This is what we look forward to.

 Although the weather feels like it's still August and the fact that the Weather Channel tells me that it's supposed to be 79 degrees today and tomorrow; this puzzles and causes me to ask the question, "where the hell was this weather in June, July and August?" I want a refund on the summer. Weather or not I am going on record and announcing that summer is officially over and College and NHL hockey seasons are upon us.

Vacation Time

I am off to the hunting shack for some decompression and duck hunting. Sioux7 is coming up to the shack on Sunday and we are going to do some duck hunting on Monday and Tuesday. Don't tell anyone from Minnesota but this is going to be a banner duck hunting season, probably one of the best since about 2004. No I will not be giving out any GPS coordinates. My partner in crime and Gandalf the Red's favorite blogger Sioux7 will be posting a top ten in the next week and my WCHA preseason prediction will go up tomorrow afternoon about 1500 hours at the Illegal Curve, here and at MVN.COM. If you click on the link on Gandalf the Red's name it will bring you to his prediction where he predicts the Sioux to finish fourth in the WCHA behind the SCSU Huskies. I think the Huskies will be better a team this season but they won't be very physical and you can defeat them by pounding on them in the corners.  I am going to leave you with a clip from one of my favorite all time movies, City Slickers.

Fighting Sioux sign major recruit.

Fighting Sioux hockey beat writer Brad Elliott Schlossman is reporting that the Sioux have gotten a verbal commitment from Brock Nelson of Warroad Minnesota. This is a nice pickup for Coach Hakstol and the Fighting Sioux that recently received a verbal commitment from Thief River Falls High star Goalie Nate Gothberg. Make that two highly talented high players from the local areas with the acquisition of Warroad High School's Brock Nelson.

Brock Nelson grew up admiring his uncles, Dave and Eddie Christian.

So, when it came time to pick a college, the Warroad (Minn.) High standout followed their paths.

Nelson, a high school senior and a standout hockey forward, has verbally committed to UND for either the fall of 2010 or 2011.

“I’ve always followed them,” Nelson said of the Sioux. “My uncles played there and they’ve always been my favorite.”

Nelson said he also was considering Bemidji State and Nebraska-Omaha.

At 6-foot-4, 185 pounds, Nelson has great size to go along with a strong skill set. He scored 45 goals and racked up 76 points for the state runner-up Warroad Warriors a year ago.

“We should be pretty good again, but we’ll have to contend with (Zane) Gothberg and Thief River Falls,” Nelson said, referring to the UND goalie recruit.

Nelson scored the game-winning goal of the section championship on Gothberg to send the Warriors to state last season.

Nelson currently is playing in the Minnesota high school elite league, which features most of the best prep players in the state. Nelson is the second-leading scorer in the league with five goals, seven assists and 12 points in six games. His team, Great Plains, is 4-1-1.

“He just has a knack with the puck,” Warroad coach Albert Hasbargen said last season. “He seems like he’s got stickem tape on both sides of his stick blade. He’s a kid who can find the twine, something you don’t coach.” [Grand Forks Herald]

Matt Gilroy makes the Rangers out of training Camp.

This is nice feel good story; the kid out of New York that made the BU hockey team as a walk on, the player not many teams wanted, the same kid that went on to win a scholarship at BU and the Hobey Baker award and an NCAA title with the Boston University Terriers ends up making the NHL out of training camp his rookie season. It doesn't get any better than this. BU fans should be proud of Matt Gilroy.

Coming into tonight's game against the Capitals, Gilroy, 25, last season's Hobey Baker Award winner while leading Boston University to the NCAA title, had one goal and was a plus-three in four preseason games. But what's been most impressive is how comfortable and confident Gilroy has looked in his first NHL action, particularly in his skating and pushing the puck up the ice and shooting when he has the opportunity. Granted, his age gives him a bit of an advantage over other rookies. Gilroy is a lock to make this team. [Ranger Rants]

Deadline looms for University of North Dakota decision on whether to ditch Fighting Sioux name

My buddy Bert sent me this article from the Star and Tribune aka the Red Star and Sickle. Wow, just wow... I guess Dave Kolpack forgot to mention that this past summer the Spirit Lake Nation voted overwhelming majority to approve the Fighting Sioux name by about 2/3 margin, which translates somewhere in the 67% - 33% area. The Tribal Council reaffirmed this vote this past week.

