Facebook poll on the Fighting Sioux name.

There is a poll on face book right now on whether UND should keep the Fighting Sioux nick name. The poll results are like 92% for right 2% against the name and 1%.

Here is what Archie D. Fool Bear had to say on this matter, I think it is worth a read and he does give a strong case for keeping the Fighting Sioux nick name. Just for the Record Archie is a full blooded Native American from the Sioux tribe and he is for the University of North Dakota keeping the Fighting Sioux name.

Archie D. Fool Bear 10:53 pm
The deadline is not written in stone.. The actual Court order says 2010, not Oct 1 2009. From my experiences.. UND did not create prejudice, hatred or a hostile environment..but you can guarantee those who look for the worst in any thing will find it. If you look hard enough for bad you'll find it, but the same is true for the Good. The logo didnt create what the anit-logo group is saying, and this issue isn't a cowboy NDN issue its an issue of whether or not our own tribes truly believe in their customs, practices and traditions. In 1969 we gave UND the right to use name. I like what the Spirit Lake did, the people voted to see that their opinion mattered and they did not listen to the negative people. The anti Sioux Movement came to standing rock to change the tribes name, using the UND issues, but it didnt work in June 2008 the people of Standing Rock overwhelmingly voted down the name change . There lys the fear of a vote for the people of Standing Rock.

More on the new Wild 3rd jersey.

I dunno, I just am not a fan of these ugly jerseys I really like the red jerseys that the Wild wore at home last season. I know there are quite a few people that don't like the red jerseys, but is this the best they can do for the third jersey? I was a fan of the old Green Wild Jerseys. [props]

This seems to be a bit late.

This article seems to make no sense at all what so ever. I am not sure what the point of it is at this time. It's like an article that has turrets syndrome. A delayed reaction. It's like no duh! This was addressed last spring during the NCAA tourney.

The Northern Michigan University Wildcats will remain members of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association for the foreseeable future. Although there was talk about the possibility of moving the team to the WCHA (Western Collegiate Hockey Association), the decision was ultimately made to keep the Wildcats where they are.

"We were approached by that league, about whether we'd consider rejoining or not," said Wildcat hockey coach Walt Kyle. "Any time that happens, you're foolish to just throw away options."

Northern Michigan University was once a member of the WCHA from 1984-1997, a period during which the Wildcats made four NCAA tournament appearances, winning the title in 1991.

The WCHA would pit the 'Cats against perennial powerhouses like University of Minnesota, Wisconsin-Madison, and University of North Dakota, but the staff at NMU decided it wasn't worth the switch.

"We think we're in arguably one of the best conferences in the country right now," Kyle said. "When you compare [the two leagues], our league has certainly been more successful at putting teams in the national tournament."

Keeping games available to alumni was also motivation.

"The bulk of our alumni base is downstate," said Kyle. "That's the reason we made the move back to the CCHA."

One school that is leaving the CCHA is University of Nebraska-Omaha. The Mavericks will play their final season as CCHA members this year and compete as a WCHA team in 2010. Also going to the WCHA are the Bemidji State University Beavers. The Beavers' current home, College Hockey America, is disbanding in 2010, forcing its teams to move elsewhere.

Two of the four CHA members, Niagara University and Robert Morris are going to the Atlantic Hockey conference, leaving the University of Alabama-Huntsville as the only school without a place to go. The Chargers of UA-Huntsville applied for admission to the CCHA, but were denied. [North Wind on line]

Awesome Nike hockey commercial.

I really like this commercial although I thought Nike was getting out of the hockey business. [Props]

UND ranked 2nd in the Hockey News WCHA Jersey Rankings

UND was ranked second in the Hockey News WCHA jersey rankings, I was shocked that the Minnesota Golden Gophers ugly Hockey jersey was ranked first over all for the WCHA. I guess the fans think the hated “M” is better college hockey jersey than the storied Fighting Sioux sweater.

On a less humorless note, some of the fans in the WCHA are apparently unimpressed with the Hockey News. I don’t blame them because if they are going to have a fan generated voting poll at least be a little more informed on the teams in the WCHA or risk pissing off their fans who would be your potential customers.

Here are a few of the things that I noticed; as of this season BSU is in the CHA for one more season before they become a member of the WCHA. The next head scrather is that while they included BSU with the WCHA they also forgot to add the UNO Mavericks. Duh! Also, the Hockey News down right dissed UAA and DU. DU has seven NCAA titles and deserves some respect. UAA has been a member of the WCHA since the 1990's and they do deserve respect and is a member in good standing in the WCHA.

While I have never personally been to Anchorage Alaska or to Fairbanks at least I know they are two different schools 358 miles apart, breaking it down further, not only are the two Universities are in two different towns but are also in two different conferences (UAA WCHA, UAF, CCHA).

If I was personally ranking the WCHA jersey’s I would say:

1.) UND
2.) MTU
3.) UAA
4.) UMN
5.) UMD
6.) C.C.
7.) Wisconsin
8.) D.U.
9.) SCSU
10.) MSU-M

More on the Phoenix Coyotes

I wonder if anyone else is confused. This sounds almost like the Montreal Expos situation where the league owned them and then they moved to Washington, D.C. The Coyotes have been a drain on their owners since they plucked the team out of Winnipeg. It would also be a shame if the Coyotes Jobing.com Arena was left just hanging.

After months of espousing its commitment to keep the Phoenix Coyotes in Glendale, Ariz., the NHL appears unsure hockey can work in the desert after all.

In an about-face, the league's bid to purchase the Coyotes out of bankruptcy court specifically mentions it is open to relocating the team.

"By acquiring the team at this time, the NHL will be able to salvage the team's 2009-10 season and can establish a more constructive timetable in which to solicit acceptable offers from qualified parties, including, if a potential buyer wishing to keep the team in Glendale cannot be found, conducting an organized process to relocate the franchise in another territory," the league states in its bid put before the Arizona bankruptcy court.

The league made its bid late on Tuesday, the same day Chicago sports entrepreneur Jerry Reinsdorf withdrew his offer.

The NHL bid mentions nothing about a commitment or desire to keep the team in Phoenix and casts further doubt on the team's viability in Phoenix by stating: "Despite the continuous efforts to facilitate the sale of the Phoenix hockey club to a qualified owner committed to keeping the team in Glendale, the NHL has reluctantly concluded that it is necessary to submit this bid for the NHL to acquire and operate the team." [Globe and Mail]

Blues will be better this season.

With former Golden Gopher Erik Johnson returning to the Blue's opening night roster after missing the entire 2008-2009 NHL season with an injury, (lost battle with a golf cart in the pre-season) and with the return of former Maine Black Bear star Paul Kariya who also missed all but 11 games with a leg injury, the St. Louis Blues are going to be a much stronger hockey team.

Seriously! How can anyone think that the St. Louis Blues aren’t going to be a major force during the regular season, but also a make a run deep into the Stanley Cup Playoffs?

What makes last year's electric run a potential precursor of even better things is that the Blues accomplished it without Erik Johnson, their most talented defenseman who was out for the season following pre-training camp knee injury, Paul Kariya, a seven-time All-Star who saw his season cut to just 11 games before having surgery on both hips, plus captain/defenseman Eric Brewer, whose surgically repaired back ended his season Dec. 11 after just 28 games.

"When I see Erik Johnson wind up and then rip one into the net now, I realize even more what we were missing last season and what we accomplished without him," Blues President John Davidson said. "You don't just assume that things are going to be better, but how can they not be with us getting Erik, Paul (Kariya) and Eric (Brewer) back this season?"

"I think we're going to see a fired-up Paul Kariya," added Murray. "I'm convinced, with his pride as a player, he's going to come back very determined."

"The way we look at it is adding Kariya, Johnson and Brewer to your lineup is almost like gaining a few free agents," Davidson explained. "Plus, the extension of Andy McDonald's contract was a key, since he would have become a free agent."
[NHL.com]

Wild's new 3rd jersey.

