Monday, March 19, 2007

Fun With Numbers

I decided to leave the names out of this post, since it is irrelevant which team I'm talking about(it isn't their fault who gets assigned to their games or how those games are called), and I don't feel like naming the official. Instead, I'll just call them Team X and Ref Y. It isn't about the names anyway, it's about the numbers.

Ref Y officiated 8 of Team X's games this season. In total, Team X got 58 powerplay opportunities in those 8 games, while their opponents got 28 powerplay opportunities. A difference for 30 opportunities.

In itself, that isn't that damning. But then I compared those 8 games to Team X's other 34 games. In those other 34 games, Team X had 195 powerplay opportunities, while their opponents had 179 opportunities. A difference of only 16 opportunities.

The outliers are interesting as well. Team X reached double digits in powerplay opportunities twice in the 8 games officiated by Ref Y, but only once in their other 34 games. Team X's opponents got 2 or fewer powerplay opportunities in 3 of the games officiated by Ref Y, but only once in the other 34 games.

I don't think this some sort of conspiracy for Team X. I don't even think this is something intentional on the part of Ref Y. I just think it looks odd that 65% of a team's advantage in total powerplay opportunities came in a certain 20% of their games. So the question I will ask is this: If you were a head coach and your team was playing Team X, would you want to see Ref Y be assigned to that game?

45 comments:

Eric J. Burton said...

It would appear that your talking about the gophers and WCHA officals. Seems it might even be champion because I know of 4 games without looking where he game the Mavs and the Sioux way more penalties than the Gophers.

Anonymous said...

Wow, I wonder who you might be talking about?

At least if you're going to make an accusation, have some balls and just say it. Instead of being a total pussy and pretending anonymity.

I think you're lying about the conspiracy thing too. Because if you say what you really believe and actually say on other websites (GPL and USCHO), no one would take anything you say seriously. Well that's not completely true the tinfoil hat brigade laps up all your fevered ranting.

I feel bad about your obsession. Good luck getting that bitter taste out of your mouth. Next time be careful what you swallow in the first place.

Chris said...

I'm not making any accusation. I'm just throwing some numbers out there for people to look at. There's certainly enough disparity in those numbers to raise some interest. If people want to draw their own conclusions, so be it.

I don't think the specific team has anything to do with it. It's more about one official being way out of line compared to his peers.

Anonymous said...

the anonymous above is ref y, hes mad because Chris is right.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, imagine, two of the biggest bunch of goons in the WCHA get more penalties than one of their lesser penalized opponents (7th if FSN was correct).

I know let's jump to conclusion and proclaim it a massive conspiracy. Then let's ignore all cheap shots and after the whistle goonery from our teams. Then let's blame everybody but the dumbasses who deserved the penalties. Then let's provide a few stats. Everyone loves statistics.

Mission accomplished. Douchebag cred awarded.

Anonymous said...

Anyone else find it hilarious that anonymous 5:09 is chiding Chris for pretending anonymity?

If you want to call out Chris, where are you? Ah yes, anonymous.

Anonymous said...

to have any validity to these acquisitions, you need to discount
(1) the rate at which the specific opponents faced by team X in those games involving ref Y have penalties (for and against) in all other games to make sure those opponents are not particularly prone to high-penalty games
(2) the rate at which penalties occur in games officiated by ref Y involving other teams to make that ref does not just raise the average number of penalties for all teams compared to when they are officiated by someone else

Anonymous said...

If you actually watch the games, there is not an argument. It is painfully obvious. But a true fan of that team will say "they deserve the respect"

It was great to see that team get jobbed in the brackets with their own AD on the committee.

The Sioux are going to blow them out on neutral ice, if Air Force doesn't pull a Holy right Cross. Then, it will be the officials fault.

Anonymous said...

Nobody even answered his question. No, I wouldn't want ref y regardless if he had a bias or not.

Donald Dunlop said...

Simple Math

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 5:09 and 5:30.....

You give all Gophers fans a bad name. Seriously, calm down.

