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| Dan Olszewski |
Two-time National Coach of the Year George Gwozdecky has suspended sophomore forward Dan Olszewski (Janesville, Wis.) indefinitely from the University of Denver hockey program for violation of team policy.
Olszewski will miss at the minimum the remainder of the 2011-12 season. Gwozdecky and his staff will review Olszewski’s suspension at the end of the season. Olszewski appeared in nine games this season and committed two penalties for four minutes.
35 comments:
The Danimal.
No idea what the Danimal could of done to warrant such a major suspension.
DU did play in Wisconsin {his home state] last weekend and perhaps something happened on the trip.
It can't be academic.
maybe they are taking the opportunity to get him out of there in order to fill his roster spot with someone that can perform for next season........a goal scoring forward perhaps? If Drew Shore stays we could be alright but if he leaves along with Zucker, Salazar, and Bennett who the hell is going to put the puck in the net other than Nick and Joey?
Hardly knew ya, Danimal.
Danimal is still on the team? Could have fooled me.....he gets less ice time than Zack Hope.
He played in nine games - very minimal contribution.
Amazing how some players simply don't realize how lucky they are to be playing a d-I sport at a top school, and screw up that opportunity by getting themeselves in trouble.
I'm thinking that they don't suspend someone in order to fill a roster spot.
PS - Nick likes to ring it off the post rather than put it in the net.
As the players in Boston University have shown, off-the-ice issues can bring down a hockey program and potentially get coaches fired.
Olszewki needs to get his act together. Wasn't he in trouble earlier in the season?
Regardless of his ice time, he is still a memeber of the team and a student-athlete at DU.
No he wasn't in trouble earlier in the year you donkey. Also, hearing through the vine based on why he is being punished if it were to be a "regular" playing player on the team it probably would have been a game or two suspension.
Regargless, you should probably get your act (facts) together before you start chirping.
Does a suspension put his scholarship in jeopardy?
Olszewski was named a "WCHA Scholar Athlete" earlier this month.
Rules are rules, and Gwozdecky's penalties always seem harsh at the time. From Lukus Dora, Geoff Paukovich, Tom May and countless others.
Better to be too tough than too light IMO.
D-I ice hockey programs [non-Ivy League schools & AHA schools] have 18 athletic scholarships to divide up.
Schools like DU & CC with astronomical tuititions generally give out 18 full rides and then hope that some of the other players have a). rich parents b). qualify for financial aid or c). are smart enough to earn an academic scholarship.
Schools like Wisconsin & Minnesota with cheaper in-state tuition can get away with offering in-state players, 90% full-rides and the parents pay a grand or two in tuition. This gives the Gophers & Badgers 20 scholarship players vs. 18 for DU & CC. Doesn't sound like much but its a big edge.
Finally the Gophers in the old days were known for giving 25% scholies to Freshmen, 50% to Sophomores, 75% to Juniors and 100% to seniors. This meant that the Gophers might have 28 players on some sort of scholarship. Huge edge for the Gophers. However, as the Gophers started recruiting NHL Draft picks, they could no longer get away with offering such small deals.
Long story short. Olszewski isn't one of the top 18 players on DU, so more than likely he doesn't have an athletic scholarship.
Anon 12:14,
I thought I remember missing him a series or a game earlier in the season because he violated team rules. But certainly I could be wrong. Regardless, I just posed a question, not an accusation. If you think that is chirping, grow some thicker skin, jerk-off.
The bad boys of DU at it again!! Wow if this were any program but yours you would be totally ripping the kid. Funny stuff here.
Maybe he shouldn't pick fights with Madison Wi. bartenders after the game. Sounds like the NCAA should take a look at this?
The NCAA isn't like the FBI. They didn't look into the Virginia Lacrosse player killing his girlfriend.
They sure as heck aren't going to lift a finger if some hockey player got into a fight.
DG, I believe that DU's hockey team is a 90% full ride program as well. At least that's the way that it was from 2001-05 when I was there living with a few of the players. So, the players were still in charge of paying 10% for school, which I would have taken.
On the subject of suspensions for the DU players, is Gwoz that strict or are these players really that big of trouble-makers? Obviously, college kids will find some trouble, but is there a higher code of ethics? I think that its crazy that they have so many team sanctioned suspensions during the season. I dont want to be an alum from a school that looks the other way when this stuff happens, but I would love to know what they are doing to get into trouble.
Figuring out who gets what in scholarship money is one of the big mysteries in college sports.
