0:01
And the pass by Barabal was behind Wheeler, who dives and scores!
0:32
Oh, poked away by Yowes.
0:33
Flynn gets it anyway.
0:53
This is The GPL Podcast, part of the Pulltab Sports family.
1:02
You know, a good recruiting tip is like, we're trying to get a good drinker out here.
1:11
Eat that, Schloff.
1:12
Eat that, Drew.
1:18
You know, it was good to see that the Big Ten Network recognized how to cover hockey.
1:28
The over-under for this game, it's seven.
1:31
Over!
1:34
Hammer!
1:34
Here's the hammer.
1:35
Hammer!
1:36
Hammer in the over!
1:38
Now, here's Jupiter and Vigo.
1:50
Good evening, and welcome to The GPL Podcast, Season Finale, and episode number 265.
1:59
Well, Veegs, I did a little tribute to Frank Mazzocco at the beginning there, playing some familiar clips, maybe some less familiar clips, but I thought I just had to lead the show off with little Frank Mazzocco.
2:11
Yeah, it's a sad day for a lot of Gopher fans, losing the voice that they've probably always known.
2:16
I was just thinking about that.
2:20
Frank has called just about every big Gopher game I've ever watched or listened to on the radio or on TV, and it'll be sad to see him go.
2:28
It's been fun to get to know him a little bit more over the years, as we have dived into our coverage, but a Gopher legend in himself.
2:38
Well, we've got another kind of newer legend, that's all you hockey hair people might know.
2:43
It's on the show tonight of Pulltab Sports, John King.
2:48
I know, John, you're a big fan of Frank Mazocco as well.
2:52
What a legend, man.
2:57
Uh-oh, you're on mute, man.
3:02
Technology.
3:04
We just heard him a second ago.
3:05
Oh, look at that.
3:08
He's not muted, is he, Veeves?
3:09
I don't have him muted.
3:11
And he just left.
3:13
Let's talk more about him.
3:14
All right.
3:15
Well, we'll get him back.
3:17
I do want to talk more about Frank.
3:18
He made the announcement just after the season, Veeves.
3:22
He didn't do the rego because of his 50-year anniversary with his wife of marriage.
3:31
And like you said, he is kind of the voice of our gopher hockey, especially somebody like you and me.
3:38
I first started watching kind of in the 80s.
3:40
You know, I was here and there.
3:43
And in the late 80s, I really started watching a lot.
3:46
And it was great.
3:47
So give me your initial thoughts while I bring Kinger back in here.
3:52
Well, I think I remember him doing TV with Wally Shaver, like when I first started getting into gopher hockey.
3:59
And, you know, I think it was really cool.
4:02
Over the last couple of years, he's been at media availabilities pretty much every week doing his interviews.
4:07
He's almost been asking us for some feedback on things.
4:11
And I've been on the intermission for games every once in a while, which has been a lot of fun to do with Frank.
4:18
And, you know, he's he said, you know, there's a lot of enthusiasm that's required to do the job well.
4:25
And he's going out on top.
4:27
Unfortunately, they couldn't end it with a frozen four trip this year.
4:30
But what can you do?
4:33
All right, Kinger, can you hear us now?
4:36
There you are.
4:37
You're a little muffled, but tell us, give us your thoughts on Frank.
4:42
I think he's the best there is.
4:43
I mean, those two guys are go for hockey.
4:48
The sound of it and all of my best moments.
4:52
And with Lou Nanny leaving and now Frank, it's like it's going to be decades before you have that kind of emotional connection for the next guys.
5:04
Yeah, tip of the hat to Frank for sure.
5:07
Yeah, and obviously that's why I played all those highlights.
5:09
We've had Frank on so many, we've had Frank on like, I want to say 10 times.
5:13
He was our very first guest on our second show over 13 years ago.
5:21
I thought about asking him to come on, but you know what, he'd done so much stuff already.
5:24
I'm like, you know what, that interview he had with Mike Grimm was awesome, it'd be hard to top that.
5:34
So I'm like, we'll just let Frank ride off into the sunset like he wants to do.
5:39
And I think he's on a well-earned vacation.
5:41
He was even doing the voice at the Frozen Four in the press box announcing goals.
5:45
So he's still working even though the Gophers weren't there.
5:49
He was, unfortunately he couldn't make the us-chill party Friday night.
5:54
Veegs, you went to Cancun, that's why, you know, I see Brever here.
6:00
Why is Vigo tan?
6:01
Yeah, I had to go play a little golf with the Iguanas and the Gators and the Mexican raccoons.
6:11
It was a good little trip down south.
6:14
You know, I ran into Bob Motzko coming back from Mexico.
6:19
Oh, really?
6:20
I think he had the same idea to get a little getaway down south after his team bowed out.
6:26
We got back at the same time on Sunday night because he was right back at work this week with the Gophers trying to finalize everything on the roster.
6:35
We'll get on to that a little bit.
6:37
Definitely get into that a little bit.
6:39
And then, Kinger, you were at the Frozen Four all weekend, but did you, were you just traveling as well?
6:44
So you, after the Frozen Four, you went and did a quick little trip?
6:46
What's going on with you?
6:47
I went down to Hilton Head.
6:50
They got that big tournament, the Heritage.
6:53
And I did get to meet some, a few pros.
6:57
I met Shane Lowry, Tommy Fleetwood, who's got some nice hair, and a couple Canadians and Cam Young.
7:06
It was pretty cool.
7:07
So my, my golf game might be getting better.
7:11
And you two both golfed with each other at the last Frozen Four, didn't you, in Tampa?
7:19
You sure did.
7:20
And you lost your phone in a moment.
7:21
Are you involved or something like that?
7:23
I might have paid an Uber guy $50 to bring my phone back to the course, yes.
7:33
Veegs, Denver does it again.
7:41
I mean, I was in the MNCAA tourney pool this year, and I picked every game right except for the Gophers' BU game.
7:51
So I tied for first to that pool.
7:54
And Denver was my champion because I believe that David Karl is one of the best college hockey coaches at making adjustments and keeping his team calm through tight moments.
8:06
You know, as we saw last year in the tournament, you know, Denver was under pressure and behind, and they just stuck to it, stuck to it, stuck to it, and were able to produce when it mattered.
8:17
Same thing happened this year.
8:18
You know, they played a lot of low scoring games to get to the championship game and win it, and they never panicked.
8:25
I didn't expect Denver to get the good goaltending like they got this year.
8:31
Some spectacular saves, especially in the championship game.
8:34
That one save that Davis made was just amazing.
8:39
It was.
8:39
Kayer, your thoughts on the Frozen 4?
8:42
Obviously sad.
8:43
There was no Minnesota teams there, but still a fun time all around, isn't it?