As a fan of Team X, I'll even say it: I don't want Campion (I mean ref Y) officiating games my team is involved in. It only gives the legion of anti-Gophers (I mean Team X) fans out there a reason, this one somewhat more legitimate than others, to bitch.

BTW Campion's not the only one. There's a lot of brutal referees in the WCHA.

Despite whatever Chris may say on other sites, he doesn't draw any conclusions here, merely presents facts and asks a simple question: if you're the coach of another WCHA team, do you want ref Y officiating a game where you play team X? Even as a Gophers fan, my answer is no. They'll win on their own merit, thanks much.

Very simple.

BTW #2, by acquisitions, I assume you mean ACCUSATIONS, right?

Anonymous said...

I dont think any of the refs did a good job this year in the wcha I watched sevral teams get screwed by bad calls, I am not sure there is a bias in the league for one team. I have noticed some of the top of confrance when playing the lower half of the confrance may catch a questionable call but I am not sure its intentional this year the league was very close and a bad call ment more to all teams.
Yes the numbers add up but league got tougher and moe physical even the gophs played more physical on the boards then in past years, put that with some new refs to the league and you have shitty calls all around and yes ref Y is blind, but I still wouldnt want him on the ice with my team playing any team.

Anonymous said...

I think it's great that you're calling out a guy whose wife just lost her battle with cancer. I know, he's a ref and a public figure - but still. Not your classiest move ever...

Anonymous said...

what does cancer have to do with a guy who is a shitty ref? Cancer isn't a free pass to avoid responsibility.

Anonymous said...

Anderson still is the most brutal ref in the league.

Anonymous said...

Hey when your pissant team can fill over half the Xcel and generate the revenue for everyone that the team you dispise can then come and bitch about favoritism.

Anonymous said...

Fun with numbers when will we hear you bitch about how Michigan doesn't get to play AIC, Bowling Green and Canisius to get to the championship game.

Anonymous said...

devilsrawesome

I love that you come on here and call people out for posting anonymously. And then you post under a pseudonym which is just anonymous with a nickname. Most people don't have a blog and therefore have no need to create one more log-in to keep track of.

It's also great that the assumption is that anyone who dares to not drink the Kool-aid is an automatic Gopher fan. There are fair fans of other programs. Chris has a history of being an ass, I see no reason why this shouldn't be pointed out and taken into consideration. See as proof his posts on GPL and USCHO.

I don't remember everything about my Stats courses in college, but this sample is awful small and as one poster pointed out he gave stats on the Gophers but no indication of how often the other teams in those eight games were penalized. If the first poster is right and Troy's goons and the SS Susies are some the wronged parties here. How often they were penalized is extremely relevant, but conveniently absent.

Chris a troll. He wants attention. The people who respond are exactly what he wants. At least he hasn't sunk to level of that perverted asswipe in Alaska accusing Minnesota high school hockey fans of being pedophiles.

Anonymous said...

I heard there was a second gunman on the grassy knoll too.

People need to consider the source and leave it at that. When it comes to certain teams, this blog's writer is about as impartial as Hugo Chávez is when talking about George Bush.

Anonymous said...

To anonymous 8:54,

If you are really a Gopher fan, which I doubt, you're much more of an embarrassment for defending a moron bitching about referees. Apparently implying that a ref is cheating to benefit a specific team is normal discourse for you. Do you even realize how ridiculous that sounds? Maybe you should look into joining SS.com where whining and bitching about the refs is required. You're going to fit right in with the conspiracy brigade over at Uncle Ralph's. Be sure to mention how money changed hands, filthy lucre is all the rage over there. For extra rube cred be sure mention how much Brian Lee sucks, how lucky Wheeler's goal was, and at the same time praise the DUI convicted cop-car-door-opener's goal.

And to everyone saying that his wife's recent cancer death is not relevant. That would be true if an actual accusation, which had proof backing it up, was being made. What we have here is anonymous innuendo, with selected statistics which proves nothing. So feel morally justified if you want, it still despicable.

