Even the Iraqis Know the Deal.

NDSU SUCKS
Check this picture out.
This was sent to me from a buddy. I have no idea where he got the picture from but I like it. Personally I miss the UND Vs. NDSU rivarly, it has been too quite around here since we stopped playing the boys to the south. I am hoping that UND goes division IAA so we can start beating the Dirty Bison again.
Never forget you can't spell suck with out SU

Goon's Rambling 9-28-2006.

These People Can't Be serious
CHN
Here are the College Hockey News picks for pre-season all American.
First Team. I have no issues with this First team. Duh Elliot is a shut down goalie and back stopped the Badgers to the NCAA title. Without Brian Elliot no way Wisconsin wins that tourney at least not with Shane Connelly in net.

First Team

F - Brian Boyle, Sr., Boston College
F - Scott Parse, Sr., Nebraska-Omaha
F - T.J. Oshie, So., North Dakota
D - Matt Hunwick, Sr., Michigan
D - Kyle Klubertanz, Jr., Wisconsin
G - Brian Elliott, Sr., Wisconsin

Second team.
F - Michel Leveille, Sr., Maine
F - T.J. Hensick, Sr., Michigan
F - Ryan Dingle, Jr., Denver
D - Alex Goligoski, Jr., Minnesota
D - Brett Motherwell, So., Boston College
G - Cory Schneider, Jr., Boston College
Players to watch according to CHN. F - Jonathan Toews, So., North Dakota - Oshie's passed him, slightly, but Toews remains a force to be reckoned with.
Are you kidding me?
What kind of crap is this? That has to be the understatement of the summer, if not the year. I guess the number three pick in the NHL draft this summer is worthy of being a pre-season All American, or not at least by CHN standards? What a joke. Are you serious? How is Toews not at least a second teamer? I suppose they don’t want to slight a more important B.C. or Michigan player the two teams are littered with them.
Lets Go Further
CHN has Cory Schneider listed at the second team All American. You can’t be serious, that is almost as funny as Al Montoya being one of the top American goalies in his age group, I don’t see any NHL teams beating his door down to sign him. I think it is a stretch to say that Schneider is the second best goalie in the NCAA. It’s obvious that CHN like INCH isn’t going to give UND any love so maybe we should just give up all hope on this site. Like I said these poll are nothing more than a beauty pageant or a popularity contest, they make good gee whiz reading. Its no secret that college hockey has an east coast biases, its well documented, they have for years even though its been proved that the WCHA is the strongest league in the NCAA right now. I figure CHN had to pick at least one of the two UND players so they picked Oshie. Not sure of the logic on this one. Or they close their eyes and threw a dart and the dart landed on Oshie.

Here is one of my responses
I posted this as a follow up to a message on Sioux Sports that was written by Farce PoohbahThe Link

I think you (Farce Poohbah)summed it up pretty well, even after being gone for a few days. I am sick and tired of fans expecting us to take this crap laying down. Notice its always from the people that were well represented In the polls. The Fighting Sioux are over looked year after year. Why. Because we aren't a gasp, a Big Ten team nor are we a big school. There seems to be this so called bias towards the bigger schools especially Michigan, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Minnesota and Boston College as well as an east coast bias.

Farce Poobah, I think you mentioned what a lot of us have been saying in this thread in one shape or another. However, some have taken issue with it. I guess one can’t call a spade a spade. Thanks for bringing up the numbers. For those of us that numbers savvy or good at math 14/81 is equal to 83%. Those are hardly All-American numbers. Nor are they very good at all. I think one can make the argument: Schneider is a good goalie (there is no question about it) but it has been proven that he fails to show up when it matters the most. Shall we say at key times like during the NCAA tourney? If he Corey do it in the big games how the heck is he ever going to play in the NHL? There are no Merrimac’s or Providence’s in the NHL.

Face it the Sioux have lit Schneider up in the past. Schneider was hardly sharp during last years semi final against UND (yep our goalie had a bad game too). Cory was also shredded for 6 goals by UND during the East regional in 2005. Or should we say when UND won the NCAA's version of the Bean Pot. Schneider lost big in his own back yard. Yep that makes me thing he is an All-American material. Of course not, but these things are decided long before they get to the playoffs. They base these numbers on regular season play. That is why I think some of these polls are a joke. I also think its funny when I see someone from Quinnipac or Mercy Hurst in the top ten of the NCAA scoring when they have been feasting on cup cakes all season. It just proves my theory that UND is definitely not Merrimack College, Vermont College, or University of Mass Lowell.

Back to the Pre-Season all-Big Ten poll. Michigan's name is all over the pre-season all Americans polls from CHN, So is Boston College. I am wondering if CHN and INCH know there are teams west of Minneapolis. What are Sioux fans to gleam out of last season's NCAA tourney; are the so-called self appointed geniuses telling us it had to be a fluke? The CCHA put four teams in the tourney last season, which in my opinion was too many, only to have one of them make it to the second round.

So in conclusion: UND has one all-American candidate and he is from the same team UND bounced Michigan out of the NCAA tourney last season. What are we to gleam from this poll that the last season was a fluke? I mean these are the same guys that were on the Michigan team last year in the poll this season. If last season proved anything it was nice to see Michigan out the safe confines of the state of Michigan, where they were one and done. I would like to see this happen more often.

Wake Me up When September Ends.

