THREE DAYS UNTIL THE SIOUX HIT TOWN ...
LUCIA NOT POSITIVE ENOUGH
Here is a recent e-mail from a Gophers fan:
I am sick of hearing the Don say his team is not good enough to score goals or win games 5-4 or 6-5. If you were a 18- 22 yr old kid you would start to believe him.
The fact is his players do not improve from year to year. As much as I hate to admit it Garth Snow was right. (Snow is the New York Islanders general manager. Two years ago when the Isles signed Kyle Okposo, Snow said Lucia was not doing a good job of developing players.)
Under Woog you could expect 2-3 players a year to show significant improvement year over year. Unless there is significant improvement (i.e. consistently beating good teams and getting to the NCAA's) Lucia has to go after this year.
The Wooger was gone after 2 poor years I believe. Bottom line is a coach has to build up his players not tell them they are not good enough. Coaching is about getting the best out of your players. With all of the NHL draftees his approach is unacceptable.
Tell me that all of the scouts, GM's and coaches were wrong when these players were drafted. Which senior on this team has excelled and is ready for the NHL? -- DW