2008: The most predictable (boring) tournament ever?

[Madman Riley]

After 2 1/2 days of watching as closely as I always have (since 1962 or 46 years), I've got to say this is the most boring tournament ever.

It has had precious little drama, no 'Cinderella' element, too many blow-outs and unless one has 'a dog in the fight,' been largely uninteresting.

And yet, I wondered if I was alone in that evaluation?
So I searched the 'net, found this site, and pose the question:
Has this been the most boring State High School Hockey Tournament you've ever seen?
Can you think of any other as dull as this one?

While I wait for answers, let me propose that if, at the end, Roseau meets Edina and wins by more than 2 goals -- and if STA does the same to Duluth-Marshall -- the 2008 tournament will have had nothing to recommend it.
Naturally, the 2 eventual championship teams will think of it as a great time, but what about you who are watching?

Just a 'down year?'
Or a cause-and-effect relationship with "seeding?"

[grindiangrad-80]

I think you will see a little more drama tonight.

[dherman8]

So far probably. The thing about seeding is that if there is somewhat of a close argument about seeding like there should have been in class A between St. Cloud Cathedral, Little Falls, and maybe Mankato West, you can't just seed the top four because of the possibility of a lopsided game like St. Cloud Cathedral's and STA's semifinal today. I'm not saying MW or LF would have beaten SCC but maybe if SCC would have beaten a worthy 5 seed they may have been more motivated and jacked up and more up for the task of playing STA today. Seed em all.

[Never was]

I'm new here too, but I've been lurking for a month or so and this blog has made all the difference for me. Lots of emotion all through sections and into the Tournament!

Was at Mariucci for the section 2/6 finals and there is no way anything in the tournament has come close (can't Jake Gardiner just step in and take a shift on a team so they'll quit saying what a shame it is that he can't play at the X?!?)

It does seem like the announcers are just going through the motions. A pass through the slot hardly gets a mention and the call on goals is almost an inconvenient interruption of an inane conversation.

And can I see an old replay of Phil Housley scoring on a long slap shot one more time please? PLEASE!

I guess it's not the kids fault if we're not being entertained - they're just trying to win a hockey game.

Having said all that, yeah it's been tough to stay awake for a whole session! Lakeville put on a clinic on how to keep a game ugly - it kept 'em in the game (sort of), but in the end they couldn't capitalize on those ugly opportunities anyway.

Cheer up! Tonights games have some real potential!

[gohome]

so so --- it is what happens when you have 4 very strong teams, and 4 teams of a little lower caliber. (not taking anything away from the other 4 teams) I think all the teams deserve to be there, but the top 4 make better games with each other and the lower4 make will be great games. but this does make it really hard for any under-dogs to win the tourny.

[Lurker 83]

Wasn't the point of seeding to get the best teams to meet each other in the final rounds to get the best games?

Class A the #1 & #2 teams are in the championship game.

In AA 4 of the top 5 are in the semi-finals, the missing team did not qualify for the tournament.

This appears to be the exact result everyone wanted. Now it is boring? Should it go back to random section draws set up years in advance? Maybe #1 & #2 ranked teams will meet in the QFs but then the underdogs will get a chance again.

Of course just last year 3 of 4 seeded teams lost their first game...

[karl(east)]

The difference between this year's tournament and last year's, in AA at least, is that the seeding was very obvious. Throughout the season, 5 teams pretty clearly separated themselves from the rest of the field (2 were in the same section, and Minnetonka went down). Therefore I'm not too surprised that these top 4 teams cruised through the first round. The 2nd round looks great so far.

In Class A, we're also at a point where two private school programs have established themselves as the premier programs and are consistently meeting in the tourney (STA and DM). So I'm not surprised they've rolled through the field with relative ease either. This naturally prompts questions about private schools and their status in Class A, but that's a debate for a different thread. We've just been unlucky not to get any real classics otherwise, I'd say.

[woodstick]

Yeah, the BSM/Edina game is real boring. Overtime no less. And the kids aren't displaying any hockey skills or anything else exciting.

[grindiangrad-80]

How's this for action?

[deacon]

How's this for action?

[grindiangrad-80]

That game definitely broke the boredom and predictability.
Hats off to both of those teams.

[who_b_dat]

Just like sections, seeding places the best teams in a position to meet each other in the later rounds. We're seeing that now.

[marchmadness]

pioneers up 3-0 on the rams. predictable???? i think not

[pipersniper12]

Fri nite session really made up for the boring tourny.

[Cornbread]

most had edina or roseau winning it, how did that work out for you?

[minnesotahockey23]

I didn't think the tourney was that boring. I mean I thought Roseau was for sure going to take it all, but nope, teams like Hill-Murray and BSM realllyy suprised me! I think it made for an interesting turn-out with some great hockey.

[Mario58]

I thought the tournament was full of surprises. Who would have thought that Roseau would lose their last two games. A large part of the population thought it would be Roseau vs. Edina in the final. That was a surprise.
Hill pulling it off was amazing. I know- it would have been more exciting if it was Cloquet...but that wasn't meant to happen.

[Madman Riley]

The thread began with "after 2 1/2 days of watching" and the question of the 2008 tournament as boring at that point.
Now that the entire event is over, the question can be asked again.

And it was -- on balance -- a boring tournament.
One that will be forgotten very quickly, except by 2 teams' fans.

Sure, there two (maybe three) very good games but that's a pretty low total out of FOURTEEN played! Very unlike the majority of tourneys.

I take nothing away from the substantial effort of Hill-Murray and its superb effort in defeating both the #1 & #2 teams Roseau and Edina. (Alternatively, St. Thomas Academy's walk-through to their title couldn't have been less interesting.)

So, thanks for the replies!
And I'll say that I, for one, am happy that the media-mandated Roseau -v-Edina title game never happened.

[pondyplayer93]

i agree it was one of the more boring ones ive ever watched, besides the edina/bsm game there werent many close games although hm/edina was fun to watch

[PASTRAPIDSFAN]

Friday nights games where very good. also the saturday night gophers game.Thursday was BORING