My response is, "YUCK." You have got to be kidding me. [props]

Monday afternoon linkorama.

Bruins RFA Phil Kessel Admits,'this summer has been distracting.'[Slamb Sports]

Here is a good article on former Fighting Sioux coach Dean Blais. [Omaha.com]

Here is another great article on two different players. Unhappy Heatley Could Learn From Kessel's Summer Stability. [NESN.COM]

Fighting Sioux junior defenseman Jake Marto has been profiled by INCH A to Z. Check it out Marto gets some LOVE from Jess Meyers. [INCH]

The coach says that Marto is blessed with tremendous skating ability, and the statistics say he’s a key to the team’s overall success. Marto had all 17 of his points and was a team-best +26 in NoDak’s 24 wins last season. He had no points, and was a team-worst -18 in the 15 Sioux losses.

The WCHA has tweaked it's time out rules. [CHN.COM]

Heatly explains his side.

You can hear former Badger Dany Heatley explain his side of this crazy story, you an also listen to it at this TSN link. I have to scratch my head when I hear these highly paid athletes make these types of comments. Seriously! If anything Dany sounds petty and if your disappointed with your playing time and you don't feel your getting enough playing time you work harder you don't ask for a trade. You complain about it in the media. Now, if the GM from the Sens can't trade him there is a serious distraction in the locker room.

Dany Heatley says that he feels that his role with the Ottawa Senators has been diminished, and that's the biggest reason why he has asked for the team to trade him.

The veteran forward spoke in Kelowna, B.C. on Friday for the first time since he made the request in June. He stated that his wish to be traded has not changed over the summer.

"When I signed in Ottawa two years ago, I felt it was to be an integral part of the team," Heatley said. "Over the last two years and more recently over the past year, I feel my role was diminished. This past season, it diminished a lot more.

"This is a straight hockey decision. I have nothing against the fans of Ottawa, or the city of Ottawa. I would like the opportunity to go somewhere where I can play to the best of my capabilities and be the player that I can be."

Despite his demand to be moved, Heatley confirmed that he will still report to the Senators' training camp next month if he is not dealt.

"I have a contract, and if I'm still a Senator at training camp time, I'll be ready to go. But at the same time, I think we know that there are other teams out there that are interested, and hopefully something can get done," added Heatley.

For his part, Senators executive vice-president and general manager Bryan Murray said on Friday that finding trade partners for a high-priced player like Heatley has not been easy. [TSN] [Props]

Gopher fans don't have to worry.

This article posted over on Sioux sports that said the Canucks want Super Sophmore Jordan Schroeder to leave school and play in the WHL with the Everett Silvertips. That has already been debunked by Schroeder's dad. [Props]

When Vancouver's prospects arrive at camp September 7, don't be surprised if 2009 1st round pick Jordan Schroeder is among them. Word is the Canucks want to sign Schroeder, which would spell the end of his university career at Minnesota.
------(snip)------
So, what options do Mike Gillis and co. have? Well, Schroeder's CHL rights are owned by the Everett Silvertips, so it's a very good bet that if this all goes down, Schroeder will be playing in the "dub" this season. [Sportsnet.com]

Here is the point that sticks out the most with me and this seems to be a reoccurring theme and these implications sound kind of similar to what Garth Snow Said, "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." [Star Tribune.com]

If you're asking why would Schroeder leave university to play junior hockey, my guess is the Canucks aren't that happy with the Gophers program right now. And if Patrick White is staying in Minny, then that might also tell you how the Canucks feel about him and his progress within the Gophers system.

Frattin out, Corbin Knight in.

One person's loss is another person's gain, Frattin was dismissed from the team and Knight was asked to come this season instead of next, so the Fighting Sioux will bring in the highly touted and was drafted in the fifth round by the Florida Panthers in this summer's draft.

Pack your bags, Corban Knight, you’re moving away to college in less than 24 hours.

That’s the message that the UND men’s hockey recruit received on Friday morning after he quickly made it through the admissions process and was finalized as the replacement for dismissed forward Matt Frattin.

Knight, a High River, Alta., native, planned to spend the 2009-10 season with the Okotoks Oilers in the Alberta Junior Hockey League, but was informed on Wednesday night that plans might be changing.

UND was left with 13 forwards after Frattin was arrested for driving under the influence early Wednesday morning — his second criminal charge in two months. He won’t play for the Sioux this season.

Instead, the Sioux will look to an 18-year-old who committed in January and graduated from high school this spring.

“I’m definitely very excited,” Knight said. “I definitely think I’m ready. I came up to North Dakota about a month ago and got to meet a lot of the guys and be around the campus. I feel like I’ve become a lot stronger and I’ve matured mentally and physically over the summer. I have no doubt I’ll be able to take the step.”

Knight said that after last season — one in which he piled up 72 points in 61 games and was named AJHL rookie of the year — he hoped that he would be headed to UND. It was decided, at that time, that he would go back to Okotoks for one more year though. [Grand Forks Herald]

More Frattin.

There has already been some speculation on who the Sioux will bring in to fill the roster spot void left by Matt Frattin being kicked off the Fighting Sioux hockey team for his DUI arrest earlier this morning.

On early Wednesday morning, he was stopped by a campus police officer on North Columbia Road for speeding, UND police captain Don Rasmuson said. The officer smelled alcohol and a subsequent test put Frattin’s blood-alcohol level at .12 percent, Rasmuson said. The legal limit is .08 percent.

UND Fighting Sioux hockey team beat writer Brad Schlossman seems to think it will be Corbin Knight, which would make sense after the eye popping numbers he put up in juniors. Corban Knight is one kid I am really excited about seeing in a UND Fighting Sioux uniform. Unfortunately this isn't the way I thought it would happen.

I'd expect that Corban Knight will get the call, though. Here are a few reasons:

*NHL draft status isn't much of a factor. But for what it's worth, Knight is the highest-drafted, committed forward in juniors. The Florida Panthers took him in the fifth round in June.

Knight played against a high level of competition last season in the Alberta Junior Hockey League and was outstanding. He was the leading rookie scorer in the league and the seventh overall scorer in the AJHL. All six guys who had more points than him -- including UND's Carter Rowney -- will be in college in 2009-10.

Knight is physically ready. His testing results at the NHL Combine prove that. He ranked second in pushups, third in endurance, fourth in upper-body power and ninth in pull strength among the top 100-plus draft-eligible players.

Being a human being in a way I can kind of feel some empathy for this kid, however, the other part of me says you’re an adult and when you make bad choices you pay the consequences for these horrible decisions. That life and human are imperfect and make bad decision, well all do, but how many chances does a person need?

The University of North Dakota did the right thing by kicking Frattin off of the team and will move on from this incident. I hope this sends a message to the other players that might be thinking about making bad life choices. Nothing good happens late at night. It’s also not a birth right to play for the Fighting Sioux it’s a privilege and the University doesn’t need anymore bad press. If you screw up you might lose that privilege.

Let’s face facts; UND is a high profile hockey program and playing for UND can open up many life opportunities for the hockey players that do what it takes to get to the next level, it takes hard work and dedication. If your screwing around late at night you might want to question your dedication.

I understand these are young college students but you’re twenty one years old is considered an adult age, in Canada and the USA you can vote and you can serve in your countries military, most of us would pay severe consequences if we had done the same thing Mr. Frattin did this summer. I know I would lose my job. Like coach Hakstol said after the first incident earlier this summer, ‘most of our guys are working hard for the upcoming season.’

Frattin kicked off the team.

This is not good. I can only hope that Frattin turns his act around and gets it right. I also think that coach Hakstol made the right decision. This is Frattins second alcohol related incident of the summer.

UND forward Matt Frattin has been dismissed from the team following an arrest for driving under the influence.

"This decision was made with the best interests of our program in mind, specifically the responsibilities to the program and what is expected of the members of our team," UND coach Dave Hakstol said. "But we also care about Matt Frattin and would like to put him in position to be able to live a healthy lifestyle and resume his hockey career."

