Tigersuncaged.blogspot.com

The season is in full swing and so is the new website located at tigersuncaged.blogspot.com
I did a recent comparison of the two sites in analytics and realized that this site is still receiving HUGE amounts of traffic which is great, but nothing is current on here. The last update I did was when the season ended. So, if you haven't already, please bookmark http://tigersuncaged.blogspot.com as your new source for Colorado College Tiger hockey commentary. I think it's a great site and much simpler and easier to use, aside from the blue link glitch that I can't seem to fix! So click on over and check it out!

We've Moved!

If you haven't already, check out the new site!

Tigers Uncaged

The new blog site is all set up and running! It's pretty bare-bones at the moment with no posts but it's ready to go and all further posts will be off the new site. Traffic is starting to pick up noticeably now that the season is only a month away so I figured it's a great time to get the site started. Check it out and leave some comments!

http://TigersUncaged.blogspot.com

It's Official, Mike Guentzel is a Tiger

Rumors yesterday came true as Mike Guentzel became the new assistant coach at CC. Despite the job posting still up on the website yesterday (haha for the comment) it looked like they had their man.

"I am very pleased to have Mike join Colorado College and the Tiger family,” said head coach Scott Owens. “I personally have had the chance to follow Mike's coaching career and watch him grow into an elite NCAA coach. Mike will add a wealth of knowledge and experience to a veteran Tiger team. He is an exceptional person that has an unbelievable track record of developing athletes, recruiting and winning at both the WCHA and national level. I look forward to working with Mike on a daily basis.” CC Athletics

Read the full story here

New Blog Coming

The votes are in and the new blog is being set up. I wish I could have had my regular season viewership so more people could have voted but that's how it goes, big thanks to those that did vote. I'm working on the new site now and am having some template issues so no promises on the launch date but it will be soon. And thanks gmf1a for the DU logo comment, I've always thought the jersey was just a bunch of colors sneezed onto the front for a logo but a taco is by far the funniest correlation I've ever heard! The DU Taco will be fondly brought up at the appropriate time...

Mike Guentzel to be named assistant coach

Fellow blogger Goon has reported that former Gopher assistant Mike Guentzel will be named CC assistant coach this afternoon (wed.) after resigning from Minnesota in April. No official word on the CC website but I'll be sure to post when I find out. Here's the current report

"Floating Tiger Head" in the basement

A recent poll of WCHA logos by The Hockey News ranked CC as having the worst logo in the league with the explanation that "True, they’re one of the oldest teams in the NCAA and their logo reflects it, but it’s not the best tiger in the world." It may not be the best out there, but their logic is retarded. Did I mention that the Gophers' upside-down W was the first? Personally I think North Dakota and Duluth are the top two and DU is last (no, not because they suck but because they are the Pioneers and their logo is a hawk, bring back Denver Boone!) CC's tiger may not be the fiercest, but one look and you know the team is the Tigers. If I get a chance this week I'll rank em myself based on style and function with no bias, so stay tuned.
However, I think that we do have the best goalie mask in the country!












Summer is nearing an end, be sure to VOTE FOR THE NEW SITE!!
Expect the new blog site to launch shortly after Labor Day weekend!

Falcon Faux-pas

Being an advertising person I tend to analyze design material a little more than most and I love to catch bad typos in copy (and no I'm not immune to gaffes!). For example; the recent Images Magazine says that Old Colorado City is located just west of Colorado Springs. To the casual reader that's a "yup". To most locals it's an "ummm, OCC is PART of Colorado Springs". Small, but WRONG.

Why is that remotely interesting? The Air Force Falcons football/hockey schedule was stuck in the Gayzette today and I noticed a fun little error that seems insignificant but is thoroughly embarrassing to whomever designed it. While looking at the date CC plays at the Academy (I was planning on going but it's the day after Thanksgiving and I'll be happily sitting in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln yelling profanities at the visiting team from Boulder) and I noticed the asterisks at the bottom on the hockey side
" *Mountain West Conference Game ". Catch it? AFA plays hockey in the AHA, other sports are Mountain West, as the opposite football page indicates. Obviously the designers (who should know everything about their client) missed an elementary part of their besig and probably used the same template.
AND something I just noticed as I was posting this; the Mountain West 10 year anniversary logo is placed in the photo, whoops!!
Considering there is no such thing as the Mountain West in college hockey and how much the agency gets paid this is pretty embarrasing.

