Minnesota Gophers Offseason Thread 2014 - Quick, Reload!

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offseason Thread 2014 - Quick, Reload!

I'm kind of the same, but don't consider it bandwagon so much as residual pain from the North Stars leaving.

Not a big Norm Green fan I assume?

Anyone remember when the Gophers and North Stars used to have exhibition games at the Met? If memory serves the Gophs held their own on more than one occasion...
Of course today it would be a totally different situation, but back then it was always very interesting.

[5mn_Major]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offseason Thread 2014 - Quick, Reload!

You gotta figure Wild attendance is a big part of the equation (not sure what you meant by 'recruitment potency').

That's the genius of the strategy (assuming it can be extended). The obvious benefit is that fans are much more excited to see players increasing attendance. But another more subtle factor is potentially even more powerful. Pro sports players are mercenaries these days. Just playing for a paycheck and with their enthusiasm bound to fade. Year after year getting traded to yet another market to play for a paycheck. I have no doubt that they want to play for much more. So these players with MN hold out for the Wild to have a chance to come home to play for the same kind of pride in the state that they played for years ago in college. Its the 'we're getting the band back together' syndrome. Its a theory...but Parise, Suter, Vanek, etc. all had a chance to make more elsewhere but wanted to come to MN. Who knows how many other Minnesotans who would happily take less money to leave Nashville, Columbus to come home and play for the state again?

[Koho]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offseason Thread 2014 - Quick, Reload!

That's the genius of the strategy (assuming it can be extended). The obvious benefit is that fans are much more excited to see players increasing attendance. But another more subtle factor is potentially even more powerful. Pro sports players are mercenaries these days. Just playing for a paycheck and with their enthusiasm bound to fade. Year after year getting traded to yet another market to play for a paycheck. I have no doubt that they want to play for much more. So these players with MN hold out for the Wild to have a chance to come home to play for the same kind of pride in the state that they played for years ago in college. Its the 'we're getting the band back together' syndrome. Its a theory...but Parise, Suter, Vanek, etc. all had a chance to make more elsewhere but wanted to come to MN. Who knows how many other Minnesotans who would happily take less money to leave Nashville, Columbus to come home and play for the state again?

"But Suter is from WI...?"
"Never mind, he's on a roll..."

I see your point. My guess is that rather than the option to be more than mere mercenaries, the decision to take less money to play here was to be mercenaries who slept at the homes their wives wanted to be in. So a better Wild strategy might be to get Crosby, Ovechkin, Kane, Subban and Toews to marry Native MN women with strong family ties to the Cities.....

[Koho]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offseason Thread 2014 - Quick, Reload!

I don't get emotionally involved with the Wild until the playoffs. I'm a bandwagon fan. *shrug*

I am somewhat of a fan. I think the NHL efforts to reduce obstruction has made some improvements to the game. The Wild having former NCAA players has helped my interest. And the skill and intensity level of playoff hockey when you have a close game is pretty fricken' impressive. I may have past the point last year that I would rather watch two unfamiliar NHL teams in a playoff game than two college teams I know little about in a regular season game.

[5mn_Major]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offseason Thread 2014 - Quick, Reload!

"But Suter is from WI...?"

I see your point. My guess is that rather than the option to be more than mere mercenaries, the decision to take less money to play here was to be mercenaries who slept at the homes their wives wanted to be in. So a better Wild strategy might be to get Crosby, Ovechkin, Kane, Subban and Toews to marry Native MN women with strong family ties to the Cities.....

Said Minnesota...but this team is really a team based on the old WCHA. Believe what you will but Parise, Suter and now Vanek all gladly took a hit in the wallet to the Wild, to come for something more. I wouldn't be surprised if it continues with other regional ex college players.

[Hammy]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offseason Thread 2014 - Quick, Reload!

I agree. But Wild is a nice filler between Gopher games, especially with more MN players on team.

I definitely enjoy the Wild games during the season. Particularly during the weekdays where it can be a bit of a sports abyss in the fall/winter (taking a wait and see approach to all the T-Wolves personnel changes).

