WCHA Pre-Season Picks (Sioux7)

Well it has been a year since last I made pre-season predictions. I hope I'm as accurate this year as I was last season. So with out any further delay lets start my WCHA pre-season predictions.

10. Alaska Anchorage
I'm sure I won't be the only one with picking the Seawolves to finish in the basement. They always play a tough physical game, which I like, but they can't seem to score enough goals to get the wins. Unfortunately I don't see them moving up the WCHA ladder this season.

9. Michigan Tech
The Huskies suffered numerous injuries last season which kept them in bottom of the league. I think they will remain in the bottom half again this season, call it a hunch. However, they should be avoid the basement spot this season.

8. Minnesota State - Mankato
The Mavericks, what can I say, but there will two of them next season in the WCHA, with the addition of UNO. These purple puck people will post a poor record this year in the league, according to my crystal ball. Oh, and as a side note I heard Jutting got a multi-year contract extension.

7. St. Cloud State
These Huskies will cause problems in the league and figure to will their fair share of games. I know Motzko will have his dawgs ready to play. They seem to go in go in streaks winning and losing, and unfortunately for them the losing outlasts the winning streaks. They will have a freshman in net, Mike Lee, I saw him play last year here in Fargo, with the Force, (USHL team) and he didn't look bad, seemed to wonder away from the net.

6. Colorado College
The Tigers, have lost some of their roar from last season, Rau and Walsky, last years top scorers. (Asst. coach Mike Guentzel left CC to coach a USHL team) I don't think the incoming freshman will be able to take up the slack of losing their top scorers. Don't get my wrong, they still have talent and will be competitive in the league, but they won't be in the top three. At times this season it will look like these Tigers will have had a bit too much catnip, meow...

5. Minnesota-Duluth
The Bulldogs will be without Alex Stalock in net, but do return four of their top seven scorers from last season. The Duluth boys will be right in the mix for home ice at the end of the season. I've lost track, when, if ever, are they getting a new rink up by the lake?

4. Wisconsin
The Badgers from Mad-town, they have been playing their defensive system for a few years now, not exiting hockey, but affective at winning games. Coach Eaves finds ways to keep his team in games and even steals some wins here and there. The cheese heads may have lost Favre to Minnesota, but the hockey team will win this years series with the Gophers. This season team will dig and claw their way to a top five finish.

3. Minnesota
The Gophers from the Land of 10,000 Lakes, will safely get home ice advantage this year, unlike last season. They return almost all of last years squad to the ice, including both goal-tenders. I'm sure that most UM fans are wondering is which Kangas will show up in net, and Patterson is waiting for his chance to stop some pucks. The Gophers hockey team, unlike the State, will not end up broke at the end of the year.

2. Denver
The Pioneers are looking to put their chuck-wagon into the pole position this season. The Gwoz always seems to put together teams that win, one way or the other (see past seasons ref-ing, lol). Like the Gophers, the Pioneers return most everyone from last season, which is why I think they will end up number two this year.

1. North Dakota
What kind of SIOUX fan would I be if I didn't pick my team to finish first? Even though UND lost six players to graduation and one to poor behavior, I dont' see this as a rebuilding year. North Dakota, as we maybe called the rest of the year, will rely on Eidsness in net to repeat his numbers from last season, and hopefully improve them this year.

Indian Activists Protest Sioux Logo

This is a crosspost from Say Anything Blog.



Tomorrow the State Board of Higher Education is having a conference call to discuss extending their deadline for the Sioux logo and nickname. If you remember right the State Board (appointed by Governor John Hoeven moved the deadline up right after the Spirit Lake tribe gave it's overwhelming support for UND to continue to honor the Sioux name.

It seems that some people that DON'T care what the tribal members want decided to show up for a chance to get their names in the press.

About 50 people demonstrated outside UND’s Memorial Union on Wednesday. Some carried signs reading, “UND Sioux Logo = Identity Theft,” and “We Demand Our Civil Rights.”

The demonstration comes a day before state board meets to decide whether to extend the Oct 1 deadline for dropping the nickname and logo.

American Indian Movement activist Clyde Bellecourt said they should be dropped because they are racist.

So who are the leaders of this protest. Tu Uyen Tran wrote up a quick listing:

Here's who will be speaking:

* Concerned Native Students on campus
* David Gipp, President of United Tribes Technical College
* Erich Longie, Spirit Lake Consulting, Inc.
* Clyde Bellecourt, American Indian Movement activist for Native rights
* Duane Martin, Sr., Strong Heart Civil Rights Movement
* Denise Lajimodiere, Alum of UND (University of North Dakota)

Most of them are local voices against the nickname, except Bellecourt and Martin, who are big names in what I suppose might be the more militant wing of American Indian civil rights. Both were involved in the 1973 Wounded Knee incident, in which the American Indian Movement took over the town of the same name and engaged in shootouts with the feds.