The members of Standing Rock are waiting till after the Tribal Council Election on the 30th of September, in hope they will be allowed to have a vote on the Fighting Sioux name. The reason the Standing Rock Tribe isn’t voting on whether UND can use the Fighting Sioux name issue is because that Ron His Horse is Thunder won’t allow the people of the Standing Rock Tribe to have an up or down vote on UND’s use of the Fighting Sioux name.

GRAND FORKS, N.D. - Brett Potas is so angry the University of North Dakota may drop its Fighting Sioux nickname that he's canceled his season hockey tickets and says he won't give his alma mater another dime.

"They tried to get me to think about it. I said that I've been thinking about it for years," Potas said. He says he doesn't want to be associated with a university that takes a politically correct position.

Lucy Ganje, an art professor who led protests against the name, said the school not only should drop its nickname and Indian head logo, it should also apologize to the Sioux tribes and the school's American Indian students.

The two views illustrate the passionately fought debate over the nickname that has nagged the school for years and could finally be resolved this fall. Unless the school gets the support of the state's two Sioux tribes by Oct. 1, which appears unlikely, the state Board of Higher Education says it must drop the nickname.

"One thing's for sure, the feelings run deep," athletic director Brian Faison said. "I'm sure there are other places where emotion has been attached to the logo, but here there's an intensity I've never experienced any place else."

UND teams have been known as the Fighting Sioux since 1930. Those who support the name echo the argument made by fans of other teams with American Indian mascots — that it is part of the school's heritage and is a sign of respect that honors the Indians' proud traditions.

But critics argue that naming sports teams after Indians, a historically disenfranchised race of people, is demeaning, and even racist, and that the practice should stop because many tribes oppose it.

Just this month, the U.S. Supreme Court was asked to look into whether the Washington Redskins' name defames American Indians. A lower court ruled in favor of the NFL team.

The NCAA in 2005 listed 18 schools with American Indian mascots and images that it considered "hostile and abusive," and banned them from postseason play pending name changes. William and Mary was added in 2006. Some schools, like Florida State University (the Seminoles) and the University of Utah (the Utes), were allowed to keep their nicknames by getting permission from local tribes.

But most changed their nicknames, leaving UND as the lone holdout.

The state of North Dakota sued to block the NCAA stipulation, but it agreed in a 2007 settlement that the school would drop the name by 2010 unless it got the approval from the Standing Rock and Spirit Lake Sioux tribes. The Spirit Lake tribal council voted last week to allow the school to remain the Fighting Sioux, but the Standing Rock council has refused to give its approval. [Read the whole article here]

Sean Avery is at it again.

I honestly think Sean "Sloppy seconds" Avery is good for the NHL; the man is a drama queen he give hockey bloggers so much to talk about. This time he zings his own team from last season. Now mind you this is the only team that would have him after he was disowned by the Dallas Stars.

Avery, who arrived in March after alienating himself in Dallas, said of the retooled Rangers: "We're excited to get the season going and just about being together" - a stark difference, in his opinion, from last season.

"It was a long year," he said, referring to the 2008-09 Blueshirts. "I think it was a lot of smoke and mirrors with the team - I don't think it was as close as a lot of people indicated."
[New York Daily News]

Boogeyman out with a concussion for the Wild.

This isn't good news for the Minnesota Wild as their tough guy/goon Derek Boogaard is out indefinitely with a concussion, last year Boogey missed some time with various upper body injuries. Enter former MTU bumper car driver and winner of LetsGoDUHockey 2005-2006 bad boy of the year John Scott will take Boogaard's role as team goon in Boogaard's absence. Last season in Boogaard's absence John Scott did get in three fights beating up Av's punk Cody McCormick, New York Islanders goon Joel Rechlicz and Oilers hack Zack Stortini. [Hockey Fights]

As mentioned on the earlier blog, Derek Boogaard is out indefinitely with a concussion. Coach Todd Richards thinks in the Columbus exhibition game that Boogaard was nailed in the chin with a stick after a check. Concussions are unpredictable, and Richards said the Wild doesn’t know yet the extent of Boogaard’s injury. He said it could be a week or two, could be a month or two.

