Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: Kangas Kool-Aid For All!

[HarleyMC]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: Kangas Kool-Aid For All!

This example pertains to football (and I reserve the right to be wrong), but I thought they quite often redshirted freshman football players, after the season started and (may) have dressed, but ended up not playing in any of the early games, so the coach decided not to "waste" their true freshman year. Maybe it's different since it's an injury situation.

Actually you are correct. Coaches may choose to "redshirt" a certain number of promising freshman recruits that aren't ready to start or perhaps there's no slot for them at their position. They sit out their freshman year (or any year) without competing, but are still on the team. The player may spend one year practicing with a team and improving his skills without actually playing in games. The student-athlete can be involved in all team activities such as practices, workouts, travel, dress, and meetings, but cannot play in games. NCAA allows players to spend one year redshirting in this manner without losing a year of eligibility. It gives them 5 rather than 4 years of eligibility.

In the case of Alex Kangas, playing this season made him ineligible to become a redshirt senior.

[4four4]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: Kangas Kool-Aid For All!

Dear Ryan Cardinal,

I listened to you on my way into work today. Since, you are young the biggest rivalry to older fans is the Wisconsin series and closely behind the UND series. Nothing else, nothing more.


Dear Jess Myers,

I listened to you on my way home from work today. The problem with the Gophers is NOT recruiting! It has to be a head coaching or assistant coaching problem. Nothing else, nothing more.

[dxmnkd316]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: Kangas Kool-Aid For All!

Sioux and it isn't even close. With wisky, I can joke with badger fans after a loss. Sioux fans? I usually want to put a fist between their eyes.

[Dirty]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: Kangas Kool-Aid For All!

Sioux and it isn't even close. With wisky, I can joke with badger fans after a loss. Sioux fans? I usually want to put a fist between their eyes.

That makes me happy.

[dxmnkd316]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: Kangas Kool-Aid For All!

that makes me happy.

s

[MavsFan]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: Kangas Kool-Aid For All!

According to today's paper, Kangas WOULD be eligible for a medical redshirt if he applied, but he said he's not even considering it and will turn pro after he recovers from the surgery.

[kdilks]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: Kangas Kool-Aid For All!

To try and clarify all of the information...

There are two different kinds of redshirts. One kind is for people (generally freshmen) that don't participate in any competition the entire season. The other kind is the "medical hardship waiver", often referred to as a medical redshirt. Obviously, this is the later case.

Now, to clarify the rules that Harley posted. First of all, it says you must have played in less than 30% of ALL the games your team has scheduled (not just the games in the first half of the season), and the injury has to occur before your team has played half of all of their scheduled games. The catch here is how they define "all scheduled games". It says that the season ends with the NCAA championship, so I believe the length of the season is defined by the maximum possible number of games you can play, not the minimum number you are guaranteed to play. The Gophers have played 21 games (assuming I counted right) so far (exhibition games don't count), and were they to play 3 games in the first round of the WCHA playoffs/3 games at the Final Five/make it to the National Championship game, they will have played 43+ games. Hence, he would still qualify for the medical redshirt.

[HarleyMC]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: Kangas Kool-Aid For All!

To try and clarify all of the information...

There are two different kinds of redshirts. One kind is for people (generally freshmen) that don't participate in any competition the entire season. The other kind is the "medical hardship waiver", often referred to as a medical redshirt. Obviously, this is the later case.

Now, to clarify the rules that Harley posted. First of all, it says you must have played in less than 30% of ALL the games your team has scheduled (not just the games in the first half of the season), and the injury has to occur before your team has played half of all of their scheduled games. The catch here is how they define "all scheduled games". It says that the season ends with the NCAA championship, so I believe the length of the season is defined by the maximum possible number of games you can play, not the minimum number you are guaranteed to play. The Gophers have played 21 games (assuming I counted right) so far (exhibition games don't count), and were they to play 3 games in the first round of the WCHA playoffs/3 games at the Final Five/make it to the National Championship game, they will have played 43+ games. Hence, he would still qualify for the medical redshirt.

