoffs.  This is a good thing.

Name: Christian Wolanin             Ht: 6-1    Wt: 177      Pos: D    Hometown: Rochester, Mich.                 Previous Team: Muskegon (USHL)  

Drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the fourth round (107th overall) of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft … Spent the last three years in in the USHL … Named to USHL Second All-Star Team in 2014-15 after scoring 14 goals and 27 assists in 41 games for the Muskegon Lumberjacks … Ranked second among USHL defensemen in goals and fifth in points … Totaled six goals and 28 assists in 109 games over his previous two seasons with Muskegon and Green Bay … Father, Craig, was an NHL defenseman who enjoyed a 13-year career with New Jersey, Quebec, Colorado, Tampa Bay and Toronto.

 Redwing77's Take:  This kid interests me.  He is listed on the release as being from Rochester, Michigan but on the NHL Draft ticker as being from Quebec City, Quebec.  It's not a big deal but it was interesting to me.  What's also interesting is that he's a convert.  He started out playing forward and switched to defense either in high school or at the USHL level.  With UND's tendency to play "fast and loose" with positions (see Senkbeil, Poolman, and Chay Genoway as a few examples) it would not shock me to see him play just about any skating position.  The only meaningless note from my personal observations is that he served this year as Captain of the Lumberjacks.  I mention this because he spent an awful lot of time complaining to the refs when he faced Omaha.

Goaltender

Name: Matej Tomek                     Ht: 6-2    Wt: 179      Pos: G    Hometown: Bratislava, Slovakia            Previous Team: Topeka (NAHL)       

Drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the third round (90th overall) of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft … Spent the 2014-15 season with the North American Hockey League’s (NAHL) Topeka Roadrunners, where he was a teammate of fellow UND freshman Mike Gornall … Named NAHL Goaltender of the Year and earned All-NAHL Team honors after going 24-7-2 with a 1.83 goals against average and .928 save percentage … Also had six shutouts, tied for second-most in the league … Joins fellow freshman Joel Janatuinen, Slovakia’s Rastislav Spirko (2004-06), Denmark’s Lars Oxholm (1991-93) and the Czech Republic’s Zdenek “Stan” Marek (1950-51) as the only Europeans to play men’s hockey at UND.  Pronounced:  Matay Toe-mak.

Redwing77's Take:  In my opinion, goaltending is the biggest question mark going into next season for UND.  Yes, our D has a big new look, but the Cam Johnson I saw in the USHL and the Cam Johnson I saw last year were two different players and, sadly, rather shaky.  That being said, Tomek played well enough to get drafted...but he comes from a league that isn't as solid as the USHL.  My hope is that Tomek is another coming of two former NAHL goaltending superstars:  Ryan Miller or Ben Bishop (despite Bishop being 4-5 inches taller).

Oshie Picks a Number

by Redwing77

New Capitol T.J. Oshie has picked a new number:

Thanks for all of the # suggestions! Going with 77. #Caps pic.twitter.com/lh8OZNEaZp

— TJ Oshie (@TJOshie77) July 6, 2015

I've always loved that number. 

T.J. Oshie to Wear Number 77

Brandon Dubinsky not a Fan of Mike Reilly

One has to wonder if this wasn't a drunk tweet or something along those lines. That being said, Columbus Blue Jackets isn't a fan of former Gopher Mike Reilly. 

Obviously, Reilly isn't the first college hockey player to go this route to the NHL, but I can see how Dubinsky and his Blue Jackets teammates might not be that impressed with the ex-Gopher's decision. Dubinsky has since deleted his tweet. 

God Bless America

I got to thinking, this is very appropriate today. Enjoy.

Happy 4th of July

A photo posted by Memes Are Supposed To Hurt (@_everydayhockey_) on Jul 4, 2015 at 8:40am PDT

Happy 4th of July from the bloggers at Goon's World. What are you thankful for on this holiday?

Going to a press conference at the REA.

A photo posted by Eric J. Burton (@eric.burton.94801) on Jun 22, 2015 at 9:24am PDT

Coach Berry takes questions from the media.

A photo posted by Eric J. Burton (@eric.burton.94801) on Jun 22, 2015 at 10:08am PDT

Mark Schuttenhelm: Tackling the nickname dilemma

My friend Mark Schuttenhelm wrote this article for today's Jamestown Sun. For those to don't know Mark, he's a great hockey mind and writes a weekly column about college hockey during the regular season. I have sat next to him in the REA press box for the last three seasons. Mark and I have had many great discussions about college hockey and about life in general.