CCHA to go one-on-one to decide games

Every hockey fan has an opinion on the shootout in the NHL and especially college hockey. Well now the arguments will increase as CCHA has decided to implement the SO to decide their games for 08-09. It will be interesting to see if 1) it draws the "excitement" that those in charge want (without being a ratings gimmick) and 2) if other conferences follow in line before the season starts. Time will tell, all the details from CCHA here

Norm Bazin leaves the Tigers for a Chance to Have His Own Team

Tigers' assistant coach Norm Bazin has left the program to become the head of New York's Hamilton College (DIII).
""It is with mixed emotions that I leave Colorado College, which has given my family and me so many favorable memories," Bazin said. "We will miss the friendships we've made on campus and in the wonderful community of Colorado Springs. I'd like to thank Colorado College and especially head coach Scott Owens for allowing me to be a part of those championship teams. Although the timing of this departure isn't ideal, I certainly believe CC will be able to find a quality replacement with the type of program that Scott and Ken operate. " CC Athletics

Some of the rumored replacements are Eric Rud (was CC's assistant coach in 04 while Bazin was recovering from a car crash) and Matt Lindsay who is a former Tiger and is an assistant with Princeton, an 07 tournament team.
Best Wishes Norm!!

Official CC Press Release

Newspaper brief here

Season Previews Begin

The College Hockey blog takes a quick overview of the Tigers and places them tentatively at number 4. As expected, Chad Rau and Richard Bachman are the expected stars for the upcoming season. Oh and the site also follows in my footsteps of incorrectly spelling the WCHA Champion trophy ;)

McCulloch's back for a 5th season and NHL Development Camps

The Tigers will get Scott McCulloch back for a 5th season after qualifying for a medical redshirt his freshman season. Read the full story here
Another fun article from the other day covered the Tigers who have been selected to join the NHL development camps and hang out with their (hopefully) future teams. Picturing Bachman suiting up in Marty Turco's stall has to bring a smile to your face! Full Story

Note: Since a certain Gayzette reporter has decided not to link to my blog I will no longer be posting her stories (with due credit of course) here on the blog, simply links, sorry if there is any inconvenience, HA.

Future of Blog Exciting and More Marty

I'm getting really excited about the new site that will make it's debut this fall for the new season. I've had the banner designed for a few months and started playing around with the new name on the banner. Let me just say, it's going to be awesome! A little hint and irony, the banner will be very similar to the new CC website design, which was not at all planned (aka I didn't copy it). I had this design about a month before I saw the new CC site so this accidental similarity should work out pretty well. I'm hoping the voting will pick up and we can start to see the front-runner. Right now, my tiny summer traffic has kept the low vote total pretty close so it's wait-and-see for now. As far as the new site, Google/Blogger have added some sweet new features that I'll be implementing on the site. I could add them on this one now but I'm going to try as hard as I can to hold off and keep them for the new site. One of the new features will be a blogroll with live update RSS feeds below the link, making it easier to see what the other teams and their bloggers are up to. Speaking of blogroll, apparently this blog isn't worthy of the new Gayzette blogroll. No surprise there, considering how I like to spell the paper ;). Skae, on the forums, looked into the matter and I have yet to get a response, haha. Anyway, enough of that. Hope summer is going well for everyone and be sure to check out my political blog I've started!
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Opinion: Sertich always concerned with the big picture
By DAVID RAMSEY


Marty Sertich has the skills and the smarts to play for the Colorado Avalanche.

The question is - and always has been - if he's strong enough. The Avs obtained Sertich on June 10 from the Dallas Stars for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2009 entry draft.

Sertich, 25, stands 5-foot-8 and weighs, at best, 165 pounds, but his size, or lack of it, never has held him back.

