Excellent Interview with Don Lucia

[Dirty]

Re: Excellent Interview with Don Lucia

I am quickly loosing patience with the arrogance of many UND fans. News flash for you….you live in the ***** crack of America. Get over yourselves and try to act civilized when you follow your team.

Why should we get over ourselves when we're obviously so much better than plebs such as yourself?

[LynahFan]

Re: Excellent Interview with Don Lucia

If I understood Lucia correctly, he wants a rule where if a guy wants to leave early, but doesn't make the NHL roster...they couldn't be sent to the AHL. That player would then be allowed to go back to college. Is that right?

Sounded more to me like he wanted a rule that if a player signed early, the NHL club had to pay him his NHL salary even if he really wasn't good enough to play with the big club. Once a player signs, the NCAA will definitely not let him play in college again.

Neither of these interpretations would be at all in touch with reality, though, so I'm not sure what he was really getting at.

[J.D.]

Re: Excellent Interview with Don Lucia

If I understood Lucia correctly, he wants a rule where if a guy wants to leave early, but doesn't make the NHL roster...they couldn't be sent to the AHL. That player would then be allowed to go back to college. Is that right?

[Bronzebacks]

Re: Excellent Interview with Don Lucia

More whining and excuses from Lucia. And most of the Minnesota fans STILL eat it up.

Waaah, the internetz are stupid!

the game is changing, it's not like back in my day!

I tell you, kids these days!

He sounds more like a bitter fan, than a head coach. The article, as a whole, sounded like two Gopher fans sitting at the bar, thanks to Wodon.

Everybody wants an easy answer. Maybe if every player(and coach) worked a little harder, the Gophers wouldn't be such suckwads. That might be the easy answer that you all are looking for.
But no, its always somebody else's fault with the Gophers: The NHL, Garth Snow, fate, anti-Gopherism, prima donnas, Hill, the new CBA, the internet, etc.

Simpletons like your self seem to be produced in mass numbers in the Grand Forks area. Laugh it up dirty UND. What goes around comes around. Anyone who thinks their program is immune to the types of struggles the Gophers have experienced in recent years is out of touch with what is going on in college hockey.

While I am by no means a Gopher fan, I am a college hockey fan. A strong Gopher program is good for college hockey and the WCHA.
I am quickly loosing patience with the arrogance of many UND fans. News flash for you….you live in the ***** crack of America. Get over yourselves and try to act civilized when you follow your team.

I have met decent fans from UND. But I wish that was a more frequent experience.

Good Luck to the Gophers this year. I will be cheering for your team except for two games my team faces you. Hopefully the low expectations of you critics will allow your young players to play with an edge and rise above.

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: Excellent Interview with Don Lucia

As Bill Guerin so eloquently stated...." I have the rest of my life to earn a college degree but only a short time to play in the NHL"

It's a fair point, but it's worth noting that the guy has been in the league since 91-92 and he's still playing.

[Happy]

Re: Excellent Interview with Don Lucia

More whining and excuses from Lucia. And most of the Minnesota fans STILL eat it up.

Waaah, the internetz are stupid!

the game is changing, it's not like back in my day!

I tell you, kids these days!



He sounds more like a bitter fan, than a head coach. The article, as a whole, sounded like two Gopher fans sitting at the bar, thanks to Wodon.

Everybody wants an easy answer. Maybe if every player(and coach) worked a little harder, the Gophers wouldn't be such suckwads. That might be the easy answer that you all are looking for.
But no, its always somebody else's fault with the Gophers: The NHL, Garth Snow, fate, anti-Gopherism, prima donnas, Hill, the new CBA, the internet, etc.

I guess it would be a whole lot better to have a coach who never wins a national championship, that way he would never have to be questioned about the down years. like und.

[ScoobyFanClub]

Re: Excellent Interview with Don Lucia

I don't see Lucia begrudging kids leaving early. ... I think the issue is whether doing so, helps their career long-term. Which would ultimately make them more money - again, in the long term. So, in other words, they are NOT leaving for better opportunities ... because it's hurting them. This is the case with 90% of the kids who leave early, in my opinion - especially those, like OB, who go to Major Junior because they aren't playing top line in college.