Wake me up when its over
It’s Upon Us.
Ah yes the August heat has come and gone, September is almost over and the yearly right of passage Ducktober is upon us. The golf clubs are ready to be put away for yet another season. I am not sure that is a bad thing, because God knows there can’t be many good shots left in them for the season. Actually it was a pretty good golf season as I played decent golf for most of the summer, to revisit an old cliché a bad day of golf is better than a good day at work. But I digress. A good day of golf doesn’t come close to a good day of hunting.
Dakota sporting a new hunting vest
The Waterfowl season opens in North Dakota for residents Saturday at first light. I think Green Day said it best “Summer has come and passed the innocent can never last wake me up when September ends.” With the beginning of Ducktober also comes college and NHL hockey season’s openers. It just doesn’t get any better than this. This is the time I year I look forward to the most. It’s just too bad October and November aren’t 6 months long.

In Case anyone is confused.

Goalie

In case anyone is confused let me refresh your memory.

Sieve

Former Sioux Hockey Player Tyler Palmiscino.

Palmo
This came in my email today. Check out Tyler's ugly uniform.

Goon’s Ramblings 09-12-2006.

Student Behavior at Sporting Events
There seems to be a reoccurring theme appearing on college campuses nationwide, as the college sports season kicks off. There is a big focus on college campuses by school administrations on what to do about student behavior, antics and cheers at college sporting events. The University of North Dakota is not at all immune from this issue. Last season the UND athletic director Tom Bunning held forums at Engelstad Arena before the hockey season to discuss on what is expected from its students body as far as student behavior, and what type of language that is acceptable and not acceptable while attending University of North Dakota sporting events. The issue has also been discussed in great lengths on Siouxsports.com as well. The debate has been fast and furious. Some students have claimed that their first amendment rights are being trampled upon by heavy handed college administrations. On the flip side of the issue some older fans are tired of hearing profanity laced cheers coming from the student sections at college sporting events.
BU to Clean Up Student Language at Sporting Events
So fast forward to the present, Boston University Administration is trying to clean up it’s student’s language at sporting events. Dean of students Kenneth Elmore told The Boston Globe the school adopted the no-swearing policy after numerous complaints about profane language during hockey games.
BU Administration to control students behavior I guess the BU administration is not happy about the F’em up BC sucks cheer.
BU Video

Drop the puck addresses the issue in his blog: Check out DTP's article on the issue.

Are Profanity Laced Cheers Protected Under the First Amendment?
One question seems to come up all the time. Are profanity laced cheers protected under the first amendment? Do students have the right to say what ever they want during sporting events. The answer is no. The United States Supreme Court ruled against the students in such a case.

In more recent Supreme Court cases (Bethel School District v. Fraser in 1986 and Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier in 1988), the majority ruled that in the case of obscene speech, school authorities may discipline the perpetrator because the school has a right to control the manner of the speech if not the political content. Furthermore, in Hazelwood, the Court ruled that in curricular-based productions like an official school newspaper, school authorities have the right to regulate content in "any reasonable manner," taking into account the maturity of the audience and the reasonable desire to proscribe any student speech advocating use of drugs or alcohol, irresponsible sex, or improper conduct. Thus, school officials are given considerable discretion over the content of school-sponsored publications and performances.

This isn’t an isolated issue, its happening all over the place. It’s also was an issue in Michigan few years back. Here is a link to the Albion student newspaper.
Another Example

A similar issue arose at Albion last year during the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) men’s basketball tournament. A group of Albion students chanted “F---Hope, F--- Calvin,” as fans from the two schools left Kresge Gymnasium after their semifinal game. Just like Williams, President Peter Mitchell addressed the crowd before the championship game against Hope a few days later, apologizing to the Hope crowd. Mitchell also sent an email to the entire student body, stating: “I expect the highest standard of conduct from our fans.”

Do fans have an unlimited right of speech, or is it an administration’s responsibility to limit what can and cannot be said?

Bruce Weaver, professor of speech communication, has taught a free speech class for the past 12 years and feels that free speech in general, let alone at sporting events, is never absolute.

“To assume that we can do whatever we want, whenever we want, is ridiculous,” Weaver said. “Keep in mind that free speech is speech in the public domain. If you are attending a public event, part of attending is to keep in mind that you will be held within some sort of behavioral norm

Stay tuned this issue will not go away and its only going to grow as football, hockey and basketball season begin around the nation.

Goon’s Perspective on Profanity at Sporting Events

I am not going to take the high road on this as say that all profanity is bad, but I would not condone using F’bombs in cheers at sporting events where children where hear it, and they have in the past at the REA. Minor profanity such as the S’bombs may have a place sporting events, but they just may just barely skirt the line of unacceptable behavior.

As you know I think the officiating in the WCHA is horrible and most of the officials in this league don’t deserve the paychecks they get for the officiating they do. I personally don’t object to the fans giving the refs like Don Adam the bullshit cheer when he screws up yet another game. I do however think cheers (linked up above) like the F’em up B.C. sucks cheer is a vile and vulgar, plus it has no place in a hockey arena. To the morons like Kendall Lyons that say their right are being trampled on by their school’s administration need to get a clue, obscenities are not protected under the first amendment Lastly students like Lyons need to grow up and join the adult world. Just because you are a college student doesn’t give you the right to act like a dolt. You also sound like an idiot when you say things like that. Your also bringing unneeded focus to your university.

The Goon's Pre-Season WCHA predictions.