And he's skating in a hockey era made for him. Since the 2004-05 NHL lockout, the league has been smart enough to emphasize grace over brutality.

Sertich has been sneaking through defenses and finding ways to score all through his career. He ranks among the more prolific scorers ever to play for Colorado College.

He won the 2005 Hobey Baker Award - college hockey's version of the Heisman Trophy - the same year he led CC to the Frozen Four.

He collected 52 points - 27 goals and 25 assists - last season for the Iowa Stars of the American Hockey League.

Sure, he doesn't look like a dominating player, but he is one. Substance always trumps appearance.

Sertich is smart enough to refuse to rest on his past. He's working this summer at his home in Roseville, Minn., trying to add might and bulk to his still-thin frame.

He remains hungry for more. During most of his CC career, Sertich planned to play professionally in Europe, most likely Germany, but decided to chase his life-long goal following graduation.

He wants - he's always wanted - to play in the NHL. When Sertich was a child, he didn't watch cartoons. He watched hockey videos.

From the time he was 5, Sertich has schemed to travel to the game's pinnacle.

"I've had a great time," Sertich said of his time in Iowa, "but my goal is to make it up there."

By up there, of course, he means a place on the Avs roster.

He has a strong chance. Sertich plays the game with the blessing of a personal radar system. No, he didn't buy it. He just has a knack for avoiding mind-altering, career-threatening hits.

Defenseman Mark Stuart played three seasons alongside Sertich at CC. Stuart now plays for the Boston Bruins.

"He's a real smart hockey player," Stuart said, "and he's shifty. First of all, he knows you're coming and, second, he can get out of your way real quick."

Sertich laughed when asked about his ability to escape. He's never, despite years of challenging a wide assortment of hockey goons, suffered a concussion.

"I don't know," he said. "I'd say about 95 percent of it is luck. Maybe I'm wearing the right kind of helmet. Obviously, I don't go out there trying to hit people."

That's because he's smart. Sertich always has been adept at delivering pain in the way that matters most. He places pucks in the back of the net.

Marty's Coming Home

CC Hobey Baker award winner Marty Sertich was acquired by the Avalanche yesterday from Dallas bringing the star Tiger back to Colorado. He was a ton of fun to watch while playing for the Tigers so hopefully he'll make the team and will be in an Avalanche Uni next season (as opposed to a Lake Eerie uni, which isn't all bad). In something semi-related, the Dallas Stars parted ways with the Iowa Stars, their minor league affiliate (Anaheim snapped them up). Don't understand how/why teams do this, but the Avs were without an affiliate one season, the one time they didn't make the playoffs...

Read more:
Gazette

Dallas Stars Blog

Denver Post

Wikipedia Entry on Marty (the team has already been updated, but look closely at the place of birth...)

Voting Update

Since the votes are still somewhat close, I'm just going to leave the poll open for voting until September 1. The goal is to have the new site address, name and banners up by the first weekend in October when the 08-09 festivities start to kick in. Be sure to vote and be a part of the future of the site!

In case you missed it, Brett Wysopal has officially left the Tigers program. His decision was made March 29th just after the West Regionals' loss but was publicly confirmed by Scott Owens last week. The Tigers D is left very thin for the upcoming season. Full article here

Next Season's Schedule

Full 08-09 Schedule here

Opinion: CC tweaks schedule so finish doesn’t lead to ending
DAVID RAMSEY THE GAZETTE

Scott Owens wanted sizzle in the Colorado College-University of Denver rivalry.

When Owens returned to his alma mater to coach the hockey team in 1999, the arena-shaking fire had been drained from the CC-DU. Owens masterfully stoked the flames.

For five of the past six years, CC and DU ended the regular season with a homeand-home, rock-’em, sock-’em weekend bash that featured packed houses and wicked hitting.

The CC-DU rivalry is at full blaze, full of intensity and great hockey. Owens, no doubt, grabbed what he wanted.

He grabbed a little too much, as it turns out.

The Tigers have lost three straight NCAA Tournament games, which inspired Owens to take a fresh look at the DU series.

