fighting in college hockey.

[PierBridge]

Spoken like a True Hockey/Sioux Fan! Nuttin wrong with dat!

When was the Sioux's last National Title again?..

Who has more National titles Lucia or the mighty Blais?

[scsavre]

Gosh darn Sioux and their stinking fans. BRmuskie I doubt you really want to make an arguemnet about a kid being from ND being the star on a gopher team. The Sioux are made up of Canadians and Minnesota players. 99-00 Sioux had 9 and your other title had about 10 MINs.

I dont think our 8th scorer on the team with 23 points counts as a star either, or the year before our 6th scorer.

I just dont see why Sioux fans are proud of a bunch of canadians. It just doesnt make sense to me.

As far as your titles, not sure if i can count 2 of em, afterall you should win when you have 26 year Canadians as rookies. I guess it did lead to the Sioux getting booted from the WIHL.

One last thing, Those darn Sioux fans sure are passionate and a bit crazy. Granted they dont have any actual hockey sense and have never even skated, nor do they know what they are yelling about. But it does make for some fun. Especially when you see them past out in the aisles at the Xcel. I wish the UofM wasnt just a business and actually let some students into the games. Who can afford the tickets at the U as a student. Stupid.

[PierBridge]

Are you related to BuzzSaw by any chance? He used to get things riled up in here we use to get 40 or people viewing the forums back then. He and RedLake are missed in here. To bad we Suk and the Sioux are a little down this year...Those were the days!

[Bear55]

Ya the rivalry has lost a little bit of luster since both teams are down a little, in the gophers case a lot! Hard to believe we made it this far into the season before a Sioux fan pulled out the old 7>5.

It is nice to hear a little trash talking, its been a while. Lucky for us Hakstol has a lot more in common with Woog then Blais so the Gophers have plenty of time to right the ship and win another NC before the Sioux figure it out.

[scsavre]

HAHA, this is fun, it is embarrassing that these 2 programs are so bad and mediocre. They will bounce back. I know the Sioux have not as far to go.

I am glad i found my way to the hockey forum. Seems to be a better group of people here. Less internet police and poosers.

[nolte]

There are way too many kids running around with all of the protective gear looking for the big hit. Some kids are looking for big hits more than looking to score and it is changing the game in a bad way IMO. If the college players had to deal with the consequences of making huge highlight reel hits then we wouldn't see as many. It all trickles down into youth hockey and the number of concussions every year in youth hockey is growing out of control.

I can't say that I've watched a ton of youth league hockey in the last 5 years, but from the few high school games I see every year I can't say there is a whole bunch of big hits. Or at least not any more than I remember. In fact, youth hockey in general is not really overly physical. Ask any kid who stepped up to play college or juniors how much more physical it was. If you touch the puck you always have your head up to avoid whoever was going to hit you.

I don't care if you're wearing full body kevlar when a guy who knows how to hit drills you, you're going to feel it. Big hits happen when a guy puts his shoulder in between your numbers, those will rattle your teeth. The best ways to avoid it is to keep your head up.

On the topic at hand, I think there should be one fight allowed per team for the game with a 5 min penalty. After that it becomes a DQ. There is a fine line to allow fighting or to having it become a total gong show.

[cbrooks]

I don't think it would become a total gong show. In fact I think the opposite will happen, the players will police themselves. If someone comes in with, lets say a check from behind on the other teams star player he's going to have pay the piper from a goon on that team. This is how the NHL works. Maybe it can work in college. I see nothing wrong with it.

You always see hockey changing a few rules here and there to make it more high scoring. I think they have to address some of the cheap shots that goes on during the game. Getting rid of the facemask is also a good idea.

Hey brmuskie its good to hear from a fighting Sioux on here.

[Shorelunch]

I don't think it would become a total gong show. In fact I think the opposite will happen, the players will police themselves. If someone comes in with, lets say a check from behind on the other teams star player he's going to have pay the piper from a goon on that team. This is how the NHL works. Maybe it can work in college. I see nothing wrong with it.

I agree. They need to let them fight to police the game. That, and if the WCHA and their refs would call the game as it's supposed to be called, the WCHA would even be that much better.

Go Sioux! Go Beavers!

[scsavre]

If the refs called the game the way they should, the Sioux would all be ejected.

They should allow fighting to an extent. Control it like someone said, 1 fight per team per game and it is only a 5 minute penalty. After that you get ejected. However 1 player shouldnt be allowed to be in more than say... 3 fights in a year.