Updated Version II

Projected Final League Standing
1. Minnesota
2. North Dakota
3. Denver
4. Wisconsin
5. Colorado College
6. Minnesota-Duluth
6. St. Cloud
8. Minnesota State
9. Michigan Tech
10. Alaska-Anchorage

Explaining The Goon’s Picks
These are the Goon's pre-season favorites for the WCHA. Here is my reasoning for picking the Golden Gophers for the number one position.

You might as well hand the Gophers the McNaughten Cup. Yes, I am very well aware of the fact that Kellen Briggs and Jeff Frazee are the goaltenders for the University of Minnesota, it’s obvious that these two mediocre goaltenders come no where near the level of all world goaltenders Brian Elliot and Bobby Goepfert, nor in my opinion are they as good as much maligned Sioux goal tender Phil Lamoureux. However, I digress. I still think the Gophers can be a number one team based on their offensive capabilities alone. Minnesota has many weapons at their disposal. This is not a team that you are going to want to take penalties against. If you take stupid penalties the Gophers are going to bury you.

Finally, Kyle Okposo and Erik Johnson are awesome, and much coveted hockey players, lets make no mistake about it. You would be kidding yourself if you thought otherwise. Even though it kills me I have to give Donny Lucia props for recruiting these guys. Okposo (nick name KO) and Johnson are world-class players. E.J. was wooed by St Louis to sign a pro contract and probably could have played for the Blues in the NHL this season. In fact I am sure there were many of us were hoping this was going to be the case, I know I was. Of course it didn’t happen and now the rest of the league is going to fear his wrath. The hockey pundits on NHL Home Ice said he would never play for the University of Minnesota.

Lastly, Erik Johnson is a freak of nature (that is a good thing) a man among boys and will be crushing opposition players as they approach the University of Minnesota Net. WCHA fans will be cheering his departure after this season, I know I will be for sure. Eric Johnson has been referred to as the next Chris Pronger. So no doubt these guys are great players. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that we will probably be seeing these two guys in the NHL very soon, if not next season.

Kessel Factor
Due to the fact that UND fans have been said to have Kessel obsession, much like the Gophers fans had Parise obsession a few years back. I can’t close this article out without at least talking about Phil the thrill for just a little bit. There has been much debate whether or not Phil Kessel was a cancer in the Gopher locker room, I am thinking he might have been., Who cares right? I have had an unnamed source tell me that in fact Phil was a disruptive force in the locker room last season. Now that Kessel has left the Golden Gophers we can all move on. I think the Gophers are actually are a better team without Phil. I am also glad that the Boston Bruins will now get better with Phil the Thrill in the line up, Yes I am a rabid Bruins fan, its pretty well documented.

Now that the B’s have signed Phil Kessel to a professional contract, Phil Kessel is being projected by many in the print media as a potential second line forward for the Boston Bruins. Seriously I think they are right. In my opinion Kessel has all the tools to be a top players and I think he would really look good next to Marc Savage and Glen Murray. Talk about a line that could scoot. I can only dream of the number of goals this potential line could score this season. Should we say I am thinking somewhere in the neighborhood of about 120 goals on that line. Don’t worry about Phil Kessel being a cancer or not being very media savvy, the Bruins management will get him on the right track. Let hope Phil Kessel says all of the right things. If he does not the Boston Media will eat him alive. This preseason Kessel will be wearing number 81. I wonder if they will be a big seller in Minneapolis.

The Huskies
Listen Up Huskie fan. Contrary to some of your fans: Your SCSU Huskies will not finish in the top three in the WCHA standing., You can mark it down some where. Lets give credit where credit is due, your incoming recruiting class looks awesome, there is no doubt about it. However, the WCHA is an upper classmen league and frankly your cupboard is bare. The SCSU Huskies are still two years away from making noise in this league. Bob Motzko is a great coach but there still isn’t enough talent on this team to make a run at the top spot. I think there is a chance your makes the playoffs I think the WCHA can put 5-6 teams in the big dance this season.

Hammy from the Gopher Hockey Blog Sums it up Best
Hammy's Blog

I think you tend to play the underdog/no respect card way too much. First of all, it really doesn't matter what people on this board say in terms of giving respect or where they rate your team. The people on this board don't suit up against SCSU so the lack of respect card that you use in referring to how people on here rate them is way overplayed. (btw, my early (and worthless) prognostication has them at #3)

Second, I think SCSU earned enough respect last year that teams won't take them lightly this year. SCSU may not have as high a talent level as half of the teams in the league but teams know SCSU has a good goalie that can keep them in games (and a solid defense returning) so SCSU opponents are unlikely to take a lackluster attitude against them. SCSU had somewhat of a luxury last year of being taken more lightly and flying under the radar for much of the year because of their multi year slump under Dahl. But I highly doubt that is going to happen this year. You seem to gloss over the fact that the competition is probably going to ratchet it up a notch too because they know SCSU won't be a pushover.

The other factor I would point out is your overly simplistic commentary on "chemistry". Team chemistry is not a given just because you had it the prior year. Every team has changed and even the teams with the fewest changes have to deal with new personalities, players shifting to new roles, guys having to face higher expectations, etc.

If chemistry was simply about returning key guys who played well together as a team the prior year, the Gophers would have won three titles in a row by default.... and the team that beat them in the NCAAs that year (UMD) wouldn't have flopped the next year. Both of those teams had a lot of returning talent that played well together the prior season. There are plenty of historical examples where teams simply don't pull together as well as they did the year prior even if the vast majority of the team stays the same. You seem to take it as a given. But it isn't.

