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How can the Don not have is guy's ready to play ND?

Marty McSorely wrote:How can the Don not have is guy's ready to play ND?

The Don is awesome. He only had 20 NHL draft picks, 4 first rounders, to work with. If his assistants could recruit and get him some talent to work with he'd prove how great of a coach and motivator he is.

Probably one of the most frustrating Gopher games I have watched... ever...

Feet in cement, passes off, wrong back check positions, dump and not-chase... the list of negatives is endless...

Kangas was the positive on Friday.

Saturday appeared to have more effort, but D-zone breakdowns allowed the Sioux to tie the game late...

Love this team, will continue to support this team in buying season tickets, but this coaching staff has to turn this trend of unpreparedness and lack of effort around very soon... We saw too much of this last year...
And the Gophers quite frankly have too much talent year in and year out to continue to play like this...

Marty McSorely wrote:How can the Don not have is guy's ready to play ND?

The coach needs to somehow figure out how to make all of his all-staters and Mr. Hockeys and NHL bound players function as a team being coached by him. It hasn't worked out the last few years, and with all of the talent on the Gophers team it is pretty pathetic.

DmanDad1980 wrote:Probably one of the most frustrating Gopher games I have watched... ever...

Feet in cement, passes off, wrong back check positions, dump and not-chase... the list of negatives is endless...

Kangas was the positive on Friday.

Saturday appeared to have more effort, but D-zone breakdowns allowed the Sioux to tie the game late...

Love this team, will continue to support this team in buying season tickets, but this coaching staff has to turn this trend of unpreparedness and lack of effort around very soon... We saw too much of this last year...
And the Gophers quite frankly have too much talent year in and year out to continue to play like this...

Got to agree about Friday night ..... awful! Saturday was a better effort. Power play stunk both nights. PK was not great.

On paper, we should have a good team and Don is healthy. I am guessing you will find players sitting on the pine if they don't get it.

Fire "the Don" and send that smug Hill packing. Bring in Dean Blais to build a team that will return the program to some respect and glory.

Herb Brooks said it best,"All star teams fail because they rely soley on the individuals talents. Teams succeed because they put that talent together into a system that will breed succes."

This seems to be the trend building at the U as far as recruiting goes. Stop recruiting individuals(AllStars) that only want to be there for a year or two and start recruiting hockey players that want to committ to the program. Until this happens team chemistry will be a problem for the Gophers and Championships will remain harder to achieve!

northwoods oldtimer wrote:Fire "the Don" and send that smug Hill packing. Bring in Dean Blais to build a team that will return the program to some respect and glory.

I'll second this.


All in favor....

That's an YEA from here

.

I say give him a lifetime deal and keep him forever.

elliott70 wrote:

northwoods oldtimer wrote:Fire "the Don" and send that smug Hill packing. Bring in Dean Blais to build a team that will return the program to some respect and glory.

I'll second this.


All in favor....

Me!

Wow is that a brutal power play through 2 weekends. As Patches O'hulihan once stated......

"They couldn't hit water if they fell out of a boat"

ACTUALFORMERPLAYER wrote:I say give him a lifetime deal and keep him forever.

Bulldog, Husky or Sioux fan????

theref wrote:

elliott70 wrote:

northwoods oldtimer wrote:Fire "the Don" and send that smug Hill packing. Bring in Dean Blais to build a team that will return the program to some respect and glory.

I'll second this.


All in favor....

Me!

Wow is that a brutal power play through 2 weekends. As Patches O'hulihan once stated......

"They couldn't hit water if they fell out of a boat"

Sounds like something an old and gone friend of mine would say.
Koochiching County Sheriff's Captain James Laurent.

You would not remember him but your mom and dad would.

But, yes, they have been very poor.

So much for the state of hockey! Only BSU makes the top 15.... The big M isn't even in anyones top 20.....who would have ever thought the M wouldn't be in the top 20.

Nebraska is 13th; this guy (Blais) can either coach or recruit? both!

Marty McSorely wrote:So much for the state of hockey! Only BSU makes the top 15.... The big M isn't even in anyones top 20.....who would have ever thought the M wouldn't be in the top 20.

