Sportswriter Wants To Kick UAA Out Of WCHA

From: Grand Forks Herald
by Virg Foss


(left) Semi-retired North Dakota based sportswriter Virg Foss isn't going to win too many friends up north with these comments

Here comes the sun:
Longyearbyen, Norway, recently saw sunlight for the first time in five months, causing the residents of the northernmost city of 1,000 people to turn out in celebration. Living in that kind of perpetual darkness must be like playing on the cellar-dwelling Alaska-Anchorage hockey team.

Set them adrift:
I know it’s not a nice thought, but I can’t be the only one who wishes there was a way to kick Alaska-Anchorage out of the WCHA and replace the Seawolves with Bemidji State.

31 comments:

Dirty said...

I bet if Virg read this book, people would agree with him.
http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671723650

dggoddard said...

Virg has friends? :-)

DU has three players coming in the next two years from Alaska.

UAA is going to be building a new arena which should help recruiting and keeping the locoal boys at home.

Anonymous said...

Apparently he has a couple in Bemidji....

Anonymous said...

This will surely piss off all 28 UAA fans.

Anonymous said...

Virg, Virg, Virg.

Alaska brings a lot more to the WCHA than Bemidji ever will - Anchorage is sophisticed metro area with almost 400,000 residents in a serious hockey market with statewide visbility and brand presence, a viable 6,000 seat arena already with a new one in the planning stages. It gives the WCHA an important component of geographic reach and respect, and is the state's top drawing athletic attraction.

Bemidji, while a decent team on the ice, is a small market team with little coporate support in an oversaturated hockey state with a poor rink and little brand awareness. It brings very little to to the WCHA besides another good team.

Nolo contendre, Virg.

Anonymous said...

Hold the presses!!!!!!

UAA actually has 28 fans???

Anonymous said...

Foss is a clown. I'd love to hear his rationale for this. Swapping UAA for Bemidji is ridiculous. Besides eliminating the travel burden of the long trip to Anchorage, there is absolutely nothing Bemidji offers over UAA.

Anonymous said...

Virg Foss qoute from another of his stories, "These days, Mom doesn’t travel much. It’s just too difficult for her. She no longer comes up to my lake cabin near Bemidji." Virg is actually a sentimental man and I am surprised he would show this calloused thought towards UAA. He must have had a bad day or the locals of Bemidji slipped in the UAA idea while he was not looking.

Anonymous said...

Nice try Puck Swami. What is the attendance at that arena they got up there? like 1,000 a game or somethin? If that is the premier sport up there than I wheep for the poor other sports.

Donald Dunlop said...

Ignorant Anon@1033:
First let me point out that you're a PUTZ.

UAA's average attendance this season was 3674 (20th in all of D1 hockey -- ahead of MTU and only about 600 less than UMD and Kato).

Bemidji's was 1242. They aren't even planning on building a rink that will hold 3600 fans.

Let me ask you this; What exactly is the impact of UAA's attendance on ANY other WCHA member?

OK. I'm not actually asking you ... I asked it so I could answer it.

NOTHING. There is absolutely no impact or effect on any other WCHA team. NONE. ZERO. In fact, UAA's attendance is its own business and shouldn't be a concern to anyone outside of Anchorage.

So go climb back into your shit-filled hovel and continue sucking Virg Foss's decrepit teats.

Personally, I wish there was a way to never have the Hostile and Abusives come to Anchorage to play. They don't deserve the schedule exemption doing so gives them. What is the bottom line for UND in coming to Alaska? ... oh ... about $100,000 a year in extra revenue.

I'm a bit disappointed that DG would bother to give what some egg-sucker said a wider audience but I guess I really never mind putting PUTZ's in their place.

Anonymous said...

Totally agree with you
Donald. Personally I would love to travel up to more UAA games in Alaska! IMO Alaska has a lot more than just hockey ... the beauty alone is worth the trip!!

Anonymous said...

Ah yes, Donald Dumlop the "Rev. Jerehmiah Wright" of college hockey. Clean it up. You don't make your points any clearer by speaking profanely. You simply self identify yourself as a foul mouthed, bitter guy.

Donald Dunlop said...

OMG! I said "shit-filled" and "teats".

I'm so profane.

I used exactly the words that needed to be used. Unlike you I'm not afraid of words. If you can only subjectively define me as "foul-mouthed" and "bitter" after REFUTING your ignorant petty "1,000" comment then buddy you need to expand the realm of your consciousness a bit. There's a whole big world out there where some people don't have the exact same standards as you. Deal with it or get off the Interweb .... or at the very least shut up.

Donald Dunlop said...

PWND

Anonymous said...

Alaska Anchorage says they have over 3000 attendance at games. What a joke. it is about 2000 and the place is empty. Talk to anyone in the league and yhey would love to get on a bus instead of travelling to anchorage. Also UAA is not competitive. They are last place cellar dwellers. Welcome Bemidji

Anonymous said...

Did someone seriously just point out that Hockey fans should love to travel to Anchorage because it's beautiful. Im sorry that is just too funny. When your only selling point is how nice the area is that says alot about why your program. It's like saying yeah UAA sucks but at least you get a good vacation out of it. Im sorry but when I go to watch my team in other cities its to watch my team. I could care less if it's a beautiful town or not. I go to see my team play and hope it's a great atmosphere and hope they come out with a W. We all can tell that the atmosphere is anything but desirable in Anchorage.