Every team in the league is trying to build a new team chemistry over the summer and in captain's practices. It is something that is built again. It isn't something you save up from the past year and plug in as if it is simply a given to be there like the previous year.

In Conclusion
SCSU will not finish in the Top three like some are predicting, however, they will make some noise. Frankly, SCSU does not have the talent that Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Denver or Duluth have.

Goon's Ramblings 09-02-06: Mark Dobmeier on a role

Mark Dobmeier
Local sprint car driver Mark Dobmeier has been on a roll all season. During the 2006 season Mark has won an unprecedented 19 feature races. That is good on any racing circuit. With picking up the win this past Sunday night at Husets Speedway in Brandon, South Dakota, Dobmeier now has 8 features during his career at the famed Huset’s speedway. Husets Speedway is known as one of the top dirt tracks in North America. With the win on Sunday night that puts Mark Dobmeier 2 wins ahead of current Huset’s point leader Jake Peters who has won 6 times during his career at Husets Speedway.

River Cities Speedway

Mark Dobmeier on Winning 19 races this season:

“Going into the year, our goal was to beat what we did last year. We won 14 features last season. We're sitting at 19 now and we have two chances to get 20.”

I guess we can say mission accomplished. Goon’s World predicts win 20 will come on Friday night at River Cities Speedway. Here is what the Argus Leader had to say on Dobmeier’s win Sunday night.
Argus Leader Story

BRANDON - Mark Dobmeier kept his title hopes alive with a dominating win in the outlaw sprint car feature Sunday night at Huset's Speedway.

The Grand Forks, N.D., driver entered the evening's action nine points back of leader Jake Peters of Sioux Falls, and his win unofficially kept him the same distance behind at the end of the night.

"We've had some bad luck lately, but that's all behind us now and we're moving forward," said a hopeful Dobmeier. "We're just going to do our best next week."Dobmeier started on the front row of the 25-lap event and was never challenged during the race. Dusty Zomer of Brandon moved to second early in the event but was unable to pressure Dobmeier and finished second. Peters moved through the field to take third ahead of Gary DeWall of Jackson, Minn., John Lambertz of Sioux Falls, Gregg Bakker of Sioux Falls and Micah Schliemann of Baltic.

Goon's Ramblings 9-02-06.

Minnesota is Being Invaded
While Camping at Itasca State Park this past June I saw a camper parked in the camp ground that caught my eye. Of course my evil and demented mind thought of many things. Here is my conclusion. Minnesota is being invaded. Look closer the liscense plate is from Florida. Does that make them a Red Neck Badger?

The New Fighting Sue

The New Fighting Sue
I purchased this shirt on line. These shirts are from a Sioux fan that is also a little tweaked, miffed, flabbergasted and pissed off at the NCAA Nazis and their ridiculous stand against the Fighting Sioux name. I think UND should wear the Fighting Sue logo to the NCAA hockey playoffs next spring. I would love to see Miles Brand’s response to that.

Here is the problem, while it would be ok to wear a Central Michigan University Chippewa jersey or for the Florida State University Seminole's Mascot (a white guy) to ride a horse into the Alerus Center and throw a flaming spear into the turf at mid field. The NCAA has also deemed that the Fighting Sioux logo not welcome at NCAA playoff events. Where is the logic? That’s liberal education to the nth degree. Back to the shirt my wife hates this shirt, I guess she doesn’t see the humor in it. Also, for the other blogger’s out there, I suppose that this article could be construed as objectionable, I am sure it will offend someone. Personally I hope it does. Objectionable-I am offended by the NCAA stand on the Fighting Sioux name.
Web Link To Fighting Sue Web Page
Shirt

Goon's Ramblings 8-28-06.

Dane Jackson Picked as UND Next Assistant Coach
Apparently not all in town are happy with the selection of Dane Jackson as the next assistant coach of the Fighting Sioux. Below is a letter that was written to the editor of the Grand Forks Herald that was in this Sunday’s paper.

UND hockey misses great coaching candidate
GRAND FORKS - Taking nothing away from Dane Jackson, whom UND recently hired as men's assistant hockey coach, UND missed an excellent opportunity to promote a Grand Forks native. Steve Johnson (UND 1984-1988) also had applied for and vigorously pursued the position. Johnson not only won a national championship at UND, but also was a Hobey Baker runner-up, first team All American, Western Collegiate Hockey Association and national scoring leader and went on to become U.S. Hockey League coach of the year on three separate occasions. He also has international coaching experience, having coached three U.S. national teams. His USHL record consistently is among the league's best and includes five championships in 10 years in Lincoln, Neb.

Johnson also was instrumental in UND's recent success, having placed 20 Lincoln Stars players at UND, including eight players on the 2004-05 UND team that finished second in the NCAA Frozen Four. In addition to passing up the opportunity to hire Johnson, UND could jeopardize its recruiting of elite U.S.-born players. All three current UND coaches are Canadian-born players. UND has sent a message to U.S.-born players that its recruiting focus is elsewhere. This is unfortunate, because 16 of UND's players last year were U.S.-born, while 11 players came directly from the USHL. This is a number that potentially could shrink over the next few years.