If Boogaard misses the start of the season, the fighting will likely fall onto 6-foot-8 defenseman John Scott. I wrote a story on Scott for Thursday’s paper, which I highly recommend. Scott’s a character, and he told a couple really funny anecdotes about Jacques Lemaire and Mario Tremblay. [Russo's Rants]

Don't forget UAH: UAH program standing alone

As the college hockey season moves forward, I would urge college hockey fans not to forget about UAH program and their status in college hockey world, they still need a home. There are 58 teams in division one hockey and we can’t afford to lose any teams. I don’t think anyone wants to go back to the 12 team NCAA tourneys.

Future without league affiliation poses big hurdles

As Danton Cole enters his third season as coach of the Alabama-Huntsville hockey team, he faces a formidable task: Trying to preserve the 31-year-old program.

After being snubbed by the Central Collegiate Hockey Association last month and with College Hockey America in its final season, the Chargers' existence is tenuous. After this season, they would be the lone independent team among the 60-plus NCAA Division I programs.

"It's what it is right now," Cole said of the CCHA situation. "They've decided to move forward without us.

"But we've put together a good independent schedule. It'll be interesting."

With five conferences left after the upcoming season (CCHA, Western Collegiate Hockey Association, Hockey East, Atlantic Hockey and ECAC), scheduling for the next four years is going to be a chore. Teams are locked into their league schedules from January-March, followed by conference tournaments and the NCAAs.

Cole was away for two weeks coaching a U.S. National Select team in Eastern Europe when the CCHA rejected UAH's bid to join.

"I haven't had a chance to catch my breath," he said. "But that's the nature of this job. Coach (Chris) Luongo and Coach (John) McCabe have been hustling and doing a ton of work." [Al.com]

J.P. Lamoureux sent to Portland.

Former Fighting Sioux goalie Jean-Philippe Lamoureux has been assigned to Portland of the AHL.

SABRES ASSIGN 14 PLAYERS TO PORTLAND ---- GM Darcy Regier announced today the Sabres have assigned 14 players to the Portland Pirates of the American League.

In addition, defenseman Ryan Stokes and goaltender Glenn Fisher have both been released from their training camp tryouts. The moves leave the Sabres with 33 players remaining in camp: 19 forwards, 11 defensemen and three goaltenders.

Heading to Portland are:

Paul Byron, T.J. Brennan, J.P. Lamoureux, Tyler Ennis, Matt Generous,
Brad Larsen, Mike Kostka, Maxime Legault, Dennis Persson, Mark McCutcheon Drew Schiestel, Kyle Rank, Travis Turnbull, Derek Whitmore.
[Buffalo Sabres]

Downie the hack gets his...

There is an old saying in hockey, ‘live by the sword, and die by the sword.’ Finally Steve “the hack” Downie got what was coming to him when Chris Neil got him last night. Eventually if you run around the ice dishing out cheap hit someone is going to smoke you. I still think that Jack Johnson did the hockey world a favor when he elbowed Downie in the World Junior Championship in 2006. While people say it was a cheap shot, what they didn't talk about was how Steve Downie was hacking Johnson with his stick before that.

REGINA — The Senators finally got even with Steve Downie.

Dean McAmmond might be long gone, but Downie’s cheap shot from two years ago (earning him a 20-game suspension) wasn’t forgotten last night. Chris Neil nailed Downie, a Tampa Bay Lightning winger, with 6:04 left in the third period of a 3-1 pre-season win last night in front of a packed house at the Brandt Centre.

Neil was given a charging minor and game misconduct for his hit along the boards in the dying minutes.

“I didn’t get him as good as I would like to have,” said Neil. “He drops his gloves with me and then he says, ‘Oh, I’m not fighting.’ He tried to flip me. I got him with some good ones. I wish I got him with some better ones.

