Author: David Shama

Gophers’ athletic director Joel Maturi told Sports Headliners that he spoke last weekend to WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod about playing outdoor hockey at the new TCF Bank Stadium.  The essence of the conversation was that “eventually” the Gophers will host a hockey event, perhaps in January of 2011, Maturi said.

The stadium opens for football next September and Maturi said in the “state of hockey” it’s appropriate to plan for a multiple game hockey event.  The concept could involve a few days of outdoor hockey in the 50,000 seat stadium.  It’s a given that the Gopher men will have a game but participation could include the Gopher women, prep teams and the Minnesota Wild.

“We definitely want to do a game (event),” Maturi said.  “We want to make it a big deal.”

Converting the football stadium into an outdoor hockey arena could cost about $500,000.  “It makes no sense to do (just) one game,” Maturi said.

Maturi and McLeod have talked about whether coach Don Lucia’s team will play a WCHA or nonconference opponent.  Nothing has been decided, although considering the outdoor elements it may well be a nonconference team.  A WCHA game means playing hockey in an environment unlike any of the other league games and that raises a fairness issue in determining the final standings.

College hockey games have been played at Lambeau Field in Green Bay and Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan.  Those games attracted crowds of over 40,000.

Maturi said that once a hockey extravaganza is staged at TCF the results can be studied and thought given to future outdoor hockey events.

Injury, inactivity and circumstances have changed 31-year-old quarterback Daunte Culpepper who has started four games for desperate Detroit (0-12) since trading in his civilian clothes for a Lions’ uniform earlier this fall.

The numbers are juxtaposed from what you expected four years ago.  This season and for two of the last three, Culpepper has more interceptions than touchdown passes.  In 2005 with the Vikings his totals were 12 interceptions and six touchdown passes, in 2006 with Miami three and two, last season in Oakland five and five, so far this year in Detroit six and three.

Sometimes contrasts with the past are dramatic and Culpepper is an example as the Vikings (7-5) prepare to see their old quarterback in Detroit on Sunday.  It was in December of 2000 that Culpepper was on the cover of Sports Illustrated with this quote in large type:  “I want to be the best EVER!”

Culpepper was in his first full season as a starter, enjoying a year which would be one of his best, throwing for 3,937 yards and 33 TD passes with a quarterback rating of 98.  He also ran for 470 yards and seven touchdowns.  The Vikings, 11-5 during the regular season, won the NFC Central Division title, and lost in the NFC championship game to the New York Giants.

Culpepper was a surprise story in 2000 because of his success and also drew attention with his stature, 6-4, about 255 pounds.  He was considered a next generation type quarterback, a guy so big and strong defenders bounced off him, but also a drop back passer with a powerful arm and ability to throw accurately.  By December of 2000 everyone who cheered for the Vikings was excited, including Culpepper who announced in the article he wanted people to one day mention himself and Randy Moss the same way Joe Montana and Jerry Rice are revered.

Culpepper started 57 of the next 64 regular season games over the following seasons.  They were productive years including his career best 2004 season when he threw for a league leading 4,717 yards and 39 touchdowns, a Vikings record.

Culpepper has started a total of 21 games in the last four seasons.  Sunday he’s expected to make another start in Detroit, a December performance against his old team.  How things have changed since that promising Sports Illustrated cover of eight years ago.

Condolences to the family of Judy Mona Schell who passed away on Saturday.  Her family included husband George and brother Dave Mona.

The Lions have lost 13 straight dating back to last season.  Opponents have outscored the Lions by 190 points. The latest loss was 47-10 to the Tennessee Titans.  You wonder half seriously if the Lions could win the Southeastern Conference championship competing against Alabama, Florida and other quality college teams in the football crazy south.

Gophers’ athletic director Joel Maturi said six hockey playing schools would be needed to form a Big Ten Conference.  Penn State has a quality club hockey program but presently the Big Ten programs with intercollegiate hockey are Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State and Wisconsin.

Lane Kiffin, the Bloomington Jefferson alum, impressed Maturi when he was a candidate for the Gopher football job almost two years ago.  He liked Kiffin’s energy, passion for football and Minnesota roots.  Of course, Maturi said, he was concerned about Kiffin having no previous head coaching experience.  It was a concern about hiring Tim Brewster, too, but Maturi thought Brewster was a better total “fit” for the Gopher job. Kiffin, 33, is now the new head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers after having coached the Oakland Raiders.

Scout.com has the Gophers ranked No. 37 in football recruiting for the class of 2009.  The Gophers have 15 commits while Ohio State, ranked No. 1 so far in the process, has 24.

The St. Louis Blues rank eighth in the NHL in average attendance, according to espn.com, but the Blues web site was promoting 50 percent off on single game tickets a few days ago.  The Blues are at the Xcel Energy Center tonight for a game against the Wild who are 10^th in the league averaging 18,568, according to espn.com.  St. Louis is playing to about 90 percent capacity while the Wild is over 102 percent, per ESPN.  Chicago, which averaged almost 17,000 per game last season and was far down in NHL attendance, is leading this season at 21,485 per game.

The New York Daily News web site (www.nydailynews.com) had this observation last week: “Kevin Garnett has been going after smaller guys, including Toronto’s Jose Calderon and Milwaukee’s Luke Ridnour, and it’s starting to hurt his rep. One executive said of Garnett, ‘He’s nothing but an instigator.’  With several teams complaining about Garnett’s antics in recent weeks, the league has taken note.”

Gopher public address announcer Dick Jonckowski tells a joke to basketball coach Tubby Smith before home games.  Jonckowski, known as the “Polish Eagle,” asked Smith why all Polish names end in “s-k-i”?  “Because we can’t spell toboggan,” Jonckowski said.

Conrad Smith, the new chief operating officer of the Minnesota Lynx, has been involved with local pro sports teams here since the early 1980s.  His front office public relations, marketing and management experiences include the Minnesota North Stars, Minnesota Twins, and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Greg Wicklund’s Racquet Ramblings column in the USTA Northern Section magazine features Jim Holden’s book, Tennis in the Northland. The former Northfield tennis coach has written a comprehensive history of boys’ high school tennis in Minnesota.  https://www.jim-holden.com/

Concordia’s Justin Foss and Augsburg’s Alex Hildebrandt have been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Men’s Soccer Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America. They were named third team All-Americans in the College Division (non-Division I).  Foss, a senior, has a 3.58 grade point average while majoring in psychology.  He had a career year in 2008, finishing the season with 15 goals and two assists for 32 points.  Hildebrandt, a junior, is a finance major with a 3.86 grade-point average.  He received All-MIAC and All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team honors recently.