A preseason match tonight between the Rapid City Rush and Denver Cutthroats. All seats were $5. Can’t beat it.
UND players have no class or respect
The UND Fighting Sioux (I use that term when I shouldn’t because they’re not supposed to be using it) have no class or respect.
During the national anthem tonight before their game versus the University of Denver the we’re moving around and hitting their sticks to the ice. The DU players were stoic and showed the utmost respect.
Have respect for the United States of America. I don’t care if you are an American or not. I respect your country. Respect mine.
Have some class!
Denver needs to support Pioneer hockey
It’s almost as if the Avalanche’s losing record has transferred to the Denver Pioneers. But the thing is that the Denver Pioneers are winning.
The DU hockey team is ranked sixth in the country and puts a really good product on the ice. They gave several players that could be the next superstars in the NHL.
But the crowds didn’t come out this weekend for two pretty exciting games.
For Friday’s game only 3,600 people came out and last night, which ended up being their last home game, only 4,300 showed up.
DU hockey is a good bargain and an entertaining evening. A great time to bring the family out.
Follow DU as they make their way through the WCHA Final Five and hopefully make it to the Frozen Four.
But as next fall rolls around and you don’t have the NFL to watch, consider bringing out your family to watch DU hockey. I think you’ll like it.
DU senior Jesse Martin suffers career-threatening injury, Malone should be suspended
UPDATE: DU senior Jesse Martin suffers career-threatening injury | The Denver Post — All Things Colorado Sports
For those of you who have don’t know, DU senior and assistant captain for the DU hockey team was hit head on by Brad Malone and left motionless on the ice.
Matin ended up losing consciousness and movement in his arms and legs. He did regain movement on the way to the hospital. But after examination it was determined that he has a broken neck in three places and was transferred to Minneapolis for emergency surgery.
His playing career is probably over.
Malone, a draft pick of the Avalanche, should be suspended for his hit. But knowing the hockey culture he’ll probably get off without any punishment. Right after the hit, the referees didn’t even call a penalty, but with Martin laying motionless I guess they thought they had to do something.
Until hockey players start respecting each other, people will continue to get hurt like this. Hit hard, but hit fair.
It’s time the WCHA that they won’t tolerate these hits anymore.
My thoughts and prayers are with Martin and his family. Hopefully he gets healthy soon!
Update:
Here is a video of the hit.
NHL players should play in the Olympics
The NHL is making waves and statements at this Olympics that they may not allow their players to play in the next Olympics in Sochi.
Excuse me? The NHL players in these Olympics has made it one of the best hockey tournaments ever and has turned on a bunch of people to hockey.
When has NBC ever got over 10 million people to watch a hockey game and that is when they buried it on MSNBC? The answer is never.
Brian Burke, the GM of the USA Team and GM of the Toronto Maple Leaves seems to be against having NHL players represent their countries.
Imagine some of our markets where we’re challenged attendance wise. You get into a situation in Atlanta or Florida that are fighting for a playoff spot, actually generating interest and people are following their teams in the standings and then close their doors for 2 ½ weeks and say, ‘Thanks for your patronage but come back in 2 ½ weeks.’
I would have to argue that watching the best play in the Olympics generates more interest that having monotonous NHL games on. The world’s focus is on the Olympics and this hockey tournament. You will get more exposure and people interested in the sport and that will help the NHL in the long-term.
Growing up in northern California, we only were able to watch hockey once every four years when the Olympics were on. Watching the 1980 hockey team win in Lake Placid peaked my interest and I became a hockey fan.
The best of the world were playing then except for the U.S and probably Canada because the NHL didn’t play. But the best of the world should play and that includes the NHL players.
Had a blast at the Bell Centre tonight
I am in Montreal for a work conference and was fortunate to get to go to the Canadiens-Bruins game tonight.
Just to be in the arena where the Habs play was amazing. Just seeing all those banners in the rafters makes you awestruck.
The game could have been better, but just to see the game in Montreal was well worth the ticket.
Our seats were two rows from the top, but we had full view of the ice. Plus we were sitting on center ice.
Once again, a very fun evening.
Minnesota Wild are a bunch of thugs…
The Minnesota Wild are a bunch of thugs. If you don’t believe it, you should watch a reply of tonights game.
It has been a history in hockey, especially in the playoffs, if one team takes a big lead, the losing team tries to rough up the other team.
But tonight it went too far. Yeah hit harder and do other things. It is part of the game. But the cheap shots are ridiculous.
The worst one was when Wild player Stephane Veilleux left his feet and boarded Colorado Avalanche player Paul Stastny. That is a horrible call and should have been a 5 minute penalty.
The game got worse and chippy and you know it was coming from Wild coach Jacques Lemaire. That is the only way that would happen.
The NHL shoud review the Veilleux hit and suspend him for it. That was uncalled for and hockey does not need that type of play.
The other thing that the NHL should do is suspend Lemaire for the next game. What he told his players to do is uncalled for and should be punished. Just look what Crawford did when he was with the Canucks. It ruined a players career and life.
The NHL should send a message. Whether it is in the playoffs or the regular season. The rules should not change.
I guess the Avalanche won the battle tonight by blowing out the Wild 5-1.
A good day for Colorado sports
Well it was a good day for two of the professional sports teams in Colorado, the Colorado Avalanche and the Colorado Rockies.
The Colorado Avalanche came back from a 2-0 deficit to score four straight goals to defeat the Vancouver Canucks 4-2 to clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Peter Forsberg scored his first goal of the season and they looked pretty good through the second half of the game.
The Colorado Rockies had a re-do and beat the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1. The original opener was rained out after the St. Louis Cardinals had opened up a 5-1 lead. Thank goodness for the rain.
Let’s hope the good news continues for these two teams as the spring continues on and into the fall for the Rockies.
NCAA unfair in hockey National Championships
How unfair is the NCAA Hockey Championships where the host in the midwest regional is the University of Wisconsin and they are playing the University of Denver at the Kohl Center in Madison.
Because home ice means so much, hosts, if they qualify, should never play on their own ice. The advantage is too great.
They don’t have to travel and the fans are in their favor. It creates an advantage that one team should not enjoy in the national championships.
More Coverage of Rocky Mountain Rage and Colorado Eagles
I would like to call the local media on the carpet and would like to see more coverage of the Rocky Mountain Rage and Colorado Eagles. These two teams are fighting out for first place in the lead in the Northwest Division of the Central Hockey League and are playing some great hockey.
I know you say that they are only the minor leagues, but they are both putting an entertaining and quality product on the ice.
The Rage lost last night to the Eagles 4-1 to tie for the lead, but the Rage took that lead back this afternoon by beating the Eagles 7-1. I went with a couple friends and took the kids and we had a fun time. I’ll definitely be back.
It just would be nice to see some more coverage in the local media. Especially since the Denver Post had the time for today’s game wrong.
This is building into a pretty good rivalry and it will only get more intense as both teams fight for the division lead. Right now, it looks like these two teams will be fighting for that lead for the rest of the season.
Mile High Soapbox 