Hakstol said that Frattin's status with the team may be revisited prior to next season. [UND Hockey Blog]

Zach Parise interview

Zach Parise addresses the media at USA Hockey Camp in Woodridge, IL. Zach is a well spoken and a good interview to listen to. I am excited for the Olympics this season. Here is the link to Zach Parise wearing the new Olympic hockey jersey.

Time frame narrows for Standing Rock nickname referendum

This does not appear to be a good thing. Actually this could mean the Fighting Sioux nickname is on life support. We will see what happens. It will be interesting to see how the tribal elections go this fall.

Another effort to get the Fighting Sioux nickname on the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe ballot in September has failed to work out, giving nickname supporters much less time to meet their goals.

Archie Fool Bear, a tribal member who supports the nickname, said he was going to ask a Tribal Council member to put a nickname referendum up for a vote Tuesday, but the council finished its meeting too early, and he was at work.

An earlier council had narrowly voted down a similar referendum, and he’d hoped to have better luck.

Next week, he said, he’ll try to go through the committee process.

The committee process takes longer, and he thought he could bypass it by going directly to the council itself. Now, it doesn’t appear the council will meet again until early September, he said.

That could be cutting it perilously close. The election is Sept. 30, and it takes a few weeks to advertise sample ballots and print ballots.

Fool Bear said he’ll keep working, but he wished UND would confront the Tribal Council with evidence that, in 1969, some tribal elders had performed a sacred pipe ceremony granting the university use of the nickname.

This is unlikely to happen because UND no longer has control of the nickname issue. The State Board of Higher Education does and it has indicated the ball is in the tribe’s court.

Under a settlement with the NCAA, which considers Indian nicknames offensive, UND and the state needs the support of the state’s two Sioux tribes. The Spirit Lake tribe had earlier voted to support the nickname, so now the decision falls to Standing Rock, whose tribal council has not been supportive.

The state board has imposed an Oct. 1 deadline for tribal councils to issue resolutions of support and approve a 30-year agreement on UND’s use of the nickname or the university will begin transitioning to a new one.
[Grand Forks Herald]

Yahoo Power Rankings.

Here is the Yahoo.com Power Rankings. I thought this would be interesting to pass along I know it is a little old. The Blues are not getting any love. I still think St Louis and Toronto aren't ranked high enough and are definitely going to be heard from by the end of the season.
1. Pittsburgh Penguins
2. Chicago Blackhawks
3. Boston Bruins –
4. Vancouver Canucks
5. Philadelphia Flyers
6. Detroit Red Wings
7. Washington Capitals
8. Calgary Flames
9. Anaheim Ducks
10. San Jose Sharks
11. New Jersey Devils
12. New York Rangers
13. Carolina Hurricanes
14. Edmonton Oilers
15. St. Louis Blues
16. Montreal Canadiens
17. Columbus Blue Jackets
18. Los Angeles Kings
19. Minnesota Wild – The big question: What kind of system will new coach Todd Richards run? The Wild have known nothing beyond what Jacques Lemaire favored, but with the first change behind the bench in franchise history comes plenty of speculation that the team will be more offensive-minded going forward if they have the right personnel.
20. Buffalo Sabres
21. Toronto Maple Leafs
22. Ottawa Senators
23. Florida Panthers
24. Dallas Stars
25. Tampa Bay Lightning
26. New York Islanders
27. Atlanta Thrashers
28. Colorado Avalanche
29. Nashville Predators
30. Phoenix Coyotes – That the team lost Darren Pang because the television analyst didn’t know with whom to negotiate a new contract tells you all you need to know about how upside-down things are in the desert.

USA's two headed monster in net.

I think this could be historically one of the best goaltending tandems for team USA in the history of the Olympic hockey. Both Tim Thomas (Boston Bruins and UVM) and Ryan Miller (Buffalo and MSU) are solid all pro NHL goalies and either one should prove to be a solid back stop for team USA.

International hockey is stocked with quality goaltending, so the Americans are simply putting themselves on equal footing this time around with the excellent Thomas/Miller duo. From this vantage point, it's the best netminding the U.S. will have since Mike Richter's heyday.

Team USA coach Ron Wilson said not to count out impressive youngster Jonathan Quick, or the injured and rehabbing DiPietro. But let's be realistic: It's going to be the Thomas/Miller show in Vancouver, in more than ways than one. For a team that -- on paper, at least -- appears to have less natural scoring ability than the Canadas and Russias and Swedens of the world, Miller and Thomas will be heavily leaned on come February.

''The goaltending position is very important in the Olympics because it's short term and it's one-game, head-to-head elimination," Thomas said Tuesday after Day 2 of the U.S. Olympic camp. "A goalie can make a huge difference. In a seven-game series, a goalie can still make a difference, but it's more team-dependent. But in one game, a goalie can make or break the game for you.'' [ESPN]

KPD on Kessel.

When ever I read an article from Kevin Paul Dupont I almost have to wonder what is his agenda is? If I was Kessel I would think twice about what I say to this guy. It would be interesting to know if he actually said that or was his quote taken out of context. From everything I have read Phil sounds like he is happy to be in Boston. In a way it almost seems that KPD is trying to push their young star player out of town.

Kessel underwent surgery to repair a torn left rotator cuff some 12-1/2 weeks ago. He said he has some 95 percent of the joint's range of motion back and is now working on recovering strength in the shoulder and his entire upper body. He also said he is about a month away from getting back on skates, which would peg his return to the ice at about when NHL
camps open. The Bruins open up their camp Sept. 12 at the Garden.

Meanwhile, Kessel still has not come to contract terms on a new deal with the Bruins. He remains a restricted free agent, calling his current talks between his agent, Wade Arnott, and Boston GM Peter Chiarelli "a stalemate.''

''I don't know what is going to happen, to tell you the truth,'' he said. ''It will be interesting, I think. I am not disappointed or anything because, obviously, it's is a business for [the Bruins]. It is kind of like we are at a standstill, and I think it can go either way at this point.''

One way or the other, added Kessel, he will have a new contract by the Oct. 1 start of the 2009-10 NHL season. He is not sure it will be with the Bruins.

''Rumors happen all the time,'' said Kessel, asked about the late-June trade talks between the Bruins and Maple Leafs, in which the Bruins believed they had a deal consummated to ship him to Toronto for Tomas Kaberle. ''You hear rumors about a lot of guys. I wasn't too worried. If you get traded, you go to that team and do what you can for them -- it's a
business.'' [Boston Globe Sports]

Giddy?!?

Number "4" to the Vikes, I was disappointed when it I thought all chances of Favre coming to the Vikings had gone up in smoke, however, yesterday I was given a glimmer of hope as I listened to KFAN and P.A. on the shows podcast.

Since there isn't much for hockey news going on right now and hockey season is still about 47 days away this great news kind of fills the void that is college and NHL hockey right now. This is almost as good of news as Duncan returning to the Sioux for his senior year or Martin Havlat to the Wild.

Now I am hoping as a Vikings fans that we finally can be done with the Tarvaris Jackson experiment that hasn't worked. Word to the Vikings management, if you can trade Jackson for a duffel bag of footballs and a couple of Nike cleats go ahead and make the deal, he isn't the answer to our problems and keeping T-Jac on the roster does nothing positive for the Vikes. T-Jac is an awesome physical specimen with a two cent brain and talks like he has a box of rocks in his mouth.

Let me break this down further; I think the final straw that broke the camels back was last year during the NFL playoff game against the Eagles where Jackson was exposed, he couldn't react to the Eagles pressure blitzes and when a team puts 8 in the box and you can't find an open receiver or your team can't run the ball your not going to win a big game or possibly any football games. That all changes with Favre under center for the Vikings because that means that Adrian "All Day Peterson" baring injury could run for 2000 yards because you have the Vikings now have multiple threats to throw at your opposition. Hey! Go ahead and blitz because someone is open in the defensive back field.

