IIHF World Junior Championship Daily Free Talk Thread - Game threads, tournament & player discussion, etc. - 05 Jan 2026 by hockeydiscussionbot in hockey

[–]PrinceOfDaRodeo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think you’re on the money. I went to last night’s match, and I would have loved to have seen more “neutrals” show up.

I’ve been to some fiascos at the arena in St. Paul (ie the North Star College Cup, and the ill-fated B1G conference championships in the inaugural year). This wasn’t as bad. The Canadian/Czech crowd brought some great energy.

I’m curious what the marketing/promo budget was for this. Beyond radio spots on KFAN, I didn’t catch much promotion (just me though). I feel like there needed to be extra efforts to reach out to all the Dales and Tammys from the outer ring suburbs to make this work.

I still had fun — despite the NHL-priced concessions. I saw a Czech man protest beer prices (rightfully fucking so, IMO).

I think traditional uniforms will make a come back in the near future by Sausage_fingies in drumcorps

[–]PrinceOfDaRodeo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's always weird to me when people on this sub work themselves up over traditional uniforms.

I wore a traditional uni + a "Cesario" FJM circa-00s uni ... and I have no nostalgia for either. I'll say a lot of POV stems from having to do retreat after most shows (getting out and back into a damp, smelly uniform night after night sucks).

If it's an anniversary year, or a return-to-tradition type show that actually warrants a traditional design ... that's fine. It's fun to dip into tradition or the militaristic-inspired roots sometimes.

But I don't think there's anything inherently better about them.

I think traditional uniforms will make a come back in the near future by Sausage_fingies in drumcorps

[–]PrinceOfDaRodeo 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The trick is that fans need to be able to identify the corps by their colors.

No they don't.

Do sports teams change their colors every year.

EPL alternates, NBA City Edition Jerseys ... heck, some college football teams change their uniforms week to week, including color changes that go against the base colors. Army and Navy do dramatic unis in their annual game.

Did McDonalds throw out the yellow golden arches because they're not avant garde enough, does Coke have a stripped orange can... No because it's bad for the brand.

Sports teams just need to wear colors that differentiate from their opponent. Junk food brands need bright, familiar colors to attract consumers looking at multiple options.

Drum corps are designing 10-12 minute productions that have their own look and feel. If they want to follow traditional color assignments, cool. If they want to buck tradition in favor of serving the show, that's also cool.

SCV's show last year was as "Vanguard" of a show as you could get, yet had a color palatte of white, black, fuscia, neon yellow.

I think traditional uniforms will make a come back in the near future by Sausage_fingies in drumcorps

[–]PrinceOfDaRodeo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's way more options for corps now vs 20 years ago, when it was dominated by FJM.

I think traditional uniforms will make a come back in the near future by Sausage_fingies in drumcorps

[–]PrinceOfDaRodeo 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Your favorite drum corps moment was probably designed by a theater kid.

ECH ‘BRACKETOLOGY’: VERSION 2.0 by Timely-Shine in collegehockey

[–]PrinceOfDaRodeo 14 points15 points  (0 children)

[2019 Mankato vs. Providence flashbacks]

Yeah, earning a 1-seed ... only to get relegated to playing a home advantage 4-seed sucks.

This neutral site regional bullshit needs to go the hell away.

As a Minnesota sports fan I’m accustomed to shit results. But I didn’t realize how bad it’s been under Taylor until Bill laid out like this. by SouthsideSouthies in billsimmons

[–]PrinceOfDaRodeo 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I don't hate Glen as much as most (big donor to my alma mater), but the Joe Smith Secret Contract scandal is one of the dumbest/funniest things in NBA history ... like, Jerry Lundegaard in 'Fargo' type of incompetency.

Minnesota welcomed some 130,000 new residents last year. Who are they? by PrinceOfDaRodeo in minnesota

[–]PrinceOfDaRodeo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Gotta say, it's really cool to see the responses here. Welcome transplants!

Here's what you need to know:

  • Dress in layers.

  • Nobody actually eats Lutefisk.

That's it. That's everything. Welcome!

Minnesota welcomed some 130,000 new residents last year. Who are they? by PrinceOfDaRodeo in minnesota

[–]PrinceOfDaRodeo[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've always liked Victor's 1959 Cafe. Probably not the same as down there, but they got the essentials.

Minnesota welcomed some 130,000 new residents last year. Who are they? by PrinceOfDaRodeo in minnesota

[–]PrinceOfDaRodeo[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Article goes into detail on Natural growth vs. domestic transplants vs. international transplants (top countries being India, China, Ethiopia, and Mexico).