I like what he wrote here. I think he's right, the UND nickname committee has needlessly spent a lot of money to end with these six not so great nickname choices. I don't really like any of these choices. I could tolerate one of the Hawks and Rough Riders. Like Schuttenhelm, I would rather just stay North Dakota, too.

Mark Schuttenhelmm, Jamestown Sun -- The UND nickname committee has narrowed it down to six possibilities — Green Hawks, Fighting Hawks, Nodaks, Roughriders, Sundogs, North Stars.

They're kidding us with these names, right? Unfortunately — no. Sadly, this group is said to be the cream of the crop amongst all the names submitted by the folks.

Now look, I know the nickname committee members are not being paid for this work, so I'm hesitant to rip them. And besides, they have taken on an impossible task. This is a fact I pointed out two years ago when I came out in favor of foregoing a nickname and logo and simply using North Dakota, or UND for short, and thankfully, that option does remain on the table as well.

Back in 2013, I said it was unlikely that anyone could come up with a nickname that would even approach "Fighting Sioux" on any number of levels. Likewise, creating a logo to replace the beautiful Sioux Indian head was also an impossible task.

And seriously, he's right, Sundogs sounds ridiculous, moronic and should have been removed from the nickname list a long time ago. Yet, it's still there. I hope we never have to see Home of the Sundogs.

North Dakota Hockey is succinct, dignified, and gets right to the point, namely, that we are serious about our hockey up here. Substitute any other sport at UND in place of "hockey" and the phrase works equally well. Can you imagine if the side of the Ralph said "Home of the Sundogs?"

Related articles

• Weston Dressler Wouldn't Mind UND Being Named the Roughriders
• North Dakota is getting closer to actually having a nickname

TJ Oshie is now a Washington Capital

by Redwing77

Today, T.J. Oshie, a former UND standout forward and St. Louis first round draft pick, was traded to the Washington Capitals.

In return, St. Louis receives former Blackhawk Troy Brouwer, former MTU goaltender Phoenix Copley, and a 2016 3rd round pick.

Oshie had a down year last year only recording 55 points (19g-36a), which is down from 2013-14 campaign where he had 60 points (21g-39a).  In other words, Oshie had an ok, but not great year last year.

Troy Brouwer had a "stellar" year where he scored 21g-22a (43 pts) in 82 games.  Phoenix Copley played 2 years at MTU before spending one year between Washington's ECHL and AHL team.  He posted a respectable 17-4-3 record with a 2.17 GAA and a .925 Save% in 26 games with the Hershey Bears.

My thoughts?  St. Louis wanted to make changes at the top of their lineup.  That meant trading Backes, Oshie, or both.  They traded Oshie.  They got meh in return.

This isn't a colossally bad trade (like Minnesota did by trading Nick Leddy for Ben Eager a few years back), but it's trading Washington a first line player (who will probably play on Washington's second line) for a 2nd line/3rd line forward.  The video in the article said "I love this move for Washington."  and "I love this move for Oshie."  What did they say for Brouwer and St. Louis?  "Interesting move for St. Louis."  Yup.

I recognize they wanted to make a change.  But the question is:  Are you making a change to make a difference and improve your team or are you making a change just to make a change (send a message)?  My guess:  This was a trade just to make a change.  St. Louis did not improve one bit from this. 

Winner:  Washington

The End of Native American Nicknames?

The Senate Democrats and President Obama are on a full court press to get rid of the Washington Redskins nickname. I believe they're going to come after other sports teams that use Native American nicknames.

This begs the question, are native American nicknames on the way out? Will they cave to political correctness.

WASHINGTON (AP) The National Park Service won't grant the District of Columbia a new lease for the site of the Washington Redskins' old stadium in part because Interior Secretary Sally Jewell opposes the team's name.

Jewell reiterated that position during a meeting in late April with Mayor Muriel Bowser, Interior Department spokeswoman Jessica Kershaw said. Bowser's administration has been in preliminary talks with the Redskins about moving the team back to Washington and building a new stadium. The team currently plays its home games at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, but the Redskins' lease there expires in 2026.

''Secretary Jewell has been clear that she considers the Washington football team's name a relic of the past and believes it should be changed,'' Kershaw said.

Per the Washington Post:

“Efforts to lure the Washington Redskins back to the District have come up against a potentially insurmountable challenge: the Obama Administration’s objections to the team’s name.”

Where ever you stand on the issue, I don't see some professional teams caving to the political correctness pressure without lawsuits and a big ugly fight. Nor should they.

Seriously, in this case, I could see lawsuits coming or the Redskins relocating to another more friendly area that will allow them to build their new stadium there. The Redskins could just wait till Obama is out of office and see what happens.

