Fan Mail Questions About Shawn Ostrow

(above) Strowboat Hockey: Coming to a college rink near you soon

Twitter: Strowbeaut

Q: Why does Coach Gwozdecky continue to pair Shawn Ostrow with forwards who can't get him the puck in a position to score?

Don Cherry [Kingston, Ontario]

DG: Coach Gwozdecky is basically in a no-win situation here.  Strowbeaut is so talented - he even intimidates his linemates.  They fear his quick temper and start gripping their sticks.  Before long they're missing his wide open looks and backdoor moves to the goal.

Q: Why doesn't the DU coaching staff emphasize a more physical brand of hockey that would compliment Shawn Ostrow's abilty to play smash-mouth hockey?

Reggie Dunlop [Charlestown, PA]

DG: WCHA refereeing, being what it is these days, isn't suited to handle "Strowboat Hockey." You saw the calls last weekend against Mankato. Ostrow would be in the penalty box half the game.

Q:  Why won't Gwozdecky surround S. Ostrow with elite NHL bound players?

Brett Sutter [Calgary, Alberta]

DG: Clearly Ostrow makes everyone around him better.  The last thing the DU coaches want are NHL scouts over-hyping their draftees. Ostrow would be padding their stats with easy goals and assists.


Q:  Should DU players intentionally take more penalties to get Shawn Ostrow more ice time on the Penalty Kill Unit?
Tiger Williams [Weyburn, Saskatchewan]

DG:  Only if DU is trailing in the game.  Obviously Strowboat can score at will shorthanded, but wearing him out early in the game is asking for trouble.


Q: Why doesn't Mike Chambers write more articles about Shawn Ostrow?
Terry Frei [Denver, CO]

DG:  The coaches and Erich Bacher have a "gag order" on Ostrow.  They won't let him talk to the press or the Root Sports reporter between periods.  Not sure what the problem is.

Ask dg

This weeks question comes from a DU hockey fan in Japan

Hi,

Thanks for your great site! I visit LetsGoDU every day to check up on the team -- OK, about 15 times a day.

Unfortunately, I am well outside the FSN Rocky Mountain broadcast range, and I am having trouble finding the games. (By outside, I mean on another continent!) In fact, I have not been able to watch a single game.

I have scoured the net for internet TV connections, torrent files, etc. However, all I have been able to find are a few clips on YouTube. Oh, and there are those highlight videos on the Wisconsin site, but if I had not known otherwise, those clips would have led me to believe that Wisconsin had swept DU!

Do you have any advice? Japan does not offer FSN. I just don't seem to have ANY options.

I hope you can help!

Sincerely,

Desperate In Japan

Dear Desperate,

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Uerukamu.

I agree about those lying-classless Badger Fans. They only post the UW goals on YouTube. Luckily there haven't been too many goals for them this season, so they can hardly be accused of "bandwidth hijacking."

Now onto the problem at hand. I'm not very technically proficient either so I called in some of the "big guns" from the USCHO.com message board to help us out.


Cross-Czech (DU Fan) - "If you have someone in Denver/America that is willing to help you, the Slingbox is a great option. My girlfriend has spent a lot of time over in Europe and we love the Slingbox."

I'm not sure how many/if any games will be televised on TSN but I was in Paris last winter at a Canadian sports bar that picked up TSN through a satellite package and they broadcast the DU-Minnesota game (I think it was a CSTV feed)."


So it looks like "Slingbox" is the best option. Here's a product tour of the Slingbox AV. I'll see what we can do to get you "hooked up."

Now if I could just tweak the "Slingbox" and start the LetsGoDU TV Network at $9.95 per month, I might be on to something. Programming could include live reports from practice, the Puck Swami Midweek Highlight Show and the late night adult content Live From The Border.

GO DU,

dg

Ask dg

DU lost to BU last night 1-0. A tough loss, which brought Denver's record at Boston University to 0-8-2 all time. On the bright side DU is 12-4-0 against the Terriers in Denver. It may be time for Coach Gwozdecky to only agree to games against Hockey East teams in Colorado. More encouraging is that some DU fans are considing risking life and limb to get the team back to winning form. This commitment to excellence is just what the Pioneers need to become a "Perrenial Power."