“I’m not concerned at all (about supplementary discipline). I finished my check. It might have been a little late. It was a clean hit. It’s one of those things. He was just lucky he was able to get me down before I got going.”

Asked if he thought he would hear from the league, Senators coach Cory Clouston said: “I don’t think so.”

Don't Let the Door Hit You On the Way Out

The more I hear of this story the less sad that I become; one can say that I am over it. Good luck with going to the hockey black hole known as Toronto. You’re really going to love the way the fans are going to treat you when you disappear for a few games and don’t score any goals. Toronto fans are less forgiving than Boston fans and they are relentless on the message boards. You might want to talk to last year’s whipping boy Jason Blake; the fans were also very persistent in their criticism of the former 40 goal scorer. You’re making more money than Blake is so you’re going to have higher expectations on our shoulder. I am going to say anything less than 20-30 goals is going to be looked at as failure by the Toronto fans.

In retrospect; Kessel was almost Gaborik like, first there was the demands of a bunch of money and then not wanting to play for the old team anymore. After the Kessel trade to Toronto became official it seemed like the same things keep began surfacing all over again, doesn’t train very hard, he is quite… The kid is a great talent blessed with great offensive skills but I don’t think calling him a prima donna is out of line. So maybe Gare Joyce wasn’t that far off the mark during the 2006 entry draft combine? Maybe Jack Johnson aka “JMFJ” was right? Is Kessel a dirt bag or misunderstood.

I also said this in 2006; “I have nothing against Phil Kessel I think he has amazing talent and a huge upside if he grows up and realizes it’s not all about Phil Kessel, because in the NHL, team goals come first, because it’s about working as a team and worrying more about team goals you’re your personal stats.”

There are no give me's in life, but maybe Phil could learn from his buddy David Krecji who is more of a team player than you and will cash in on his next contract. Hockey is a team game and there is no "I" in team.

The Boston Bruins, it seems, were determined to give Phil Kessel a swift kick in the drawers on his way out of The Hub.

He didn't want to play in Boston. He demanded a trade. He didn't train hard enough. He wouldn't backcheck. He hadn't forgiven the team for benching him during the 2008 playoffs. Claude Julien was mean to him. He was greedy. He was untruthful in denying ever asking for an exit visa out of town.

These were some of the grenades launched at Kessel over the weekend from Boston management after the trade that sent him from the Bruins to the Maple Leafs for two first round picks and a second.

Clearly, this was a trade Boston GM Peter Chiarelli didn't want to make but was forced into making by circumstance and the unrelenting pressure of Leafs GM Brian Burke. Burke's public acknowledgment that he had an offer sheet waiting for Kessel put a chill on the Kessel market that Chiarelli couldn't thaw. Teams like Minnesota and Nashville had interest in the speedy winger but weren't about to give up prospects and picks and then not be guaranteed to get the player.

So, after the trade, Chiarelli had to present the Bruins case in as positive a light as possible after initially refusing to make any comment at all on the day of the deal. His No. 1 priority was to make a strong argument that this trade wasn't about the Bruins being cheap and not wanting to pay Kessel, an accusation that was lobbed at the team for years.

Kessel, says Chiarelli, demanded a trade and wouldn't negotiate a contract, so that was that. Indications are that was indeed the situation, and Kessel's statement that he "never once" demanded a trade was really just semantics. Whether his agent made the demand or whether his unwillingness to talk contract was a passive aggressive strategy, it really doesn't matter now.

Clearly, Julien's coaching style was part of the issue, and so the most fascinating part of Kessel's career as a Leaf when it begins in two months or so will be how he and Ron Wilson are able to forge a working relationship. Wilson's a demanding coach, and he can be caustic and pointed in his public and private remarks when he feels it is warranted. San Jose officials make no bones about the fact they believe Wilson's riding of Patrick Marleau retarded Marleau's development.
[the spin]

Capitals make roster moves.