Anonymous said...

Liars figure and figures lie. Maize has a chronic inferiority complex. For a guy like Chris, nobody can ever get ahead in life on their own merits. Somehow they had to cheat. Life is just one big conspiacy set up to keep the annointed such as himself down.

Chris really does sound like a garden variety whiner most of the time. Rarely able to give credit where credit is due and instead always ascribes some sort of nefarious plot to help out the Gophers and hold back the truly deserving schools.

Guys like Chris favor programs such as affirmative action, high taxation and the artificial creation of parity. People that think this way always feel as though they are victims and they wallow in their victimhood.

Since Chris has such a short view of history maybe he should be cut a little slack, or maybe not.

Try watching the games sometime instead of merely looking at box scores. Your fixation on penalty calls makes you look like an absolute fool.

Based on my experiences with the Journalism Department at Mankato State you must be one of the really shining stars there. You might want to re-consider your major.

Anonymous said...

Once again all you have to do is put out a story about the Gophers and all the Trolls come out from under their rocks. If this would have been about SCSU nobody would have posted a thing.

Anonymous said...

Maybe Chris should consider re-naming his blog. How about "The Monday Morning Quarterback" or the "Armchair General".

More often than not the ones that whine the most about the calls during a game never played the game. My guess is this would apply to Mr. Chris Dilks.

I'm sure that Mr. Chris Dilks has never refereed a game. Doing so would require skating skill, knowledge of the game and guts.

Sioux had five power plays on Sat. night and the Gophers had eight. An average of one call per period. In actually watching the game it appeared as though many interference, charging, high sticking and slashing violations by the Sioux were not called. The early portion of the 1st period the Sioux were hitting every Gopher on the ice whether they had the puck or not.

The Gophers definitely battled the Sioux in this game and maybe some calls were missed. What else is new? The outcome had little to do with Shep's calls.

The Mav's this season played the way they did when I was a student there in the late seventies-early eighties. Chippy, aggressive hockey with lots of penalties. The more things change the more they remain the same.

But the cherry on top of the whole thing is Sioux fans complaining about the cheapness of the Mav players when they play the Sioux. Classic example of projection.

Anonymous said...

The Gophers are apparently the SMTs of the west. I love the "UND is just lucky they didn't get called for MORE penalties." This after not only the latest 8-5 discrepancy, but also after the 23-10 weekend in January. The problem is not UND getting called for legitimate penalties, but non-calls on MN infractions. You think MN isn't doing exactly the same thing as UND every shift? Are you watching the games?

The CSTV guys, absolutely neutral, made the same comment on the air in January. "MN is doing the same things UND got penalized for and not getting called on it."

Give UND 3 more PPs and Wheeler never gets the chance to be the hero.

Anonymous said...

minnesota played minnesota state twice this year.

with campion, 13-4 for minnesotsa
without campion, 15-13 for minnesota

it doesnt matter how many penalties msu takes. how do you explain minnesota taking nine more penalties without campion?

Anonymous said...

Anon. 11:03

If you think for millisecond that fans of St. Clown aren't the biggest bunch of thin-skinned idiotic whiners, go post something even slightly critical of Jan Brady State on USCHO. Then step back and watch the negative rep, roll in.

I had the temerity to remind zoomx, when he proclaimed JBSU the team to beat in the West a couple weeks ago, that they still faced 2 games with the Sue with whom they were 0-1-1. And he practically exploded about how everything had to be about the Gophers. It took three tries to get through to this idiot that I wasn't praising the Minnesota, but saying that UND was the best team in the second half. At least zoomx and his team got a visit from Karma the last three weekends.

Donald Dunlop said...

The biggest problem with refereeing in the WCHA isn't competence and I don't think homerism exists in any classic connotation of the term. I believe the primary problem is scheduling. There is a kind of bias by referees that is caused by the current scheduling model.

If scheduling is done on anything other than an "ad hoc" basis I don't any evidence for it. Until the league puts referees names (or their anonymous single letter designations) in a hat and plunks them down on specific games in advance of the beginning of the season then your going to continue to have referees that feel like they're being punished and/or rewarded with certain venues and/or matchups.

