College Hockey:
North Dakota’s Blood has assistant captaincy revoked by Hakstol

USCHO Staff Report • Jan. 16, 2012

North Dakota's Ben Blood had the 'A' removed from his sweater by coach Dave Hakstol (photo: Jim Rosvold).

North Dakota senior defenseman Ben Blood’s assistant captaincy has been revoked by head coach Dave Hakstol due to an altercation that occurred during the post-game handshake following last Saturday night’s game against Minnesota.

“Regardless of any provocation, Ben’s actions in the post-game handshake were not acceptable,” said Hakstol in a statement. “The handshake line is a traditional, gentlemanly part of our game where, at the end of a hard-fought battle, opponents show good sportsmanship and shake hands like men.”

Hakstol added that Blood will be subject to further internal team disciplinary actions.

“I’m not proud of my behavior,” added Blood. “That’s not how I want to represent our program and that’s not how we handle ourselves here. I understand and respect the punishment and I’ll move forward and not let my emotions get the best of me in the future.”

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Anonymous
He’s a Hot Head and will never change…
Guest
I am as big a fan of UND as just about anyone and that was total garbage what Blood did. You just can’t do that and if it were up to me and I was the coach we would sit a game, maybe even two for that. You have to send a message and removing the A is a HUGE deal but not as much as missing some time. He should sit on Friday for the St. Cloud game. We can’t afford to lose him for that game but he should sit.
Boom Boom
The WCHA has to get serious and suspend Blood for this moronic behavior. But we know how weak the W has become. Good riddance, Sioux hockey.
- GodssquadForeever05
  You are obviously a gopher fan….we have one down year and all the band wagon gopher fans come out chirp’n. The Gophs have not been relevant since the early 2000′s in the state that produces more college hockey players than all others combined….makes sense.
Beefy1
It starts at the top. Hak only revoked the A in advance of the W taking further action. Both coach and player need to be suspended in this case.
Boom Boom
Good idea, Beefy1. Those who have played the game know that a culture of thuggery starts at the top. In addition to the A, they should take the logo off Blood’s jersey too.
- Anonymous
  A “culture of thuggery?” Based on the actions of one player? Hockey players will be hockey players, regardless of who the coach is. Blood’s actions were not acceptable conduct for a college hockey player, and his coach disciplined him for it. End of story.
  - Hockey#1
    But it’s not the first time this has happened. A few years ago a Sioux player pulled Blake Wheeler out of the handshake line and started a fight in just the same way. Coincidence? I don’t think so. I’m guessing it’s the coach!
    - Anonymous
      So by your logic Mark Alt’s shot at Michael Parks was clearly the fault of Don Lucia?
      - Markisainc
        I would say yes. Look, there are many other NCAA programs where you never see this sort of thing happen. In my opinion, it is because the culture there (which starts with the coach) does not allow that sort of behavior. In many programs Blood would be sandblasted in the locker room for such a moronic action. I’m guessing he was congratulated in the Sue room by many of the players. It’s culture. UND and even UMN don’t have it right. The fact that you are trying in the smallest way to defend anyone regarding this situation is part of the culture. This incident was clearly wrong and reflects poorly on the player, coaching staff, and the fans who cheered this on.
    - Sara
      Well Wheeler shouldn’t have made a comment about Joe’s mentally challenged sister. He deserved it. I would have done the same thing. Call me a thug. I don’t care. Family>hockey sportsmanship
      - Slambammy
        Whether Wheeler said that or not is really not the point. If someone walks up to me on the street and makes a comment about my mentally challenged sister and I attack them…guess who goes to jail? Me. Family does come first but you cannot fight everyone in the world who says something stupid. There are not enough fists for that fight.
- nogofer
  “Culture of thuggery…” Yet the gofers have more penalties than the Sioux per USCHO this year. Hypocritical goons…
hockey6
The W is week really? How is the coach responsible for this? I’m guessing none of you have ever been a coach befor or just don’t have a clue what goes on. Bloods actions were not acceptable in any way. He is the only one that could’ve prevented it. So don’t put blame on any coach for that.