*Booty wearing #9 on practice field. Skol Vikes

It's Official Favre's A Viking, By Mark Memmott ------- "Brett Favre is on the field ... it's official," KARE-TV's sports writer Dave Schwartz just tweeted.

That would be future Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre and the field would be at the practice facility of the Minnesota Vikings, where the former Packer (and, for one year, a New York Jet) is joining a team that his old fans in Green Bay will just hate to see him with.

According to the Star Tribune, the guy who was wearing No. 4 (Favre's number) has already given it up. Backup quarterback John David Booty probably wasn't going to be seeing much action anyway, so No. 9 will be fine for him.

Kessel will probably be an Olympian. But will be he a Bruin?

Here is an interesting article from the USA Today that talks about Phil Kessel's surgery/rehabilitation, also the article mentions where Kessel is at in the contract negotiations, they are kind of still at a stalemate. On the positive note it seems like the rehab is going better than the contract negotiations. Kessel is saying he will be back in November some time. I get kind of giddy especially when I have read that he might not be back till December. Of course if Kessel ends up in anything other than a Wild or Bruins jersey I won't be all that giddy. Personally I think Kessel would be smart to take 3.75-4 Million in the form of a one year contract and go from there. If Kessel has a strong year then he can get himself a decent raise.

WOODRIDGE, Il. -- It seemed appropriate that injured Phil Kessel modeled one of Team USA's new sweaters Monday because it might be more likely that he will wear that jersey than his Boston Bruins garb next season. Given his speed and skill, Kessel is close to being a sure bet for the Olympic team, but he is not close to a new deal with the Bruins. "It's at a stalemate and I don't know what's going to happen," Kessel said. "…I think it could go either way at this point." Kessel, 21, said he would like to stay in Boston, but he certainly understands that the Bruins might deal him because of the contract issue. The Bruins did discuss trading Kessel to Toronto during the NHL draft in June. He would like to know sooner rather than later about his future. "There is no date," Kessel said. "…either way it will get done before the season for sure." Kessel is coming off shoulder surgery, but he believes he will be ready to play in early or mid-November. His range of motion is now at about 95% on the repaired shoulder. "I'm in the strength phase now," Kessel said.

Neither side is revealing where the negotiations are at, but the Bruins signed David Krejci, 21, for an average of $3.75 million over three seasons. Meanwhile, another 21-year-old, Anze Kopitar, received an average of $6.8 million from the Los Angeles Kings. At 23, Paul Stastny in Colorado is making $6.6 million per season. The compromise is probably in the middle of that range, but the Bruins likely would want to be closer to the Krejci number, closer to an average salary of $4 million. [props]

Can UAH hockey survive?

Here is the latest from Budd McLaughlin the UAH beat writer from the Huntsville Times. Props to [saveUAHhockey.com]

The Chargers had applied to the CCHA because College Hockey America, which UAH helped form in 1999, is folding at the end of the upcoming season. Of the CHA's four members - UAH, Bemidji State, Robert Morris and Niagara - only UAH hasn't found a new home after this season.

And UAH has received overwhelming support from all corners of the college hockey world. Athletic Director Jim Harris said he had calls and e-mails from his peers and coaches.

"Overall, I'm disappointed and disappointed for Huntsville," said Niagara athletic director Ed McLaughlin, who also serves as commissioner of the CHA. "There's a lot of hockey tradition there. We were hopeful all four teams would find a home."

"It bums me out," said coach Tom Serratore of Bemidji (Minn.) State, UAH's top rival.

The vote by the CCHA Council was by acclamation, and bylaws prevent the final tally from being revealed. To be accepted, an applicant must receive at least 9 votes to join the 12-team league. Each school has one representative on the council, but the University of Nebraska-Omaha representative did not vote because that school is leaving the league to join the Western Collegiate Hockey Association at the end of the 2009-10 season.

"I can't discuss how the vote went," said Alaska-Fairbanks Athletic Director Forrest Karr, a member of the council. "But, I've been a main advocate for Huntsville throughout this process."

What next? [al.com]

There does seem to be a glimmer of hope or a life line from the LSSU coach. You can actually listen to the interview right here. I also think that it is a load of crap that we can't read how the vote went. What is the CCHA hiding?

The Chargers would be battling scheduling and recruiting difficulties and would be the only Dvision I independent team among the NCAA's 58 D-I programs.

"It's not what we want," Cole has said. "It would be a year-to-year existence."

College hockey scheduling is like college basketball: The October-December games are mostly non-conference while January and February are conference games. If a team is not in a conference, it's difficult to schedule games in January and February - especially at home, which brings in revenue for the team. An option some schools use is scheduling games on Wednesdays or Thursdays, but, that wouldn't work here.

"Since Huntsville is so far away (from other programs), it would be hard to schedule midweek games," said Serratore.

But Karr, the CCHA council member from Alaska-Fairbanks, said there would be a chance some CCHA teams could help an independent UAH schedule games. With just 11 teams in the league next season - Nebraska-Omaha is leaving to join the Western Collegiate Hockey Association - there should be dates available in January and February 2011.

"We have to fill out our schedule with non-conference games to reach our 34 games," he said. "Hopefully, we can work Huntsville in there.

College hockey trips itself again...

Here is another great article by Tim Schmitt of the Niagara Gazette. I think there are some really good points to this article. It’s funny that after almost one week we still really have only have on record UAF A.D. Forrest Karr comments about ‘some of the CCHA schools having concerns about UAH’s lack of commitment, location and wanting to shore up the other CCHA schools first’ Yeah! A week later it still sounds pretty weak to me and I know I am not alone.

Finally, I am not sure that college hockey is to this point though, when Schmitt says that "the NCAA needs to step in and reorganize the sport’s governing board and insist that the game is bigger than any one school’s financial well-being." While I do agree with that philosophy, I doubt the NCAA would ever step in and do that. For the most part the NC$$ kind of takes a laissez-faire approach when dealing with member schools. Nor would I want the NCAA to step in.

Soon after the Purple Eagles reluctantly jumped to Atlantic Hockey — a league that offers fewer scholarships and plays in significantly smaller buildings — the WCHA admitted two new members in longtime Niagara rival Bemidji State and Nebraska-Omaha.

Both made perfect sense — Bemidji has committed to building a new rink, and it essentially told the WCHA if it didn’t get in, the facility wouldn’t get built and the program could die. Omaha, meanwhile, plays in the 16,000-seat Qwest Center and fits in geographically.

That left one College Hockey America team to be spoken for — Alabama-Huntsville — and the CCHA with an odd number of teams.

Perfect, right? UAH could slide into the CCHA, evening things up for scheduling purposes.

That’s when logic stopped in its tracks. The league’s members snubbed the program, very possibly starting a slow walk to the end of the school’s college hockey plank.

And why?

“Some people had concerns about a lack of commitment,” Alaska athletics director Forrest Karr told the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Plans are in the works to renovate the Von Braun Center — a barn that holds almost 7,000 for hockey and draws decent crowds. Danton Cole, a former Michigan State star who played seven seasons in the NHL, is UAH’s high-profile coach. And among those often in attendance are Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn, whose son Wyatt is a goalie for the Chargers.

While the NHL will do anything to keep a hockey team in a non-traditional hockey market (Phoenix) simply on the pretense that it’s “good for the game,” college hockey seems eager to rid itself of a non-traditional market that’s making a concerted effort.

We’ve said this before and it’s worth repeating — college hockey’s self-serving board has made growth impossible. The NCAA needs to step in and reorganize the sport’s governing board and insist that the game is bigger than any one school’s financial well-being. [Niagara Gazette]

A prospective worth checking out.

Check out Dave Starman's article on the Chargers being denied admission to the CCHA. Dave brings up some good points about US college hockey and the possibility of losing opportunities instead of expanding college hockey in the future. Honestly I would rather like to keep the best of the USA hockey playing in the US for a division one college hockey team.