According to on Forzen Blog, Big Joe Finley has been reasigned; I would suspect to either Hersey or South Carolina Stingrays. Former MSU-M hack Trevor Bruess (sorry Amy) was reassigned as well.

The Capitals today trimmed their training camp roster relatively significantly -- down to 42. Among those reassigned:
Boyd Kane
Michael Dubuc
Joel Broda
Patrick Wellar
Zach Miskovic
Joe Finley
Anton Gustafsson
Trevor Bruess
Jake Hausworth
Dylan Yeo
Vladimir Denisov
Josh Godfrey
Ryan Jasinsky
Todd Ford
Braden Holtby

Processing the Kessel trade.

Bruins fans knew this day was coming, he didn't want to play for the spoked "B" anymore so we wish him well, personally I hope the Leafs suck this year again. I just can't believe that the Bruins Managment sent him to a league rival. I just hope this doesn't come back to haunt the Bruins management. Kessel was a Hab Killer and in the end he didn't want to play for Bruins coach Claude Julien. Incidently this is the same coach that was fired by New Jersey right before Stanley Cup playoffs in April of 2007 by general manager Lou Lamoriello.

General manager Peter Chiarelli, who estimated that the Phil Kessel trade was finalized at 9:15 p.m. last night, said there were two reasons the deal took place: the forward's desire to leave and Toronto's looming threat of an offer sheet.

"Let me be perfectly clear," Chiarelli said. "This trade is really about two things. One, it's about a player who did not want to play in Boston. Two, it's about the threat or the perceived threat of an offer sheet."

At the June draft in Montreal, the Bruins attempted to trade Kessel to Toronto in a package that would have returned Tomas Kaberle and the No. 7 pick. Chiarelli said the primary focus of the trade was the seventh pick. The deal fell apart because of miscommunication. Then in July, Kessel informed the Bruins that he wanted to be traded, and there was also chatter that an offer sheet might come down. Last night, said there were two reasons the deal took place: the forward's desire to leave and Toronto's looming threat of an offer sheet.

"Let me be perfectly clear," Chiarelli said. "This trade is really about two things. One, it's about a player who did not want to play in Boston. Two, it's about the threat or the perceived threat of an offer sheet."

At the June draft in Montreal, the Bruins attempted to trade Kessel to Toronto in a package that would have returned Tomas Kaberle and the No. 7 pick. Chiarelli said the primary focus of the trade was the seventh pick. The deal fell apart because of miscommunication. Then in July, Kessel informed the Bruins that he wanted to be traded, and there was also chatter that an offer sheet might come down. [Boston Globe]

On a side note. Phil Kessel is also telling the media that he didn't ask to be traded out of Boston.

Kessel said he never asked the Bruins to be moved out of Boston.

"I never one time asked to be traded," Kessel said. "I think it just became a mutual thing that it was best for both parties to move on. That's basically what happened with that." [Boston Globe]

Kessel is introduced in Toronto.

A few people have asked me how I feel about Kessel being traded to the Maple Leafts and all I can say is, "good luck." If you don't produce in Toronto the media and the fans are going to eat you alive. One team gets better and another team gets draft picks that may or may not help the Bruins.

Ways to improve the college hockey game.

This week's Illegal Curve article I  discuss ways to improve the College Hockey game. There are a few of the suggestion that I would enact if I was in charge. I believe some of these tweaks would improve the college game quite a bit.


1.) First thing out of the gate, I would get rid of the mask or bird cage. In my opinion I believe the full cage is a reason there is so much stick work in NCAA Division one hockey. A couple times getting hit in the face might be what some of these kids need to clean up the game. There is way too much stick work in college hockey and I think the mask is the major reason for this. The players have no respect for their opponents and they feel invincible because of the mask.

2.) Put the 'Red Stop Sign' on the back of all jerseys in Division one hockey, still way too many checking from behind penalties in college hockey. If a player sees the 'Red Stop Sign' don't check the player in front of you.