Next season, the Tigers and Pioneers again will meet four times, but the schools will stretch out the regular-season finale. CC and DU will play Oct. 31-Nov. 1 before splitting the final series between Feb. 13 and March 7, Owens said.

It’s a minor tweak to the schedule, but Owens hopes the change will deliver big results.

He wonders if placing two emotionally packed games at the end of the season drained his team in the postseason.

“I don’t think it’s a copout,” Owens said. “I don’t think it’s anything like that. We’re just trying to do something that will strengthen us in the postseason.”

The rivalry will return to two home-and-home weekends in 2009-2010 because of scheduling restraints, Owens said, but will feature the stretched-out version again in 2010-11.

It’s strange to say this, but the season-ending duel with DU was too overwhelming, too packed with thrills and history. It was just too much.

How could the Tigers top all this furious fun?

The answer is the problem. Owens has failed to revive his team after the matches with DU.

“There was an automatic, built-in letdown,” Owens said. “It’s just natural. It’s because the buildings were sold out and the excitement and the passion and the trying to one-up your archrival.”

This season, CC stomped DU in the final weekend. On March 8, the Tigers celebrated along with their fans, and they had plenty to celebrate.

The Tigers had won the MacNaughton Cup, symbol of supremacy in the Western Athletic Hockey Association, and the Gold Pan, symbol of college hockey supremacy in the state of Colorado.

At the time, no one could see disaster lurking in the near distance. Even as the Tigers celebrated their reign over a small hockey universe, they faced devastation in the battle for a larger, more important universe.

Three weeks after the Tigers’ hockey party, they were finished. They lost, on home ice, to Michigan State in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

“There’s been so much at stake,” Owens said of the DU series. “It’s been very taxing mentally and physically as we head into the playoffs.”

Next season, he hopes, the taxes will be a little more reasonable.

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CC Athletics
Already looking ahead and moving forward after a highly successful 2007-08 campaign, Colorado College has announced another exciting hockey schedule for next season.

Highlights on the 2008-09 slate include 21 regular-season home games at the World Arena with two exhibitions, five non-conference outings and two dates apiece against Western Collegiate Hockey Association rivals Michigan Tech, Denver, North Dakota, Minnesota, Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota State and St. Cloud State.

Fans interested in season tickets should call 719-389-6324 or log on to CCTigers.com. Prices start at $274.50, with any first-round WCHA playoff games at home included in the deal. Renewal notices for existing season-ticket holders will be mailed out this week.

Tiger Hockey, the top winter collegiate sporting attraction in the state of Colorado, ranked fourth nationwide in total attendance during the 2007-08 campaign. The average attendance at CC home games officially was 6,932 as the team retained possession of the Gold Pan, claimed its third league championship since 2003, hosted a first-round WCHA playoff series as well as the NCAA West Regional, produced three All-Americans and finished with a winning record (28-12-1) for the 15th time in the last 16 years. Again, sellouts were common. Only Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota, which play in much larger facilities, drew more spectators than Colorado College’s impressive season total of more than 157,000.

Returning as flagship station for the CC Tiger Radio Network in 2008-09 will be 103.9 FM The Eagle, with live broadcasts of all games, home and away.

In addition to 14 league games, the ‘08-09 home slate features two against the University of Alabama-Huntsville (College Hockey America) and Sacred Heart University (Atlantic Hockey Association), as well as a single contest vs. Colgate University (ECAC). The Tigers, whose lineup will feature a number of outstanding players such as returning All-Americans Richard Bachman and Chad Rau, also play host to the University of Alberta and the United States Under-18 Team in a pair of exhibition outings.

They meet archrival DU for the first time over Halloween Weekend, playing at Magness Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, then coming home for a rematch at the World Arena on Saturday, Nov. 1. The second go-round is split up, as the teams meet again in Colorado Springs on Friday, Feb. 13, before wrapping up the regular season in Denver on Saturday, March 7. Also featured on CC’s road schedule are a two-game non-conference series at Clarkson University in October and an appearance at Air Force in late November, along with weekend trips to league opponents Minnesota State, Alaska Anchorage, Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota and Michigan Tech for Winter Carnival.