Bellecourt is a co-founder of AIM, whose brother Vernon was a leader in the fight against Indian nicknames and mascots.

Besides being a member of AIM, Martin is involved in the Strong Heart movement, but I don't know exactly what that is. I found a couple of news items/press releases in which:

* He "blockaded" a dry reservation to block alcohol from entering; he got arrested for that .
* He joined others in declaring the independence of the Lakota nation -- as in making it a foreign country -- a purely symbolic move that he and others seem to take very seriously. The Republic of Lakotah has a Web site, which claims, among other things, an ongoing genocide by the U.S. government. Oops. Wrong Web site. This interesting article says Martin has essentially seceeded from the Republic of Lakotah to form the Lakota Oyate.
* He helped found a bank that trades only in silver and gold currency. I suppose this is a way to avoid using U.S. currency.

So the point is nickname opponents are bringing in the big guns, figuratively, to oppose the nickname.

Now most of the people scheduled to speak just disagree with me. That's OK, they have every right to do so. I have to question why they think that their feelings outweigh even the members of the spirit lake tribe. I'm not saying that the local speakers are bad people, I just disagree with them on this. I don't know them and they have every right to speak out as they see fit.

But we also have some hard core activists speaking. I think it will interesting to find out if the State Board of Higher Education agrees with Belcourt who claims that he's seceeded from the United States or if the agree with the vast majority of the public including the Spirit Lake Tribe who know that UND's use of the name is honoring the name.

Or does the State Board of Higher Education (appointed by Governor Hoeven) think that we're all a bunch of racists just like Clyde Bellecourt thinks.

BSU 2010-2011 schedule. (BSU and UND to face off twice).

Here is an example of what the 2010-2011 twelve team WCHA schedules are going to look like. UND will play BSU four times next season. UND will also play former CHA league mate UAH. Question of the day is what jersey will Moose Richards wear? Will it be the NMU or the Beaver jersey?
10/15 7:37 pm • North Dakota Bemidji, Minn. notes
10/16 7:07 pm • North Dakota Bemidji, Minn.
10/29 7:37 pm • Minnesota Duluth Bemidji, Minn.
10/30 7:07 pm • Minnesota Duluth Bemidji, Minn.
11/5 7:07 pm at • St. Cloud State St. Cloud, Minn.
11/6 7:07 pm at • St. Cloud State St. Cloud, Minn.
11/12 7:37 pm • Alaska-Anchorage Bemidji, Minn.
11/13 7:07 pm •Alaska-Anchorage Bemidji, Minn.
11/19 7:07 pm at • Denver Denver, Colo.
11/20 7:07 pm at • Denver Denver, Colo.
11/26 7:37 pm Northern Michigan Bemidji, Minn.
11/27 7:07 pm Northern Michigan Bemidji, Minn.
12/3 7:37 pm • Nebraska-Omaha Bemidji, Minn.
12/4 7:07 pm • Nebraska-Omaha Bemidji, Minn.
12/10 7:07 pm at • Wisconsin Madison, Wis.
12/11 7:07 pm at • Wisconsin Madison, Wis.
12/31 TBA vs Mariucci Classic Minneapolis, Minn.
1/1 TBA vs Mariucci Classic Minneapolis, Minn.
1/7 7:07 pm at Ala.-Huntsville Huntsville, Ala.
1/8 7:07 pm at Ala.-Huntsville Huntsville, Ala.
1/14 7:07 pm at • Nebraksa-Omaha Omaha, Neb.
1/15 7:07 pm at • Nebraska-Omaha Omaha, Neb.
1/21 7:37 pm • St. Cloud State Bemidji, Minn.
1/22 7:07 pm • St. Cloud State Bemidji, Minn.
2/4 7:07 pm at • Minnesota State Mankato, Minn.
2/5 7:07 pm at • Minnesota State Mankato, Minn.
2/11 7:07 pm at • Michigan Tech Houghton, Mich.
2/12 7:07 pm at • Michigan Tech Houghton, Mich.
2/18 7:37 pm • Colorado College Bemidji, Minn.
2/19 7:07 pm • Colorado College Bemidji, Minn.
2/25 7:07 pm at • North Dakota Grand Forks, N.D.
2/26 7:07 pm at • North Dakota Grand Forks, N.D.
3/4 7:37 pm • Minnesota Bemidji, Minn.
3/5 7:07 pm • Minnesota Bemidji, Minn.
[props]

Nickname opponents bring out the heavy hitters.