3.) Get rid of the progressive game disqualification for fighting in college hockey. I think college hockey should be like junior hockey. Fighting is part of the game of hockey and if a player gets into a fight, both players should be out for the rest of that game. There is no need for additional punishment. I think the progressive DQ is too punitive, and is a cause of a lot of extra unnecessary after the whistle bravo sierra. Currently; college hockey players know that they don’t have to fight when they commit an egregious act or take a run at a team’s star players and from past years we know the refs don’t always catch these egregious acts or make the right call either. Because of the progressive DQ rule you get ugly incidents like the one that happened in Mankato last season. Players know that they can hide behind the officials and almost never pay for their miss deeds. In the NHL and junior hockey the players police the game themselves and it helps keep the players honest. Prediction: when the Gophers play the Mavericks this season Brian Schack and Channing Boe will meet on the ice this season and settle their score.

4.) All ties must be broken like the NHL. Over time should be a five minute period of four on four hockey and then a shoot out if there is still no winner. Award point points like the NHL 2 for a win and 1 point for an overtime loss and or for a shoot out loss.

5.) Call the game like they do in the NHL, obstruction in college hockey is still very much a part of the game no matter how many refs are on the ice. If the hand comes off of the stick to hold up a player it's a penalty, hooking is a penalty and not to be misconstrued as good defense. Skill and Speed should be rewarded. It doesn't take any skill to skate up and down the ice hacking and hooking their opponent. Over looking penalties by the refs is unacceptable.

6.) All arenas in college hockey should be required to have over head cameras and goal reviews so the right call can be made on all controversial goals. There also needs to be more than one angle to review these controversial goals, much like the NHL. The NCAA should require each conference to have a war room like the one in Toronto.

7.) I also like to see hockey go to a more durable stick, these carbon fiber stick suck. Sure they are awesome for shooting but I am sick and tired of seeing them break all of the time.

This article was posted at the [Illegal Curve].

Kessel deal confirmed.

The Boston Bruins have traded forward Phil "the Thrill" Kessel to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a slew of draft picks. Now former Fighting Sioux hockey player and current Toronto Maple Leaf Jason Blake will have a new team mate. In a nut shell the rumors of Kessel wanting 5+ million a year apparently true as Phil will be the next millionaire from the WCHA. Kessel is said to make 27 million dollars over five seasons. I am sure that Boston Globe Bruins beat writer Kevin Paul Dupont is really happy now that he had got his wish and Kessel has been dealt to the Leafs. I would be willing to bet KPD is probably having a drink and smoking a cigar right now as we speak.

Phil Kessel has been surrounded by trade rumors for most of the offseason. Tonight, one of the most frequently rumored came true.


The Bruins traded the 21-year-old sniper to the Toronto Maple Leafs for first-round picks in 2010 and '11 and a second-rounder in the next draft.

According to multiple reports, Kessel, a restricted free agent, quickly signed a five-year, $27 million deal with the Leafs.

Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli confirmed via press release at 10 p.m. that the Bruins had completed the deal.

Kessel is a gifted goal scorer, but he occasionally felt the wrath of Bruins coach Claude Julien for not committing to the Bruins defensive style.

The Bruins and Leafs have been discussing swap for Kessel since the beginning of the summer, when reports were that the Leafs would send defenseman Tomas Kaberle to the Bruins for the former first-round draft pick.

That deal did not come to fruition, but the Bruins and Leafs finally agreed on compensation tonight. [Boston Globe Hockey blog]

Reger: Leafs and Bruins reach agreement on Kessel Trade.

Well it looks like a deal is going to get done. It will be interesting to see what the Bruins get back in return for Phil Kessel. I am sure that the Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli would like this head ache to end so he can set his line up in stone. The line up won't look as good with Phil Kessel not in the line up. At the State of the Bruins adress Chiarelli said, "there are players on the roster who “could pick up the slack.’’ One of them is Marco Sturm, who missed half of last season with a mangled knee that required surgery." Marco Sturm is not going to score 35-40 and doesn't have the upside or potential that Phil Kessel does. I would bet a $1,000.00 that Marco Sturm is not going to score 35-40 and doesn't have the upside or potential that Phil Kessel does. Sturm is 31 and Kessel is 21.

Sources tell TSN the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins have reached an agreement on a trade that will deliver Phil Kessel to the Leafs.

