Lets the Puck Go By

Ordinarily I'm a fervent supporter of Gopher athletics. But this email, which was dropped in my inbox this morning, just pisses me off.

Minnesota has long been known as having the best fans in college hockey and
that spirit was evident once again last weekend when you helped make Mariucci
Arena a tremendous atmosphere for our series against Wisconsin. Our team is
incredibly appreciative of your support, but I must express my disappointment of
the vulgar language directed at the Wisconsin team.

We certainly don’t want Mariucci Arena to be an easy place for visiting teams to play. However, such chants as “F--- the Badgers” don’t belong in the college game. We often hear those types of chants directed towards us when we visit other WCHA arenas and I’m saddened when I hear our great fans going to that level. Adding vulgarity to our cheers does little to intimidate the opponent, it only reflects poorly on us.

Let’s keep the energy level high at Mariucci Arena as our team marches
towards the postseason. But let’s also keep it a place where families and
visiting fans see the way we support our Gophers by cheering with
class.

Thank you for your incredible support again this season. We have four
regular season home games left and, hopefully, several playoff games. We’ll do
our best on the ice and we hope you continue to do your best to prove you’re the
best fans in college hockey.

-Coach Don Lucia

While I agree with Coach Lucia (or whoever wrote this email for him) that chants like "Fuck the Badgers" are uninspired and classless, doesn't he have bigger fish to fry at the moment? Getting swept out of your arena by one of your most hated rivals is pretty humiliating, as well as getting pounded by Cindy Brady State and the Sewage on the road. Minnesota has long had one of the most loyal and supportive fan bases in all of hockey, but we are so often left unrewarded.

Take the Wild for instance. Riding a home sell out streak since Day one which includes even the exhibition games, Risenborough and the ownership still like to pretend we are a small market team, and need to go bargain basement on our talent. We wait to resign Backstrom, possibly missing the boat on him. We fuck the dog of the Gaborik deal, and then refuse to pony up a little cash to get some more offense instilled in our system (I'm sure AEGA can speak more to this). This is total bull shit. We all know there's a recession, but really, the Wild are swimming in cash. Isn't it time for the ownership to open the piggy bank and bring us some real talent?

Or look at the Gophers. While I have little issue to take with Lucia or his staff (who I'm sure had little to do with this email), I do have some problems with the way the administration has treated the student body. In my four year career as a student at the U, I was treated as little more than a barnackle leaching from the athletics department. Whether it is the unreasonable cavity searches we are subjected to at all sporting events, the disdain students are treated with when expressing a willingness to travel with the team, or the refusal to award loyalty points based on student season tickets sales, the sports leadership has been dreadful at fostering support in Dinkytown. The athletic department is owed nothing by the students which gobble up tickets to watch our shitty football team blow it against our hated rivals week in and week out, or our hockey team underpeform like a bunch of hyper-talented, spoiled children.

I have, and always will continue to support Gopher athletics. But it sickens me when this school to whom many students have given so much turns around and slaps down them like this. Shove it up your ass Fun Bobby, Maturi and whoever else thought this letter was a good idea, and be happy we weren't chanting your name instead!