Vote for the Future of the Blog!

Hey Tiger fans, it seems like the season has been over forever and yet we are just now hitting the off season in full. I've been fixated on the NHL playoffs and the Avalanche the past few weeks. The NHL might suck in general, but the playoffs are still awesome! I just wish they didn't have those restarted Stanley Cup Playoff logos in the zones; too big and too stupid. How about a simple symbol at center ice like the NFL does at the 25 yard lines? Oh yea and a little thing called Spring Football is consuming all my time. Nothing like 5 HUSKER articles a day and 80,000 at the Spring Game to keep your attention. But that's not what this is about, this is about YOU voting on the new name for the blog!
Up until now, the blog has kind of lacked an identity. Some refer to it as the "support CC blog" (the address), some the "Tiger Hockey blog", and some "Colorado College Tiger Hockey" (blog). The "support..." address came about from the original purpose of the blog: class project to raise awareness about our sweet team. Now it's morphed into game stats, pics, vids and commentary on all things Tigers and WCHA hockey. I really want this thing to have a name and a brand of it's own that we can all embrace and support. I've thought up a few names for the blog and put them on the poll at left. If you have an idea (nothing is too cheezy!!) check "other" and put your suggestion in the comments section. Round one of voting will end June 1, after that I'll put the best names up on the poll and let fans vote until the end of August. The winning name will go in the address bar and on the new banner (which is already designed). I realize that traffic is LOW right now but please vote and tell your friend to vote as well. YOU will decide the new name for the blog!!!

* Thank you whomever corrected my MacNaughton "fauz pas", it's nice to know I've got copy editors out there reading the blog!

Owens must change style, not coaching address

By DAVID RAMSEY

If you remain baffled and angered by Colorado College's season-ending 3-1 loss to Michigan State, you're not alone.

Coach Scott Owens is hurting, too. He, like thousands of Tigers hockey fans, wonders how one of the best rides in CC history ended in an ugly wreck.

"It's tough, really tough," Owens said. "You know what? I still haven't let it go. I'm still bothered by it. I'm bothered by it because of the opportunity that we had. It's very tough. It's tougher than I had imagined.

"I really liked this team, and it was a really good team and all of a sudden it's done."

I've enjoyed a few good laughs since CC lost to Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at World Arena. I've laughed after reading e-mails and message boards that trumpeted this silly message:

Owens must go.

That's ridiculous. He's proven himself a master of the long dance known as the Western Collegiate Hockey Association season. He's won the WCHA regular-season title three times in the past six seasons.

Go? No way, but he must change.

He must grow as a coach. The emperor of the regular season must find a way to thrive in the games that matter most.

Owens understands how to build and motivate teams for the epic grind of the WCHA season.

He struggles to prepare for the nearly instant rewards - and punishments - of the NCAA Tournament, which concludes today and Saturday at Pepsi Center.

No way the Tigers should have lost to Michigan State. They enjoyed the luxury of home ice, where they had compiled an 18-2. They were more talented.

They lost anyway.

The loss follows a pattern for CC. Owens has coached five teams to winning percentages of 65 percent or higher. This season's team cruised to the WCHA Final Five with a 28-9-1 record.

Yet bad times in the NCAA often follow good times in the regular season. Owens has five wins, six losses in the tournament, where he's lost three straight times.

In the NCAA Tournament, defense rules. The game slows down, grows more violent. Grace and skill lose importance.

All this spells doom for the Tigers, who usually lack the required ingredient of intimidation. It's no accident Owens took his only trip to the Frozen Four in 2005 with Mark Stuart in the lineup.

Stuart, who plays for the Boston Bruins, offered a rare blend. He enjoyed reading Shakespeare, and he enjoyed knocking opponents silly on the ice.

He was skilled, but also supremely dangerous. He even frightened teammates with his wicked smack-downs in practice.

Owens needs to persuade another Stuart to skate for the Tigers. This won't be easy. Large, gifted defensemen are reluctant to transport their skills to the sprawling, Olympic-size ice at World Arena. They prefer to rumble in more cramped surroundings.