8:48
It's a great event.
8:50
You know, one of our guys was filming and he got like 45 out of the 65 college hockey jerseys on night one, and it's kind of like the state fair of college hockey.
9:04
It's just a great event.
9:05
I mean, I've been to three in a row, got St.
9:08
Louis and Vegas coming up.
9:11
I'm into it, man.
9:12
And there was 80 degrees sitting outside, smorgas.
9:16
Apparently that bar can just, it's like a new Dorothy Day Center.
9:20
You can just drink wherever you want and wander around out front of the X.
9:25
It was pretty great.
9:26
Even though Boston College got beat in the end, it was still a great time.
9:31
Well, I think the Frozen Four was once again of an example where young talent can't always get you through the four games.
9:41
And we've seen that year in and year out with the Big Ten teams who have a bunch of first and second round picks that are counted on to come through in these big games.
9:51
And they're not always able to do it.
9:53
It's these teams that maybe have a couple of those guys, but they're surrounded by players who have been through it.
10:00
They don't have to be 25, 26 years old, but they have to be experienced players who can play consistently.
10:08
And I always think that's the difference between these talented kids who are the high prospects.
10:20
Who the Hobie voters want to give it to Fantilly, and this year to Celebrini.
10:25
And I think being able to tie shifts and never lose shifts is a valuable skill at this time of year.
10:30
And that's why you see some of these teams winning championships, and maybe why others fall just a little bit short.
10:38
And shut out Boston College Vs.
10:41
Quite a feat.
10:43
I mean, obviously, Dave Davis had a great third period was a 23 saves, 20 plus saves in the third period.
10:51
Obviously, the miracle one and you keep thinking, you just put the puck on the ice, it goes right in the net.
10:57
But you always just want to bury it.
10:59
It's always going to go up.
11:00
Hits him on the wrist.
11:05
I was in the press box at that time.
11:07
Everybody's leaning back, just kind of went, oh, my gosh, what just happened?
11:12
Similar to, you know, a bootcrossing, oh, my god, type of thing.
11:17
As you mentioned, it was quite the same.
11:19
And it, it essentially, somebody said on Twitter, it made the game three, nothing, essentially, when he made that save.
11:26
Because once he did, the game seemed to be over.
11:29
Well, if you're BC, you're thinking, what else do we need to do?
11:33
And I think that frustration kind of comes into it.
11:36
And your players start doing things maybe a little bit extra when maybe something more simple is all you need to get it done.
11:43
And I think we saw a couple times where big goals don't always come from pretty plays.
11:48
They come from shooting through traffic, using screens, slowing the game down sometimes and getting players to overcommit.
11:55
You know, those are all valuable skills that you learn through experience.
12:01
What was your favorite moment of the Frozen Four, Kinger?
12:05
Was it meeting people, was it the drinking, was it the fun, was it the games, was it that save?
12:11
I have to say it was Boston College beating Michigan.
12:17
Michigan, three years in a row I've gone down to a Big Ten final or a semi-final this year.
12:25
Same result all three times.
12:30
Michigan has become a real rival to the Gophers and seeing my alma mater kind of neutralize them and get a goal one minute in.
12:40
Is there anything better than having your team score like a minute in?
12:45
You feel like you're watching a TV show you've already seen before.
12:48
There's no stress.
12:49
It's like a rerun.
12:50
It was great.
12:51
So yeah, disposing of the Wolverines was pretty great.
12:56
We've got a question here from Puckhound.
12:57
Why didn't BC pull their goalie with the late power play?
13:01
I'm surprised they didn't pull their goalie earlier, Veegs, just because they hadn't gotten anything going and they needed just some.
13:09
You just need a spark, really, Veegs.
13:10
And I thought they just waited way too long down by two and doing nothing the whole game.
13:16
The hindsight 2020 always comes into play here because I heard a lot of people talk about Minnesota.
13:22
And we're talking about it live, so well, I've heard a lot of people talk about Minnesota pulled their goalie so early against BU, and it's that same kind of thing.
13:30
You're trying to balance being aggressive with maybe finding the right situation.
13:37
And Greg Brown's a good coach.
13:39
Like he knows what he's doing.
13:40
He's probably one of the up and comers in college hockey right now.
13:43
And you just want to wait for that right moment.
13:46
Maybe it's because the opponent has their veteran players out on the ice.
13:50
Maybe you think everybody's fresh and it's not a good situation for you.
13:54
You know, there's so many factors that go into pulling the goalie.
13:57
You want to try to do it when you have a good possession, the other team's tired, or you have a favorable matchup for yourself if you're going to do it early.
14:05
If you don't have those things going, it's tough to do it.
14:10
You mentioned Sioux Falls.
14:11
Let's get back to the Gophers and not getting out of the Sioux Falls regional.
14:16
You know, we had a quick 15-minute podcast after each of them, a little video summary.
14:22
So Gophers, come back, defeat Omaha in what was a rough and tumble game.
14:28
I think you were, you know, it's a very tight, solid checking game, Biggs.
14:33
And then get out to an early lead against BU, can't hold on to it.
14:39
And then, you know, obviously a couple of empty net goals, that makes it look a lot worse than it actually was.
14:44
What were your thoughts on the entire St.
14:46
Falls Regional?
14:48
Well, I thought the Omaha game showed that Minnesota has the ability to hold on to pucks under pressure and make plays and make the hard plays and not give the other team offense.
14:59
You know, I think we talked about in some of the postgame stuff.
15:02
That's something they didn't do against Quinnipiac last year.
15:05
I know that's like a curse word here and we don't want to revisit that game, but you have to have players be able to hold on to pucks as long as they can protect it and make plays.
15:15
And for them to be able to do that against Omaha was encouraging to me.
15:21
What happened the next game against BU is a couple goals they'd like back.
15:27
Bingo.
15:28
You know, I thought they played okay.
15:31
I think the third period, there was just kind of a stress to the team.
15:35
You know, we talked about how the more Snuggerud-Pitlick line kind of disappeared.
15:41
The last stretch of the season, you know, Snuggerud was dealing with some injury stuff coming down the stretch.
15:47
I think Pitlick was kind of in a, you know, a down of his roller coaster season where he didn't have a lot of confidence.
15:55
And I think they're leaning on Oliver Moore to do a lot on that line.
16:00
And Matzko was trying to split them up and figure out a way to get more offense than just the Jackson Nelson line.
16:06
They just couldn't find it.
16:07
And I think, you know, if this team has a Logan Cooley or Matthew Nye's back on that roster, there's enough of that veteran presence to get through a night like that.
16:18
But as we've seen this year, when the Gophers have been down late, it wasn't like last season.