Many USHL coaches vocally supported Johnson in his bid to become a UND assistant. His reputation within the league would have been a major asset to UND's recruiting efforts. Without that connection, UND will have more and more difficulty landing top U.S. players. USHL coaches will take this news as a negative reflection of their league's value to UND. It is truly unfortunate that UND athletics expects so much financially from students, businesses and others in this community but missed a prime opportunity to give something back. Jay LaDue

Goon’s World Perspective on the Matter

First off, Dave Hakstol is the head coach of the Fighting Sioux. It is his prerogative to hire whomever he wants to hire, it's his decision. Let's get over ourselves. Ok, so Hak is great coach, it's his decision to hire the best person suited for the job, that person in Hak’s mind is Dane Jackson. I am cool with that.

I think as Sioux fans our next response should be to welcome aboard Dane Jackson, glad you’re here and congratulations on getting the position, not whining from malcontents unhappy with the decision.

Bruin's Resign Patrice Bergeron. Whew...

The Boston Bruins got some good news today.
The Boston Bruins finally signed Super Star Patrice Bergeron today. This was a deal that had to get done and the Bruin's Management came through inking Patrice to a nice deal that will allow the Bruins to have their top forward in camp when training camp kicks off next month. The deal is reported to be some where in the 4.75 million dollar range. Whew...
Bergeron Signs Contract

The Boston Bruins have re-signed center Patrice Bergeron to a multi-year contract, it was announced today by Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli.

"Patrice is an outstanding young player with a tremendous future," said Chiarelli. "He is an offensive threat every time he is on the ice, has great defensive instincts and he plays a physical game without taking a lot of penalties. With all that he has already accomplished, he will continue to grow as a player and we are very pleased that he will do so in a Bruins uniform."

Goon's Ramblings 8-20-06.

Time for the River Cities Speedway Management to change things up.

I am a big race fan much to my wife’s displeasure and I attend the weekly program at River Cities Speedway on a regular basis (religiously). RCS I also think the NOSA sprint car division is NOSA a good touring club. However, currently I am not all that high on the River Cities Speedway management and the way the track has being run, in my opinion the track is slipping in quality of their weekly shows; I believe there is a list of problems many of us have pointed out on the various message boards (poor track prep, poor flagmen, rough driving, low car counts, too quick to cancel a race due to rain, low pay out to drivers, we know the list we may have our own additions).

I feel River Cities Speedway has a lot of room for improvement and its weekly race program, and as of late the weekly program is getting stale. That is my personal opinion. The RCS needs to change things up for the good of the fans or they risk losing the fans to another venue. One example is the Super Stocks a once competitive division have crashed and burned and will probably be dumped after the season, the weekly programs are marred with rough racing and low car counts. I can only imagine what kind of Junkers the Speedway will run in their place next season. Please don’t replace them with bombers or road hogs. I suggest something along the lines of the Midwest Mods. Heck if they are smart they should go to the DTRA Modified.

Incidentally DTRA has Streets Stocks, Super Stocks, Modified and Late Models. It seems like a no brainier if you asked me.

One question: Why not switch to the weekly program for sprints to ASCS? ASCS Racing Web Pages Why not get involved in a national points race? You could still have the NOSA touring points too. The Late Models switched to Dirt Track Racing Association, which I believe is a good thing. DTRAThe driver can still race in a National Points Race. I also believe that LM’s are the most competitive class at RCS right now.

Another argument is RCS is losing drivers that could have possibly raced at River Cities Speedway to the ASCS. A few of these drivers are; Wade Nygaard, Mike Sitzmanm, Natalie Sather, Lee Grosz. I might get slammed for this but some of these drivers are more exciting to watch than some of the current NOSA Sprint Car drivers currently filling the line up right now. Personally I would rather watch Natalie Sather than Tom Cummings or Stan Meyer.

Why not have an ASCS program here from week to week? The drivers that want to run 410’s could still compete with 410's when the Big Boys of the world like the NST come to town. Next year the World of Outlaws WoOwill only run to dates in ND. I am afraid they will dump us in North Dakota all together very soon for bigger venues that have bigger grand stands, Loews, Texas Motor speedway etc.

This is where I think RCS has gone down hill. The River Cities Speedway used to have many awesome weekly events. In years past there used to be all kinds of weekly specials: The NCRA used to come to town, then there was the Harvest Bowl, years past there was the Knoxville, Hussets, RCS challenge (I also think that the track prep of years past turned some of traveling drivers off). Now there are nothing but shows that cost $40.00 + and frankly the management might may have priced some of very fans they are trying to draw to the speedway (i.e. Nation Sprint Tour and World of Outlaws Late Model events). Personally I will be able to afford these events but I know there will be others that will say the hell with this I am staying home because no race at RCS is worth that type of price tag. I doubt my father would want to spend that much money to see a race. Then get back into his gas guzzling F-150 and spend 3.00+ a gallon to drive 140 miles back up to Williams, MN.

In fact this season the NST Show is really the only legitimate sprint car special of the year, they used to have the Harvest Bowl, NCRA and other events. Heck half of the drivers in NOSA race 360’s now. I think we limit the numbers of cars that come to RCS because it’s not a 360 track per say, when in reality it might be and we don’t know it. Except for the big shows where there is big money the speedway is really not drawing the big drivers like it used to. The NST show was awesome.

Local Drivers on a Roll.
Mark Dodmeier has been on a roll this season, I think that might actually be an under-statement. Mark Dobmeier has won an unprecedented 14 features this season. Mark Is leading the points at River Cities Speedway as well at Huset’s Speedway in Brandon South Dakota by two points. I wonder how long Mark will race locally before he makes a run at either the NST or the WoO, he definitely has the talent if he has the money to compete. If I were Mark, I be board with winning every race at RCS, the man can come from the back of the pack and win a race, just give him 10 laps. The time is now for Mark to step up to the big time.