Still, Owens must try. He spent last week scouring the upper Midwest, seeking a player who could bring a more sinister touch to his Tigers.

Early this week, Owens still wasn't sure he would attend the Frozen Four. This makes sense. It's excruciating to stand there as a mere spectator when you should be in the fight for the title.

Hillen Makes His Mark

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)


CC's Hillen impresses in Islanders debut
By GREG LOGAN
SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE

UNIONDALE, N.Y. - There are easier ways to make your NHL debut than parachuting into the thick of the Islanders-Rangers rivalry, but that's what Colorado College defenseman Jack Hillen did Thursday at Nassau Coliseum. He went from playing Michigan State in the NCAA West Regional a week ago to playing defense for the Islanders against such Rangers stars as Jaromir Jagr and Chris Drury.

When he was fielding free-agent offers from NHL clubs, Hillen was anxious to test himself at the top level, and the Islanders were happy to provide it.

"If this was one way to try to get me to come here, it worked," Hillen said.

"I didn't really know until Sunday that this was a possibility. It snuck up on me pretty quickly. I'm a little nervous, but it's more excitement. I'll try not to make it that big of a deal, just enjoy it. Focus on the game, but also take in a little bit of the surroundings because this only happens once, playing your first NHL game."

With 17:51 left in the first period, Hillen took the ice with Radek Martinek in what ranked as the Islanders' top pairing against Drury's line. If he had jitters, it didn't show. Midway through the first period, Hillen made a deft cross-ice pass through traffic to spring forward Frans Nielsen open at the Rangers' blue line.

Hillen would log 20 shifts and 15:39 of ice time, and he wasn't on the ice for any of the Rangers' goals in their 3-0 win. He took his first penalty in a good cause stopping a dangerous rush by the Rangers' Ryan Callahan, and he added one shot, one hit and one takeaway. But it was his passing and poise that impressed Islanders captain Bill Guerin.

"Jack played as well as anybody I've ever seen in their first game, especially against your biggest rivals," Guerin said. "He just handled himself great."

Hillen's was one of many new faces in the Islanders' injury-depleted dressing room, but fellow Minnesota native Kyle Okposo, who made his NHL debut seven games earlier, was no stranger to him. They played against each other last season when Okposo was at the University of Minnesota. They're staying at a hotel adjacent to the Coliseum, and Okposo clued Hillen in on what to expect.

"He told me he was real nervous," Hillen said of Okposo's debut. "That's to be expected. If you weren't nervous, you'd be maybe not human. But the thing I keep thinking about is that a lot of players I've played against are doing well in the NHL. So, I know I can play up here. You just have to have confidence in your ability no matter where you're playing."

Those weren't empty words from Hillen. There was no hesitation in his passes or his decision-making. One of the Islanders' best power-play cycles came with him at the left point, controlling the flow and putting a shot on goal.

Asked if there was any sense of awe, Hillen answered firmly. "No, there was none. I'm not going to play scared out there."

NHL game No. 2 of his career is against the Rangers again tonight, but this time at Madison Square Garden, one of the loudest venues in the league. "I'm excited," Hillen said. "It's a historic building, and I'm looking forward to playing there. Plus, I would like to get a win in my first NHL experience. That's the most important thing."

Spoken like a pro.

More Hillen Signing Links
Newsday.com
NYI Fan Central
NY Post
FanBlog

What the NHL Should Change

With the Tigers out of the Frozen Four and the Avalanche battling down to the wire for the division title, I've been thinking a lot about the NHL: both good and bad. I've been formulating a list in my head about things I would love to see the league do to make it more entertaining, a la the WCHA. First, here are a few highlights of things I think they are doing right:

New Logo: I like the silver shield, it looks more modern, aggressive, and less like a construction sign.

4-on-4 OT: so much fun to watch the fastest 4 players from each team scream up and down the ice with the next goal being the game winner. The ice is more wide open, which alludes to a need-to-fix further down.

Shootouts: Nothing showed me the shootouts are entertaining more than at the West Regionals when hundreds of fans were clustered around a small TV to watch the Avs beat Edmonton, fun stuff and it adds uniqueness to the sport.