16:24
They didn't have the veteran guys who could produce in those moments.
16:28
They didn't have the defensemen who could generate offense.
16:31
You know, if you have a Jackson Lecombe out there at the end of the game, you can win every game and tie it up.
16:37
They don't have that this year.
16:39
Rinzel, Chesley have growth ahead of them.
16:43
And that game was just kind of a microscope on that development.
16:47
So Kenya, the season ends and Sioux Falls wasn't much later that we were expecting Snuggerud's sign he's going to be playing in St.
16:55
Louis a night or two later or whatever it was going to be and then we get the news he's coming back.
17:02
How do you feel about that?
17:04
Was that kind of a shocker to you?
17:05
Well, you know, I was actually quite pleased because that in the regional he was quiet and he I always say you have to dominate your level to leave.
17:16
I mean, you have to be dominating your level and there's times when he does and times when he doesn't and it looks like he's got a little friend coming from UConn, which could be pretty interesting.
17:30
So I think he made the right choice.
17:33
I think it's the golden age of college hockey right now with Celebrini and Fantilly and, you know, Leonard's going to stay from Boston College, probably Will Smith.
17:43
This is like what college basketball used to be 15 years ago.
17:48
The best players, the future of the NHL in the NCAA.
17:53
It's awesome.
17:54
So I'm happy, Stan.
17:57
Veegs on Thursday afternoon, you and I were walking to see some people around the arena.
18:01
We run into Don Lucia and one of the things he said to us is he personally was shocked that Snuggerud didn't sign.
18:09
He always kind of used it, you know, it always seems like when those superstars have a down part of the end of the season, they're gone.
18:18
And it just wasn't like that.
18:19
So he, he's been around the hockey forever.
18:21
To have the Don shocked, that's got to say something.
18:26
Don seen a lot of guys who are already checked out in February.
18:31
And that's what happens because they've got so many people in their ear, you know, when the season ends, do you think you can sign right away so you can get your games played or maybe the agent is saying, Hey, I want to make sure we get that year burned on your contract.
18:44
So let's let's be ready to go here and have your mind made up.
18:47
Don't, you know, have one foot in one foot out.
18:50
We want to be quick on that stuff.
18:52
And then the players aren't focused on what their current situation is right in front of them.
18:57
And I think for Snuggerud to make that decision that he wants to come back is probably best for his development.
19:04
I mean, we saw a lot of rookies in the NHL this year that came in early, pick up injuries and struggle defensively.
19:11
You know, look at the plus minus of Bedard, Logan Cooley.
19:15
Not great.
19:16
You know, look at the injuries those guys have picked up this season.
19:20
When you go up a level, you better be ready to play because there's a lot of professionals out there who want to make their money and they're going to be hard every shift.
19:30
And if you're not ready for that physically, mentally, it's going to be a tough step.
19:35
And he did.
19:36
Snuggerud got the advice he did mention the advice from Faber and Faber was kind of neutral, sounds like from according to Snuggerud, he got the advice from Faber or Veegs.
19:47
And maybe Dinkytown Athletes and NIL had something to do with it as well.
19:52
Yeah, Dinkytown Athletes definitely did step forward to help convince Snuggerud to come back and give him a little incentive.
19:59
And for all the people that think he's going to pull a Cooley and sign midsummer and go to the blues, that's not going to happen in this case.
20:08
I know the NIL deal that he's got signed doesn't really come into play if he signs.
20:16
I think he learned from what happened last year with Cooley leaving and leaving the Gophers in a bad spot.
20:23
He's not going to do that because he's learned how that impacts a team and a program.
20:28
Because if someone leaves in August, you're not replacing Jimmy Snuggerud.
20:33
And now you've got a program that added Matthew Wood, who is probably in college kind of a caliber of scorer as Snuggerud.
20:42
So now you've got two of those guys coming back next year, essentially from Minnesota.
20:45
They're going to be in great shape.
20:48
So a quick wrap up of the season for you, Veegs.
20:52
Very definitely roller coaster at times.
20:55
I think the team needed to play more games like they did against Omaha.
21:01
That was the style that was going to get them to a championship.
21:04
They were not going to be a favorite this year.
21:07
They just didn't have the high end talent.
21:09
I don't think Rinzel and Chesley were at the level of favor in Lacombe.
21:15
And that's what made last year's team so dangerous.
21:17
They were such a five man unit in the offensive zone.
21:20
This year's team was not like that at all.
21:23
They're missing a lot of play drivers.
21:26
You know, we talked about Matthew Nyes last year who could just take over shifts and draw the attention from the other team.
21:33
And then they would connect and connect and connect.
21:36
And that would wear other teams down.
21:37
This year's team was very much, you know, just pop and score and not drive, play and dominate.
21:44
So it was a it was a tough year because I think expectations were so high with the Frozen Four and St.
21:49
Paul.
21:51
But it just didn't come together with style and development.
21:56
What's on the season, Kanger?
22:01
It was kind of a B, I would say, you know, I'm happy they beat Omaha in that first game and seeing the old guys perform so well, the fifth year guys almost got to St.
22:16
Paul.
22:16
You know, the the goaltending was a little weird in that last game and saw signs from Renzell and I don't I considering what they had and they didn't have as much.
22:29
We buzzed the tower.
22:31
So I wasn't it wasn't miserable.
22:35
And I'm excited about next year.
22:38
I do think the big surprise this year was how dominant Jackson Nelson was down the stretch.
22:44
He really played like a dominating player.
22:48
And if he just had a little more help, this could have been a special finish to him.
22:53
You know, with him signing with the Bruins should be a great fit for him.
22:56
You know, he's got that pro kind of body and that pro game.
23:01
I'm anxious to see how he does with the Bruins organization.
23:07
All right.
23:07
So not a terrible season.
23:09
A little disappointing gets me looking forward to next year.
23:14
But now we before we go on, we're going to talk about a lot about the portal next.
23:18
We need to hear from our sponsors and let's start with Jake Middleton.
23:21
He knows what's going on.
23:25
Jake Middleton here, Director of Hair and Hygiene for the Minnesota Wild.
23:29
How did I get this important role with the team, you ask?
23:32
I'd like to think it was because of hard work.
23:34
But the truth is, I run hot.
23:36
Yep, I'm a sweater.
23:40
In my role as Director of Hair and Hygiene, I'm sort of like a player coach.
23:44
Let me pull out the grease board here.
23:46
Well, it's not actually a grease board, because there is nothing dirty about Duke Cannon.
23:52
How do I help the guys stay squeaky clean?
23:54
Helpful reminders.
23:55
It's simple.
23:56
Tarp saw, Duke Cannon up.
23:58
Say it with me.
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24:02
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24:07
Sawtooth, thick body wash, extra thick.