Gunner7153
Like it or not that’s how the fighting flicker tails have always conducted themselves they always take it on step to far. As far as I’m concerned they should have learned a lesson with Genoway he got what was coming to him from St Cloud.Live by the sword die by the sword.
- Anonymous
  Rooting for injuries? Way to stay classy.
- Guest
  You’re a MORON. Genoway deserved a hit from behind that led to him missing basically an entire season. That isn’t how it’s done in hockey. You obviously never played the game. You have a problem with someone in hockey you have a way to settle it. Drop the gloves like a man, take your game or two suspension and move on. hitting someone from behind is the COWARDS way out. You suck.
- whoever
  Genoway was one of the cleanest players that has ever played for UND so your argument here already sucks. How did he deserve to be hit from behind? If karma exists, hopefully you get a concusion in your next beer league game you loser.
- guest
  Check the tape. #21 Slashed Blood in the back after the game was over coming off the bench….At least Blood wanted a face to face fight!
  As for the Genoway comment, figures that’s how a golden goof fan would think.
  - Fan Man
    Ya but we are the classless fans remember!
  - Slambammy
    #21 (Jake Hansen) may have slashed Blood but Blood went after Kyle Rau who is #7. Man up, call out #21 and go after him but don’t go after Rau and don’t do it in the handshake line.
- nogofer
  That comment was waaay over the line: The gofer fans I know don’t cheer for injuries… You are an embarrassment to hockey fans, even gofer fans…
- Slambammy
  I can’t believe I am going to side with nogopher on something but I can’t help it. :) This was a really dumb comment. Nobody deserves the hit from behind. I also believe a game misconduct is far to lenient. It needs to be minimum current game and next game ejection. Maximum should be the person that did the hit should be out as long as the person who got injured. So if Genoway is out 1 year, the person that hit him should be out until Genoways first game back. Should fix the problem.
  - Slambammy
    Apologies. I meant “nogofer” :)
    - nogofer
      Accepted ;)
Jaturenne
This is so typical of both this program and of Blood. Good bye to this worthless conference, worthless commish and pice of crap head of officails. None of this does or should suprise anybody. Typical North Dakota hockey, a complete disgrace under Hack-stool.
- dfkjlsdjklf
  hahahaha worthless conference haha i am laughing so hard right now more like the best conference that no one can compete against
- Guest
  Every single team in the country occasionally lets their emotions get the best of them. Especially against their number one rival. Shut up with your ignorant talk just because you like a team in a different conference. And unless it’s Michigan, I’d say our program is most certainly more successful than yours, so we’re doing something right.
Nsiegle
so ur dumbass is saying everytime a hockey player does something bad or wrong the coach should be suspended if that was the case there wouldnt be any coaches hakstall did what any coach should in any league of hockey theres still a chance of suspension if you read the write up hakstall says there will be further disiplinary actions
Siouxfan219
So, what about the player that came off the bench (Hansen) and slashed Blood in the back of the knees?? Yet the Gophers are the class of the league right?? That’s what got Blood so ticked off. He plays hard, hits hard, and rarely loses his temper. One thing about Sioux hockey, you know what kind of game you’re gonna get. They’re gonna hit you, plain and simple. If you call playing physical hockey dirty, then you don’t know what hockey is. Go play some checkers.
- guest
  Yes, what Hansen did wasn’t classy either, but if you rewind it a little farther like you just did…Blood took a slapshot after the whistle that hit another player…so it all ends up coming back on Blood anyway. Just suspend him St. Cloud and show that his actions are not acceptable in college hockey
  - Siouxfan219
    What happened in the handshake could have been provoked, you just don’t know but in response to your comment about Blood hitting another player with a slapshot after the horn, he hit it with 2 seconds left, not after the horn like you contend, and many times I’ve seen a player out of frustration hit the puck the length of the ice, this one just happened to hit Ambroz who was a moving. Hard to call that a deliberate action. If Blood deserves a suspension, so should Hansen. At least he has the guts to stand up face to face, not cheap shot someone from behind then hide behind the rest of his team.
