>
> I understand that the college hockey Hall of Fame is in Minnesota somewhere.
> 1st, Is it reachable easily?
> 2nd, If it is easily reachable, is anyone going?
> 3rd, If anyone is going, got any room for 1-2 more???
>
The hockey hall of fame is in Eveleth, MN.  Two-thirds of the way from
St. Paul is interstate (I-35).  It's about a 3.5 hour drive unless you keep
right on it.  Take the Cloquet (MN highway 33) exit before Duluth and go
north.  Then get on US highway 53 and go north to Eveleth.  It is next to
the Holiday Inn in Eveleth.
 
About the final four...
 
Can the Gophers finally win one after a 15 year dry spell?  This will be
Woog's fifth trip to the final four in his nine years as head coach.
He finally got the monkey off his back by winning the WCHA playoffs in the
Civic Center.  As the South St. Paul high school coach Woog couldn't win
a title there.  Then up until the WCHA finals there he couldn't win a
tournament in that building including the big one against Harvard in 1989.
I sat through a lot of Gophers losses in the Civic Center to the likes of
Wisconsin and Northern Michigan after watching a #1 rated Gopher team all
year.
 
Usually Woog and the previous UofM coaches would go into the end of the
season with a future NHLer anchoring the team.  Remember Mike Polich on
the '74 championship and '75 runner-up teams.  How about Neal Broten on
the '78 and '79 teams.  In '89 it was guys like Olimb, Hankensen, Chorske,
Skarda, and Hobey Baker goalie Rob Stauber.
 
How about this year?  Woog has some potential greats out there.  Brian Bonin
and Nick Checco might go some place.  Checco was a non-factor until the
playoffs and Bonin has forgotten how to put the puck in the net.  I'm sure
McAlpine will play somewhere but for the most part Woog has four forward lines
and three sets of defence that are all wage earners.  Ya sure Jeff Nielsen's
numbers stand out a little more and McAlpine set a few records but there are
no standouts.  Maybe that will be Woog's secret this time.  A crew of wage
earners.
 
My pick, Minnesota 3-2 over Harvard in OT.
 
See ya at the Civic Center.
 
--
- Matt Rein
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