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And my favorite, midnight swim.
24:17
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24:20
Duke Cannon, work harder, smell better.
24:24
And of course, we cannot forget about Cub Foods, VEGZ, one of my favorite places to get my cinnamon doughnut holes.
24:35
And it's almost like grilling season now.
24:37
So if you're into grilling and you're looking for something to put on there, they've got these pub burgers now at Cub.
24:43
Definitely seek those out.
24:45
You know, they're all aboard the Pulltab Sports wagon.
24:48
They sponsor the Wildland Southern Pod.
24:50
They sponsor Twins Homer Hankies.
24:52
It's baseball season now.
24:53
They're on PJ Flex headset.
24:55
They're in spring ball right now.
24:57
Cub's one of us and they support all of us as well, including The GPL Podcast.
25:01
Visit your local Cub.
25:03
They're all over the place.
25:04
You can go online to cub.com.
25:06
You can get pickup.
25:07
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25:10
I always know when I'm going to Cub, they're going to have what I want.
25:13
It's going to be in stock.
25:15
So check out Cub, cub.com.
25:18
And of course, we thank Cub and Duke Cannon for being sponsors of The GPL Podcast.
25:23
Let's bring Kinger back in.
25:24
I got to say, Kinger, the Duke Cannon outtakes for Jake Milton that you guys put out a couple of weeks ago.
25:33
Solid as hell.
25:36
He's the absolute best.
25:38
I mean, that's a guy that every time you see him, he just starts smiling.
25:43
He's like a cowboy, you know.
25:46
I love him.
25:46
You think he's like 35 too, but he's in that age group with.
25:51
He's in like 26 or whatever.
25:54
I mean, he's young, but he just looks like a big butchie mustache fiends.
25:58
For sure.
25:59
In the lack of teeth and the simple outfits.
26:02
He just kind of feels old school.
26:04
He's the kind of guy that goes on the road.
26:06
He has three shirts, three pairs of jeans, and one blazer.
26:09
And Jake Middleton is Ben's hero.
26:14
So that's good.
26:16
Folk hero.
26:18
Hey, I got a question.
26:21
What?
26:21
I want to do a question for you guys.
26:24
So how do you...
26:25
Denver gets ten, okay?
26:29
Double digits.
26:30
Michigan's got nine.
26:32
We're supposed to be a blue blood college hockey team.
26:36
We have five, right?
26:39
What's the recipe?
26:40
Denver was the second youngest team, I think.
26:43
They had 12 freshmen.
26:45
Carl says he gets second rounders and doesn't have a lot of first rounders.
26:50
Second through seventh rounders stay.
26:53
I don't even know.
26:54
How do you get over the hump?
26:56
Because otherwise, it's an unsatisfying season.
26:59
What do you think the recipe is?
27:01
Veegs, before you jump in here, Carl talked about all season, how they kind of sort of slowly adjusted their game, started playing more defensive.
27:12
And you look at the tournament, they allowed three goals total.
27:16
Yes, Davis made some great saves, but their team defense was great.
27:20
And they probably sacrificed their number one offense to play that more disciplined defensive style in the playoffs and at the end of the season.
27:32
Well, and I think one thing about Carl is he recruits fit.
27:35
He's looking for players with the right kind of character to listen to that message and buy into the team concept.
27:42
And while they do have ten titles as an institution, I don't think half of those count because it was all 25 and 26 year old Canadians coming over the border to play at Denver and get that pricey education there.
27:55
So it's kind of a different era of college hockey.
27:59
You know, I've looked at college hockey performance since they've gone to the 16 tournament.
28:05
And yes, they're successful now, but I think that number of ten is kind of a phantom number a little bit.
28:12
Similar to Michigan though, too.
28:13
Michigan did the same thing.
28:16
You know, they were also going for the older kids.
28:18
You know, when John Mariucci looked at Minnesota and said, I want American kids, I want young kids, I want college kids.
28:24
I don't want these failed major junior players coming in and beating up on everybody else.
28:29
That's just not what I believe in.
28:31
So kind of different philosophies.
28:33
But I think this current Denver iteration is what college hockey teams need to figure out how to do is get these experienced players to stick around for a few years and play as a team and learn to play these tight games.
28:48
They have got great goaltending.
28:51
That's often a difference maker.
28:52
I think recruiting college goalies is a dark art because a lot of times the highly ranked goalies, the 6'4, 6'5 guys, aren't ready to play college hockey on time.
29:05
And so you need to develop a goalie somehow and find the right one.
29:10
And Carl has been able to do it.
29:11
And Quazdeki was able to do it as well.
29:16
The portal is going crazy, Biggs.
29:20
We've had our guy keeping track of the portal.
29:22
It's hard for him to keep track because he's got a normal job.
29:25
We've got Brad Schlossman doing a great job keeping track of it as well.
29:29
We've been fortunate this year, we're the only place that does the women's portal.
29:33
So I've actually had players contact me, three or four female players saying, oh, you got a number wrong.
29:39
I have this year eligibility.
29:41
So they're watching this portal.
29:44
And as part of that, Minnesota essentially lost three, but actually kind of lost a fourth today.
29:50
We've got Pino Nimi, Strobel, and Fish early.
29:55
Pino Nimi just picked up by Omaha today.
29:57
Fish go into Providence.
29:59
And then today after we pick up Souliere, Barto Skavich decides to enter the portal himself.
30:10
The portal is nuts.
30:12
It is nuts.
30:13
And I don't know if Barto is for sure going to go somewhere else.
30:19
I think the coaching staff kind of said, hey, look, we really like Aerie.
30:24
We like him as a goalie.
30:25
We think he projects to be a starter for us.
30:29
Souliere is coming in to give him competition this year.
30:33
And that's kind of the combo we're looking at for next year.
30:37
They do have a spot for him if he still wants to come back to Minnesota.
30:41
You know, he kind of sacrificed his junior hockey career by leaving midseason to help out Minnesota and LaFontaine bailed for Carolina.
30:50
Yep.
30:50
So if he decides to come back, I do think there's a spot for him.
30:55
It's just he's not going to be, you know, number two and getting starts.
30:59
You know, he's going to have to battle and wait for the guys that had him to fail if that's going to be his net.
31:05
So the portal is complicated because I think some of these guys, you look at all these players who play in the CCHA and Atlantic Hockey and Independence, when they have success, they have the opportunity to play for the big schools.
31:22
And it's hard to fault those kids getting that shot.
31:25
Like they have proven themselves.
31:27
You have these players on these good teams who aren't getting ice time, like Pino Mini and Strobel, and they're going to look for a place to play.
31:36
You know, they've invested a lot of their life trying to get ready to play college hockey.