Looks like the anti-Fighting Sioux nickname croud is bringing out the big guns for it's Rally against the Fighting Sioux nickname. I am surprised Russell Means isn't coming as well. The Standing Rock Tribe also has their election today. EDIT: Happened to drive by the Memorial Union today when I was out about 9:15 A.M. and there was a very SMALL croud protesting the Fighting Sioux name. I would estimate the size of the crowd to be abut 50-75 top end. Probably closer to 50 people. Not a very big crowd. Of course the news cameras were there.

Senior American Indian civil rights activists are among the speakers at Wednesday’s rally against the Fighting Sioux nickname at UND, according to information in a press release issued by rally organizers.

Both Clyde Bellecourt and Duane Martin Sr. took part in AIM’s 1973 occupation of Wounded Knee, S.D., a seminal moment in Indian civil rights.

Bellecourt, an Ojibwe, is also considered a founder of the civil rights group.

Martin, in 2007, joined activist Russell Means and others in declaring the Lakotah nation independent of the United States, claiming vast tracts in North and South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming and Nebraska. These are lands it said were given to Lakotah people in the original 1868 treaty.

Other speakers include Erich Longie, longtime nickname opponent from the Spirit Lake reservation; David Gipp, president of United Tribes Technical College; and Denise Lajimodiere, a UND alumna and an education professor at North Dakota State University.

The rally will take place at 9 a.m. in front of UND’s Memorial Union.

The focus of the rally is on a meeting of the State Board of Higher Education on Thursday in which the board would consider extending the deadline for the state’s two namesake tribes to approve of the nickname.

Nickname opponents say the American Indian nicknames are derogatory.
[Grand Forks Herald]

Lucic works Neil

It's only the preseason but nothing pleases me more than watching Lucic work over Ottawa Senators' thug Chris Neil. Apparently this Fight is a result of a dirty hit that Neil put on Savard earlier in the game. I expect to see a rematch of this fight later on in the season unless Neil Smartens up.
[props]

Decompression addition.

I have been out of the pocket hunting ducks and haven't had a computer since midday on Friday. Finally I am getting back up to speed on everything that has happened in the college hockey world. The preseason WCHA coaches poll and the Media Polls are finally out.
The Grand Forks Herald Coaches poll has been released.
1. Denver (8) 80
2. UND (2) 70
3. Wisconsin 61
4. Minnesota 58
5. St. Cloud State 55
6. Minnesota-Duluth 37
7. MSU-Mankato 34
8. Colorado College 26
9. Alaska-Anchorage 20
10. Michigan Tech 9

Madison.com Media Poll has also been released.
1. Denver (23) 248
2. North Dakota (1) 205
3. Wisconsin 190
4. Minnesota (1) 186
5. St. Cloud State 152
6. Minnesota Duluth 118
7. Colorado College 101
8. Minnesota State-Mankato 88
9. Alaska Anchorage 57
10. Michigan Tech 30

I posted my WCHA preseason poll at the Illegal Curve.
1.) Denver
2.) Wisconsin
3.) UND
4.) Minnesota
5.) UMD
6.) SCSU
7.) C.C.
8.) MSU-M
9.) UAA
10.) MTU

It's official that UND and BSU will open the new Bemidji Regional Event Center next October 15-16. It's a nice honor for the Fighting Sioux to be able to help open the new arena. [Bemidji Pioneer]

Brandon from Sioux Yeah Yeah got the DU fans all upset with a recent blog post about DU hockey Coach George Gwozdecky. [Lets Go DU Hockey Blog] Now, I have to admit that I was less than impressed with Alanna Rizzo's  comments she made about UND fans during last January's series between the Pioneers and the Sioux. I also read some where that FSN RM won't be airing the DU and UND games when the Pioneers come to the REA. Before someone makes a ridiculous conclusion that it was because of the perceived treatment that poor Alanna Rizzo received from the mean Fighting Sioux fans while visiting UND, think again. UND hockey will now be on FCS so there would be no need for the FSN RM crew to come to UND, FSN RM would just pick up the broadcast from UND's announcing crew and save a bunch of money. Personally, I think the DU and UND rivalry is heating up.

The USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Preseason poll is up.
1.) Miami (Ohio)
2.) Denver
3.) Boston University
4.) Michigan
5.) Notre Dame
6.) Minnesota
7.) Cornel
8.) North Dakota
9.) Princeton
10.) Massachusetts Lowell
11.) Yale University
12.) Boston College
13.) St. Cloud State
14.) Wisconsin
15.) Vermont
Others receiving votes: New Hampshire, 71; Minnesota Duluth, 64; Ohio State, 60; Air Force, 43; Northern Michigan, 31; Colorado College, 8; Northeastern University, 8; Bemidji State, 6; Harvard, 3; Mercyhurst College, 3; Niagara, 3; St. Lawrence, 2.

The poll is a joke there is no way Cornel and Princeton are worthy of being ranked that high, if they played in a tough league like the WCHA these Ivy League schools would be fighting for home ice in the first round of the WCHA playoffs. This is almost as bad as the College Hockey News Poll.

Goon’s WCHA pre-season ranking

This was the article I wrote for the Illegal Curve.
1.) Denver University – It would appear that the Denver Pioneers don’t have many real weaknesses offensively; on the blue line the Pioneers will be young this season. There is a very good possibility that there could be two or three freshman defenseman playing in the top 6 defensive positions from night to night. The WCHA championship is theirs to lose. The Pioneers return forwards Anthony Maiani (11g-30a-41pts), Rhett Rakhshani (15g-22a-37pts), Joe Colborne (10g-21a-31), and Tyler Ruegsegger (15g-11a-26pts). On defense Patrick Wiercioch (12g-23-35pts) decided to not sign a contract. Junior goalie Marc Cheverie (23-12-5, 2.34 GAA and .921 SV %) is a very serviceable goaltender and with a younger defensive core he will be tested. The Pioneers lose forward Tyler Bozak (8g-15a-23pts), defensemen Patrick Mullen (4g-21a-25pts), and J.P. Testwuide (3g-10a-13pts). Dustin Jackson (3g-9a-12) was injured in preseason practice and will be out for the year. The Pioneers bring in some impressive recruits, defensemen William Wrenn and Matt Donovan, forward Drew Shore and goaltender Adam Murray. The Pioneers are the odds on favorite to finish first in the WCHA. Anything less than a trip to the Frozen Four is going to be unacceptable.

2.)University of Wisconsin – On paper the Badgers would appear to have one of the best defensive blue lines in college hockey: Brendan Smith (9g-14a-23pts), Jake Gardiner (3g-18a-21pts), Ryan McDonagh (5g-11a-16pts), and Cody Goloubef (5g-8a-13pts) is a pretty solid top four defensive group. While there seems to be the perception around the WCHA that Wisconsin is all defense and no flash, the Badgers were ranked 3rd in WCHA scoring last season. This season the Badgers should be a pretty balanced offensively, led by sophomore Derek Stephan (9g-24a-33pts) who is a game breaker and will only get better in his second season. The Badgers also return senior Ben Street who sat out last season with a knee injury. The biggest question mark for the Badgers is in goal.

3.) University of North Dakota – Dave Hakstol has been the coach of the Fighting Sioux hockey team for five seasons and has compiled a 130-70-19 record, winning a regular season title and a conference tourney title. Hakstol’s teams have also finished 2nd (x1) and 3rd (x3) in the NCAA tourney. Last season was the first time in his tenure at UND Hakstol’s team didn’t win a regional title and advance to the Frozen Four. Key losses Ryan Duncan (20g-19a-39pts), Brad Miller (6g-29-35pts), and Matt Frattin (13g-12a-25pts). While there were some key losses for the Fighting Sioux, there are good replacements coming in for the Fighting Sioux in forwards Danny Kristo, Michael Cichy, Corbin Knight, Carter Rowney as well as defenseman Andrew MacWilliam. Goaltender Aaron Dell should challenge Brad Eidsness (24-12-4, 2.56 GAA and 906 SV%) for playing time.

4.) University of Minnesota – Key loss Ryan Stoa (22g-22a-46pts) signed with the Colorado Avalanche of the NHL in the off season. Super sophomore Jordan Schroeder (13g-32a-45pts) returns for what will probably be his last season in the WCHA. Key new arrivals for the Gophers are forward Zach Budish and defensemen Nick Leddy and Seth Helgeson. Gopher fans are wondering which version of Alex Kangas is going to show up this season. Will it be the version that finished in the top half of the league (12-10-9 1.98 GAA .930 SV %) in goaltending or the mediocre one (17-11-6, 2.79 GAA .901 SV %) that played for the Gophers last season? If the Gophers are to contend, their defense and goaltending must improve. The Gophers also need to get tougher as last year’s team got pushed around all over the ice.