By denying UAH’s application for admission it would almost appear as if college hockey is shooting it's self in the foot, while trying to make it look like it’s something else. Frankly if UAH's program is not saved I can't see any program wanting to add a division one college hockey program any time in the near future. Why should they given the treatment of UAH? NO-ONE has stepped up to help them out.

More than a few former college coaches (now coaching professionally) have mentioned on many occasions that the appearance given by the college hockey world is that there is no urgency to grow Division I college hockey. Yes, there are Web sites and campaigns to keep elite-level American hockey players out of Canadian Major Junior and in U.S. college programs. While we all know there was more to this decision by the CCHA to exclude Alabama-Huntsville than meets the eye, you do have to openly wonder about the growth of the sport at the NCAA Division I level.

Don’t mistake this as an open campaign for the Chargers to be in one of the Big Four conferences. When you take a look at the program you do have cause for optimism as a CCHA team. You have a CCHA alum in Danton Cole as the head coach — a guy who played at Michigan State under college hockey’s all-time wins leader, Ron Mason, and was a member of the 1986 national title team.

The guy has a Stanley Cup ring as a player with the New Jersey Devils. How many college hockey programs boast a bench boss with those credentials? To review for a moment, a national title ring in college, playing for an elite NCAA program, playing in the NHL, winning a Stanley Cup. Say what you want about Massachusetts, but it has an assistant in Red Gendron who also has a Devils Stanley Cup ring, and that just lends credibility to your program, folks.

Not that any of that makes you a good coach, but Cole is currently with USA Hockey coaching the Under-18 select team at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tourney in Slovakia. That lends credibility.

Travel was put out there as a possible reason why UAH was excluded. Jim Connelly, my colleague from Boston, described the travel as being no worse than it was to Omaha and just as demanding as going to Alaska.

You want to ask if Huntsville will draw fans at the arenas of the big CCHA programs?

Michigan would sell out if it was playing St. Norbert. That is just a rabid fan base that loves its team. Notre Dame is turning away people at the doors every night due to its resurgence and it actually has a history with Huntsville from their epic double-overtime win in the NCAA tournament a couple of years ago
[uscho.com]

Let's play three.

While I do actually find the outdoor game to be a yawner, and an over kill, I do however think this would be the venue that I would like to watch an outdoor game in. When I lived in Massachusetts back in the late 1980's early 1990's I did manage to take in 13 games in the hallowed Fenway Park and the place is absolutely an awesome baseball stadium and it might be worth the price of admission to watch a hockey game or two there. I would recommend an hot drink spike with your favorite beverage though.

BOSTON (AP) -- A college hockey doubleheader will follow the NHL's winter classic at Fenway Park.

The Boston College and Boston University men's teams will play outdoors at the ballpark, as will the women's hockey teams from Northeastern and New Hampshire. The Boston Herald first reported on the games Thursday and a person involved in the negotiations confirmed the deal to The Associated Press. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official announcement was scheduled for next week.

The games will be on Jan. 8, a week after the New Year's Day pro game between the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers.

Bruins ranked 5th and Wild 21st in power rankings.

Allan Muir of Sports Illustrated has the NHL power rankings up. Interesting the Stanley Cup first round chokers the San Jose Sharks are ranked second. In my opinion I think that the Wild and Kings and Leafs should be ranked higher than they are.
1. Pittsburgh Penguins (45-28-9)
2. San Jose Sharks (53-18-11)
3. Detroit Red Wings (51-21-10)
4. Philadelphia Flyers (44-27-11)
5. Boston Bruins (53-19-10)--- GM Peter Chiarelli took care of business, re-signing Vezina-winner Tim Thomas, breakout star David Krejci and vet Mark Recchi, but the B's will be hard-pressed to hold on to the top spot in the East without leading scorer Phil Kessel. The two sides aren't close and may not come to terms until midseason, when Phil The Thrill is expected back after offseason surgery.
6. Chicago Blackhawks (46-24-12)
7. Calgary Flames (46-30-6)
8. Carolina Hurricanes (45-30-7)
9. Anaheim Ducks (42-33-7)
10. Vancouver Canucks (45-27-10)
11. Washington Capitals (50-24-8)
12. New Jersey Devils (51-27-4)--- Will Brian Rolston regain his touch under new/old coach Jacques Lemaire? Will David Clarkson break through as former Fighting Sioux Travis Zajac did last season? Who will replace Brian Gionta and John Madden? Lots of questions surround the Devils, including what they'll look like under Lemaire, who returns to the swamp after eight years in Minnesota. But as long as that Brodeur kid stays healthy, they're still a threat to win the Atlantic.
13. St. Louis Blues (41-31-10)
14. Edmonton Oilers (38-35-9)
15. Columbus Blue Jackets (41-31-10)
16. Dallas Stars (36-35-11)
17. New York Rangers (43-30-9)
18. Montreal Canadiens (41-30-11)
19. Ottawa Senators (36-35-11)
20. Buffalo Sabres (41-32-9)
21. Minnesota Wild (40-33-9)--- Too low? Maybe. Tough to say what this group will look like under new coach Todd Richards (ex-San Jose assistant), but the betting is that they'll risk moving out of the right-hand lane on occasion. Do they have the horsepower to handle life in the fast lane? The loss of Marian Gaborik was potentially offset by the signing of Martin Havlat, but new blueliners Greg Zanon and Shane Hnidy are ill-suited for an uptempo passing game.
22. Los Angeles Kings (34-37-11)
23. Nashville Predators (40-34-8)
24. Toronto Maple Leafs (34-35-13) ---- It didn't take GM Brian Burke long to recast the Leafs in his image. He snared prized FA goalie Jonas Gustavsson and added some junkyard bite to protect him by signing Mike Komisarek and Francois Beachemin and trading for Garnet Exelby. Now he has to turn one (or more) of his nine defenders into a top-six forward. The Leafs scored a respectable 250 goals last season, but any team that counts on former Fighting Sioux Jason Blake to be its top weapon clearly needs help.
25. Tampa Bay Lightning (24-40-18)
26. Florida Panthers (41-30-11)
27. New York Islanders (26-47-9)
28. Atlanta Thrashers (35-41-6)
29. Colorado Avalanche (32-45-5)
30. Phoenix Coyotes (36-39-7)

Save UAH Hockey.

As well all know earlier this week the CCHA has denied UAH's application for membership in the CCHA. In response to that awful misguided decision here is a new college hockey blog that might be worth your time to check out [Save UAH Hockey] The new college hockey blog it is maintained by Geof F. Morris and there will probably be a few posts from the guy that wrote the great retort to UAF AD Forrest Carr. There is also a twitter page for this blog. [Twitter.comsaveuahhockey] There is also a new face book page [Save-UAH-Hockey] there are currently 1,033 members already when I signed up there were like 750.

Dany Heatley to the Wild?

I saw this rumor over the Hockey Wilderness. I have to wonder about this rumor. First last night there was a rumor floating around the Internet that had the Wild trading their star defenseman Bret Burns to Senators in a package deal for Heatley. However, there was nothing about this rumor over on Russo Rant's. Michael Russo is ussually dialed in on what is going on with the Minnesota Wild. One rumor that was floating around last night had Burns going to the Senators but now the rumor has been squashed. Now the rumor is Koivu being traded in a package deal to the Senators for Heatley. I don't know if I can see Koivu being traded. The fact that it's on Hockey Buzz makes it less credible than if it had come from TSN, or Russo.

Here we sit, the night before the deadline in the Dany Heatley sweepstakes and it sounds like the Minnesota Wild have tabled an offer that will be tough for Murray to turn down. While the proposed deal does not include stud defenceman Brent Bruns, it does apparently include Mikko Koivu, Nick Schultz and Tyler Cuma. Rumours are there would be other pieces involved both on Ottawa's end as well as Minnesota's. Sounds like the swap could include a salary dump on Ottawa's end and potentially Colton Gillies coming back from Minnesota. By all indications there is a very solid offer coming from Minnesota although Ottawa is trying to see if they can include Martin Havlat in the package. Even if the Wild decide not to include Havlat, they will still have a very legitimate offer on the table for Heatley. [SensChirp]

Check out this post

This was in the comments section of the Newsminer.com article about the CCHA not accepting the UAH Chargers. It kind of addresses the CCHA's claims and shoots holes in them. Like I said before I smell bullshit and this stinks to the high heavens. I could throw a bunch of clichés around to but I won't, the glass houses one would really fit though.