Lou Kennedy is the hot at Nodak speedway in Minot this season. Lou has won both NOSA shows in Minot and was the highest finisher for the local drivers in last nights show finishing 8th and bringing home $2100.00. A nice payday for Lou, Goon’s world would like to congratulate Lou Kennedy Jr. on having a fine season this year. I have enjoyed watching him race whenever he has been in the River Cities field since Lou switched chassis this year he seemed to have a better a better car on a night to night basis.

Hero of West Regional Quesada Signs with Houston.

Tony Quesada

Former Holy Cross Goalie Tony Quesada Sign AHL contract with Houston Areos.Quesada Signs
Another Goalie in the Mix
GDI
In case anyone has forgotten him: Go back March 24th, 2006 the goalie of record, the star of the 2006 West Regional game, the darling of the Grand Forks media, The goalie of record between the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Holy Cross Crusaders Tony Quesada has signed a professional contract with the Houston Aero’s of the American Hockey League.
4-3

July 31, 2006

HOUSTON, Texas. - Former Holy Cross goaltender Tony Quesada has signed a contract with the American Hockey leagues Houston Aeros, the team announced Monday. The Aeros are the affiliate of the NHL's Minnesota Wild.

A four-year member of the Holy Cross men's hockey team, Quesada ranks first all-time at Holy Cross in wins (61), save percentage (.915), goals against average (2.50), games played (105) and minutes played (6033:54), while he is second in saves (2700).

The Mass Exodus Continues.

Players Leaving Early for the Pros Updated Version:
The list of players bolting for the pros keeps growing by the day. ItÂ’s getting to be sickening. Again Goon's world doesn't fault these kids for taking the money but I blame the hockey clubs plucking these kids out of school early. I predict there are going to be more and as I predicted there were more. Forunately UND hasn't lost anymore.

Complete list of underclassmen signings in the WCHA (so far):
Break Down of the List Per Sioux Extra
Brad's Blog

UND (5)
Travis Zajac, sophomore
Matt Smaby, junior
Drew Stafford, junior
Rastislav Spirko, sophomore
Jordan Parise, junior

Minnesota (4)
Phil Kessel , Freshman (signed with the Boston Bruins)
Kris Chucko, sophomore
Danny Irmen, junior
Ryan Potulny, junior

Mankato (3)
David Backes, junior
Kyle Peto, junior
Ryan Carter, sophomore

Wisconsin (2)
Robbie Earl, junior
Joe Pavelski, sophomore

Denver (2)
Matt Carle, junior
Paul Stastny, sophomore

Players that could leave.
Brian Elliot (BADgers) Staying with the Badgers.
Jack Skille (BADgers) Staying with the Badgers.
Jonathon Toews (Figthing Sioux) Staying with the Fighting Sioux

On a side note: Cornell Big Red Hit Hard by Defections also
Its well documented that Minnesota(4) and the Fighting Sioux (5) have suffered major loses this off season, the Big Red of Cornell has also been hit hard in the off season by defections. Here is a break down of the Cornell loses.

Cornell David McKee Jr. Signed with Anaheim (NHL)
Cornell Ryan O'Byrne Jr. Signed with Montreal (NHL)
Cornell Sasha Pololuk So. Signed with Washington (NHL)

Goon's Ramblings 8-17-06.

Signing Imminent
All the pundits are now saying that Phil Kessel the highly talented Minnesota Golden Gopher’s forward is about to sign a professional contract the upstart Boston Bruins. Minnesota Coach Don Lucia is preparing for the bad news. Lucia Believes deal coming soon

Who knows, it could all fall apart in the next 24 to 48 hours," Lucia told the Globe. "But I'd be surprised. Right now we're preparing for life after Phil. If he ends up back in college right now, I'd be very surprised."

The past week the Internet chatter has been fast and furious about the upcoming Kessel deal. It seems to be the story that everyone one is talking about: see links below. In a summer where there seems to be a never-ending list of defections of college hockey underclassmen to the NHL, the list keeps getting longer and longer. Fans nation wide are lining up on bridges in a town near you to make the leap (all kidding aside), the up coming college hockey season cannot come fast enough.

The Links to the Never Ending Story:
For all the people that want to see a link they are numerous.

ESPN Story on Kessel
Hammy’s Golden Gopher Blog
Ciskie Nation
Western College Hockey

Its now Offical Kessel A Boston Bruin.

Its Now Official

The Boston Bruins have signed center Phil Kessel to a multi-year contract, it was announced today by Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli. Terms of the contract were not released.

"Phil is a player with world-class speed and gifted offensive talents," said Chiarelli. "We feel he is ready to begin his professional development and we are looking forward to seeing him compete at training camp.”

Kessel, 18, was Boston’s first pick, fifth overall, in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft held on June 24, 2006 in Vancouver. He played one season of college hockey at the University of Minnesota in 2005-06, finishing second on the team and sixth overall in league scoring with 18 goals and 33 assists for 51 points in 34 games while also leading his club in plus/minus with a +22 rating. He was named the WCHA’s Rookie of the Year and earned a berth on the WCHA All-Rookie Team.

