Timothy A
Let's go RED!
Well, at least two of them aren't. It's Eden and O'Brien in the photo.
I guess I didn't pick up on that l o l.
Well, at least two of them aren't. It's Eden and O'Brien in the photo.
Kronish did a Podcast with a vb players from nc and talked about some interesting things. The most interesting thing that I found was that she really wanted to go to BC, but when she visited Wisconsin she really fell in love with it. She was offered by both teams on the same day. It was also interesting to hear her say that when she was playing in high school, it was hard to get teams to come and watch her play. They kind of skirted around the topic of the transfers coming in and making it harder for her to earn ice time. I would have liked them to go into that further as to how did that make her feel seeing these players transfer in and beat her out. You can check out her twitter page and find a link to interview.
UW quietly announced the conference schedule yesterday; no non-conf mentioned.
At Ohio State Nov 17-18
At Minn Dec 8-9
They close the season with back-to-back Minn and Ohio State at Labahn, Feb 16-18 and 23-25
The rest of it here
https://uwbadgers.com/news/2023/5/9/womens-hockey-wcha-announces-2023-24-conference-slate.aspx
(Does that mean it's time to start the 2023-24 thread?)
On a different matter. I have not seen anything confirming Kayla Edwards is returning to use her remaining year of eligibility. I don’t know if that necessarily means she isn’t, but if the answer indeed is no, that would leave 7 Ds if Helgesen stays. Helgesen has not entered the portal (for which I believe the end date is next Wednesday/Thursday), so that may indicate she is staying and Edwards is not returning.
RobertEarle and TimothyA have raised the question if the posting of its WCHA schedule for 23-24 by the Badgers means it is time to start the 23-24 thread. So, why not. Bucky has an exceptional group of returning players who should have an elevated level of play which, by itself, will make them extremely hard to deal with. If the incoming recruits perform at levels similar to last year’s class, I think they may go undefeated. Of course, there is the possibility of key injuries and players experiencing a drop off in their play which could change the picture. But the finish to last season was a major high and I believe that will serve as a launching pad for this season. One could say that it does for me.
They may go undefeated?!!? Oh YYEEEAAAHHH!!!!! Gimme some of that stuff Patricio! You are usually the conservative, glass is half empty poster to balance out the sky high expectations that I usually have. I'm on board with your program. 1000%
Channeling the old Patricio, one interesting thing to ponder is will this season's team be "funkproof"? With many players returning who were part of the second half season funk, will they be prone to a re-occurrence? Or will the end of last season (and the new players) propel them into being funkproof? It's fun typing funkproof.
Below is a link to an interesting article about Jack Eichel’s neck surgery, a recently developed approach for the herniated neck injury he suffered several years ago. It summarizes the struggle he had getting any approval as well as details about why the approach he used – artificial disk replacement (ADR) – is emerging as the preferred approach over the traditional one that involved disk fusion.
The points about the surgery I found most interesting include:
Beyond the issues surrounding the surgery itself, there is mention of two hits that relate to his injury and current status. One is the fact the initial injury resulted from a check into the boards. The other involves a vicious hit by an opponent at full speed when Eichel was in a vulnerable position in open ice (a hit regarded as perfectly legal by the NHL). In fact, the hit in open ice was so strong, the announcers covering the game immediately raised concerns about the potential for Eichel to reinjure his neck.
- ADR offers the return of flexibility in parts of the body (especially the back/spine and hips/groin) that fusion tends to reduce. This is of special importance to players like Eichel for whom this is critical for their style of play.
- The traditional approach results in additional surgeries later on to correct issues that emerge over time due to the nature of the traditional surgery. ADR is expected to greatly reduce, in some cases, eliminate the need for such long-term issues.
For years I have felt that the NHL should impose stricter limits on the speed with which players can drive opponents into the boards and try to flatten them in open ice. I simply do not see the sense in risking career ending injuries. Some contact is necessary, but it goes well beyond what is unnecessary to disrupt another player effectively. The rules limiting this type of contact in the women’s game is a major reason I now am more interested in watching women’s hockey with its focus on speed and skill.
I hope you find the Eichel story interesting. A final comment on it I want to add is that I think it speaks well of the Vegas ownership and management for the way in which they supported Eichel throughout his recovery.
https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/...in-cup-surgery