What referee wants to go to Anchorge or Houghton? Probably none of them. Who really wants to ref a matchup of #9 and #10 when Minnesota is playing Wisconsin at Mariucci and there's something on the line in the game?

If a referee has a perception that his performance will dictate his assignments (as it is now) then their mindset is going to be inorganically weighted toward performing in whatever manner they perceive will get them the most gigs at the best venues. Do fans deserve their referees thinking about how best to get a certain share of good gigs? It's an odd sort of motivation and I believe the result is there's probably been game outcomes that have been influenced by it.

Fans need to demand that referees be scheduled in advance. Referees should be giving the fans an organic performance, not one influenced by some psychological ploy from the front office designed as some sort of performance award.

And they all need to be paid more. What do they get currently? A couple hundred bucks a game? I honestly don't know but if you give someone 1K a game then are they really going to feel crappy about having to spend a weekend in Stearns county?

I calculated about 6-10 hours of work to extract the necessary data (referee, venue, teams # penalties) into a spreadsheet, merge, analyze and then properly summarize it. I'm glad I'm not writing this off season but hopefully some dedicated blogger will see the need and not only publish the results but email it to Bruce.

Anonymous said...

Anon 12:12 is right on.

I've never been a fan of Minnesota is always getting more calls their way. I don't think it happens like that. UND takes a lot of penalties. I don't dispute that. The 23-10 discrepency isn't because UND was getting jobbed by the officials calling them for everything. They really did commit the penalties. As Anon 12:12 stated, Minnesota isn't getting called the same way that their opponents are getting called and, often, that results in a large difference in their favor regarding Powerplays.

Now, I believe Wheeler's goal was a fluke, but I am also not blind to the fact that Minnesota was basically dominating UND in OT. Watching OT I got the feeling it was only a matter of time before Minnesota buried the puck. So, the claim that Anon 12:12 makes regarding had there been 3 more UND PPs MIGHT have changed the outcome during regulation (more than likely, though, it would not as Minnesota played REALLY DAMN WELL), but it wouldn't have changed the outcome of OT. UND played awful in OT in my opinion. They actually haven't played well in OT all season long themselves getting lucky in their only OT victory against UW early in the season and getting luckier that the ties came against teams that couldn't figure out Lamoreaux. I just hope UND remembers how poorly they've played in OT this year when they play Michigan. UND wants no part of OT this postseason.

As for Donald's latest assumption, I'd have to say maybe. Scheduling is a part of poor leadership, which the WCHA has in spades. However, it doesn't explain situational officiating or the times there are poor officiating at big venues such as the Kohl Center, REA, or Mariucci.

I just don't think scheduling is all of it. Competancy and the corporate mindset have to be figured in. The officials aren't held accountable for poor performances and Dumbass Shepherd and Ostrich McLeod are too damn blind to see the problems the WCHA have (such as clutch and grab, not protecting the goaltender, diving, etc.) and make needed changes.

And sorry, Campion and Anderson don't hold a candle to Don Adam. He is BY FAR the worst official.

Eric J. Burton said...

The CSTV guys, absolutely neutral, made the same comment on the air in January. "MN is doing the same things UND got penalized for and not getting called on it."

I am surprised the Gopher fans didn't write CSTV a bunch of seething emails and letters.

The Gophers definitely battled the Sioux in this game and maybe some calls were missed. What else is new? The outcome had little to do with Shep's calls.

There is an understatement if I have ever seen one. Noooo, calls missed. Classic

One of my buddies said something the other night, that got me thinking. The Gophers aren't going to be able to get all the calls to go their way during the playoffs when they don't have the WCHA officials. I think he is right. Maybe we should take a look at how the games shake out and meet here say maybe next monday to discuss it.

Anonymous said...

I love that SS logic. Who exactly certifies that CSTV is unbiased? Bob Norton.