    - guest
      So is that why Blood went after one of the smallest, if not smallest player on UMTC’s roster. By no means am I a fan or supporter of the gophers and the cheap shots they take (as most teams will have at times) sometimes. I’m just referring to your general lack of seeing that Blood deserves to be suspended (possibly Hansen also). I suppose you also think Kristo didn’t deserve to be ejected the night before…
      - djdjklfs
        he didnt deserve to be ejected
      - Who are the Sioux?
        yeah i guess elbows to the head should be allowed
      - Guest
        Wasn’t an elbow, was a two hand shove and the gopher crumbled into the boards like their trained to do by their joke of a coach.
      - Change Your Name
        guess you’re right
      - Get your facts straight
        Good timing on the shot. He shoved both hands at the guy and missed with his upper hand and that’s the follow through after he missed the shove. It was wrong yes but wasn’t a punch or elbow so get your facts straight
      - Change Your Name
        HELLO…look at the pics…you see his elbow clearly goes from being bent to full extended after that little cry baby threw the elbow
    - WCHA Fan
      ??? Seriously ???
    - Hockey25
      Boy are you tough!
    - suesuc
      Bloods a goon, always has been.
- Hockey25
  Why did Blood shoot the puck at a Gopher player after the game had ended – sounds like a cheap team to me!
  - Siouxfan219
    Get your facts straight, he shot the puck with 2 seconds left. There’s nothing wrong with shooting the puck with time left on the clock and if that’s considered cheap then why play to the horn?
    - Who are the Sioux?
      Yes. Blood shot the puck with 2 secs left. However that crosscheck he put on Ambroz was after the whistle.
      After that the ref stepped in. Hanson did get a cheap shot in and Blood hit the ice. Then acted like a goon skating around the ice still trying to get at Ambroz.
      He later showed his true colors while the team was exchanging handshakes and decided to take down Ambroz and not Hanson.
      It was a classless move and now he needs to suffer some consequences.
- pr2005
  So why not go after Hansen then…instead of the 5’6″ 160lbs Rau? Real tough guy. Physical hockey is played during the game, not after.
- Guest
  Agreed. Blood gets all the reaction and got slashed across the back after he got knocked down? Classy Gophers as usual.
guest
Hakstol removed the A because he wants the wcha to think that he handled the situation. keep the A, lose the A, no real punishment there. sit a game or two that might show some punishment for being a moron. lamoureux isn’t really the best role model for anyone one on that team to look up to. anytime someone gets hit, he loses his mind and should be restrained. u can tell who the black sheep of that family is
spat24
Typical UND Goons. Just remove a patch off of a jersey and hope that keeps the league from a harsh punishment. I’m all for physical hockey, but that team is becoming a joke. Every fan base can see it, but their own.
- Markisainc
  Couldn’t agree with you more… Did you hear the stupid fans cheering this on? Makes my point about how classless the UND fans have become. 2013 can’t come soon enough for me.
  Blood should be suspended for several games. What a joke! I understand playing hard on the ice, that’s what you were brought in to do, but NO ONE should EVER start something in the handshake line. Provoked or not, this shows an extreme lack of class that, in my opinion, is likely part of the Sue culture.
  - Fan Man
    Yes it was a classless act by Blood but in a series that runs so high on emotion, do you really think it is that hard to let them get the best of you and do something stupid? These are young college men, and not quit professionals…. Remember that!
    - After Further Review
      If it happened during the game, I could have said it was an emotional, spur of the moment thing… it wasn’t. If you can’t play the game hard and when it’s over, go through the line and shake hands like a man, maybe you shouldn’t be representing your school or the NCAA at all!
      This has nothing to do with being professionals, it has to do with sportsmanship.
      - Fan Man
        I can also agree to a certain degree but I also think that professionalism goes hand in hand with sportsmanship…
      - After Further Review
        I can also agree with that… I just feel strongly that after the game, you go to your own ends, pat the goalie on the back, whatever… then it’s over… be a man and shake hands. Any altercation that happens then is much worse than things that happen between rivals during a game.