Goon's Ramblings 8-16-06

Phil Kessel
Time to make up your mind Kessel

There is a rumbling on the internet that Phil Kessel might in fact be signing a pro contract. There is no confirmaton of this as of yet. Yawn, this is getting boring, almost as boring as the suspense leading up to his press conference, where he announced which college team he was going to play with.

BostonBruins.COM poll on Kessel Staying in College or Going Pro
Here was an interesting poll on the Bruins web page.

Should Phil Kessel leave college early to turn pro?
Current Results:
51.85%
Yes, he should leave now
30.83%
He should wait one more year
17.33%
No, he should play all 4 years

Hammy from the Golden Gopher Blog is saying that it is about to happen.
Hammy's Blog

Goon’s Ramblings 8-13-2006

Harry Sinden Steps Down as President of Boston Bruins
Sinden Steps Down
On could say that 8-09-2006 was a very good day for the Boston Bruins hockey team as well as for their beleaguered fans. Long time president and general manager Harry Sinden resigned as president of the Boston Bruins. Harry Sinden will stay on as advisor to the Bruins, but I can only hope that they use little if any of his advice unless team owner Jeremy Jacobs wants to continue being a mediocre hockey team.

Harry Sinden has been at the helm as the Boston Bruins a once proud hockey franchise have been systematically run into the ground and become the laughing stock of the NHL. It’s a good move because the Bruins can’t continue to be a horrible team in a very competitive Northeastern Division. Last season the Boston Bruins failed to make the playoffs finishing 13th in the East out of 15 teams, that folks is unacceptable.

Breaking down the numbers further: The last season the Bruins made the playoffs was 2004 when the Boston Bruins were taken out of the playoffs by the punch less Montreal Canadians in seven games. In fact the Bruins have failed to get past the second round (missing the playoffs three times including last season) since 1999 when they lost to the Buffalo Sabres in six games.

The last season was totally a disaster as the Bruins fired their head coach, General Manager and shipped two very good hockey players west. The last straw was probably sending Joe Thornton to the San Jose Sharks where he went on and won the league scoring title. I had a hard time stomaching the trade as the Bruins received little in return for Thornton.

the Future looks Bright?
There is some room for optimism based on trades the Bruins made in the off-season. The Bruins picked up a monster defensemen Zdeno Chara from the Ottawa Senators. Zdeno Chara is a mountain of a man and is also as mean as a cornered rattlesnake. They also picked up Marc Savard from the Atlanta Thrashers who scored 97 points last season.

On the other side of the coin the Boston Bruins have many holes their biggest hole is goaltending. Tim Thomas is brutal at best and I have no clue why the Bruins signed him to another contract but they are stuck with him unless they can find a good replacement. Frankly I would like to see more of Finnish Goalie Hannu Toivonen who came on last season until an ankle injury ended/shortened his season.

Goon's Ramblings 8-6-2006.

The 2006 Hunting Regulations Laws have been posted.
Ducktober is just around the corner and there are some new rules that hunters need to be aware of. The North Dakota Waterfowl season opens for North Dakota residents on the 23rd of September. The following week the season opens for Non-Residents on September 30th. There are some subtle changes to the proclamation that hunters need to be aware of: this season you will be able to take 5 ducks in stead of 6, you can take 5 mallards but only one of them can be a mallard hen, one canvasback, or one pintail.

Mallard Drakes
This could be problematic and I predict there will be a lot of mallard hens stomped into the mud (as one poster mentioned on another web page) or left in the bulrushes for the coyotes to eat. Hunters are going to have to be careful to identify the ducks they are shooting at before they pull the trigger. I would also suggest getting a waterfowl identification guide and study it. You are going to want to make sure that your shooting a mallard drake. Shooting too many mallard hens only reduces the number of ducks that you will have to hunt next season. I once read in an article that for every mallard hen you shoot you potentially erase 15 ducks that could have been born next season.

Hen Mallard

The New Rules-Posted in the Grand Forks Herald
Service OKs liberal regulations; N.D. season likely to begin Sept. 23, Minnesota's on Sept. 30
By Brad Dokken
Herald Staff Writer
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has approved a "Hunter's Choice" aggregate duck limit for North Dakota and four other Central Flyway states during the 2006 waterfowl season.

The service also approved the "liberal" package of waterfowl regulations for the upcoming season. Federal waterfowl managers use a formula called Adaptive Harvest Management, which looks at spring mallard numbers and Canadian wetland conditions, to set fall hunting seasons.

Spring conditions were good enough to warrant the liberal package again this year, officials said. The other options are "moderate" and "restrictive" packages with shorter seasons and reduced bags.

Paul Schmidt, assistant director of migratory birds, made the announcement Friday during a conference call with outdoor writers from across the country. The liberal package means a maximum 74-day season in the Central Flyway and a 60-day season in the Mississippi Flyway, which includes Minnesota.

Three-year test

With approval of the Hunter's Choice regulations, North Dakota hunters will have a five-duck limit instead of the traditional six that liberal regulations traditionally allow. Basically an aggregate limit, Hunter's Choice eliminates the "season within a season" for less abundant species such as pintails and canvasbacks. Hunters can have one mallard hen, one pintail or one canvasback in their five-bird bag.

Other species restrictions include a two-bird limit on scaup and wood ducks. In the category of abundant ducks, hunters can shoot five birds of such species as teal, wigeon and mallards, but only one of those mallards can be a hen.

