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All Things Denver XXX

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Re: All Things Denver XXX

Carle Jersey said:
So much for 4 easy points. Maybe this season will turn out like 04 after the anchorage series where everyone wanted gwozdecky fired then the team went on a tear and won it all??
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This just doesn't make any sense. When looking at the '03-'04 season, I see no parallels to this season. In '03-'04, DU was coming off of a 7th place finish with a team that was preseason #1, had a coach who held onto his job by a thread after the '02-'03 season and was headed for another 7th or so place finish when people were calling for the coach to be fired. At this point in '04, DU was just fighting to get into home ice contention and this year they are in the mix for the MacNaughton. While I would like to see the Pios "go on a tear", the team's livelihood is not dependent upon it as it was in '04; "going on a tear" implies, to me, playing above your inherent capabilities -- this team just needs to focus and their "tear" will occur if the focus does appear. The '04 team relied heavily on some "puck luck" at times and this year's team is so talented that if they pull it together, they will create their own "puck luck".

Or as ScottA put it: stop drinking the kool aid...

I really have to ask: are you implying that Gwoz should be fired or that people are calling currently for him to be fired?
 
Re: All Things Denver XXX

Chris said:
I really have to ask: are you implying that Gwoz should be fired or that people are calling currently for him to be fired?
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I don't think most fans want to fire Gwoz. He's had ten straight 20+ win seasons and is a great recruiter and producer of student athletes. That said, given the consistent underachievement of highly talented teams in the post season since 2005, fans do have a right to demand a higher late season effort level.
This year, DU has overachieved to this point, given what they lost and where they were predicted to finish (4th in the league). But losing at home to a team on a 25 game losing streak is going to sting...
 
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Re: All Things Denver XXX

Farce Poobah said:
Question: any of this have to do with a "short bench" or fewer guys on the taxi squad?
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Short bench is always a factor. It's a brutally long season for everyone, and every team is banged up at this point of the season, especially in the WCHA, where the league is among the toughest grind in all of college sports. But you can't use it as an excuse. DU has enough talent on the bench to not lose to Michigan Tech at home. It's a matter of effort level.
 
Re: All Things Denver XXX

Some other random Saturday morning musings:

1) The best team that only shows up to play 20 minutes can be beaten by the worst team that plays hard for 60. That's hockey and it's always been that way.

2) You don't pass cross-ice deep in your defensive zone. You're supposed to learn that in PeeWee's.

3) Letting an opponent sneak out of the penalty box behind your defense is inexcusable. Shame on the Asst Coaches who are supposed to monitor that from the bench.

4) If you're afraid to stand up a guy at the blueline then you shouldn't be a defenseman. If your coach tells you to never to stand up a guy at the blueline then the coach is an fool.

5) If you can't get PERSONALLY motivated to play an arch-rival, in his barn, on national TV, then no amount of team leadership or coaching exhortations will change that. (especially when that arch-rival is full of wimpy, granola-eating, dope-smoking, suburbanites whose brains are too small to take more than one class at a time!)

7) Defense is a team concept. Not just the guy between the pipes.

6) The NHL has ruined college hockey.
 
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Back in the days of Phi Slamma Jamma, the conventional widsom on University of Houston basketball coach Guy V. Lewis was that he was a terrific recruiter and not much of a game day coach. As to the former, I still maintain that team is the best club that never won a NC. Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler on the same team? And a third first round draft choice in Michael Young? Are you kidding me? Olajuwon and Drexler are two of the best players, ever. Yet they couldn't win the title. In the matchup against NC State (which we all remember so fondly now because of Jimmy V and the courage he showed) the Cougars had opened up a working lead of around 10 points in the second half. Then, for reasons never explained, they went into "four corners" and State was able to chip away at the lead and eventually win. This is maybe the best fast breaking club in history. Recall that they ran Louisville and the McCray brothers right out of the gym in the semi-final game. Blew their doors off. Yet, in the championship game, this running and gunning machine went for four corners. Why? Darrel Royal always counseled to "dance with the one that brung you." The Cougars didn't.

I raise this windy annecdote to ask the obvious question: Is Gwoz Guy V. Lewis? Let me raise another. In 25 years as a head coach, Tom Osborne lost just one game to a team that finished below .500 (Iowa State in Tommy Frazier's freshman year). With that lone exception, that meant for a quarter of a century, Osborne always won the games he was supposed to win. Dr. Tom's PhD is in educational psychology, which may have helped in keeping the Huskers on an even keel and not looking past weaker opponants to Oklahoma. You've got to crush weaker opponants to make the "big" games big. Another question: is Gwoz Tom Osborne?

No question the sports and the situations are different. As are the personalities. Wrap your mind around the concept of, say, Michigan under Schembechler being embarrassed on the road by Iowa and then playing Northwestern the following week at home. Try to imagine what that week of practice would have been like for the Wolverines and then imagine them coming out flat and losing to the Wildcats. I can't imagine it, can you?