It's not whining to point out that things have changed. I think Donny got caught with his pants down about it, and is trying to recover. We'll see if it works.

[ScoobyFanClub]

Re: Excellent Interview with Don Lucia

Denver goalie Wade Dubielewicz is another player who may have stayed in college too long. He turned down millions in NHL money to go pro after his all-American Junior season (.943 svs% 1.72 GAA), where he would have likely been high up in some offering NHL team's plan. His senior year at DU, he got hurt, and while he played ok (.912 svs, 2.43 GAA), he was not an all-American again, and he was only offered a lower level pro deal and has been a marginal pro ever since - AHL, NHL backup, KHL, etc.

Dubie may have made more money - initially - by leaving a year earlier ... but I think the issue at hand here is whether his CAREER would've been different. I'd say no. He wouldn't have been a *better goalie* had he left school a year early ... and in the long run, he wouldn't have panned out either.

Initial signing money - vs. long-term career = two different things.

[Puck Swami]

Re: Excellent Interview with Don Lucia

Most hockey players actually don't get the coverage, due to the cost of the premiums. Only a handful do, according to this article. You must be projected to be a top 3 round pick just to apply...

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2...ood_hands.html

[hockeymascot]

Re: Excellent Interview with Don Lucia

Most "high end" players bound for the NHL who choose College hockey over Major Junior, usually take out an insurance policy through the NCAA. This protects them should they have a career-ending injury while playing in College.

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: Excellent Interview with Don Lucia

More whining and excuses from Lucia. And most of the Minnesota fans STILL eat it up.

Waaah, the internetz are stupid!

the game is changing, it's not like back in my day!

I tell you, kids these days!



He sounds more like a bitter fan, than a head coach. The article, as a whole, sounded like two Gopher fans sitting at the bar, thanks to Wodon.

Everybody wants an easy answer. Maybe if every player(and coach) worked a little harder, the Gophers wouldn't be such suckwads. That might be the easy answer that you all are looking for.
But no, its always somebody else's fault with the Gophers: The NHL, Garth Snow, fate, anti-Gopherism, prima donnas, Hill, the new CBA, the internet, etc.

I weep for the state of education in this country. It's clear this person has no reading comprehension whatsoever.

[goldy_331]

Re: Excellent Interview with Don Lucia

2) ironic for any coach who left a few places for his better opportunity to begrudge a kid leaving school for his opportunity.

Did you actually read the article mookie? He has never begrudged a kid who leaves for a better opportunity. He thinks some have left for WORSE opportunities and he thinks they made a mistake (the kids like O'Brien who left for the major juniors and still have only made it to the AHL, or less).

[cg_siouxfan]

Re: Excellent Interview with Don Lucia

More whining and excuses from Lucia. And most of the Minnesota fans STILL eat it up.

Waaah, the internetz are stupid!

the game is changing, it's not like back in my day!

I tell you, kids these days!



He sounds more like a bitter fan, than a head coach. The article, as a whole, sounded like two Gopher fans sitting at the bar, thanks to Wodon.

Everybody wants an easy answer. Maybe if every player(and coach) worked a little harder, the Gophers wouldn't be such suckwads. That might be the easy answer that you all are looking for.
But no, its always somebody else's fault with the Gophers: The NHL, Garth Snow, fate, anti-Gopherism, prima donnas, Hill, the new CBA, the internet, etc.

[Turk 77]

Re: Excellent Interview with Don Lucia

Its a great article . The Don is still a great coach and he is much more patient than 99 % of the Gopher fan base myself included .

[LynahFan]

Re: Excellent Interview with Don Lucia

A kid who leaves for the OHL, never sees a hefty signing bonus or a long term NHL contract and never gets educated and ends up unable to support himself in today's economy probably made a bad decision.

If the kid remains "uneducated," then he must have made MANY bad decisions, not just one. There are literally dozens of ways that he could finish his degree after washing out of the OHL - if he chooses "none of the above" then I have a very hard time whipping up any tears for him.