31:40
And when they get to a spot that they thought they wanted to be in the ice times out there, you know, I don't think it's them bailing on the school.
31:50
And not battling through adversity.
31:53
It's a reality that they're behind.
31:55
And they've got to go somewhere else if they want to play.
31:57
Because if they stay, they're kind of waiting for injuries to get ice time.
32:03
And then Fish is using his graduate year to go out to Providence.
32:08
And that's actually a great place for him to land, isn't it?
32:11
Yeah, I think so.
32:12
I think after the season, Fish was kind of maybe ready to be done with college hockey and wasn't intending to go in the portal.
32:19
And the coaching staff kind of said, hey, I'm sorry, we don't have a spot for you.
32:22
We've promised spots and scholarship money to guys coming in.
32:27
But we really think you should play another year if you can and want to.
32:30
And he changed his mind, goes in the portal immediately.
32:34
Providence picks him up.
32:35
You know, that's a great hockey school with a great coach behind their bench and a good opportunity for him.
32:40
You know, I think he just maybe needs to play in a situation where there's not so much pressure maybe on himself and sometimes going away from home is a good way to do that.
32:51
So what do you think of this crazy portal, Kanger?
32:54
Well, the cat's out of the bag.
32:56
It's not going anywhere, I guess.
32:58
Yep.
32:59
It's one of those things.
33:00
It's like you hate it some days and then all of a sudden you're watching Matthew Wood highlights on YouTube and it's a blessing and a curse.
33:12
And I don't blame the kids either, any kid that has opportunity.
33:16
I mean, that's the reality today.
33:17
We got NIL, we have the portal, and it's a new day.
33:22
So people are going to take care of themselves and try to play hockey.
33:25
That's what they want to do.
33:27
So we kind of anticipated Matthew Wood coming over.
33:31
That was kind of the big rumor when he jumped into the portal early Veegs.
33:36
What do you know about this kid?
33:37
Obviously, he's been pretty good playing national junior tournaments.
33:41
Definitely a good kid.
33:45
He's a big kid and he can shoot.
33:47
He can shoot.
33:48
He's an offensive player, loves to stick handle, loves to shoot.
33:51
I mean, how many NCAA players do you see play scoring roles for Team Canada and the World Junior?
33:58
It's not a frequent occurrence.
34:00
And so for a player like that to choose college hockey, he went in early at UConn, I think, because there was an opportunity to come in and play as kind of an underage player in his draft year.
34:11
19 right now.
34:12
Yeah.
34:13
Right.
34:13
So he's played two years of hockey, his draft year, and then his post draft year.
34:17
So for a lot of players, this is when they have their true freshman year of college.
34:22
And he had two successful years under his belt.
34:25
And I think, you know, originally Minnesota was like, we might lose Snuggerud.
34:31
So we better be active on somebody who can come in and fill that role and be a scorer for us.
34:38
Matthew Wood is that guy, and he's bigger.
34:41
Gives Minnesota a little bit of a different element.
34:44
I feel like the Gophers were missing some play drivers this year.
34:48
It was a consistent thing.
34:49
Matthew Wood drives play in the offensive zone.
34:52
And I think he's a great fit for the Gophers.
34:54
And we touched on a little bit.
34:55
William Souliere coming out of Penn State, played there through his senior year, using his graduate year.
35:04
And as we kind of said earlier, this is the last year of the graduate students kind of getting that extra COVID year.
35:10
So yeah, the portal will calm down.
35:13
But initial thoughts on him is I'm guessing he's going to compete with Aerie, but Aerie will kind of have the job and not a bad backup goalie to have.
35:22
Well, I think you want to have that competition.
35:24
You don't want to have a young player like Aerie who basically didn't play much this year because of his lower body injury.
35:30
And it gives you a safety net in case that lower body injury comes back.
35:35
And it's something that holds Aerie out from weekend to weekend.
35:38
So this is a very smart move, I think, for the coaching staff to do.
35:42
When I was looking at the offseason, I'd be like, man, it's very risky to go into a season with this kind of roster and have that kind of big question mark in goal.
35:53
At least you know what you're getting there.
35:55
His junior year, he played great for Penn State.
35:58
He drove them to be a dangerous tournament team.
36:01
They almost knocked off Michigan in that regional final in Allentown.
36:06
It was a 2-1 game that went to overtime.
36:08
It was a late power play goal and then a quick overtime one.
36:13
If they win that one, you maybe see Penn State in the Frozen 4 and being dangerous there, too.
36:18
That was a good team for the Gwadzdecky or the Gdanski.
36:27
So, it is crazy.
36:29
Do we expect anything else to happen?
36:31
I mean, are we any rumors about anyone else?
36:34
Are we just going to be surprised all of a sudden somebody's going to be in the portal?
36:37
I think the big question mark is making sure that Kester and Nevers are back.
36:43
I haven't seen anything official.
36:45
I think they're leaning towards coming back.
36:48
And then the other one is Rhett Pitlick.
36:51
I assume he's going to be back, but there is a potential for him to sign and go pro.
36:56
You know, he is an older player.
36:58
I think he's 23 and he is, you know, a talent.
37:04
And I think the end of this year was frustrating for him.
37:06
So those are some of the things I think we're still waiting for.
37:09
The other question for the Gophers is if Whipple comes in.
37:15
Yeah, he's a player for the development team that probably has been slotted down the lineup a little bit over the last couple of years.
37:24
And as we saw with Beckett Hendrickson playing that extra year post-development team can be really beneficial to getting your confidence up.
37:32
Hendrickson is a player that, you know, is drafted by Boston.
37:36
Big guy, but not really a top line player for the program.
37:40
He goes in the USHL, has a great season with Sioux Falls.
37:44
He gets traded to Buick, which is one of the top teams in the USHL.
37:49
And he's on a playoff run with them as a guy they're counting on.
37:52
So you look at Whipple, you know, is that something he wants to do?
37:55
You know, we'll see.
37:58
It could benefit him in the long run because you look at the Gophers next year.
38:01
You know, they're bringing back some pretty good talents with Renzel and Chesley and Kester and Middelstadt.
38:10
You know, the guys who are probably going to take a lot of minutes because they're very experienced.
38:14
If Whipple comes to that mix, he's probably going to see limited ice time.
38:17
So that's the decision that's lost to be made.
38:20
And, you know, I'm just going off of the Chris Heisenberg site right now, who he says Whipple's coming in.
38:26
But I'm guessing it kind of depends on Kester.
38:28
If Kester decides not to come back and decides to do whatever, I'm thinking he comes in.
38:34
So what do you think?
38:35
It's kind of based off of that or is Kester going to come back no matter what, if Whipple's there or not?