Phil Kessel a Pengiun

It's Canada Day in Canada and in the NHL world, we have a blockbuster trade that sent Phil Kessel to the Pittsburgh Penguins. It doesn't look like the Penguins gave up much to get Kessel. Now Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will have another talented forward to play with.

Per Mike Johnston of Sportsnet.CA:

In return Toronto gets centre Nick Spaling, forward Kasperi Kapanen, defenceman Scott Harrington, plus first- and third-round picks from 2016. Toronto will retain $1.2 million of Kessel’s salary in each of the next seven seasons.

The Leafs are also sending forward Tyler Biggs, defenceman Tim Erixon and a 2016 second-round pick to Pittsburgh.

So, if you're a Leafs fan, do you like this deal? I think that the Penguins have committed a robbery against the Leafs.

Too soon? pic.twitter.com/Y1JP5oxXFq

— Dave Stubbs (@Dave_Stubbs) July 1, 2015

Toronto Maple Leafs trade Phil Kessel to Pittsburgh Penguins: The Toronto Maple Leafs have traded star winger ... http://t.co/1LiiRcIrId

— StayWithMe (@SWM_87) July 1, 2015

Every piece of the original Phil Kessel trade with Boston has been traded again. Kessel. Seguin. Hamilton.

— Adam Gretz (@AGretz) July 1, 2015

Here's the full terms of the Phil Kessel trade. Retained 15% of his salary as well, which is big. pic.twitter.com/amDcZQnRJb

— James Mirtle (@mirtle) July 1, 2015

You've gotta really hate Phil Kessel to lose a trade to Jim Rutherford

— Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) July 1, 2015

WTH, Sharks acquire goaltender Jones from Bruins

If you're a Boston Bruins fan, are you scratching your head right now. I know that I am. I don't understand it? First, you trade away your muscle of the franchise in Milan Lucic. I get it, he was over paid base on his performace the last two season.

Then you take three players that are at least a year or two away in the NHL Draft. Now, after trading for and receiving a great goaltending prospect, you trade him away for a draft pick and a former Miami RedHawk forward that will have a hard time making the fourth line.

NHL.COM -- The San Jose Sharks acquired goaltender Martin Jones from the Boston Bruins on Tuesday for forward prospect Sean Kuraly

"Martin was at the top of our list of players that we had targeted," Sharks general manager Doug Wilson told the Sharks website. "We're extremely excited to have him on board."

It's the second time in five days Jones has been traded. The Bruins got him Friday as part of the trade that sent forward Milan Lucic to the Los Angeles Kings. Jones can become a restricted free agent if he's not signed by Wednesday.

Per Puck Daddy:

“No, I don’t think it’s a rebuild,” he said on Tuesday. “We have a tremendous core group of guys that will carry and even more tremendous load while we wait for these young players to find their footing.”

UAA Fan Blog Endorses Sundogs :)

Oh, course he does. Why wouldn't he? Lol. Since UND is currently in the process of selecting a new nickname, opposition fans are going to have fun with the process, too. I am sure that if I was a Gopher fan, I probably would find the UND's process of selecting a new nickname to be humorous.

I found this post on the UAA Fan Blog. I want to be clear, this is no way an attempt to start a flame feast. I just thought you might want to read this.

Donald Dunlop, UAA Fan Blog -- There's a lot of history between the NCAA ruling and North Dakota's selection of the name "Sundogs" this weekend. Too much to cover in this post; but of course it's worth noting that this blogger whole-heartedly supported the NCAA and was thrilled to see their original name cast into historical infamy.

My focus today is instead to celebrate the choice that North Dakotan's made. Sundogs are frankly one of the most beautiful atmospheric anomalies. We see our fair share of these here in Alaska as the conditions necessary to see a Sundog occur quite often.

I'm celebrating because I had no idea the people of that state could be so forward-thinking and progressive. The rainbow effect of the Sundog dovetails perfectly with this weeks much ballyhooed ruling from the Supreme Court of the US that same-gender marriage is now the law of the land in all 50 states. I'm absolutely stunned but intensely delighted that the citizens of the flattest, most treeless place on the planet have honored the LGBT community with the rainbow-like Sundog.

Many US states and it's citizenry have been pensively struggling to wrap their minds around the potential effects of this monumentally righteous ruling by SCOTUS. But North Dakota has beaten off the imagined social conflagration and shown it's true colors (the entire spectrum of the rainbow). Good guy North Dakota; what an amazing turn of events. It's left me with respect for that state and it's peoples that I have never had.