Donald Dunlop said...

Sweet another BRAINDEAD comment!!!

What part of how much attendance UAA gets has ABSOLUTELY NO IMPACT WHATSOEVER on any other member institution didn't your petty little mind comprehend?? Seriously?? Do you just enjoy going around the Internet and saying completely STUPID STUFF?? I don't care if UND puts 14 people in the Uncle Naziophiles joint or 14,000. It matters not to anyone else. Using UAA attendance as any sort of argument for UAA to be removed from the WCHA is just flat out STUPID.

Let's see ... Colorado College would rather go to Bemidji? Hmmmm ....
Bus Ride to Denver ... 1 hour
Fly to Minneapolis ... 2 hours
Ride Bus to Bemidji ... 4 hours

Or to Anchorage ....
Bus Ride to Denver ... 1 hour
Fly to Seattle ... 2 hours
Fly to Anchorage ... 3 hours

Yeah ... that makes sense. CC will be all about swapping Beshitty for Anchorage.

How about UW ....
Bus Ride to Bemidji ... 8 hours
Flights to Anchorage ... 7 hours

DU to Bemidji vs Anchorage might be a wash in terms of travel time but of course it's Fly then Bus to Bemidji versus simply Flying to Anchorage.

Duluth to Bemidji? Its only 3 hours on a bus I guess ... on a non-Interstate Highway in potentially bad weather. Mankato to Bemidji? Better than 5 hours on a bus and again exclusively on non-interstate highways covered in snow.

Bemidji is a freaking NIGHTMARE for everyone to get to except perhaps UND.

For that reason (and because they really seem to LOVE Beshitty in Grand Forks) I'd say it would make much more sense for UND to resign from the WCHA and join the CHA. It'll save the CHA. It'll give UND a rival that they can actually dominate (unlike UofM).

Now you're PWND too. Any other dumbasses from North Dakota want to take a shot?

Donald Dunlop said...

Oh well ... kick UAA out because the 11 fans that might travel up here to watch their team play aren't impressed with the atmosphere at the Sully.

Wow. Pure genius.

Do any of you people actually for one second believe that the WCHA Athletic Directors would even give this ignorant issue a second thought? If you do think so then you really are stupider than Virg Foss.

Anonymous said...

Yes, some of us do travel to hockey games and take in the sights, along with cheering for our teams.
Why not do both.

Anonymous said...

The Alaska Anchorage hockey team is just flat out not competive. They have finished last numerous times and the attendance has gotten worse over the years. This program just does not have the high standards that the WCHA wants. So with a new building coming at BSU and geographically better than Anchorage and a new facility years and years away (the govenor cut the development project last year, 1 million i read, how are you going to fund 40 or 50 million) I am sure the WCHA people are very concerned about the situation in Anchorage.

Anonymous said...

wow donald quit being so paranoid that its just sioux fans talking back to you. They are anons. It doesnt say diehardsiouxfanforlife on their names you moron.

Anonymous said...

hey donald you ever heard of time change you fuckin moron.

Anonymous said...

Damn donald man you need to take a pill. Smoke a joint or something.

PS UAA blows dogs for quarters.

Anonymous said...

UND actually went through a dry spell when they came in LAST in the league for 3 years in a row. So did CC. Look at Tech's record, not exactly stellar. They came in last in 05, 04, 02, 00, 97, 94, 90.

Tech came in 9th in 03, 8th in 01,
etc.

Should we throw Tech out as well? This entire conversation is ludicrious.

Anonymous said...

wow when you cant even come up with an arguement that your team is good but have to start dragging teams down to your level that is just sad.

Anonymous said...

It's obvious to me the UAA is on the verge of taking over the #1 spot in the WCHA on a consistent basis. They are at their low right now just waiting for their cyclical rise. Happens in the stock market every day.

Anonymous said...

Anon @ Thursday, March 20, 2008 10:15:00 PM CDT:

And you don't even have balls enough to leave your real name, so your posts are irrelevant.

Anonymous said...

your tellin me suze is your real name.

Anonymous said...

Nice try to avoid what I just said because it's true.

Anonymous said...

I have nothing against Tech, I like the Huskies. But you're missing the point. If you are going to throw UAA out of the league because they are cellar dwellers, you better "call it both ways" as the fans say. Any team with a history of coming in 8th-10th should also get the same ire. That includes Tech.

Anonymous said...

None of you know Bemidji obviously. Their team has finished below .500 about 4 times in more than 50 years. They consistantly put a better product on the ice than UAA (and incase you forgot, DU squeaked by them in OT in the NCAA tourney during their repeat championship - Bemidji nearly knocked them out). They would not be cellar dwellers. They also now have approved funding for a brand new arena. Anchorage itself is a larger city, obviously, but the surrounding area of Bemidji easily is home to more than 100,000 and hockey fans in AK are few and far between compared to MN. And also: What is all this bus talk???? BEMIDJI HAS AN AIRPORT!!! I think Colorado fans can't stomach the idea of HALF the WCHA coming from MN (MN, MN state, MN Duluth, St. Cloud State...Bemidji State??). Sorry, guys. MN is far and away the state of hockey.