Things to change
1) UNIFORMS
I don't care what Reebok, sorry, RBK paid for these things, but they obviously didn't find professional designers to do most of them. Vertical stripes on hockey jerseys look ridiculous on most teams, Colorado and Edmonton to name a few. How come some teams like New Jersey and Detroit have almost no change, while other teams look stupid (some concepts were even worse!) The whole idea is dumb, hockey players aren't supposed to have tight uniforms and the whole concept of "new hip image" has made the NHL the laughing stock of the sports world. Even the AHL teams are victims.
On an Avalanche note: I wish the Avs would return to the more reddish color instead of flat maroon. The unis during the '96 season were a great color/shine combination. Of course, anything is better than the weird sleeve color combination now.

1.5) HOME TEAM IN WHITE/ALT.
Nothing can be good about the home team in dark if the reason was to sell more merchandise. NHL, fix this. We don't want to see the opponents in white every night, we want to see their colors. Plus, in a weird way, it looks like the home team is "highlighted" when in white. Whenever I play NHL '08 (with my custom Tigers team of course), I make sure to correct this problem.
If you want the home team to wear dark on occasion, bring back the 3rd jerseys. Those were fun

2) ICING
No-touch icing should be put in place immediately, like tomorrow. Something about seeing to grown men going full speed at a wall doesn't seem to safe to me. Plus, it wastes time and is boring to watch when one player casually skates after it. Think of how much extra time in the offensive zone a team would have if a clearing attempt was brought back as soon as it crossed the end-line?!

3) OLYMPIC ICE
For economic reasons this will never happen; all the new arenas are built for the smaller ice sheet. BUT, imagine how much more wide open it would be if there was that extra space on the ice? Look at CC play; more speed and more room to move at the World Arena. NHL players sometimes look like big kids playing in the sandbox on the NHL ice. The Olympics are always a ton of fun to watch because it's played on the bigger ice sheet.

4) RELOCATION
The NHL keeps whining about declining revenue. Well, quite putting teams where they don't belong! I know there are fans everywhere BUT, because of hockey's origins it would probably make sense to put teams where it actually snows once in a while! Here's my little plan

Teams to move or remove: Nashville, Atlanta, Tampa, Florida, Columbus and maybe a SoCal team

• Nashville has a cool logo, but can't sell tickets. Kansas City wants a team again so why not move a semi-established franchise into the new Sprint Center and see how they do. They would be a nice close rival to the Avalanche and provide the Midwest with an alternative to the pathetic Blues. If their fail, give em the axe
  
• Atlanta Thrashers: fold the team and call it a day. I would say relocate but the name and new uniform gets them the permanent axe.
• Tampa Lightning: had one good season and somehow won the Stanley Cup before the lockout, has quickly returned to the NHL basement. It might sound mean to do this to a warm-weather franchise but Canada needs more teams so off you go: either Quebec City or Winnipeg where hockey belongs.
• Florida Panthers: Are they still in the league? After Beezer in '96 they vanished, which they should. Expansion team didn't work out down there, see ya.
• Columbus Blue Jackets: Never understood why they put a team there, doesn't ring a bell as hockey land but they just appeared one day. BUT, if the NHL wants experiments, send em to Vegas where everyone claims a team is needed (the only exception to the "snow rule")
  
• Anaheim or LA: I know LA is big and can support two teams but it doesn't make sense for a struggling league to have two teams in one market. The Kings have the history and the name, the Ducks are a pretty good team now. So what do you do? Logic would say leave the tradition and send the newbies off to Canada (Quebec or Winnipeg, whoever didn't get one earlier) and risk betraying the fans. I'll go aggressive and send the Kings to Canada and leave the Los Angeles Ducks (or dare we say the Southern California Ducks)?
• Bonus-Phoenix Coyotes: They have the fan base, population, and facilities but remember this is a struggling league and Phoenix makes as much sense as Miami. We'll give Wayne a couple more years but he's been put on notice.