[Red Cows]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offseason Thread 2014 - Quick, Reload!

Hey, Gophs.

What are you guys hearing on your end (if anything) about why Nick Seeler bailed here and transferred there about 3 weeks ago? I couldn't find a single mention that it had even happened here in this thread or on Gopher Puck Live.

I've asked around about this here and its almost like when Coach Blais kicked team captain Alex Hudson off the team a couple seasons ago midway through his senior season. Nobody seems to want to discuss it and won't look you in the eye when you ask about it.

Here is the thread about Seeler's departure at Mavpuck:

http://www.mavpuck.com/mpboard/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=9692

I was at the game mentioned in this thread. Seeler's behavior in this "incident" (whatever it was) was on the bizarre side, to say the least. He just took off and wasn't seen from, again. And he was suspended the following night, as mentioned in the Mavpuck thread, so that was effectively the end of his career at UNO since our season ended the night of his suspension.

This is concerning to me because this seems to be becoming kind of a recurring theme around here. Guys disappearing for what have turned out to be odd or just plain BS reasons once all the facts have come out, like the aforementioned Alex Hudson matter, as well as the Matt White/Preston Hodge headscratcher the following season after Hudson's. I know, definitively, the ridiculous reason why Hudson got booted and the White/Hodge thing played out in the papers here after they got tossed from school in a gross overreaction by the school to the entire matter.

Anybody have any skinny?

[5mn_Major]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offseason Thread 2014 - Quick, Reload!

As far as fellow coaches go, Blais has pretty good regard around here.

[Driftryder]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offseason Thread 2014 - Quick, Reload!

I am somewhat of a fan. I think the NHL efforts to reduce obstruction has made some improvements to the game. The Wild having former NCAA players has helped my interest. And the skill and intensity level of playoff hockey when you have a close game is pretty fricken' impressive. I may have past the point last year that I would rather watch two unfamiliar NHL teams in a playoff game than two college teams I know little about in a regular season game.

I'm with you Koho, I couldn't stand watching regular season Wild games, talk about clutch and grab, boring neutral zone trap Hockey. No thanks.

It has gotten a bit better, and with more college kids playing I watch a little more now. But still meh (take it or leave it) during the regular season for me.

[goldy_331]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offseason Thread 2014 - Quick, Reload!

As far as fellow coaches go, Blais has pretty good regard around here.

Other than a penchant for tossing spare goalies into the closest river when they don't perform.

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offseason Thread 2014 - Quick, Reload!

Very confusing article, but overall good news if I'm understanding things correctly:

Gophers notes: Big Ten Network to carry 27 U games
http://www.startribune.com/sports/go...276415081.html

Also, the starting times for most games are now up on GopherSports.com:
http://www.startribune.com/sports/go...276415081.html

[dxmnkd316]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offseason Thread 2014 - Quick, Reload!

Ummmm. BTN is not broadcasting 27 gopher games from what I understand.

[twitter=GopherHockey ]Breaking: @B1GHockey has announced 27 #Gophers' games will be aired by @BigTenNetwork, @fsnorth and @espn networks this year.[/twitter]

[twitter=gopherstate ]One quick takeaway - FSN is broadcasting Minnesota/Wisconsin at 5pm on Jan. 17 (HDM).[/twitter]

[dxmnkd316]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offseason Thread 2014 - Quick, Reload!

Yeah after I posted that Strib article on GPL the first comment was this

Considering we're not playing in the Hockey City Classic this season, I'd say there's a few inaccuracies.

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offseason Thread 2014 - Quick, Reload!

Guess we'll just have to take it week by week...

[Koho]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offseason Thread 2014 - Quick, Reload!

I definitely enjoy the Wild games during the season. Particularly during the weekdays where it can be a bit of a sports abyss in the fall/winter (taking a wait and see approach to all the T-Wolves personnel changes).

I have zero interest in bouncy-ball.