You know what else, when the Sue's Green Goons run into refs from other conferences where they call a tighter game they'll either have adapt their goon play or go shorthanded even more often.

When you guys finally lose the Sue nickname, how about "whiners," "crybabies," or "halos" as possible replacements? I favor "halos" as we all know not a single Susie has ever committed an infraction of any kind.

Eric J. Burton said...

CSTV is more objective than the MSN that sports Masucko and Woog.

Anonymous said...

Nice to see the whining Goon show up with his oh so predictible complaints about the refs. Goon must be a real popular guy in Grand Forks.

Everybody on this site probably knows some guy like Goon. Always complaining, never has a good word about anything and is chronically blaming others for his personal shortcomings and the shortcomings of his favorite team.

Hey Goon. Grow up pal. I couldn't care less about what Dave Starman said about a couple of calls during a game in January. His job is to COMMENT. He made an observation and somehow it is set in stone that there is no difference in what is going on. Sioux screwed again. By the way who won those games anyway?

I learned long ago that complaining about the refs or complaining about things in general that I have no control over gets me nowhere. It gets you nowhere too. You only reveal yourself to be the bitter little know it all that you are.

I've got a suggesstion for you. Try watching a game without constantly looking for missed calls to complain about. I'm pretty certain the Sioux coaching staff and players don't engage in the type of Monday morning quarterbacking that is your stock in trade. You might even find that in the aftermath of a victory or defeat you can face the next day much more easily because you finally have realized it's only a game. It's a game we all care a lot about but really pal, get real.

Anybody who has watched college hockey over the years knows the Sioux are a team that plays a style of hockey that can result in a lot of penalty calls. I would compare them to the Bruins of the seventies or the Flyers of the seventies.

The Gophers take their share of penalties too. However the difference being their appraoch over the years is to be a catch us if you can style that doesn't rely on gooning a team out of the building in order to win. That being said they have no problem playing whatever style the other team wants to throw at them. No problem defending themselves. They don't have the history of instigating the type of chippy hockey that has been the hallmark of Sioux hockey. I'd compare the Gophers more to the Islanders of the eighties. They could beat you any way you wanted to play. That is how the Gophers have approached the game over the years in my humble opinion.

Goon, be careful what you wish for. If the Sioux get a ref on Saturday that calls a tight game the Sioux are toast. You want to see disparity in calls it's coming against Michigan. Get your pk unit ready and your crying towels too.

I can hear the predictible whining already. Red will have his boys ready.

Anonymous said...

Nice to see the whining Goon show up with his oh so predictible complaints about the refs. Goon must be a real popular guy in Grand Forks.

Everybody on this site probably knows some guy like Goon. Always complaining, never has a good word about anything and is chronically blaming others for his personal shortcomings and the shortcomings of his favorite team.

Hey Goon. Grow up pal. I couldn't care less about what Dave Starman said about a couple of calls during a game in January. His job is to COMMENT. He made an observation and somehow it is set in stone that there is no difference in what is going on. Sioux screwed again. By the way who won those games anyway?

I learned long ago that complaining about the refs or complaining about things in general that I have no control over gets me nowhere. It gets you nowhere too. You only reveal yourself to be the bitter little know it all that you are.

I've got a suggesstion for you. Try watching a game without constantly looking for missed calls to complain about. I'm pretty certain the Sioux coaching staff and players don't engage in the type of Monday morning quarterbacking that is your stock in trade. You might even find that in the aftermath of a victory or defeat you can face the next day much more easily because you finally have realized it's only a game. It's a game we all care a lot about but really pal, get real.

Anybody who has watched college hockey over the years knows the Sioux are a team that plays a style of hockey that can result in a lot of penalty calls. I would compare them to the Bruins of the seventies or the Flyers of the seventies.

The Gophers take their share of penalties too. However the difference being their appraoch over the years is to be a catch us if you can style that doesn't rely on gooning a team out of the building in order to win. That being said they have no problem playing whatever style the other team wants to throw at them. No problem defending themselves. They don't have the history of instigating the type of chippy hockey that has been the hallmark of Sioux hockey. I'd compare the Gophers more to the Islanders of the eighties. They could beat you any way you wanted to play. That is how the Gophers have approached the game over the years in my humble opinion.