The trade is pending Kessel agreeing to a contract with Toronto. It's a process the Leafs are working on right now.

If the contract gets done, the deal is finalized and the trade goes through. If the Maple Leafs are unable to come to terms on a contract with Kessel, the deal may fall through.

The trade would end a saga that began during the lead-up to the NHL Draft when Kessel originally appeared to be headed to Toronto in exchange for defenceman Tomas Kaberle and a draft pick. However, the deal was scuttled at the last moment due to a miscommunication over the pick. [TSN]

Dion Phaneuf hammers Kyle Okposo

This is the hit that everyone has been talking about since last night. I looked at the hit a few times and the appears to be clean but kind of questionable, I think the hit is in the grey area, one could make the argument that it was a head shot, it does appear from the video that Phaneuf lead with his elbow when he hit Okposo. Now on the other end of the hit, Kyle Okposo never, never, never skate with your head down with the puck especially with Dino Phaneuf on the ice. Thank God, that Okposo is ok and was cleared to fly after the hit.
Props: [Light House hockey] [Two Line Pass] and [Puck Daddy]

Bruins unveil Winter Classic jersey

Today the Boston Bruins unveiled their Winter Classic hockey jersey and I have to say that this is a ugly  jersey. I would have went with a version of the third jersey that the Boston Bruins used last season.

[Boston Globe Bruins Hockey blog]

Chairman Says Tribe Won’t Approve Fighting Sioux Nickname

Very interesting situation. My first question is, if Ron His Horse is Thunder is voted out of office how is he going to continue continue to oppose the University of North Dakota’s Fighting Sioux nickname, even if he loses his re-election bid. my first question is how, if the people of the Standing Rock Tribe are allowed to vote and accept UND's use of the Fighting Sioux name. Is one man that powerful that he can stop the people from voicing their opinion?

From everything I have read that the Standing Rock Tribe is going to wait until after the tribal election to re-address the approval of UND's us of the Fighting Sioux nick name. It would be interesting to see what kind of action does RHHiT plans to use to stop it? The article says that the vote was 9-3 against the nick name but who is to say that they won't change their mind?

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) — The chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe said Thursday that tribal officials will continue to oppose the University of North Dakota’s Fighting Sioux nickname, even if he loses his re-election bid later this month.
The North Dakota Board of Higher Education has voted to abolish the name and Indian head logo unless it gets a 30-year agreement from the state’s two Sioux tribes by Oct. 1. The issue was not on the agenda at the board’s meeting Thursday, but a handful of supporters and opponents of the nickname spoke during a public comment period.

Standing Rock Chairman Ron His Horse Is Thunder told the board that most recent vote by the Standing Rock tribal council was 9-3 against the nickname. He said the result shows the council’s position does not depend on whether he stays in office.

“Let’s move forward with this,” His Horse Is Thunder said. “We have beat each other enough as it is.”

Nickname supporter Archie Fool Bear, also of the Standing Rock reservation, asked the board to allow more time to vote on the nickname and logo.

“I say that with a good heart and an open mind because I respect everybody’s opinion,” Fool Bear said. “If it’s negative and it’s bad against the logo, I respect that opinion. But our culture has always been considered by a lot of people to be a strong point for surviving as a Sioux nation.”

Thursday reading.

Here is an interesting story on former BU star Colin Wilson: It will be interesting to see if he ends up in Nashville or Milwaukee. [Tennessean.com]

He stands 6-foot-1, weighs 230 pounds and produced some of the best offensive numbers in college hockey last season.

So there's little doubt that Predators prospect center Colin Wilson has the size and skill to thrive at some point in the NHL.

But is his time now?

That's what the 19-year-old Wilson will begin to tell everyone today, when he steps onto the ice at Sommet Center to play his first NHL preseason contest.

Here are some questions the Predators will be asking themselves as they try to determine whether the best course of action is for Wilson to start the season on the NHL level or with Milwaukee of the American Hockey League.