38:40
I mean, it's hard to say.
38:42
And I didn't even mention Leo Gruba, who's a 20-year-old who's the top scoring defenseman in the USHL for Fargo.
38:49
He's a great player coming in too.
38:51
So there's a competition for minutes.
38:55
You can come to Minnesota and still develop and practice, but it's not the same as being a top two defenseman on a junior team.
39:03
I kind of wanted to get your thoughts on what's going on over at Wisconsin there, Kinger.
39:07
Obviously, I'm not sure some of their star players are liking the Hastings style of play.
39:14
You have Stramel leaving.
39:16
He had struggled.
39:18
White Law is leaving.
39:19
A little kid named Lucius is leaving.
39:22
He's coming back.
39:27
What do you think?
39:29
Do you think Hastings is just trying to get his kind of team in there?
39:34
Well, I think those names you just said are not exactly.
39:39
I don't know.
39:41
Team players?
39:42
I don't know how much of that has to do with Hastings.
39:45
He might just be cleaning up his house.
39:49
You know, Stramel struggled.
39:54
He's a wild pick and he's trying to find it.
39:57
I hope he does.
39:59
The Lucius family has kind of bounced around a little bit.
40:03
And so, I don't know, Hastings is a good coach.
40:07
He'll figure it out.
40:08
And if you're not on board, the door is open, I think, probably.
40:15
It has been pretty interesting over at Wisconsin there, Veegs.
40:18
Yeah, our good friend Adam Wodon from College Hockey News was going after Hastings during the Frozen Four, during the availability about why these players are leaving and were they pushed out or is it a bad thing that they don't have to battle the adversity of going through what they're going through, you know, getting benched and all that stuff.
40:40
And, you know, I don't think Hastings is ever going to just, you know, lose his cool and say, you know, good riddance.
40:46
But I think it's play the Hastings way or don't play.
40:50
And I heard reports that some of those guys were not exactly up to par in practice and competing like they needed to compete.
40:59
And we've had Paul Caponegre on here saying Hastings runs a tough practice.
41:03
And if you're not meeting expectations, he's going to let you hear about it.
41:07
And that's why Todd Molesky is not allowed in to watch practice.
41:11
So Hastings can send those messages without fear of media reports.
41:18
He's probably a good partying.
41:19
He's old school teacher when it comes to show teaching hockey leagues.
41:24
And it works.
41:25
His style of hockey works.
41:27
It works, but it's probably not what those players went to Wisconsin to do.
41:32
Those players went to Wisconsin for the Granado player development program.
41:36
It's like going to hockey camp where you're going to go through skill drills and you're going to work on your offense and creativity.
41:43
That's not Mike Hastings hockey.
41:45
So it's probably just a bad fit for those guys.
41:48
And I'm sure they'll figure out a place to play.
41:50
You know, Strammel found a good spot in Michigan State with Nightingale.
41:54
Lucius is going to the desert.
41:55
I can't remember where Cleveland's going, but he's going to find a spot.
41:59
Whitlaw is looking at Michigan maybe.
42:02
Probably a good fit for him there.
42:03
I think he might do well with the bigger egos over there.
42:08
Yeah, that's probably his crowd.
42:11
So I'll leave it at that.
42:18
So many interesting conversations we've had in these last couple of weeks, from players and coaches and former coaches.
42:28
You hear a lot of things and you're like, wow.
42:33
Makes for an interesting time, especially with this portal, because it's not like you could just have to stay with one team anymore.
42:42
And that's probably okay.
42:43
Yeah, I think it's fine for these players to move on and find a better fit.
42:47
And I think it's fine for these coaches to look out there and grab players that fit what they're trying to do.
42:53
I think you have to be cautious, though, if you're a coach not leaning too heavily on the portal.
43:00
We saw that with North Dakota this year.
43:02
They had to replace eight defensemen, basically an entire blue line.
43:09
They had an OK year, but not a great finish.
43:12
And now they kind of have to reset again for the next year.
43:14
So you talk about teams building culture and having guys who know how things work.
43:20
When you are going in the portal and you're replacing a large part of your roster every year, it can be difficult to build what you want.
43:27
David Karl, very intentional, pulling in 12 freshmen.
43:30
He had a couple of portal guys come in, like Tristan Brose, but it's not so heavy on the portal.
43:38
And you see the Gophers, they're not trying to go in there and rebuild their entire roster with portal guys, even though you could if you wanted to.
43:46
You pick a couple guys, you pick a scorer like Wood, who can fill some offense for you and drive play.
43:53
You bring in an experienced goalie.
43:55
Those are elite portal ads, I think, in my mind.
43:58
When you're trying to rebuild your program out of there, you're going to find out things that you didn't know about and are going to have to deal with later.
44:07
I love that you just talked about experience there because a former gopher is also a sponsor of this podcast.
44:14
And Will Anderson Insurance, he's definitely got experience there.
44:19
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44:22
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44:24
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44:28
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44:29
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44:31
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44:34
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44:39
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44:44
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44:52
And of course, we can't forget about the Yoakum Realty Group, Veegs.
44:57
Yeah, we were saying the real estate market might start after the Super Bowl.
45:02
Maybe it starts after the Frozen Four.
45:04
Maybe you're a big hockey fan and you don't want to do the big move with hosting everybody for the Frozen Four.
45:11
So maybe now is the trigger point to list your home.
45:14
And if you're thinking about going in the market, don't roll the dice on your biggest asset.
45:17
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45:22
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45:26
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45:28
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45:32
And of course, we thank Yoakum Real Estate Group and Will Anderson Insurance for sponsoring the podcast.
45:39
And of course, who else do we thank?
45:41
John King for bringing those sponsors onboard for us via Pulltab Sports.
45:48
Thank you, John, for the great partnership this season.
45:52
You guys do a great job.
45:55
I'm glad you think so.
45:56
It's been a fun year.
45:57
I feel like our audience has grown over the season.
46:00
You know, I think a couple of Frozen 4 runs had something to do with that, but it's been fun.
46:06
Thanks for being on board.
46:07
You were saying the season tickets had gone up like about 20 some odd percent this year too, didn't they?
46:12
Yeah, I'm starting to dig into the scan ticket data and the season ticket number jumped out to me as something that was very significant.
46:21
We've seen over the years, you know, the season ticket base has dropped from that 7,000 number down into 3,000s.
46:29
Now we're back up in the 4,000s again, a 22% increase from last year.
46:33
I think we saw great crowds at the rink this season and they will want to come back next year because I think this team will be a little bit more steady next year and sound.
46:46
Are they still doing that really cool deal where if you don't go to the game, you turn in your tickets and you get credit for the following year?
46:54
Yep.
46:55
That's a great idea.