Obviously DU is recruiting a different type of athlete these days than they were in 2001-05. I believe that after the National Championships they went to the 18 full-ride route. DU has also really jacked up tuition in recent years as well.
Since around 2006, NCAA D-1 athletes can earn Academic Scholarships, which has really helped schools like DU & CC recruit role players who really get it in done in the classroom.
Important for fans to understand that even kids on full-rides at DU, expect to spend at least $10,000 per year on everything from pizzas, cell phone bills, Starbucks, laptops, school supplies, clothing, airfares home and the like. It isn't cheap.
The DU hockey program has a long history of not putting up with any chit from players (just ask Lynn Powis). And we should all take pride in that. Think of Dora being suspended on the eve of the most important game for DU in a generation. He was second leading scorer and IIRC, had scored the GWG against UMD in the semis. Yet for reasons we still haven't learned, he was outta there. I think that episode can put to rest any trolling about treating stars one way and lesser lights another.
Subsequently Dora went to the White House with the team and was singled out and mentioned by name by President Bush. That was no accident. And was very classy.
As I pointed out on a USCHO thread, Gwoz also suspended Paukovitch for a game after the Bina hit. This was derided by other posters. Can someone remind me if there were any team consequences for the Malone hit on Jesse Martin.
Besides, no serious person can compare these "violations of team rules" with the recent criminal behavior attributed to BU players. It's nonsense, and the stuff of trolls.
I'm very proud of our record over the years in expecting our players to do well in the classroom--even the ones who have no intention of staying 'till they graduate. I'll mention again that DU had Brett Hull locked up and heading to Denver, until we learned he had about an 800 SAT. Nobody gets accepted to DU with an 800 SAT, regardless of their NHL potential. The Duluth branch of the University of Minnesota was not so squeamish.
Gwoz expects his players to be good citizens and good students. And he's not afraid to do what's necessary to maintain those standards. In that regard, our record is second to none.
Re: Scholarships
As far as I know, one can safely assume players such as the Shores, Beau, JZ, Brittain, Joey Legs, Mayfield, etc. are the full ride guys. After probably 10 or 12 full rides, the remaining 6-8 (or whatever) scholarships are divided up to fill out the roster with players receiving varying degrees of assistance through the available athletic funds allotted to the hockey program.
I'll stand by my 18 full-ride statement. You can look at the roster and figure out with a 98% probability who they are.
If you aren't sure who they are, look at the Opening Night line-up. The scholie guys start the season in the lineup.
I agree that Gwoz does the right thing for the team, the University and the players through his discipline policy. However, Old P’s remembrance of Pauko’s discipline appears to be through crimson colored glasses. The extra game wasn’t a “punishment”. Pauko was screwed up emotionally and there was so much animosity after the hit on Bina that playing Pauko would have been a hindrance to the team. Gwoz sat him to pick up the win. Maybe Malone didn’t have a crisis of conscience or maybe The Hak didn’t think DU would or could do much about the hit on Martin.
Dora wasn't allowed to play because it would have put a Championship in jeopardy even after winning.
^this
I've never heard anyone offer that theory 4:37, but it could make sense.
I'm not sure how these things work, but I would think that if he was deemed ineligbile by the NCAA, the same facts and circumstances would have existed in the semi-finals as they did for the finals.
I think that's why most people jump the conclusion that something happened between Thursday and Saturday. Could he possibly do anything in two days that would cause the NCAA to strip a title? I assume he could have taken money or something. But, I don't think a felony would even cause issue for the NCAA (definitely not insinuating that it happened).
Damn; I personally talked to Dan last weekend at the Kohl Center, on the concourse on Friday night. nice, cordial guy; and he played on Sat. He'll get through this.... maybe he'll be back for....the Green Bay regional ??
scholarship distribtion is much closer to 18/28 than
"all for 18, nothing for the other 10...:
i love lamp
Some players feel you need an extra "boost" for the big game. Especially wafter leaving everthing on the ice in the previous game. Gwoz frowns on such things, as does the NCAA.
I agree if it were a different player the suspension would not have been as bad and he was not the only player out that night, others were they just didnt get caught. He was big enough to tell the coacha and not just let it go. I think being honest should say alot about Danimal.
I heard he didn't want to blow AIDS research monkeys with the rest of the team. So Gwoz finished his off then suspended him.
Danimal must be quite the cheerleader cause he does not belong playing D1 hockey especially in the WCHA.
I like this guy. It's too bad he's out. Must've been bad to get him out for the whole season, but I have met him a few times and I can't imagine anything that bad coming from him... Odd.
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