I am a photographer for the UAH hockey program. To say that we were stunned by the decision of the CCHA yesterday is an understatement. To read this article and see the words spoken by Mr. Karr has only added to it. While he may have been speaking generally, he makes some very specific claims that has infuriated not only those of us in the Charger nation, but college hockey fans as a whole.

For starters, how much more commitment must a team entering it's 31st season and 25th at the varsity level have to show? UAH has bent over backwards to show it's commitment to the sport and to the CCHA. We've brought every AD in to tour our facility and campus. We've given presentation after presentation showing our school, fans, and community's commitment to the sport. Committed? You'll be hard pressed to find anyone more committed than the Chargers.

Our agreement with the Von Braun Center has never been stronger. And it has never been an issue throughout the 31 years that UAH has played there. Despite our sometimes lousy start times, we get preferential treatment from the facility. Even so far as the semi-pro team that shares the facility has to play second fiddle to our schedule on the VBC's insistence.

Low attendance? According to the USCHO we had 20 fewer butts in the seats than UAF last season. And the really interesting thing there is the Nanooks had twice as many home contests as we did. Similar story with Notre Dame. In fact the only teams that pack them in more than UAH did during the same period are Michigan, Michigan State, UNO (who is leaving the CCHA anyway), Ohio State and Northern Michigan. And that was with twice as many home games.

As to the statement that we are not in a major recruiting market, who is anymore? The sport has grown to a point where kids are coming from all over, not just the traditional locales of before. Players are coming out of Texas, Florida, California, and even Alabama. If the statement by Mr. Karr had any semblance of truth to it then every NCAA D-I school would be based in the provinces of Canada.

And finally the economic/student welfare/long bus trip trifecta. This is probably the greatest red herring of the stated reasons for denial. UAH had already committed to paying for teams to travel to Huntsville just as UAF and UAA do. From what I have been told it is comparable to what your program pays for opponents to come to Fairbanks. Combine this with the fact that Huntsville is only 34 miles farther away from CCHA schools than UNO is and every stated reason for our denial is a wash.

Are we mad? One shouldn't have to ask. Are we mad at Mr. Karr? Not necessarily. While he may bear the brunt of anger, until we know for certain how he voted, any anger towards him is simply venting out of frustration. What we are angry at is those statements which I hope you now understand to be complete and utter garbage. For Mr. Karr's part I hope he did vote to allow us in.

More UAH.

In an e-mail, Anastos said major issues of concern for the CCHA Council included economics, facilities and location. As you can see that is a really flimsy argument and a child could shoot holes in it.

This blog post will poke a few holes in the facilities and location argument for the reason on why the CCHA denied UAH. All you have to do is look at the web page on the Von Braun Center. I have talked to many people that have been there and they were really impressed with that arena. If UAH would have been accepted to the CCHA it would have been one of the biggest in the CCHA. So it's not the facility.

Attendance isn't a really good argument as well. Below I have included the number for attendance for the CCHA. The first number is the # of games, second number is attendance average and the last number is percentage of capacity.


Michigan 19 6714 6,637 101.2
Michigan State 15 5473 6,470 84.6
Ohio State 20 4181 17,500 23.9
Northern Michigan 19 2932 3,754 78.1
Alaska 20 2708 4,324 62.6
Notre Dame 18 2703 2,667 101.3
UAH 10 2688 7,000 38.4
Miami 19 2491 3,200 77.8
Lake Superior 18 2257 3,373 66.9
Western Michigan 21 2112 3,667 57.6
Bowling Green 20 2044 5,000 40.9
Ferris State 18 1424 2,493 57.1
[Goon's World]

It's not about travel distances

Flying driving to Omaha Nebraska? There isn't much of a difference in mileage. One could make the argument that UNO is a lot closer to the schools in the WCHA than the CCHA. I checked the mileage on a few of the distances of travel and this is what I came up with for distances to UAH. I don't buy that argument. That isn't the reason for not allowing UAH or it's not a very good one.

UM - UAH 651 miles
BGSU - UAH 585 miles
OSU - UAH 510 miles
MSU - UAH 672 miles
NMU - UAH 990 miles
ND - UAH 560 miles
LSSU - UAH 951 miles
NMU - UAH 657 miles
MU - UAH 442 miles
UAF - UAH 4137 miles
FSU - UAH 768 miles

Here is the distances from UNO to the various schools in the CCHA.

NMU - UNO 684 miles
UNO - MSU 672 miles
UNO - UM 692 miles
UNO - UMiami 707 miles
UNO - UAF 3270 miles
UNO - NMU 765 miles
UNO - FSU 684 Miles
UNO - ND 545 miles
UNO - OSU 781 miles
UNO - LSSU 903 miles
UNO - WMU 597 miles
UNO - BGSU 897 miles
[Goon's World]

In conclusion, I believe the denial of UAH's bid to the CCHA is about the CCHA pouting about losing a team and basically showing the commissioner of the WCHA Bruce McLeod that the CCHA isn't going to dictated to on what teams they accept to their league. Fine take your ball and go home, that's what we tell the spoiled, snotty, pouty kids that act like elitist brats. This is also about grand standing and thumbing their nose at UAH. Like I said before I really don't think that the CCHA is above UAH. Look at the teams that make up the bottom rung of the CCHA it's not an impressive group of teams. In essence this could be the second team the CCHA will have killed, first it was Wayne State out of Detroit and now possibly UAH.

I still smell B.S.

Like I said yesterday, "I smell Bullshit with the CCHA's rejection of UAH's bid to become a member of the CCHA." Their reasons for rejecting UAH just don't add up. Don't give me this crap that they are concerned about UAH's commitment to college hockey. Maybe the CCHA should concerned about the health of FSU, BGSU, WMU and LSSU as well. Bruce Ciske does a pretty good job of illustrating this. Attendance, yeah ok. I believe that the CCHA is throwing a hissy fit because they are unhappy that UNO has decided to move to the CCHA. Like I said earlier it's laughable to suggest that UAH isn't at least on equal footing as the power houses that line the bottom of the CCHA standings on a year to year basis.

I also believe that if the NCAA loses anymore division one college teams the NCAA will start pulling at large bids. It will happen folks. This is why we can't allow any teams to disband and fold. Also, if Huntsville folds what college in their right mind is going to want to start a divsion one hockey program? Why should they?

The CCHA's stance just doesn't make sense. The 2,688 fans per game UAH averaged in ten dates equals more than four of the 12 teams currently in the CCHA. While schools like Bowling Green, Western Michigan, Lake Superior State, and Ferris State have the inherent advantage of being able to host the likes of Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Notre Dame virtually every season, UAH drew more per game with home dates against Bemidji State (2), Niagara (4), and Robert Morris (4). The Chargers drew 2,795 for an exhibition game against Tennessee's club team.
[Ciske Blog]

I smell B.S.

This is an interesting take from the UAH beat writer blog. I have to say that I smell bullshit here. Something doesn't add up and I am not buying it. So are we to believe that UAH isn't good enough to play in the CCHA? This is a league that includes FSU 12-19-7, LSSU 11-20-8, and BGSU 11-24-3. The bottom half of the league is stuffed with mediocre - crappy teams that would have a very tough time beating UAH. UAH also has a nicer arena and draws better crowd than the teams deemed worthy of being in the CCHA.

I want to remind college hockey fans; when the NCAA pulls an auto bid or two you can blame the CCHA and their commissioner Tom Anastos. Way to stand firm Tom. When your favorite team stays home from the NCAA tourney when they would have went under the old 16 team NCAA tourney you can blame the elites in the CCHA.