46:56
The best thing I've ever heard because when I had seasons, that was always the anxiety was unloading the tickets, you know, short notice.
47:05
And to be able to, it's almost like foolproof.
47:09
I mean, it's great.
47:11
You can just trade them back in.
47:12
And then it allows Minnesota to get those tickets in the hands of people who might actually use them.
47:18
Make the atmosphere bigger.
47:19
And that's one of the biggest problems.
47:21
I think in sports is an 80% ticket redemption is actually considered pretty good these days.
47:28
So trying to figure out what to do with those other 20% is a huge challenge to sports organizations.
47:34
And the Gophers are trying.
47:36
I talked to a bunch of them this morning at a coffee with Coyle, even though Coyle doesn't drink coffee, he drinks cocoa.
47:43
And there's a lot of enthusiasm around the campus these days for gopher athletics with a lot of questions about NIL and Transfer Portal and the NCAA.
47:54
That whole he doesn't drink coffee, he drinks cocoa thing.
47:59
Like we shouldn't say that to anybody.
48:02
That's not helping the Gophers like that's that's just really not good.
48:07
That's probably why we're stuck at five.
48:09
He drinks cocoa like hot chocolate.
48:12
He likes the hot cocoa.
48:13
He goes for a run on River Road on the St.
48:16
Paul side.
48:16
And then he comes in and has his hot cocoa.
48:20
I love hot cocoa.
48:21
Cocoa is good.
48:22
I don't know.
48:26
Sounds a little weird.
48:27
Maybe it's because you're calling it cocoa.
48:31
Maybe it's you.
48:32
Hot chocolate.
48:33
Hot chocolate.
48:34
Yeah, I think the cocoa made it.
48:39
Hey, Vig's like his hot cocoa too.
48:43
Yeah.
48:43
A little Bailey's in it.
48:45
Make it even better.
48:46
We should get Coil going on coffee, like that kicking and screaming movie with Will Ferrell.
48:52
Just have him losing his mind with caffeine.
48:56
Celsius.
48:56
It could help us.
48:58
There it is.
48:58
Twin City Hockey.
48:59
Cocoa with Coil.
49:01
Maybe he should just do that.
49:09
They bring marshmallows.
49:12
I go.
49:12
I love hot chocolate.
49:13
I totally go.
49:15
I feel like he gets a tough rap from everybody in the media because he's kind of an easy guy to take shots at, I think, from time to time.
49:22
But you look at what's going on in Minnesota right now.
49:25
Consistency is happening in football.
49:28
I think we're seeing a very strong base.
49:30
They're doing it the right way.
49:32
I do call Coyle a bit of a boy scout.
49:34
He's not going to do what Missouri and Georgia and Virginia are doing with this NIL stuff and just getting into the weeds and doing stuff that's probably shading, going to get their schools in trouble with Title IX, IRS, threaten antitrust stuff.
49:51
That's not going to happen in Minnesota.
49:53
So they're doing it the right way.
49:55
I think they're trying to figure out what's going to happen, not just for today, but for the next 10 years.
50:01
Yeah, I like them too.
50:02
I agree.
50:04
All right.
50:05
Next season, six months away, Veegs will open up probably an exhibition game sometime in that kind of first weekend in October.
50:14
Then they head to Vegas where they're face Air Force and then either UMass or Omaha.
50:22
Hopefully they can get some more tickets sold.
50:23
We need to kind of bump that up.
50:25
If you want to go to Vegas, go to Vegas, folks.
50:28
Plenty of tickets available.
50:30
But I think that's a good way to kick off the season next year.
50:33
What's the team going to look like?
50:35
Well, they're going to be bringing in five new Fords.
50:39
I think Ziemers coming in from the development program.
50:42
Obviously Matthew Wood, Beckett Hendrickson.
50:45
We'll see Eric Paulson and August Faloon.
50:47
Those are the players I'm expecting to come in at Ford.
50:50
You know, that leaves them I think at 14 Fords.
50:54
So we might see them add one more player late in the year, like they did with Nick Michael from St.
51:02
John's.
51:02
You know, they might with 320 players in the portal already.
51:07
You know, there might be a good fit there to be a depth player.
51:10
I think Moscow is very cognizant of the fact that, you know, if you're the 15th Ford, it's a long line chart ahead of you.
51:19
So you got to have the right fit there over everything else.
51:22
You know, the players he has coming back are players that are looking to play.
51:27
And I think the biggest difference for next year is they need more guys driving the offense.
51:33
This year's team was not quite there.
51:35
Maybe it's because they brought in some guys like Jimmy Clark and Brody Lamb maybe a year too soon because of guys leaving early.
51:45
And those guys are just maybe a little bit slower in their development to be consistent from October to April.
51:53
And next year's team will be much more sound through.
51:57
And the big thing I look at is guys like Hendrickson, Paulson, and Faloon are older.
52:02
They're all 20 years old right now.
52:04
That's not something we've seen a lot at Minnesota.
52:07
And when you're older, you know how to handle adversity and find your B game faster.
52:11
And so I think it should be a great lineup next year.
52:14
A deeper team than we've seen lately, which would be good for Minnesota.
52:20
And then they followed up with one of their non-conference games, a full series in Duluth, Kanger.
52:26
I have been waiting for them to stop this home and home crap for a long time.
52:32
But mid-October, they go to Duluth and face Duluth.
52:36
Thank goodness the series in Duluth is back.
52:40
You're going to go up?
52:41
You're going to stay up there?
52:42
I already got my hotel.
52:46
I'm intrigued by the Vegas thing.
52:48
I might have to do that.
52:49
So that sounds like a great way to start.
52:51
That's that icebreaker.
52:52
I've done that before with Boston College.
52:56
That's a good time.
52:57
This sounds like a good Pulltab Sports road trip.
53:00
Yeah.
53:02
Build that into your year two deal.
53:04
Yeah, that's going to be in the budget.
53:06
We'll sneak that in the contract for you.
53:09
And your tour rider.
53:11
Hey, what do you think?
53:12
I thought Jimmy Clark was really an interesting player for us.
53:17
When they put him with Snuggy and Moore in that second game, seemed it was too late, but really seemed to wake him up.
53:27
I mean, there's more there with that Jimmy Clark.
53:29
Yeah, sure it seems like.
53:31
Yeah, I thought he had stretches where he played really well.
53:35
I think maybe some of his linemates over the year hurt his play.
53:39
But when you looked at when Motzko was trying to shake things up with Snuggerud or Pitlick, you know, Clark was the guy he was counting on.
53:46
Or if he shortened the bench in the third period of a game, Clark was still that guy who was spotting with other players.
53:54
I think if he gets a better line to work with next year, we'll see more of that because he's a smart player.