I could care less if they were ranked dead last right now. All that matters is how they play down the stretch as the WCHA playoffs are approaching. Every year UND starts slow, figures it out in January and makes a run deep into the playoffs. Maybe this is the Gophers year to take a page out of the UND handbook.

Goldy I hope your right but I'm not betting on it.

Something is really wrong with the program. MG gets' canned, Stauber quits mid-season and the goalie tanks (not all his fault).

hockeyfanatic29 was right. When are you gopher lovers going to figure it out? You can't have 25 Mr. hockeys, where are the role players and charecter guys? the last time your team was any good you had players with names like Potulnyand Irman. Where were they from again? It's all about chemistry.

Goldy Gopher wrote:

Marty McSorely wrote:So much for the state of hockey! Only BSU makes the top 15.... The big M isn't even in anyones top 20.....who would have ever thought the M wouldn't be in the top 20.

I could care less if they were ranked dead last right now. All that matters is how they play down the stretch as the WCHA playoffs are approaching. Every year UND starts slow, figures it out in January and makes a run deep into the playoffs. Maybe this is the Gophers year to take a page out of the UND handbook.

The UND handbook says to recruit role players to complement the stars. Words like unselfishness, team, and hard work are the core of that handbook. The Don needs to recruit guys who aren't auditioning every night for the next level. Without Stoa I guarentee a road trip for the first round of the playoffs.

ACTUALFORMERPLAYER wrote:

Goldy Gopher wrote:

Marty McSorely wrote:So much for the state of hockey! Only BSU makes the top 15.... The big M isn't even in anyones top 20.....who would have ever thought the M wouldn't be in the top 20.

I could care less if they were ranked dead last right now. All that matters is how they play down the stretch as the WCHA playoffs are approaching. Every year UND starts slow, figures it out in January and makes a run deep into the playoffs. Maybe this is the Gophers year to take a page out of the UND handbook.

The UND handbook says to recruit role players to complement the stars. Words like unselfishness, team, and hard work are the core of that handbook. The Don needs to recruit guys who aren't auditioning every night for the next level. Without Stoa I guarentee a road trip for the first round of the playoffs.

Are words like classy thrown in there with unselfishness and hard work?

Classy is in the book Goldy--but I still think the U can recruit kids who are hard workers and unselfish. You shouldn't be that hard on your Gopher players.

Hasn't been the same since Guentzel left. If there isn't a change soon the U of M will be Minnesota kids 2nd or 3rd choice. It already is for some.

I'm with Goldy right now.

Not too worried (although I am a Sioux, Dog and Maverick fan, also).

I think the difference is going to be Buddish and Leddy - once they get this level figured out they will end up being the on ice leaders.

Leddy has a ways to go but he keeps his head up and is extremenly strong. Needs better control of the time and space thing, but if he is smart and watches some tape of himself and the opponents D (especially the Sioux) he will be very good by WCHA play-offs.

Buddish just makes his presence known when he is onthe ice with and without the puck.

Now its up to Mr Grand Rapids to pair 'em up right and get 'em on and off the ice at the right times.

As for the UofN Omaha coach, Mr. Blais could make me look like a decent hockey player.

Wonder if his nephew, Willy Corrin, will be playing in corn country in the future.

Marty McSorely wrote:Goldy I hope your right but I'm not betting on it.

Something is really wrong with the program. MG gets' canned, Stauber quits mid-season and the goalie tanks (not all his fault).

Personally, I think Stauber leaving only helped Kangas. Most Gopher goaltenders do fine their first year until he starts tinkering with them. Look at Frazee. Once he left the U, I believe he made the AHL All-Star game. Kangas was great with a not so great team in front of him. Last year he struggled early, then Stauber is gone and he pulled it together towards the end. This year, he looks solid again.

I am so confused. Every post by a Gopher fan talks about how they get first choice and all the best recruits. Then the same posters jump all over everyone who questions Don Lucia's coaching ability and praise him as the best. When a team plays like the Gophers have this year can it be both? NO!

Option A- Gophers get the best recruits and Lucia is a poor coach.
Option B- Gopher players are overrated and Lucia is a great coach.

Forget about using the early departure excuse. It happens to every team in the WCHA.