Can he keep up? If there's one knock on Wilson's game, it's that he's not a swift skater. In addition, it usually takes time for prospects to adjust to the speed when making the jump from the junior ranks, college or even the AHL.

"Some people have questioned his skating, but I think it's improved and it certainly wasn't a problem in the rookie games,'' GM David Poile said. "It didn't seem to be a problem playing with our guys here (in Wednesday's scrimmage). I just think he needs a few games under his belt.''

Can he be a threat offensively? There wouldn't be much point to Wilson making the roster as a fourth-line grinder, because his skills wouldn't be used effectively and he wouldn't be getting much ice time. He'd probably be better off playing on the first or second line in Milwaukee.

Former Fighting Sioux forward Zach Parise is ok after practice collision with Miami University defender Andy Greene. [Faceoff.com]

Defenceman Andy Greene was apologetic Thursday after colliding heavily with New Jersey Devils star centre Zach Parise at practice Thursday. Fortunately for both parties the 45-goal scorer was unhurt despite falling hard into the boards - but he still got some digs in at his teammate.

"I'm used to that from that guy," Parise said jokingly to the Bergen Record. "He likes to cross-check guys and run guys from behind in practice. He's known as a practice tough guy. . . .

"The D ran me from behind. I thought I was in a pretty vulnerable position - three feet away from the boards, facing the boards."

Not letting Greene off the hook, Parise also suggested the NHL should review the play.

From the Boston Globe today regarding Phil Kessel. [Boston.com]

After the game, Chiarelli spoke outside the locker room with Wade Arnott, Phil Kessel’s agent. “Got nothing for you,’’ said Arnott. The Leafs continue to be interested in Kessel.

Got nothing eh? Apparently there is a big time deal in the works between Boston and Toronto, seems like we hear that every day. Now apparently the Wild are also in the mix, I am not sure where they are going to put Phil's 4.5 to 5 million dollar contract since they are maxed out on cap space...

Because of the looming threat the Bruins will not be able to match an offer sheet for free agent Phil Kessel, two well-placed sources in Toronto said the team is close to pulling off a blockbuster trade involving the 21-year-old sniper.

According to the sources, the deal likely will be finalized within the next week, as four teams are in the running. Toronto and Nashville have made the best offers in talks with B’s general manager Peter Chiarelli. Minnesota and the New York Rangers also are in the mix.

The Bruins hoped all along to keep Kessel but could not re-sign him despite making a lucrative offer, so they are close to getting what they can for him and moving on.

“We’re obviously at an impasse,” Chiarelli said before last night’s preseason game against the Maple Leafs, where he expected to speak to Toronto counterpart Brian Burke. [Boston Herald]

So if Burke makes Phil Kessel an expensive offer and the Bruins don't match is Burke going to apologize to the the Oiler GM Kevin Lowe? In essence; wouldn't that also make Burke a hypocrite? Because if he offers Kessel an expensive deal and Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli doesn't match, wouldn't Burke be doing the same thing he accused Kevin Lowe of doing?

The Phil Kessel saga could be coming to a conclusion soon.

While the Maple Leafs remain the front-runners for Kessel’s services, a well-placed source told NESN.com that the Nashville Predators are in the running as well and have offered a package the Bruins like just as much as the Leafs’ reported offer of two first-round picks and more. According to the source, the Predators have offered a first-round pick, the rights to forward Alexander Radulov (who is currently playing in the KHL in Russia) and a top defensive prospect.

On Thursday’s Leafs Lunch on AM 640 in Toronto, host Darren Dreger claimed that a deal could be reached by this weekend because Leafs GM Brian Burke’s patience is wearing thin. Dreger says the Leafs have tabled the best offer, and if the Bruins don’t take it, Burke will go the route of an offer sheet.

Dreger cited Kessel’s wishes to play in Toronto over Nashville as the reason the Leafs remained the front-runners, and the aforementioned source said the same. The Bruins, however, don’t want to trade within the Eastern Conference, let alone with a division rival such as Toronto. That, apparently, is why Peter Chiarelli hasn’t dealt the 21-year old sniper that led the Bruins with 36 goals in 2008-09. [NESN.COM]