#-1: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: -1). Went to Friday's Hockey City Classic. It was cold and afterwards I hung out at a Dinkytown restaurant where I got jostled by this drunk girl who jumped into the arms of her male friend, who didn't care that he bumped into me. Whatever -- it was cool! I may never do it again, but it was cool!
The Gophers won that game on a muffed save by the Ohio St. Goalie, but we'll take it. The next day, as part of Hockey Day In Minnesota, they completed the sweep of the Buckeyes by winning at Mariucci, 4-2. The special tournaments continue as they play at Xcel this weekend for the inaugural North Star College Cup; they play St. Cloud St. Friday for a potential championship Saturday night. I might go, but it's going to snow Friday night and it'll be cold Saturday.
#-2: Vikings (Re-Entry!). Hiring a new Head Coach usually isn't good enough to warrant the second spot in the WMNSS, but all the other teams had choppy weeks. Plus, the reviews of the new hire have been really good.
Mike Zimmer, NFL lifer and longtime Defensive Coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals, certainly has paid his dues. And from all the tweets when the news came out late Tuesday night that he is the ninth Head Coach of the Vikings, the players care for him, played for him, and am glad he's finally getting his shot at the big time. (Plus, since he's a widow after his wife died suddenly four years ago, there is a lot of sentiment coming his way.)
What sticks out about his personality is that he is profane. I'm not usually a guy who likes people who swear at me, but I'm a big believer that your new HC has to be diametrically different from your old HC in tangible ways. And while I like Leslie Frazier's calm demeanor, it sure didn't seem like his players were playing for him on the field, especially this and the 2011 seasons, when they lost ten games or more.
But what really intrigues me is the hire of Norv Turner as Offensive Coordinator. He was not a good Head Coach, but he may have rebounded from his bout against the Peter Principle and found his equilibrium. I really do like the fact that a former HC is a coordinator ... and yes, that includes Mike Singletary being here the previous two years.
#-3: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -5). Won at home against ranked (though falling) Ohio St., then basically pissed themselves in the second half and got blown out at Iowa. I was at the gym that game Sunday afternoon and saw the Goofs go on a, like, 13-1 run near the end of the second half. What the fuck happened?
Playing at home against Wisconsin now; that's why I'm in a rush to finish this survey. They then visit Nebraska.
#-4: Swarm (Last Week: -7). Home-and-home against Philadelphia, where each team lost at home. The fact they got blown out at the X 15-8 does not portend good things. Sorry, that's all I've got. They are dark till February 1, when they visit Colorado.
#-5: Timberwolves (Last Week: -6). Swept a home-and-home against Utah, but lost to Toronto and, humiliatingly, home to Sacramento. They need to be consistent in beating the teams they need to beat at home first; that's the first sign you've got a good team. They finish their four-game road trip with games versus Golden State, Portland and Chicago.
#-6: Wild (Last Week: -3). Split the home-and-home against The Team That Was Stolen From Us. They also beat Edmonton but lost to Ottawa. They are below the Woofs because the Mild had three home games and went 1-2 while the Woofie Dogs had two home games and went 1-1 -- and, by process of elimination, the Mild went 0-1 on the road while the Dogs went 1-1 on the road. The Goaltender carousel continues as C-stringer Darcy Kuemper stepped inbetween the pipes this week. This week: home to Chicago, then a tough four-game roadtrip that starts in San Jose.
#-7: Gopher wrestling (Last Week: -2). Well the Gopher grapplers continue to roll long with wins against Michigan St. and Mich ... what, they lost to Michigan?!?!?! What the fuck?!?!?! Oh, this is a shocking development, a horrible, terrible development!!! And this week they have to go to Iowa. When's the last time this program has had a losing streak?
#-8: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -4). Should two overtime losses equal one moral victory? Probably not, especially if there are no other teams that went winless. Both losses (against Nebraska and Indiana) were on the road; is that a mitigating circumstance? OK, OK, I should just ask: Shouldn't we just pull the plug on Pam Borton's tenure here? This week: Home to Wisconsin, then at Penn St.
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