Meanwhile, the Chargers would have been a good fit for the league, which now has an odd number of teams (11).

It's also interesting that Commissioner Tom Anastos earlier (pre-UNO leaving) said scheduling for a league with an odd number of teams is not feasible and, while making a visit to UAH this summer, said the CCHA has a firm, solid commitment to having a program in Huntsville.

In an e-mail, Anastos said major issues of concern for the CCHA Council included economics, facilities and location. That may be just a smoke screen.

The economics are a non-factor compared to other colleges.

The facilities (6,600-seat Von Braun Center) argument is a non-issue. The VBC administration went out of its way to accommodate CCHA scheduling demands during a visit here last month. [Slap Shots blog]

UAH officials stunned by CCHA decision

Personally I have to say that I am shocked by the decision as well.

HUNTSVILLE, AL - The University of Alabama-Huntsville's application to join the Central Collegiate Hockey Association has been denied, the CCHA Council voted today.

According to a short statement, the council "voted by acclamation to deny the University of Alabama in Huntsville's application to become a member of the conference."

UAH officials were stunned by the decision.

"We are certainly disappointed in the decision and feel like our program has a lot to offer to any league," said UAH director of athletics Jim Harris. "We are going to look at other options that are available to us and then move forward."

Harris said the decision will not affect the upcoming season, which is the team's 25th year as a varsity sport. It will also be the final year of College Hockey America, which UAH helped found in 1999. Three other remaining members of the CHA - Bemidji State, Niagara and Robert Morris - have all been admitted to other conferences.

"Many people have put a lot of work into trying to make this happen; from all of the Chargers past and present through to Dr. Williams and the leaders in the city of Huntsville," said head coach Danton Cole, who is in Slovakia as an assistant coach with the U.S. Under 18 Select Team. "I do not know what the future holds for the program, but we will be looking at our options and move forward in the best interest of the University."

CCHA Commissioner Tom Anastos said the council, comprised of athletic administrators and faculty athletic representatives, discussed "various issues" before voting to "maintain our membership at its current level."

"The CCHA will remain focused on maintaining and strengthening our existing members to ensure the conference's continued success and long-term viability," Anastos said in the statement.

CCHA turns down UAH.

So the CCHA is going to turn up it's nose at UAH. This is elitist. Let's be clear, this is not good for college hockey and it's basically the CCHA thumbing it's nose at UAH and saying you're not good enough to be a member of our league but bottom feeder teams like BGSU, LSSU, are?

Like one of my friends said it's the league taking it toys and going home like a spoiled kid. So folks; when the NCAA starts pulling at large bids because division one hockey teams are dropping hockey, the blame can be laid at the feet of the CCHA.

The CCHA announced today that the CCHA Council, comprised of athletic administrators and faculty athletic representatives, has voted by acclamation to deny Alabama-Huntsville's application to become a member of the conference.

“The league completed its due diligence of the application for membership submitted by the University of Alabama in Huntsville with careful consideration and discussion of various issues,” CCHA Commissioner Tom Anastos said. “At this time we have chosen to maintain our membership at its current level.”

“The CCHA will remain focused on maintaining and strengthening our existing members to ensure the conference’s continued success and long-term viability.”
[CHN Staff Report]

Ryan Jones resigned by the Preds.

This is one guy that I wish the Wild hadn't traded away. Think about this; Jones scored twice as many goals as our heraled first round draft choice James Sheppard, had roughly the same amount of points as Cal Clutterbuck and scored more points than the Wild's first round draft choice Colton Gillies in the same amount of games. I think in the end this is going to go down as being a bad move for the Wild. This illustrates the reason it was a good move to get rid of the former GM Doug Risebrough.

The Nashville Predators announced today that they have re-signed former RedHawks captain Ryan Jones. The deal is a two-year, one-way contract that will pay Jones roughly $975,000 per season.

In 46 games with Nashville last season, Jones registered ten goals and seven assists. His first NHL goal came on October 15, 2008 against Dallas and CCHA alum Marty Turco. [The Brother Hood]

UML goalie cleared of drug charges

I had posted a tweet about Nevin Hamilton's arrest on my twitter account. Recently, Hamilton has been cleared of the charges against him.

UMass-Lowell goaltender Nevin Hamilton has been cleared of all charges stemming from his arrest last month in his hometown.

Hamilton, a rising senior from Ashland, Mass., was arrested on July 24 and charged with possession of a Class B drug. A Framingham man, 23-year-old Adam Neshe, was arrested at the same time and on the same street, facing the same charges.

Today, the university announced that Hamilton has been absolved of all the charges related to the arrest.

“Nevin was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” UMass-Lowell coach Blaise MacDonald said in a statement. “Fortunately, justice has prevailed and he has been exonerated of all charges.” [hockeyjournal.com]

CCHA could vote on UAH hockey team's admission this week

Picture of UAH's Von Braun Center Arena. It's Time for the CCHA to step up to the plate and do the right thing. I am not so sure they want to be the league that let UAH's hockey program fold? They are also a 11 team league right now and I can't imagine them wanting to schedule eleven teams as opposed to twelve teams.

Personally, I believe that UAH would be a good fit in the CCHA and we have broken down the distances from UAH to the various CCHA schools. There was some good news about a week and a half ago when it was announced that BGSU getting four (4) million dollars for it's hockey arena. It would appear that one obstacle had been removed for UAH to possibly join the CCHA.

The future of the University of Alabama-Huntsville hockey program could be decided within 48 hours.

The Chargers applied to join the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, which includes Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Notre Dame. League representatives meet today and Tuesday, but UAH has no guarantee it will be admitted.

"It would be the equivalent of us getting into the SEC if we had a football team," said UAH coach Danton Cole, who is in Slovakia as an assistant for the U.S. Under-18 select team. "It is that big and I think an important part of growing the reputation and visibility of our university and city.

"They could approve us, they could say no. Or they could just not make a decision."

UAH is the lone member of the soon-to-be-defunct College Hockey Association without a new conference. Other teams in the league - which will fold after the upcoming season - have found new homes: Bemidji State joining the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, and Robert Morris and Niagara will entering Atlantic Hockey.

CCHA commissioner Tom Anastos - who toured the UAH campus and Von Braun Center in June - was noncommittal about a decision.

"Our goal will be to make a decision just as soon as we can," Anastos told the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch. "The next time we meet ... we will have plenty of discussion on this topic. However, there is no guarantee that we will make a final decision by our August meeting."

The Chargers' application is not the only issue facing the CCHA. It is also considering the state of Bowling Green's program, where the athletic department had to slash millions from its budget. [AL.com]

Lamoureux gets closer to NHL dream

Here is a really nice story on former Fighting Sioux goalie Jean-Philippe Lamoureux and how he has caught the eyes of the Buffalo Sabres. It will be interesting to see how Lamoureux's year plays out in the AHL.

Considering the impressive numbers he put up as a first-year pro with the ECHL's Alaska Aces, it's really no surprise that goaltender Jean-Philippe Lamoureux is climbing the ladder.

Lamoureux, who turns 25 on Aug. 20, impressed Buffalo Sabres brass at a prospects camp last month and was rewarded with a one-year contract. The Grand Forks, N.D., native went 33-16-2 with a 2.29 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage. He also set an ECHL record with eight shutouts.

The next likely stop for Lamoureux will be the Portland Pirates in the American Hockey League -- just one step away from where the undrafted goalie wants to be.

"You work to play in the NHL someday," Lamoureux told NHL.com. "My first year of pro, my goal was to get a two-way deal with an NHL team and that was what I was able to accomplish."

As sharp as Lamoureux was during the regular season, it may have been his performance in the ECHL playoffs that caught Buffalo's attention. In 21 appearances for Alaska, Lamoureux went 15-6 with a 1.95 GAA and a .934 save percentage. He helped the Aces reach the Kelly Cup Finals, where they lost to the South Carolina Stingrays in seven games.