Goon, be careful what you wish for. If the Sioux get a ref on Saturday that calls a tight game the Sioux are toast. You want to see disparity in calls it's coming against Michigan. Get your pk unit ready and your crying towels too.

I can hear the predictible whining already. Red will have his boys ready.

Anonymous said...

I love how the Gophers are simply "adapting to their opponents' style" or whatever when they goon it up.

I guess guys like Harrington and DeMarchi were future Lady Byng candidates who just got roped into playing goon hockey.

Anonymous said...

The fact that every single person who read this post knew immediately that "Team X" is Minnesota should lend some credence to this theory.

Perhaps the Gophers should just be allowed to play with a sixth skater and the refs won't have to bother calling so many penalties on the teams they play?

Anonymous said...

Anon 3:18,

Since the distinction seems to be lost on you let me try another way. Big difference between being an instigator and someone that is going to respond in kind when provoked.

My analogies relating to the Bruins, Flyers and Islanders were spot on. Since that may have predated your birthday isn't my problem. History didn't start the day you were born dude.

DeMarchi was a guy that stood up for his teammates and took a lot of penalties. Not a Lady Binger by any stretch. Nor was Harrington. Both of them wouldn't hesitate to respond but that wasn't their top priority.

Gophers could actually use a few more DeMarchis really. 158gp 16g 32a 48tp 473pm. Back to Back National Titles in 2002 and 2003. 2003 NCAA All Tournament Team. You need those kind of guys.

Eric J. Burton said...

RR, you post is laughable, I like how Gopher fans go around lecturing fans from other teams around the WCHA about complaining about the on ice officials in the WCHA.

When most of us know that Gopher fans are the all out worst for complaining about the officials

The Gophers former coach was one of the worst when it came to working over the officials. Your own TV broadcaster Frank Masucko spends half of his broad casting pointing out calls the refs miss and complaining about the officials.

RR must not have been at the game this past weekend? There were thousands of gopher fans whinning about the officating.

Chris brough up a legitimate point and I like how all of these nameless anon's come on here and flame Chris and other who don't drink the gophers cool aid that there is nothing wrong with the officating in this league. If you can't see it your on dope or doing some serious drinking or are on the same crap that Al Gore is on.

Anonymous said...

Actually we all know the worst complainers are, by far, Uncle Ralph's Stormtroopers. The Susies are known far and wide for blaming every loss on the referees.

That team X was Minnesota was a mystery, of the same magnitude, as the murderer of Ron Goldman. Chris rips Minnesota weekly, who else would he have taken the time to do his half-assed stats for.

The fact that the idiots from the Flickertails swallow this BS hook, line, and sinker is a given.

Goon, opinions with which you agree are not automatically facts. Facts have proof backing them up. Proof is not some blogger taking stats out of context or statement by an announcer whose only qualification is agreeing with you.

Eric J. Burton said...

Anon there is one stat I know will trump your 7>5.

Like I said before, if the Gophers got called for as many penalties as the Mavericks tDon would have a tissy and the league would conduct an investigation. You might want to take off your maroon and gold goggles. There is one hell of a world out here.

Anonymous said...

rr--

Thanks for making my point. DeMarchi only stood up for his teammates, and apparently Harrington was no different.

If other teams would just keep their grubby little paws off the Gophers' "skill players", none of this would ever happen.

All those times I sat and watched Harrington hit guys from behind or try to use his stick as a guillotine were simply responses to guys being mean to the Gophers.

I get it now. Thanks for the help.

Anonymous said...

Liars figure and figures lie or There are lies, damn lies and statistics.

The sample that was used to make the point was too small. Anybody could take a statistical grouping and manipulate them in order to make a point. This is what Chris has done.

Goon just is a big whiner. If you want to go through life looking for percieved injustices around every corner, knock yourself out bud.