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PioneerOnTheHill2009: I am Very Very Very disappointed in my Pio's. Its been a terrible stretch here, thank GOODNESS its the beginning of the year. If we lose to the MINUTE-MEN of all people, I'll run straight across I-25 without looking both ways. GET THE FREAKING WIN BOYS play your hockey.

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dg: I feel your pain.

ASK dg

(left) evegoe & Goldy the "morning after"


This week's question comes from evegoe In Minnesota: Honestly it's UM-DU week... and there are Maine stories posted? Is the Border ready for a Gopher invasion?

dg: Good questions. I was immediately suspicious of the "Maine Bashing" because it followed so closely on the heels of "Blarneygate." Usually, when Coach Lucia needs a smokescreen, the "Family" gets to work and a bigger more sensational scandal mysteriously turns up elsewhere. Viola.

The last time a couple of "hacks" from Minnesota tried to invade a bar, that wasn't giving out free drinks to underage hockey players, was during the Frozen Four in Boston. The Minnesota-Duluth chaper of Alcoholics Anonymous made bold pronouncements about taking over the Penalty Box across the street from the FleetCenter. Well we all know how that turned out. A Denver shirt proudly greeted them over the Bar and when they asked the bartender to take it down, they were asked to leave. Turns out it didn't matter because the bus headed home 10 hours later.

Here are two Blog Links to make sure the other side gets equal time:
http://gopherpuck.blogspot.com/
http://vegoeabides.blogspot.com/

ASK dg:

This weeks question comes from a reader in Denver...

Worried in Denver: I saw the results from Maine and was thinking about selling my DU season tickets, but when I checked on eBay they were selling for half face value. What should I do? I also noticed that Steven Cook attended the Air Force Academy before transferring to DU. Any chance that the coaches insert Cook in the lineup on Friday night?

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dg: Dumping your season tickets now, would be like trying to buy flood insurance a day after a hurricane rolled through town. The best thing to do is wait for a couple of victories this weekend and then get back on the bandwagon. If you're looking to make a profit on your tickets, try scalping a few of the big games coming up (Banner Raising, CC, MN & UND) and then donate your excess tickets to a charity and take the tax write-off.

Steven Cook has never started a game for DU, but you are correct that the former Academy player would be a great secret weapon. Not only could he be a valuable addition on the forward line and of course steal plays from his former teammates, but as a future Law School student he might be invaluable arguing in Paukovich's defense to the ref's on trumped up penalties.

Steven Cook's Bio: 2004-05: Sat out the season with a shoulder injury. Before Denver: Posted nine points on five goals and four assists in 58 games for the River City Lancers of the United States Hockey League (USHL) in 2003-04 • played for the Air Force Academy (AFA) during the 2002-03 season • recorded two goals and six assists in 33 games played • named AFA Rookie of the Year • earned College Hockey America (CHA) Rookie of the Week, Feb. 17, 2003 • earned Best Defensive Forward as captain of his club team during the 2001-02 season • was among the top-10 leading scorers • named the 2001-02 Rocky Mountain News All-Colorado.

ASK dg

This week's question come from a reader in Maine...

gscott13: We all know that Maine had a scout at the DU-Lakehead game. I'm sure whoever was scouting the game is smart enough to know that those lines by Denver were in all likelihood an experiment. They were probably looking more at players on an individual level, tendencies of whichever goaltender played and what they were trying to do in terms of systems. Won't Maine have a huge advantage because of this scouting report?

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dg: Not Neccessarily. Of course Gwoz realized that the Maine Scout would be smart enough to see through the "Olde-Experimental-Lines-Ploy" and so he used the actual lines. What seperates the DU Coaching Staff from all others in college hockey is for the Lakehead game they retrained the entire team to play against their tendencies and hide their individual talent levels. All three DU goalies played with their sticks & gloves on the opposite hands to mask said tendencies. I hope the scout noticed that Mannino & King also switched Jerseys before the game.