"Anytime you get a phone call and someone wants to take a serious look at you, you've got to show up and play well," Lamoureux said. "I was just coming off our playoff run (with Alaska). I didn't have too much time to get prepared for it, so I just wanted to play real solid and work hard. I felt pretty good. I wasn't lights out by any means, but I felt I was real consistent throughout the week."
[NHL.COM]

Team Illinois/Wisconsin.

The illegal curve has Team Illinois/Team Wisconsin up.

One of the readers of our 2010 State Olympic teams asked me why I didn’t put together a Team Illinois or Team Wisconsin since I had mentioned them in the list of 6 States which were the highest producers of U.S. born NHL players. My response was that while they did help to contribute, their input was almost half of what the 4th State (Team Massachusetts) provided so it might be difficult to put together a competitive team. Even by going to the AHL & College ranks it was difficult to put together a team that could contend in this ‘fantasy’ tournament.

However being up for the challenge I decided that since these two states border each other, why not combine the two and see what kind of team we could have. (as could be seen with Team Maritimes, when you don’t have enough players from one region, why not combine).

So without further ado, here is Team Illisconsin.

You can see the following teams:Team Quebec, Team Maritimes, Team Ontario, Team Saskatchewan, Team Michigan, Team Manitoba, Team Alberta, Team British Columbia , Team Minnesota, Team Massachusetts.

No need to rush on signing Kessel.

It kind of makes sense, he might not be able to play till December. Eventually he will have to sign a contract or risk sitting out all season because no team has offered him a offer sheet.

For those fretting about Phil Kessel remaining unsigned, remember that there is no rush for either side to put pen to paper. The 21-year-old forward might not be ready to play until December because of rehabilitation following shoulder surgery. Kessel can continue his rehab and see if the Bruins sputter at the start, which could put pressure on the club to lock him up. On the other side, the team has a deep lineup up front. Three summers ago, Patrice Bergeron, also an unsigned restricted free agent, didn’t agree to his five-year, $23.75 million extension until Aug. 22 . . . [Boston Globe]

NHL asks Court to toss out Jim Balsillie's bid for Coyotes

I knew this was going to happen. The NHL has the right to choose who they want to own a team and in the case I think they can decided that they don't want Jim Balsillie to be an NHL owner. I also think the Buffalo Sabres or the Toronto Maple Leafs don't want another team in their area. If the Yotes go any where I would like to see them go back to where they belong in Winnipeg.

PHOENIX -- The NHL has asked a bankruptcy judge to throw out Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie's bid to buy the Phoenix Coyotes based on the league's overwhelming rejection of him as a potential owner.

The 26-page motion, accompanied by declarations from Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs and Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold, says the owners have concluded that Balsillie would be untrustworthy and that the court has no right to overturn their July 29 vote.

The owners say their opinion is based on Balsillie's behaviour in earlier attempts to purchase the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators.

"We voted to deny approval to Mr. Balsillie because we concluded he lacks the good character and integrity required of a new owner" required under NHL bylaws, said Jacobs, chairman of the league's board of governors.

The board, made up of a representative from each NHL team, voted 26-0 against Balsillie's application. Three abstained and one representative was absent, according to Jacobs.

UND receives another honor. (sort of)

Actually I am on my way out of town to decompress at the hunting shack and scout for Canadian Honkers, the season opens next weekend for North Dakota early goose season, really I am. Yeah the geese will be out with their sunglasses sitting in the ponds sunning themselves as hunters try sneaking up on them or will be laying in the decoys when it is 70-90 degrees or not.

Okay! I may consume one or two beers by the fire pit both nights. Donna from Running with the Dogs sent me this link. Apparently not only is UND a great party school, their students don't spend much time in the classroom either. That being said it's a pretty impressive list, UND is on par some of the cooler schools in SEC.
1. West Virginia University (Morgantown, W.Va.)
2. University of Maryland -- College Park
3. State University of New York -- University at Albany
4. University of Mississippi (University, Miss.) aka, "Ole Miss"
5. University of North Dakota (Grand Forks, N.D.)
"Size and affordability are very nice draws" at the University of North Dakota. The number of undergrads here is ideal, and UND offers "the best bang for the buck anywhere." Student activities at UND run the gamut. There are more than 200 clubs and organizations. The student recreation center is enormous and state of the art. Intramural sports are quite popular, and many students are "huge supporters of the Fighting Sioux," the intercollegiate athletic teams. Specifically, "hockey is king here." The team is formidable year in and year out, and it has won several national championships. Home games in the "breathtaking" arena are well attended and "extremely fun." Students describe the overall academic experience at UND as "pretty good" "and not too stressful." Students report the fraternities and sororities loom large in the social scheme of things. Beginning on Friday (or maybe Thursday), "everybody is on a quest to entertain themselves."

Students who considered University of North Dakota also looked at Concordia College, Minot State University, Saint Cloud State University, University of Minnesota -- Crookston, and University of Minnesota -- Duluth.
6. Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge, La.)
7. Florida State University (Tallahassee, Fla.)
8. University of Florida (Gainesville, Fla.)
9. Florida Southern College (Lakeland, Fla.)
10. University of Georgia (Athens, Ga.)

Friday Linkorama.

Mike Russo the Minnesota Wild beat writer has an interesting article on whether the Wild would be interested in Nikolai Zherdev. I am going to say no don't do it.

Bruins forward David Krejci is ranked second in the top 10 Czechs in the game. Martin Havlat of the Minnesota Wild is ranked seventh.

Former Wisconsin Badgers goalie Brian Elliott has a new two year deal.

Props NHL.COM Former Fighting Sioux hockey coach and current UNO Maverick and USA WJC coach Dean Blais is looking for the right mix of players for Team USA.

"They've got questionnaires on them, you have all the stats on these guys, but we want to see how they get along with teammates. Can they jell? Can they be team players? Can they do the little things to win that we ask them to do?

Sidney Crosby had his day with the Stanley Cup.

More on the Dany Heatley Saga: Dany Heatley's Ottawa Senators teammates could/would accept Heatley back this season but they want an explanation. This is what Chris Neil had to say.

Everyone's in the dark here. I think guys would want an explanation.
"But, if Dany shows up at camp and he's ready to go, we'd welcome him back.

Nice article on Carter Rowney.

Here is a really good article on incoming Sioux freshman Carter Rowney. I can't wait to see this Carter Rowney in a UND Fighting Sioux uniform this season. Rowney was not drafted during the 2009 entry draft.

If the Grande Prairie Storm repeat as AJHL champions this season, they’ll do so without the services of all-star forward Carter Rowney.

Rowney will forfeit his final year of junior eligibility to leave for the University of North Dakota, where he’ll play NCAA Division I hockey with the Fighting Sioux.
He’ll also continue his education, working towards a business degree.

The forward had the option of joining the Fighting Sioux either this season or in 2010, and while he’s been leaning towards making the jump for some time, everything has now been made official. He’ll be on his way in about two weeks.

“The plan is right now, I’m going down to North Dakota,” Rowney said.

“I’ve gone through it all now. I think I just finished doing all my paperwork finally.”
--------(snip)-----------
Rowney was a scorer with the Storm, but his role with North Dakota has yet to be decided.

“It’ll all come down to the type of opportunity that they give him,” Vandekamp said.

“He’s a good enough player. It’s going to be a jump for him for sure, as it is for all players to go from junior A to Division I college.

“North Dakota has a very competitive program so he’ll be competing with some very good players to get ice time, but I think he’s ready.”

Rowney has his sights on getting consistent playing time.

With the calibre of hockey as high as it is in the NCAA, Rowney has been working hard to help make that goal a reality.

He spent two weeks in Vernon, B.C., to train earlier in the summer and then he spent another two going through orientation with his new team.

He said he hasn’t taken a night off from working out to help build up his strength – something he sees as an area of his game that needs improvement.

Rowney doesn’t know how North Dakota will play out, but he’s optimistic his first year of college will be a good one.
[Daily Herald - Tribune]