No doubt you will always be able to find some sort of justification for your complaining. It seems as though that is what you do best. Didn't know it paid so well.

You want to perpetuate the myth that the officiating is a conspiracy to assist the Gophers and short change their opponents.
Grow up Goon.

Since you are so convinced of the certainty of your claims why don't you provide some specifics where the Sioux have been unfairly singled out by the refs where it cost them a game or two or three. Please provide this on a basis that actually demonstrates a pattern over time. Not just a snapshot here or there that fits into your fevered musings.

Then please provide some evidence that there has been an ongoing conspiracy to aid the Gophers. Again, show how that has been accomplished over time. Goon you really need to quit living in the past. You just make youself sound like a little sour-puss.

Goon must have the biggest set of rabbit ears in Grand Forks. It is pretty funny how often you describe how you hear all of these darn Gopher fans complaining about the calls. Are you sure those aren't just voices inside your head?

Then the predictable 7>5. Wow you got me there. Good one. Wanna play golf some time. I'll give you five a side, dude. Got to play the ball down though.

Can't you do any better than DeMarchi or Harrington? Do you want me to play the Paxton Schulte card on you?

Eric J. Burton said...

RR,
Typical Goofer fans. Rabbit ears, my hearing isn't that good. 14,000+ fans complaining about the calls is pretty loud.

Seriously, You might want to look at the world without your marroon and color googles on.

Golf, where did that come from? Its going to be 4 weeks before we can even hit the course up here. 5 strokes per-side, Dude I am a 18 handicap unless your a 10-15 handicap whats the point?

When this weekend is over only 4 teams will be left standing. Wether the Sioux win the regional or not the sun will come up. There will be another day.

Then we will be talking about all of the defections.

Anonymous said...

Goon you just don't get it. By comparing the Sioux to the Bruins and Flyers of the seventies I was paying the Sioux a high compliment. I don't have a problem with the way they have played over the years. They are my favorite rival. Sioux-Gopher games are unrivaled.

The comparison of the Islanders of the eighties to the Gophers approach to the game is valid as well. Penalties don't bother me, nor does hard nosed hockey. The Gophers have had their share of guys willing to take penalties. Some of those guys have been personal and fan favorites. I was merely trying to make comparisons between great college teams to great pro teams.

Penalties are the byproduct of tough play. Sometimes stupid, sometimes justifiable. I for one don't want to see ref's insinuate themselves into games more than they do now.

Another point that appears lost on you is that I think that you are probably a pretty good guy, thus the golf offer. You can learn more about someone by how they conduct themselves on a golf course more than just about any place else. 5 handicapper btw. Thus the five a side offer.

So sit back this weekend (or on the edge of your chair) and enjoy yourself. Take a break from scrutinizing every little thing that happens on the ice and look at the game in a positive manner. You may actually find that you may have more fun. I too would love to see a Sioux-Gopher regional final match-up on Sunday.

I jump in occasionaly to try and point out that ref's have a hell of a hard job. Constantly questioning their fairness and integrity is beneath you my friend.

The weather has been pretty nice down here. Many courses are open for play this weekend.

Do you remember Paxton Schulte?

Good luck.

Eric J. Burton said...

Another point that appears lost on you is that I think that you are probably a pretty good guy, thus the golf offer. You can learn more about someone by how they conduct themselves on a golf course more than just about any place else. 5 handicapper btw. Thus the five a side offer.

You would slaughter me in golf. I am lucky to break 88.

Paxton Schulte no clue who that is?

Anonymous said...

Goon,

Check the alumni section on ss.com. Paxton played for the Sioux for a short period of time and then spent quite a few years playing hockey in Europe. Gino brought the guy in and he looked like he was in a revolving door out on the ice.

No real significance to bringing him up. Just a blast from the past. Actually Jeff McLean was one of my favorite Sioux players. I'll never forget how mad Gino was when Robb Stauber laid a cross body block on McLean to stop him on an open break during an afternoon game at old Mariucci Arena. Some great battles.