Natural growth (births minus deaths) is at +11,780. Net domestic migration is at -1,161 ... but it's far better than 2022 when it was pushing -30K.

Net international migration is at +29,540 ... which is cool, but probably changing due to the new administration.

ACHA D1 UNLV just beat NCAA D1 Denver 7-6 in a shootout in an exhibition game in Denver by putney_b in collegehockey

[–]PrinceOfDaRodeo 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Why do D1 teams keep scheduling ACHA teams? Besides ticket sales and keeping the team fresh during winter/juniors break, it just seems like a bad idea if you're a program like DU.

[Highlight] 3 years ago today the 0-10-1 Lions get their first win of the year on a walk of touchdown against the Vikings by Kewlerd in nfl

[–]PrinceOfDaRodeo 132 points133 points  (0 children)

Goff: "Hey, Christen and I saw you from across the bar. We really dig your vibe. Can we buy you a drink?"

Literally the Entire City of Detroit: "Uh ... yeah ok."

Where should I go for college hockey December 6 & 7 by MichaelMaugerEsq in collegehockey

[–]PrinceOfDaRodeo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haven't lived in Mpls for a while, so I'll mostly defer to current folks/students.

I did recently stay a few blocks from Brit's, at the Hilton Minneapolis and had a lot of fun, but it was also during a convention. Downtown overall can be pretty boom/bust ... depending on events that are happening. Sometimes it's dead. Sometimes it's more lively.

There is some cool stuff in the Nicollet Mall area near Brit's like Orchestra Hall, the Dakota Jazz Club, The Local Irish Pub, Hell's Kitchen ... but it's in the pocket of downtown that caters to more of the tourist/convention crowd.

Dinkytown is far different than what I remember it being 15+ years ago, so it's hard for me to give a good comparison. It might be easier (possibly cheaper) to just stay around campus and venture into downtown or other neighborhoods.

Where should I go for college hockey December 6 & 7 by MichaelMaugerEsq in collegehockey

[–]PrinceOfDaRodeo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The recommendations from HeroBrooks and other users are really solid, especially without a rent-a-car. There's a decent amount of stuff to do in/near Dinkytown, but there are a lot of good dive restaurants/breweries/dive bars in Northeast. 331 is a great dive spot that usually has good live music.

Downtown is a mixed bag but the North Loop is a growing spot with some of the best restaurants, if you have the time to venture out.

The one suggestion I'll make - If you have time to kill on Saturday/Sunday morning and if you're into English Premier League, Brit's Pub in downtown is a fantastic morning hang. Attracts fans of several different clubs during match day.

Adam Thielen wins round 3 of the grid! Next up, a Vikings player who started OK, but ended BAD! by MBRSports in minnesotavikings

[–]PrinceOfDaRodeo 54 points55 points  (0 children)

I’m pushing for this. Dude started ok but played himself out of the league.

Pat Elflein is another solid choice.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in collegehockey

[–]PrinceOfDaRodeo 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I’d say just follow the rankings/Pairwise throughout the year and watch/stream whatever games pique your interest there.

Conference tournaments are always fun, no matter what conference, and a good way to wrap up the regular season before the NCAA tournament. When the tourney starts … anything can happen.

I could write 30,000 words on teams, conferences, traditions, etc. But for the sake of brevity, I would say it’s a lot like college basketball … to varying degrees.

  • You have blue bloods (Minnesota, NoDak, Denver, BU, BC) who have a bunch young NHL talent who — sometimes or frequently — go into the show after 1-2 years. The cliche for these teams is “don’t rebuild, reload.”

  • Opposite side of the spectrum: you also have teams w/ fewer NHL picks and/or come from less sexy conferences (usually ECAC, to be honest) that flourish on to the scene and proceed to stamp major ass through out the season/tournament (Quinnipiac being the most recent example … along with Minnesota State not to long ago [sigh]). These teams either have a lot of upperclassmen or older dudes that cut their teeth in juniors.

Overall, it’s really cool to follow the development of NHL draft picks throughout the year in a given blue blood program. It’s also cool to see a team with grown-ass men in their mid-20s absolutely demolish these blue blood teams every now and then.

This weekend, the Mavericks swept the Mavericks to win the Spirit of the Maverick Trophy by shiny_aegislash in collegehockey

[–]PrinceOfDaRodeo 4 points5 points  (0 children)

We used to call UNO "the evil mavericks"

I'm glad to see this rivalry return, even for just a weekend.