(above) DU will have to win some games down the stretch if they want to take advantage of Tyler Bozak's immense talent in the playoffsFrom: Denver Post
by Mike Chambers
Tyler Bozak, out of the University of Denver lineup since suffering a knee injury Dec. 12 at Minnesota State, said he is scheduled to begin skating this week, and the star center remains focused on returning about a week before the NCAA Tournament, which begins March 27.
Question is, will the Pioneers be fielding a lineup during that time?
DU is tied with North Dakota atop the Western Collegiate Hockey Association with 29 points, a point ahead of third-place Wisconsin. Typically, playing for the MacNaughton Cup at this time of the season means an at-large national tournament berth awaits. [read rest of article]
Question is, will the Pioneers be fielding a lineup during that time?
DU is tied with North Dakota atop the Western Collegiate Hockey Association with 29 points, a point ahead of third-place Wisconsin. Typically, playing for the MacNaughton Cup at this time of the season means an at-large national tournament berth awaits. [read rest of article]
7 comments:
DU fans have turned into a bunch crying and whining wusses. Complaining about, instead of enjoying, the season. Every time I decide to read something about DU online it is just complaining-ass bullshit.
All you tools on USCHO: You all seem to believe that you are great 'fans' but (even those hiding behind lame monikers) all you are doing is pissing off the people associated with the program you all claim to love.
EVERYONE actually associated with the program reads USCHO and all you complainers are just making asses of yourselves.
Bunch of spoiled fools who either didn't care before '04 or had given up on the program prior to '04.
Fans worry & cheer. Coaches worry and teach and the players do their best & compete. Its the nature of the beast.
I don't think that DU fans are any more or less critical than any other fansbases on USCHO.
Message boards, websites & blogs allow DU fans all over the world to participate and follow the team.
After I graduated in the late Eighties, I had to go to a porno bookstore in Houston and buy a week-old Sunday Denver Post for $5 just to see the WCHA Standings and read the game story.
Welcome to D-I sports, 10:43.
DU Hockey generates $2-3 milllion a year in revenue. Where do you think that money comes from? Us. The Fans. We pay. We Cheer. We Worry. That's what real fans do. We make the whole enterprise possible, and without us, it fades away.
The "People Asscociated With The Program" only need to worry about three things - winning hockey games, graduating from school and staying out of trouble. If they read the USCHO boards, they will be able to understand how the die-hard fans really feel about what they see on the ice every week. Sometimes its great and sometimes it isn't, just like life. Right now, we're watching a team that is struggling to win games, and the chatter is nervous and fearful of another late season collapse, which is something we've seen every year since 2005.
If they are being "pissed off" by reading fan comments, perhaps there is enough validity in those comments to have some truth behind them. And if you want to be a D-I hockey player, fan criticsm comes with the package. Don't like it? Don't read it. Or play intramurals where no one cares.
As Connor James once told me "The fans should rip us when we play poorly and cheer us when we play well."
And many of us USCHO posters have been watching, caring about and financing DU hockey since well before the current players were even born. We're not all perfect, but we're not a bunch of hockey rubes, either. We know good hockey when we see it, and when we don't.
DU has one of the most respected d-hard fan bases on USCHO because the core group of posters there have earned that respect over years of interesting, entertaining and thought provoking commentary. We here for the duration. Get used to us.
If the season somehow ended before Bozak was back that would be a major kick in the balls. I really hope we get a chance to see him again in action before he departs. I don't supposed there is a even a remote chance he might stay one more year?
Anon at 10:43,
I would strongly recommend reading online message boards concerning Duke basketball, UNC basketball, Ohio State football, Auburn football, Alabama football, Gopher hockey, Sioux hockey, Oklahoma football, etc....you get the idea.
Fans voice their opinions. That's part of what makes them fans. The DU posters on USCHO.com are insightful and educated. Sprinkle in some humor and it's always a good read. And a lot of comments on there are positive.
10:43-So you are whining and complaining about us whining and complaining?Very interesting.I have been following this program since you were in diapers.
Anyway I'm just going to ignore this angry anonymous character with zero people skills and talk about Mike's article. I think he's right on with this. We all know this scenario all to well. I think we need to split with the Badgers, sweep SC and tar and feather the tigers. If we do that we finish no worse than 9th or 10th in the PWR and maybe eek out a three seed. It's put up or shut up time for the boys. They played with intensity last week which gives me a degree of hope.
I actually think Chambers is down a little bit due to the newspaper business not being what it used to be. Everybody should get a paper. No excuse for not doing so. Being without a paper is like being without a Sioux jersey. Anyway, the rules of how to get into the Top 16 are real easy. Win your non-conference games while playing respectable programs (hint to CC), play well in your conference and 99% of the time you are in. If you fail at one of those, win the conference tourney. If that fails, re-load. Now cheer up!
Post a Comment