John Edwards wrote:
 
> So I'm going to ask a question that may be incredibly stupid, and a tiny
> bit sacriligeous. What is hockey's importance to the University of
> Minnesota, and Golden Gopher sports fans? Put another way, if I walked up
> to a Minnesota fan/alumnus and said "So, how about those Gophers?" what
> sport would he start talking about?
>
> I would assume that it is in the top 3, but where does it sit in relation
> to the football and basketball teams?
 
For most of us, they'll assume you mean the basketball team.  I would, too, even
though I couldn't care less.  Hockey probably rates higher than football, but
that's  because it's consistently successful, and the football team has been a
disaster for twenty years now.  If the football program gets turned around (which
I'm finally thinking it might) I suspect hockey will become #3.  Minnesota has a
very storied history in football (only Notre Dame, alabama and Oklahoma have won
more national championships) that could be resurrected with some success.  I
certainly hope it can, at any rate.  I'd like to see them get good, and maybe if
football becomes really big and distracts people, I could get hockey tickets.
 
J. Michael Neal
 
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