54:00
He knows how to hold on to pucks.
54:02
He knows how to speed the game up, slow the game down, hunt rebounds, hunt 50-50s.
54:08
That's a player that's got a lot of potential.
54:11
He probably damaged his path just a little bit by coming in early because it was an up and down year, but he'll learn from that and be better for it the next year.
54:22
Yeah, I see a lot of potential there.
54:26
And I think they're counting on him to be a good player for them.
54:29
Oliver Moore might be a player that might shift to wing next year with all these centers that they have coming in, allows him to use his speed.
54:36
You know, we've talked about on this podcast for years, how taking guys like Sammy Walker and putting them out on wing can increase their productivity.
54:44
Oliver Moore looks like a player who would fit in that situation from Minnesota.
54:49
And so Clark playing center could really help that because Clark was pretty good on draws over the year.
54:54
And I think if he gets a full season there, it'll help.
54:58
Let's do it.
54:59
Let's get it going, Veegs.
55:03
I'm excited.
55:03
I'm excited for the next year already.
55:06
So we know Minnesota's Duluth.
55:09
We know the icebreaker with Air Force.
55:12
Get a serratory.
55:14
Oh, love getting a serratory for that.
55:16
And then UMass or Omaha.
55:18
Do we know anything else about any opponents?
55:21
Any rumors or anything like that?
55:23
I think that we're going to have Mercyhurst be one of the teams on the schedule.
55:28
Sounds like a really good junior opponent.
55:30
Yeah, that's a good match up there for them.
55:34
Maybe an Alaska school could be on the schedule.
55:37
I think we could see a home and home with Bemidji State.
55:40
I know those are things that have been in conversations.
55:43
So those are looking like the games that might be added to the schedule.
55:47
I don't think the contracts are officially signed.
55:50
So we'll see.
55:51
I have not heard Mankato, Twin City Hockey.
55:54
I don't look for that series to be happening anytime soon.
55:57
I don't think Augustana is going to be on the schedule anytime soon.
56:01
For whatever reason, those schools are not interested in playing the Gophers right now.
56:05
And no North Dakota?
56:07
Not next year.
56:08
Both teams were full.
56:09
That series starts up again the following year for your contract.
56:15
And speaking of the following year, Hall of Fame game at Denver around Thanksgiving in 2025.
56:23
I think that's a great Thanksgiving trip.
56:25
Let's all go out.
56:26
We'll meet for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday.
56:28
Probably play Friday or Saturday and just whoop it up Thanksgiving weekend.
56:33
That will be a tougher one for me to pull off than the Vegas trip.
56:38
Chefs aren't allowed to travel on Thanksgiving usually.
56:41
But I do love Denver.
56:45
It's a great town.
56:46
It's a good place to go see a game.
56:48
Cool city, cool campus, cool arena.
56:51
I went back there probably a decade plus ago and it was a great time.
56:56
And that means they will have played all of the former WCHA members except Michigan Tech.
57:02
They have not played Michigan Tech since they played league games.
57:06
But at least they're down to the last two, Denver and Michigan Tech, who they haven't played in the old WCHA.
57:15
So, it's not the Pepsi Center, what's it called now?
57:21
Ball Arena.
57:23
But it is the Avalanche Arena where they would be playing this Hall of Fame game.
57:29
And they're just waiting for next year's schedule to see where they can get in.
57:34
And they know they got a couple days there.
57:37
And Friday or Saturday, probably one of those two days, they would play that game probably in Denver, right Veegs?
57:42
Yep.
57:43
That should be a fun one.
57:44
It's a free game on the schedule.
57:45
So Gophers get to get those extra games in, which is always nice.
57:50
All right, guys.
57:51
It was a fun season, Kanger.
57:54
Yeah, I always, I mean, all I want is just national championships.
58:00
I was looking at, I was looking at the back of that BC Jersey with the five stars thinking that's all you should have five stars or something.
58:09
I know, I loved it above that when teams have that, you know, the symbol.
58:14
And that's, I just want it so bad.
58:16
I want it for the fans, the GPL-ers, the family.
58:21
So maybe this group, Snuggy and Wood and Rinzel and Jimmy.
58:27
Why not us?
58:27
Let's go.
58:28
St.
58:29
Louis.
58:31
There you go.
58:31
What about you, Reeds?
58:32
Block that weekend on the calendar.
58:34
I think it's a good group coming back next year.
58:37
You know, it's disappointing for everybody.
58:39
But that's just, it was hard this year, I think, in college hockey.
58:42
Everybody's getting better.
58:44
There were so many teams in the tournament this year who had a chance to win it.
58:48
You didn't have the blowouts that we had last year.
58:51
So many games are close and tight.
58:53
College hockey has a lot of parity in it.
58:55
This is the last year of the Transfer Portal being as big as it is because those COVID years are going away.
59:02
Maybe next year we'll be talking about the major junior players coming to college hockey.
59:06
Oh, no, don't say that.
59:10
No, please, no.
59:13
Yeah, you just ruined my evening now, Veegs.
59:15
I'm kidding, you didn't.
59:17
I don't want that.
59:19
I think college hockey right now is almost like, it's like how the USHL is compared to the NA.
59:28
We're almost that way as compared to the American League.
59:32
You got these guys that are about to be drafted, the top of the top, and then you have these guys coming back for that extra year.
59:41
You know, like Snuggy, like Faber, like the BC kids that are going to come back.
59:47
It's just great right now.
59:49
I hope it doesn't get messed up.
59:52
We'll see.
59:53
I feel like Major Junior and the USHL are becoming pretty even in the way things are going.
1:00:00
Those leagues aren't as far apart as they were 20 years ago.
1:00:04
So we'll see what happens.
1:00:05
It's a great time to be a college hockey fan.
1:00:07
You know, the game's never been better.
1:00:09
There's never been more talent in the game, and it's fun to watch.
1:00:15
Well, thanks for coming on, Kinger.
1:00:16
Are you excited for a little overtime coming up here?
1:00:18
Let's do it.
1:00:19
Thanks for having me.
1:00:21
Of course.
1:00:22
It's always great to have you on, Kinger.
1:00:23
And Veegs, end of the season.
1:00:27
Season 13 of GPL Podcast.
1:00:30
It's been pretty successful here.
1:00:32
Good ride, Jupe.
1:00:33
Nice work.
1:00:35
So that is going to do it for this season of the GPL Podcast.
1:00:40
We'll be back sometime next fall, you know, early October, maybe late September, depending on how all the dates turn out.
1:00:47
But for those of you watching live, stay tuned for some overtime with the Kinger and Veegs.
1:00:53
The rest of you will catch you next season on The GPL Podcast.
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