The biggest problem I see is that I dont want to see teams giving out scholarships to fighters over players. Some teams just arent going to do it, and in return you get some goon from the Sioux attacking a 5'8 finesse forward. I dont want to see fights in college, but sometimes there needs to be one. If i wanted to see fights i would just go watch a junior game.

Personally I think the college game is just about where it should be. You see some great hits, mostly clean, and you also see some fights and wrestling matches. Maybe a few of those wrestling matches should be fights. To hopefully deter a few of the cheapshots. I just havent seen that many cheapshots this year. I suppose that is because Finlay isnt out there to spear people is the nuts.

[Shorelunch]

If the refs called the game the way they should, the Sioux would all be ejected.

Personally I think the college game is just about where it should be. You see some great hits, mostly clean, and you also see some fights and wrestling matches. Maybe a few of those wrestling matches should be fights. To hopefully deter a few of the cheapshots. I just havent seen that many cheapshots this year. I suppose that is because Finlay isnt out there to spear people is the nuts.

Oh please . . . how many times do you see a Gopher player cheap shot someone and skate away - or hide behind their coach or ref? UND backs it up - and backs up their players.

What I do agree with you about is that WCHA hockey is about the best there is - however, they should call it by the rules and not for parity, but for consistency.

[scsavre]

Gosh darn Sioux fans, drinking too much to see what is going on out there. The gophs have been whiners at times, Ill give you that. I really dont see a lot of bad cheap shots though. They just dont have those types of players. The thing that always urks me about the Sioux/gophs is when the Sioux send their big players and veterans after the gophs little guys and freshman. I just cant believe the matchups sometimes. It has to be embarrassing when your 6'4 and you go after a guy who is 5'8 each game. Seems the Sioux try to play a cleaner game when some of the bigger goph players are out there.

It reminds me of teams that are cheap when Boogaard isnt on the ice.

Ill give you a go Beavers though. Too many Canadians for my liking, but hey they need to establish themselves.

How great would that be if the Gophs/Sioux could finish 5 and 6 and then have a best of 3 playin series.?

This is some good trash talk though.

[PierBridge]

Some good reasoning's and ways to get fighting into college hockey.

But it's never going to happen in COLLEGE sports of course.

[Shorelunch]

Ill give you a go Beavers though. Too many Canadians for my liking, but hey they need to establish themselves.

This is some good trash talk though.

BSU has about 14 Canadians, while most of the WCHA has about 6 -8 or so. This will change by being in the WCHA and easier recruiting (than it was in the CHA and questions regarding a barn, conference and the program in general).

Watch a little youtube and you can find Gophers hiding (including your "big guys").

I will give you this, no team dives like SCSU. They should rename their concrete slab, the "National Aquatic Ceter."

[lovebigbluegills]

Get rid of the face mask's and the cheap stuff will clean up quickly!

You hit the nail on the head. All of the cheap stuff would be cleaned up in no time.

[scsavre]

A few minutes on Youtube will show a lot of cheap shots by the Sioux as well. The problem with Youtube is that you cant see what was going on the whole game though.

Youtube doesnt help the Sioux though. I have watched too much of it.

Here is a good one, usually the sioux work the Mavs

Typical Sioux, nothing big hapening, then sioux guy throws hand in the face to get it going. Fabian of UND starts whaling on the mav, until the mav fights back and works him.So he quits. Jones tries to be a 3rd man in of coarse. The Hitting the Sioux guy on the ice isnt cool, but dont start it i guess.

Here is the one i was looking for. Its just funny. Im not saying cheap or anything. I dont care this is old time hockey.

Im just asking for some good responses here, but hey else is there to do.

[Shorelunch]

The problem with Youtube is that you cant see what was going on the whole game though.

If I remember right, when the Sioux were at MSU, they took cheap shots at Oshie (kneed him among other things) that weren't called. Things wouldn't escalate if the teams were allowed to leave it on the ice and games were called as they should be.

[cbrooks]

You know who the guy for the Sioux who came running out with the bottle was. Cary Eades there assitant coach now. I have to say that I'm not ashame of that video at all. Thats one of mine favorite UND clips. I think Hakstal is a player in that video but I cannot say for sure. Thanks for the video [pleasebecomeasponsor].

[brmuskie]

cbrooks - Hakstol and Eades weren't ever on the same teams. Eades played until 82' and Hakstol came to UND in 89'.

[pleasebecomeasponsor] - the only reason I bring up a kid from ND is that the gophers fans have always prided themselves on having only MN kids. Putolny was the MVP of the frozen four one year and was the captain and team leader the next year on the back to back teams if I remember correctly.

Beavers - have to recruit in Canada to get the talent that they need to build the D1 program. It doesn't hurt when the recruiters are from Canada either so that is where they have the most success in recruiting.