5) ORIGINAL CONFERENCE and DIVISION NAMES: Bring back names like the Norris Divsion and Prince of Whales Conference. Sounds kind of kooky but it adds a uniqueness and tradition to the sport and distinguishes it from all other U.S. sports that have geographic distinctions. Plus, you don't end up with weird division associations like Colorado and Minnesota in the Northwest and D.C. in the southeast.

There you go, axe two teams, move 2 back to the hockey homeland and try out hockey in Vegas and KC. Will any of this all happen? Nashville has the biggest chance, followed by Atlanta. The likely destination will be KC for the newest team and the Winnipeg area for the other.

There's my take, I'm sure I'll add to and tweak this throughout the week. If you want more "what should the NHL really be like"isms, check out ESPNHL that was dreamed up during the lockout.
~PCO

Tigers at the Frozen Four

Figured I would lend a hand to the guys over at the forums who are gathering in Denver for the Frozen Four. CCTig has a thread going on planning for the fans to meet, link here
and here's a comment I recieved on Monday's entry:
"Hey those of you thinking about going to the FF, don't forget that since our cc team ain't playing that "The Jimmy" is in the skills contest. So there is still hope for some reprieve! Have to check on the time but I believe it is Friday near the Hobey announcement time, maybe??? Lets try and go support him with some real CC cheer!"

The Skills Contest is Friday, April 11 at 5:30PM-tickets here

Hillen to the Pros

CC defenseman Hillen signs with Islanders

By KATE CRANDALL

Colorado College senior defenseman Jack Hillen signed a two-year contract with the New York Islanders on Tuesday.

Hillen, the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Defensive Player of the Year, is expected make his NHL debut Thursday and Friday in the Islanders’ final two games, a home-and-home series with the New York Rangers.

“I’m pretty excited and nervous,” said Hillen, who took a red-eye flight to New York on Monday and was in New York to watch the Islanders take on the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday. “I don’t quite know what to expect. But I’m just really happy with my decision to be part of the Islanders organization and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun in this next week getting used to some things and doing whatever I need to do next year to get back to the highest level. Who knows what’s going to happen, but I’m just happy to be here right now.”

As the nation’s top-scoring defenseman, Hillen finished second among all Tigers’ scorers with six goals and 31 assists. Hillen, who was undrafted, was also named first-team all-WCHA.

“Our whole staff is very excited for him,” CC coach Scott Owens said. “It’s nice to see a player be rewarded for doing it the right way. In four years, he put in his time. He improved, he developed, he had a great senior year and then he had the opportunity to sign a pro contract. . . . We’re thrilled.”

Hillen will see a familiar face when he skates for the first time with the Islanders today. Former Minnesota forward Kyle Okposo made headlines when he gave up his final 2½ seasons of eligibility in December to sign with the Islanders.

“We are very proud that Jack made the decision to join the Islanders,” general manager Garth Snow said in a statement. “He was one of the prized college free agents for good reason. He is an excellent puck-moving defenseman and our scouting staff is really impressed by his competitive spirit.”

At Least We're Not the Cubs

Thanks to Grubinbox on the forums for that headline. Despite the Tigers' disappointing finish, there are a lot of things to take from the season; both accomplishments and experience.
1) The Tigers won their 9th McNaughton Cup and first outright regular season title since 2002-03, giving them the most steady regular season of any team in the country.
2) The Gold Pan remained in the Springs for the second consecutive season after winning the season series against DU 3-1. Denver has been a strong program worth using as a measuring stick, and the Tigers scored very highly.
3) Returning to the Final Five: despite a poor showing, the Tigers returned to the Excel Center after a 2 year hiatus and gave most of the team valuable post-season experience. Have to build a strong foundation to win that first Broadmoor Trophy.
4) Return to the NCAA Tournament: The Tigers got to play at home for the first game of the tourney; a very unique opportunity that most teams don't get. Again, the team gained a ton of experience despite being destined to lose the game, no matter how many shots they took!
5) DU still sux: despite what bragging rights their fans thing they have earned with the Broadmoor Trophy, the fact is the McNaughton Cup is much harder to win. DU's Trophy: 4 wins, CC's Trophy: 26 Wins
More to come