5.)University of Minnesota Duluth – While this season’s version of the UMD Bulldogs might be a little young and minus some solid players, the Bulldogs also return an exciting pair of forwards named Connolly. No, they are not related: Mike Connolly (13g-29a-42pts) and Jack Connolly (10-19-29). Add to the mix Justin Fontaine who is an offensively gifted forward (15g-33-48pts). I have been told by UMD fans that Brady “Peanut Butter and Jelly” Hjelle (1-0-0, 1.50 GAA .941 SV %) is the second coming of Alex Stalock. Expect UMD to play very physical and be responsible defense in their end of the ice. Coming in for the Bulldogs this season is monster defenseman Dylan Olson from Camrose Kodiaks of the AJHL who also played on the Canadian U18 team in Fargo this past spring. I was very impressed with his game and he skates pretty well for a big guy. Olson will probably have a pretty big impact on the blue line for the Bulldogs this season.

6.) Saint Cloud State University – Garrett Roe (17g-3a1-48pts) and Ryan Lasch (18g-24a-42pts) lead the SCSU offense, while Garrett Raboin (10g-23-33pts) leads the Huskies on the blue line. Last season the Huskies 18-17-3 including a horrible 0-6-0 record against the Gophers who ended the Huskies season in the WCHA playoffs. Key additions for the Huskies: Goalie Mike Lee, Forward Ben Hanowski, Defensemen Taylor Johnson, David Eddy. Rookie Goalie Mike Lee is highly regarded and expected to take the reins in net for the Huskies if Dan Dunn (2-4-1, 2.60 GAA and .904 SV %) stumbles.

7.) Colorado College – C.C. has had a horrible off season. First they lost their top goalie Richard Bachman (14-11-10, 2.63 GAA and .914 SV %) to the Dallas Stars and then lost two of their top recruits John Moore to the NHL and Colton St. Clair to UND. The good news for C.C. is that Bill Sweatt (12g-11a-23pts) decided to come back to finish school and not sign a professional contract. The Tigers lost solid players Chad Rau (18g19a-37pts) and Eric Walsky (12g-24a-36pts) to graduation.

8.) Minnesota State University - Mankato – The good news is that the Mavericks return five of their top six scorers: sophomore forward Mike Louwerse (13-13--26), juniors defenseman Kurt Davis (6-25--31) and forward Rylan Galiardi (8-20-28), and seniors forwards Kael Mouillierat (17-13--30), and Geoff Irwin (12-16-28). The bad news is that the Mavericks lose goaltenders Mike Zacharias (14-14-6, 2.00 GAA and .911 SV %) and Dan Tormey (1-3-0 3.87 GAA and .878 SV %) as well as forwards Mick Berge (7g-21a-31pts) and Trevor Bruess (12g-5-17pts). More bad news: the Mavericks have three inexperienced goaltenders, none who have played in a division one college hockey game, competing for the starting goaltending job.

9.) University of Alaska Anchorage – I am going to go out on a limb and say this year’s UAA team is not going to finish in the basement of the WCHA. However, I don’t see the Seawolves finishing any higher than the eighth or ninth spot either. Sure UAA was a better team last season than they were the previous three seasons when they finished in the ninth spot as opposed to their customary tenth position. Many took notice when the Seawolves swept cross-state rival University of Alaska Fairbanks who was the fourth place team in the CCHA. That says a lot about the strength WCHA in comparison to the CCHA and how our mediocre teams can beat the fourth place team in the CCHA. That being said, I don’t expect the UAA Seawolves to do much at all in the WCHA this season. Nothing personal, now go ahead and prove me wrong Seawolves. Key returnees for UAA are senior forwards Josh Lunden (14g-6a-20pts) and Kevin Clark (13g-18a-31pts) and junior Tommy Grant (15g-10a-25pts). In net the Seawolves have a two headed monster with unimpressive numbers, Bryce Christenson (8-8-4, 2.60 GAA and .893 SV %) and John Olthuis (6-9-1 3.43 GAA and .873 SV %).

10. Michigan Tech University – The good news: the Michigan Tech Huskies will enter the 2009-10 season with three-fourths of their scoring offense returning from a the 2008-2009 season. They also return an experienced blue line as six of their nine defenders return from last season’s team. The Huskies also return sophomore goalie Josh Robinson who played in 20 games last season and had a 4-8-2, 3.09 GAA and a .889 SV %. Senior captain Malcolm Gwilliam (2g-5a-7pts) returns to the Huskies line up after suffering a stroke nine games into last season. Senior Drew Dobson (5g-14a-19pts) is a talented player that can play both forward and defense. The bad news: Michigan Tech will be much younger than last season with freshmen and sophomores accounting for 17 of the 27 players on the roster.

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.