My biased opinion is that the Sioux are not as CHEAP as the gophers or other teams usually. They play a physical in your face game but it is in your face and for the most part clean. The cheapshots and hacks usually don't play that physical and they throw a knee out on someone in open ice, they use the sticks a lot to slash and spear, etc.... I don't consider hitting hard and fighting as being cheap. I know there are cheap players that have put on Sioux uniforms over the years but I think there are more cheap players on other teams year in and year out.

[Bear55]

Yep Hakstal was too young, but you can probably find former Sioux legend and thug Jim Archibald in the mix, I think he still might hold the season/career penalty minutes in the WCHA.

No doubt Sioux fans have their own perspective but most other fans of teams around the league usually agree that the Sioux are the dirtiest team overall. No double certain teams have their "nights" or even a seasons of goonery but if you look at the past decade of major scuffles/fighting/dirty all around play the Sioux are almost always involved. In their defense, its always the "other" team that starts the trouble but history would tell you otherwise.

Its actually been nice that last couple year to see the Gophers throw a little bit of that back at them, of course it has been in a losing effort most of the time.

[scsavre]

BRmuskie, you have good points. I am just glad that we are talking some college puck here. I will stick with labeling the Sioux the dirtiest team. Its just how they play, and i tell you what it works. Its not a bad thing. I bet if you surveyed 100 college hockey fans, Sioux would get the vote as cheapest. With all the canadians, thats what you are going to get. They are famous for it. Your right about Bemidjis recruiting, and now it is working better for them. I remember 6 7 years ago, theyd recruit these canadian players and they would end up quiting during the off season. Looks like they are staying around now.

I am thinking Potulny was the captian and MVP in the same year. Because they didnt win it his senior year. I also think we had enough good players that we would have won without him. But I guess his leadership skills may have been that important.

Bear, you are right, it is nice to see the gophs toughen up a bit and put some bigger guys on the ice.

[scsavre]

Oh and one last thing. Another reason that fighting shouldnt be a part of college is this.

How often do you see fights in the NHL where these guys are actually mad and trying to hurt each other. Look at Boogaard, I think i have seen him mad maybe once a year. They square off not in rage and mad at eachother, but more of a comrodery and understanding that it is time to fight. They are pretty much pro fighters squaring off. That is why the best fights are usually the smaller guys really going at it.

In college, these guys are freaking mad at each other. Hitting guys while they lay on the ice etc. They want to hurt each other. These guys arent pro fighters that are just doing their jobs. This is the kind of fighting where guys get hurt, and what we dont need in college hockey. There is a great one on youtube with the Sioux and Mankato. The mankato guy wants nothing to do with, the Sioux guy just starts blasting him. We dont need those injuries.

As i said before, there is room for a little more fighting, but not like other leagues.

[Bear55]

That is kind of how I feel, I think there is room for a little more fighting, maybe relax the rules just a bit but overall I like the college game just the way it is.

Don't get me wrong I don't mind watching a good NHL fight but I really hate when a guy gets 4 minutes of ice time a night and spends two of them fighting, to me that's not really a hockey player, more of a hired gun so to speak. Look at Boogaurd, sure he plays in the NHL but I think he would be hard pressed to lead a high school team in scoring.

[solbes]

I agree that UND is traditionally a little dirty. Physical too which usually works in their favor.

Although I love fighting as part of the pro game, I really don't think it would be a good idea in the college game. You can get thrown out for checking a guy into the boards; they're not going to let you drop your gloves and stay in the game.

[cbrooks]

Boy was I off about Eades playing the same time as Hak, thanks for the correction guys. I see somone mention Jim Archbald ah man what I would give to go back in time and be at one of those games.

Its fun hearing what the other fans from around league think about the Sioux. I can't disagree with anybody they are psyhical but as a fan they give you your money worth and some. During that SCSU game it was 8 to 1 and nobody was leaving the area because of the sideshow going on and this was in st cloud.

I think fighting has a place in college to a extent. I'm glad I started this post and hopefully as we close in on the playoffs some of you guys will keep the chit chat going(right scsare). Good luck to everybodies team here on out except if they play UND;) Go Sioux!

[scsavre]

Brooks, of coarse we can keep the chit chat going. THe only problem is the Gophs might only have 4 weeks left and the Sioux may have the same problem.

Also Brooks I never noticed that you were on the Muksie page before. I can just see it now. Im fishing a stretch of water, moving some fish, and here comes a big boat with a guy wearing his green and white, ugly Sioux gear. Ah man theres goes my last oasis.

Stinking Sioux

Should be some good matchups this weekend.