I'm only raising these issues, not advocating anything. Different times, different places, different sports. These situations are not directly analogous. But neither are the comparisons totally unfair. Last year, you'll recall I suggested we may have a problem behind the bench. I'm getting that same feeling again. I admire and respect the job Gwoz has done, restoring DU to its rightful place among the elite of college hockey. And he'd done it with sky high team GPA's. And few, if any, bad boys. And with discipline (just ask Lukas Dora). So IMO, the good far outweighs the bad. But there is some bad. And we shouldn't ignore it.
 
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Spot on Pio! Add to the mix the NHL handlers whispering in the ear of various college players. What drummer might they be marching to? Gwoz may be a product of the times. Where's Herbie when you need him?
 
Re: All Things Denver XXX

After watching that Gwoz post-game interview, I actually feel kinda sorry for him. He seems a bit perplexed. It has to be tough at this point in the season to figure out whether it's better to berate the team, or hold their hands until they find their way.

Oh, and another thing. Bennett was horrible last night. Zucker is the only at this point who should be trying to fancy his way around defensemen.

So...on to tonight. Let's just say, that the boys better treat it as a life or death matter to get the first goal of the game. Zucker, Shore and Ryder need to lead the team tonight. As Mike Chambers pointed out, Ryder is the only one who played worth a **** last night.
 
Re: All Things Denver XXX

nice effort tonight. Glad to see them come back and work hard. The 195 footer was something else--that's the first time I've seen that in person. two shorties is nice revenge after last nights mess.
 
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Yeah, they salvaged a little face tonight. UNO's gonna be tough. We could lose both game or come away with 1 point. Realistically I think the MacNaughton is gone (no big deal) but it remains to be seen whether this club can gather itself for a sustained post season drive.

The problems I posted about earlier today are still there.
 
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I agree UNO and SC are both going to be tough. UND has Tech and BSU. So most likely they'll finish in the one spot. UMD has CC and UNO. Our goal should be to get that 2nd spot to get the bye in the conference tourny. UNO is 15-5 when scoring first. They rolled AA 4-1 tonight. UNO and DU are very closely matched on paper. UNO plays a disciplined game--works the perimeter very effectively. If we can get two points, I'd be happy. Looks like we'll be back to the rotation in net. It was great to have #10 back on the ice tonight. He is taking on the same role PW took on the PP last year. Our kill continues to be very effective--really the biggest bright spot right now. Let's hope Kyle gets back soon--he was moving around Magness this weekend with no problem. I think Gwoz should move Dono to a forward spot he nearly coughed another one up on the blue line again tonight. Gwoz threatened to sit some people down after last night but didn't follow through. The only change was 10 and 20 coming in and Cookie sitting. I thought what he said after the game was interesting. Their goal in the first was to have 15 shots and for each player to land three solid hits. Exceeded the shots (17) and fell a little bit short on the hits. I like the plan for a team that had been struggling in the first. It seemed to work.
 
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Look forward to seeing you guys at The Qwest on Friday - Should be a whole lot of fun - We will be fighting for 2nd but sure beats 8th place prediction everyone put on us in October!
 
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I'm looking forward to the DU - UNO series next weekend. This has the makings of a classic match up. If you are coming to Omaha, I hope you have a good time, if you don't mind losing. Go Mavs!
 
Re: All Things Denver XXX

Pretty good response by the team last night. Crazy, funny goal. Nice proposal in "Section 18", too.

The win last night makes Friday night's loss more of a distant memory. But if Gwoz and the captains can't figure out how to avoid flat starts and lackluster efforts the rest of the way, I fear that beast will rear its ugly head again at an inopportune time.

Kudos once again to John Ryder, who had another series of good hits. Someone needs to put together a highlight reel for that kid. Has there ever been a better hitter at DU? I don't remember a better one in my 20+ years of watching DU hockey. While he got juked pretty bad once in the third period, he also saved a couple of goals by getting to the puck just before it crossed the line. How come this kid never makes one of the three stars of the game???

Nice meeting you, Dmann.
 
Re: All Things Denver XXX

Pablo said:
Pretty good response by the team last night. Crazy, funny goal. Nice proposal in "Section 18", too.

The win last night makes Friday night's loss more of a distant memory. But if Gwoz and the captains can't figure out how to avoid flat starts and lackluster efforts the rest of the way, I fear that beast will rear its ugly head again at an inopportune time.

Kudos once again to John Ryder, who had another series of good hits. Someone needs to put together a highlight reel for that kid. Has there ever been a better hitter at DU? I don't remember a better one in my 20+ years of watching DU hockey. While he got juked pretty bad once in the third period, he also saved a couple of goals by getting to the puck just before it crossed the line. How come this kid never makes one of the three stars of the game???

Nice meeting you, Dmann.
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I totally agree with you on all points about Ryder. It's a real pleasure watching him jolt people's fillings loose. On the question of being the hardest hitter ever, we had a red headed guy, name of Maggie, who threw it around pretty good in the old days.

I'll relate again my story about running into some players on the bridge several years ago. And they were still shaking their heads at having "encountered" Maggie in an exhibitiion game. They were in awe. They all marveled at the size of Maggies' hands, and how he'd used those big mitts to scrub the glass with their faces.
 
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Re: All Things Denver XXX

Who is this Maggie you speak of? Ha ha. I wish they had some film from his days at DU. Or maybe they do?
 
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