Thanks kdilks for the explanation, and you're right on the total scheduled games, not just the first half as I stated. The interesting twist is the ruling states the injury must take place in the first half and there was no announcement in the first half that I'm aware of that Kangas was out for the season due to the injury. In Kangas' case, if he is eligible and he chose to return next season, the coaches would have to present valid medical documentation to the NCAA indicating he was unable to return to full participation in the season before the end of the first half. I suppose the trainers could come up with something if they needed to.

Roman in the Strib states that "they can't play past the midpoint of the season" which seems too vague according to the official NCAA ruling which seems to indicate in greater detail that the season ending injury must occur in the first half:

There are two criteria those applying for medical hardship have to meet:

* they have played in less than 30 percent of a team's games. ... Kangas has played in eight game; the Gophers have a 34-game schedule, so he has played in 23.5 percent of the U's games

* they can't play past the midpoint of the season. .... Kangas last played against Minnesota State on Dec. 3. That game was the Gophers' 15th. Kent Patterson played tne next five games. So on this criterium, Kangas is OK, too.

[goldy_331]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: Kangas Kool-Aid For All!

That makes me Happy.

Finally revealed! I knew it all along that you two were alter-egos!

[4four4]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: Kangas Kool-Aid For All!

According to today's paper, Kangas WOULD be eligible for a medical redshirt if he applied, but he said he's not even considering it and will turn pro after he recovers from the surgery.

He is going to actually graduate in the spring and move on to the next level. Kangas nice to see a player graduate in four years while playing a sport. It really is a true testament of your resolve in this day and age. Congrats!

[Koho]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: Kangas Kool-Aid For All!

Dear Jess Myers,

I listened to you on my way home from work today. The problem with the Gophers is NOT recruiting! It has to be a head coaching or assistant coaching problem. Nothing else, nothing more.

Nothing is ever this simple. I don't want to re-start the whole "problem with the program" argument going on elsewhere, but coaching isn't the sole determining factor in how much a player develops. Players who commit to a team as Sophomores and Juniors in high School will not always reach the level they are expected to, and that HAS been a factor with the Gophers performance. (Nor does it directly determine which recruits leave early.) How to partition the percent contribution to lack of development that is caused by coaching versus all other factors related to the individual is impossible. I would ask that if it is truly 100% due to coaching, are there really that many bad coaches out there that only a portion of first round draftpicks ever become regulars in the NHL?

Lucia has too good of a past track record to say it is all on coaching. There is a lot of speculation on the assistants' abilities, based mostly on speculation and hearsay.

I am not saying that there is not an issue with coaching either, nor that Lucia hasn't lost a step, nor that these assistants are doing a good job, nor that recruiting is the entire issue. I don't know the answer. I am just saying that there are multiple factors contributing to the condition the program is in right now and it is not as simple as you make it out to be. I still come back to the fact that when asked who would be a better coach than Lucia, most posters will only be able to name a few possible people, and their availability is far from certain.

There are no easy answers here, just lots of speculation.

But at the same time, I fully appreciate the frustration that leads to this kind of post.

(And I hate to admit it, but I think NoDak has passed Wis in my mind. Mainly because of the attitude of a few former UND students I know.)

[Koho]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: Kangas Kool-Aid For All!

By all accounts, his college career is over, but just curious...

Good Luck to Alex. Hope all goes well. He seems like a good guy. I was still hoping for him to return to playoff form at the end of the season.

I wonder what will befall our team next? Injury to Patterson? Bus accident? Roof collapse? Bubonic plaque?

[4four4]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: Kangas Kool-Aid For All!

(And I hate to admit it, but I think NoDak has passed Wis in my mind. Mainly because of the attitude of a few former UND students I know.)

Will you still be saying that in five years when there is a BTHC?

[state of hockey]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: Kangas Kool-Aid For All!

Patrick White = new practice goalie

He does have experience with getting in the way.

[Koho]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: Kangas Kool-Aid For All!

Will you still be saying that in five years when there is a BTHC?

I expect I'll still know a couple of the former UND people then and that UM will schedule as many games with them as possible, so it might take a little longer for Wis to regain the top spot in my world.