So, let's send a little love Donald's way.  Or not. Just a little FYI for the poster that made his comment, I no longer breath through my nose, I had reconstructive nose surgery two years ago.

Grand Forks Herald Letter: Few know sundogs, but everyone knows Roughriders

I have been focusing on the nickname issue because I think it's an important issue. First, I think the UND nickname committee eliminated names that are a lot better than the remaining final seven nicknames. Also, as I mentioned last week, I think we need to reject the Sundogs nickname.

Finally, I am also concerned that UND nickname committee is going to pick a very bad nickname that none of us can get behind. If the nickname committee wants to start a major firestorm, pick Sundogs.

here's one of the latest letters from the Grand Forks Herald. It was kind of long so I took the main point from the letter. You can read the whole thing by clicking on the link.

Eric Groves, BRECKENRIDGE, Colo -- Now to my main point: Sundogs. This is a weather phenomenon that does happen in North Dakota, among other cold weather states. Sure, it is kind of cool to see, but is this a name that deserves to be the nickname of the state's flagship university—UND?

Some have said this represents Grand Forks. This is not the University of Grand Forks, so let's think bigger than that.

To me, the answer is a resounding no. I do not want my university's nickname to be a weather phenomenon. I definitely do not want the logo to be some sort of rainbow.

There are many state universities that adopt their state's nickname as their nickname. Of the seven names the committee and consultants deemed "popular", there is one that does stick out. Roughriders. Which happens to be one of North Dakota's nicknames: the Roughrider State.

A common argument is that Red River High School in Grand Forks is the Roughriders. Hazen High School in Hazen, N.D., is the bison, the exact same name as another major university in the state. I can live with that.

Post-Draft Thoughts and Reflections

by Redwing77

The 2015 NHL draft is over and with it, lots of news from highly drafted players from BU to highly baffling decisions by Boston.  Intriguing to be sure.

UND had four players drafted in Boeser, Tomek, Wolanin, and Wilkie.  Honestly, if you read a lot about the surprise about Wolanin's draft, be so.  He was unranked on the rankings and was slated to be undrafted yet went in the 4th round.

This isn't unheard of for UND freshmen.  Remember:  Brett Bruneteau was drafted in the 4th round by Washington and he wasn't on anyone's boards.

This doesn't mean much.  Going from what Sirius Radio analysts opine, those taken in the 4th round or later are various project picks designated boom or bust in various levels of perceived values (in other words, a project pick taken in the 4th round is seen to have more of a possibility or upside than one taken in the 7th round).  Pretty straight forward, not out on the limb type stuff.

In other news, former UND commit turned flake Ryan Gropp got drafted in the second round.  Good for him.  I'm sure he'll light it up at...wherever.

To me, the biggest winners from the NHL Draft:

1.  The QMJHL.  It seems like every other pick came from the Q.
2.  Michigan U.  The Wolverines led the NCAA in NHL draft picks with 7
3.  China.  Their first ever NHL draft pick came in this year's draft.  I didn't know Yao Ming could skate (ha ha ha.. no really, this kid, Song is his last name, seems to be a pretty decent skater)
4.  BU and BC had great representation in the first two rounds
5.  Team USA:  MANY drafted
6.  Buffalo and Edmonton.  Edmonton drafted and traded well, but I think Buffalo was the best overall in every respect on draft day.

Losers:

1.  Boston Bruins.  Sorry Goon.  First, they trade for Martin Jones.  Why?  I guess that's a strong endorsement for Malcolm Subban's development?  They couldn't keep Svedberg (who Siriux/XM said Boston had soured over but I didn't think he was all that bad) but really...  Sean McIndoe (@DownGoesBrown) tweeted:  Martin Jones: I hate being stuck behind an all-star on a long term deal. Agent: You just got traded. Jones: Awesome! Where to? Agent: Um...

And the three picks.  Ok, the two picks.  The #13 pick was fine.  The other two?  Sorry.  There were FAR FAR FAR better players on the board.  In fact, the #15 pick, Senyshyn, wasn't on anyone's draft board before the Boston's 4th pick, #39 in the second round so they could have chosen someone like UMich commit Kyle Connor or Matthew Barzal.

I know Goon's a big B's fan and will probably disagree with me but this is NOT a good debut for Don Sweeney.  Sadly, a snarky commentby Sean McIndoe (@DownGoesBrown) stated "$100 to Chiarelli if he goes up there for this pick and leads off with "Miss me yet, Boston?"

Hindsight might prove me wrong.  Senyshyn may be a great pick.  Debrusk might be a great pick.  But only hindsight will change most people's minds.