Other Central Flyway states offering Hunter's Choice regulations are South Dakota, Wyoming, Texas and Kansas. The goal of the three-year experiment is to reduce the harvest of pintails and canvasbacks.

The remaining Central Flyway states will be "control" states adhering to the traditional limited seasons for pintails and canvasbacks.

"That's going to be really exciting to see how that works," said Randy Kreil, wildlife division chief for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department in Bismarck.

Residents-only opener

Approval of liberal regulations clears the way for North Dakota to open its duck season Sept. 23. Kreil said the state again this year is recommending to set aside the first week of season for resident hunters only. Nonresident hunters could begin hunting waterfowl Sept. 30.

Despite drought conditions across North Dakota and other prairie pothole states, Kreil said he wasn't surprised the service opted for liberal regulations over the moderate or restrictive packages.

"What people need to realize is the factors that determine whether we're in a liberal package are the mallard population, which is still high, and the habitat on the Canadian prairies," Kreil said Friday. "Water conditions all across the prairies and boreal forest (of Canada) are excellent, so that is going to lend itself to very good duck production in Canada."

In Minnesota, the Department of Natural Resources again this year is expected to offer a 60-day season beginning Sept. 30, according to Steve Cordts, waterfowl staff specialist for the DNR in Bemidji. Bag limits have yet to be determined, Cordts said Friday, and the DNR likely will issue a news release with more information this week.

Minnesota last year had a four-duck limit, even though they could have offered six birds under the liberal package. That's likely to be the case this year, too, if spring population surveys are any indication. The DNR estimated spring mallard numbers in the state at 161,000 - 33 percent lower than 2005 and the lowest recorded since 1983.

Goon’s Ramblings 8-03-2006

Fix Your Ball Marks Please
One of my personal pet peeves is golfers that don't fix their ball marks on the greens. Today while golfing I notice a lot of ball marks on thee greens. As a former golf course maintenance worker I know that ball marks on greens are a superintendents nightmare if a person doesn't fix their ball marks it will take at least 2 weeks or longer for that ball mark to heel, also when you don't fix your ball mark it the ball mark can further be damaged by the greens mower when they mow the greens I the morning. As I played my round of golf today I noticed that there are a lot of ball marks on the greens at my local course. Not fixing your ball mark seems to be a pattern that is prevalent in the Red River Valley.

Here is the is a perfect example on the proper way of fixing a ball mark. This is taken from a web page on good etiquette.
The Proper way to Fix a Ball Mark
Always repair your ball marks on the green, not to do so is really bad form. In fact, repair a second mark if a player before you has failed to repair theirs. The proper way to repair a ball mark is to use a repair tool, which many courses will gladly give you. Place the prongs of the tool at the edges of the mark and push in towards the center of the mark. Continue around the mark until the depression has been eliminated. Tap down on the repaired area with the bottom of your putter head to even out any bumps or rises that are left. Sometimes a small piece of turf will come out when the ball lands and leaves a mark. Do not replace this in to the depression. Toss it away from the green.

Goon’s Ramblings 8-02-2006

Another Big Loss for the Fighting Sioux Hockey Team.
Fighting Sioux assistant Coach Berry make the jump to the American Hockey League. This past week Fighting Sioux fans were greeted with more bad news (good for the coach and bad for the Sioux) Assistant Coach Brad Berry accepted a job with the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League.

Goon’s World is saddened by the loss of a good coach because he was a great mentor of young defensemen, and his work was evident by the play of our blue liners. Coach Brad Berry was instrumental in the development of former Fighting Sioux players Matt Greene, Matt Smaby and last seasons freshman defensemen. This is a major blow to UND because his services will be sorely missed. I would like to take this time to thank Coach Berry for his service to UND and wish him the best of luck in coaching in the pros. As clichés go one team’s lose is another’s gain.

Toews Staying Put at UND.
This past week Fighting Sioux forward Jonathon Toews announced that he was staying put and returning to the Fighting Sioux for another season. It would be an understatement if I said a lot of us are relieved as the latest good news (finally something positive after a summer of disappointments) that the Fighting Sioux will have the services of the highly skilled Toews for at least one more season, I wonder if we can talk him into staying one more season after that? If Toews had signed a professional contract with the Chicago Black Hawks it would have been a serious blow to UND chances this up coming season. Let it be known that Toews is a man of poise, It would have been hard for me to turn down the rookie max 850,000.00 and a 85,000 signing bonus.

I believe with Toews the Sioux will still have a dynamic group of skilled players coming back for the next season. Although UND will not score goals in bunches as they did last season Toews and Oshie will still put the fear in the opposition.
Jack Skille Staying Put in Madison
The Wisconsin Badgers also received some good news in July also. Up and coming super star freshman forward Jack Skille announced that he will in fact be returning for another season with the defending National Champions Wisconsin Badgers. It had been rumored that Chicago was interested in signing Skille along with Fighting Sioux forward Jonathon Toews.

Wisconsin like the other great teams in the WCHA did not go unscathed during the off season as the Badgers suffered some big time losses as well, leading scorer Sophomore Joe Pavelski (56 points) signed with the San Jose Sharks of the NHL and second leading scorer Junior Robbie Earl (50 points) signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL. Both players were highly touted marquee players and their loss to their team is huge. Of course the Badgers are still loaded and sport one of colleges best goaltenders in Brian Elliot. The Badgers are still going to be the team to beat as teams are going to have to break through their defense to score. Elliot game teams fits last season.