For the record, however, I think trading Lucic was a good idea.  Sometimes you have to let a guy you love go.  I remember when my Wings let Federov go.  Now, that wasn't as amicable a parting as Lucic's situation, but still... I loved Federov.  As for Hamilton, I think money was the issue, sure, but there is NO WAY.. NO ING WAY Calgary's offer was the best out there, even if Boston didn't want to trade him to Edmonton.  NO WAY.

2.  Vancouver Canucks:  Another awesome snarky comment on Twitter:  Fear The Fin ‏@fearthefin Jun 27

Five years ago the Canucks had Roberto Luongo, Cory Schneider and Eddie Lack. Now they have no cash, no jobs and no goaltending.

Ok, I'm not sure if I necessarily agree with "no" goaltending.  Ryan Miller is a good goaltender, but sadly he's no longer great.  And Jacob Markstromm is actually looking to be solid.  I've seen him play on TV a few times and he looked inconsistent but solid.  In other words, a Swedish Marc Andre Fleury.

3.  Pittsburgh Penguins:  They did nothing.  Nothing at all.  Well, they were talked about a lot in the Kessel sweepstakes.  They were mentioned in acquiring Jeff Skinner from Carolina.... but Pierre McGuire couldn't even make the Penguins relevant in this year's draft.  They need cap relief and the Pens didn't seem to care to do it this way, whereas many other teams did.

4.  Peter Chiarelli - Former B's GM and current Edmonton GM called Florida a city.  Good for you Peter. 

5.  Pierre McGuire - Just because he's got no excuse for being as ill-informed as he always seems to be.  If it isn't related to Crosby, he doesn't know.  Time for TSN to assign a "minder" to McGuire to stop him from sticking his foot in his mouth.  Oh, and if he's going to be between the benches, he needs to wear a helmet.  He's been hit a few too many times.

Mike Commodore goes off on Pierre McGuire

Former NHLer and University of North Dakota defenseman Mike Commodore took to twitter to express his displeasure with Pierre McGuire. He's not alone, there are many fans that can't stand McGuire. I see a lot of NHL fans expressing their thoughts about McGuire on social media often, many of them aren't very flattering. So, what do you think of big Mike's thoughts?

Good morning folks! Can I turn the tv back on yet or is #ShitStain still stinking it up?

— Mike Commodore (@commie22) June 28, 2015

What's up folks! Today's news..charleston rocks, ocean course is legit, and #Shitstain still stinks.

— Mike Commodore (@commie22) June 27, 2015

Hey #ShitStain, the blue jackets didn't draft Jack Johnson. Wake up.

— Mike Commodore (@commie22) June 27, 2015

I can't watch this. Off button. #ShitStain ruins it. Again.

— Mike Commodore (@commie22) June 27, 2015

Pierre? Oh you mean #ShitStain ? RT @railfan514: @commie22 Please tell me you are talking about Pierre.

— Mike Commodore (@commie22) June 27, 2015

Hey #ShitStain, the blue jackets didn't draft Jack Johnson. Wake up.

— Mike Commodore (@commie22) June 27, 2015

Wild Fans Exhale: Devan Dubnyk Re-Signs with the Wild

View image | gettyimages.com

Crosses fingers. I think we don't have to worry about backup goalie Niklas Backstrom being in the mix next season., unless there's a lot of injuries. Or at least I hope we don't. The Wild have re-signed Devan Dubnyk. Wild fans can now exhale.

Per Michael Russo:

After three days of heavy-duty negotiation, the Wild has agreed to terms with the goaltender on a six-year, $26 million deal, sources say. That's a $4.33 million cap hit, making Dubnyk the 21st-highest paid goaltender in the game. He makes $5 million each of the first four years, $3.5 million and $2.5 million the last two. There is a limited no-trade clause for part of the deal.

"Like I said from the outset, he’s been very clear that he wanted to remain in Minnesota and we’ve been adamant about trying to keep him," GM Chuck Fletcher said. "We’ve been chasing stability in the goaltending position and we’re hopeful that Devan can be a steadying influence back there."

The deal almost certainly makes young goalie Darcy Kuemper expendable at some point. But at a $1.25 million salary and the Wild in the need of a backup this year, the time to trade Kuemper could come later in the season or next summer.

Update on Dubnyk contract: It's $26M for 6 for a 4.33M AAV. 20th highest-paid goalie. $5M per 1st 4 years, $3.5, $2.5 last 2

— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) June 27, 2015

Dubnyk's deal will have a limited no-trade for part of contract.

— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) June 27, 2015

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