    - WCHA Fan
      These young men are representing their university at a national level. It is a priveledge for them to do so, and if they are too infantile to remember that they should be dropped from the roster. The fact that you are trying to make excuses for his actions is embarrasing. Blood made a major mistake and it needs to be dealt with accordingly. We fire police officers for getting shots in after a life and death pursuit, why would you keep a goon who takes cheap shots after a game?
      - Fan Man
        A little extreme in your comparisons dont you think… So in that case, Kristo should be suspended for his check from behind! But not Serratore for his or his teamate Mark Alt checking from behind…. Looks as though you are quick to point the finger, but cannot except any blame
- Guest
  The only problem with your argument is that this is a “team” thing. I agree that this is terrible and I am a HUGE SIOUX fan and always will be. But the numbers don’t support your argument that UND is a cheap team. In fact the last time I looked (about 2 weeks ago) they were the second least penalized team in the WCHA. Can’t call this a cheap team. that was a cheap shot for sure and as I stated above he should have the A removed and sit a game or two but don’t get all high and mighty and start saying things that just aren’t true.
Suture
You people are a bunch of puzzies! Grow up, this is hockey. 99% of the time the Sioux play good,
hard-hitting hockey. What Blood did was wrong,
no doubt about it. I am not against punishment for his actions. But, to hear these Gopher dorks on here is
nauseating. The Sioux are too rough,
they are too mean, they play just too darn hard for the rest of the
country. Maybe some of you people should
look at how the Sioux play. Hands down
the best college hockey program year to year.
Yea, sure, it’s been a few years since they have won a NC…so what! They have been there more than ANYONE and
have won more games than ANYONE. Go
ahead and say they play cheap…they are at the bottom of the WCHA in
PIM’s. How cheap can a team be with the
fewest PIM in the entire conference? I
hear this “cheap” garbage all the time. The Sioux have no more cheap shots than any
other team in the country. Just because
the Goph’s have been a punching bag for 20 years does not make the Sioux cheap.
I laugh, I laugh at the sheer jealousy out there….bunch of big babies! Other than BC I cannot think of a team in
the country that would not trade the success the Sioux have had over the
past…what 10 years….15 years…maybe 20 years! Ok, make an argument for Denver. Anyone else?
Nobody, don’t even think about bringing the wimps east of the Red into
this conversation. Goph’s have a ton of
talent every year but they play like an overweight, spoiled stepchild crying
for more ice cream in his oversized Edina home.
Give me a break Gophers, give me a break. As Nicholson says in A Few Good
Men….”what’s wrong with you Fu#$%I people”? Ok, who do we play next?
- http://pulse.yahoo.com/_IBX3ZLT5XKNZDOL2YZHPVX27VI STEVEN P
  Funny. The Gophers have won as many frozen 4′s in those past 20 years as your wonderful Choirboys of the Floodplain,and they didn’t have to resort to thuggery to do it. Enjoy your trip into irrelevance as the Gophers move onward and upward,and the No-names dissolve in the high water of the Red River. It was a nice run,but the ride is almost over Hakstool is your Doug Woog. A lot of wins,but really nothing to show for it.Close only counts in horseshoes.
  - Suture
    Well, damm……..you might be right on that one….I want Deano back!!
    The fella who said this kind of “stuff” only happens at UND (oh, and UMN was kind of thrown in there too)…..well, if you think this only happens at those two schools I really doubt you have cable or a dish my friend. It happens out East all the time. Ask some of the Hockey East people about end of game brawls last year.
    I swear this country of ours is going to hell in a hand basket. I hope onone of you people are in our military. You all act like this was some egregious event. Did anyone get hurt? Did it impact the score of the game? Or, did it just offend some of your sensibilities? Again, I keep hearing Jack in my ear….What’s wrong with you Fu$&@”: people?
- hockeyguy21
  Settle down guy, last time I checked UND has 2 guys on there roster from Edina.
- Boom Boom
  Do you know your team? Blood and Finley, the handshake cheapshots, are both Edina cakeeaters. Nice try, Suture.
  - Sara
    Nice try. Ben is from Plymouth idiot.
    - WCHA Fan
      She’s correct. But still, there are 2 traitors from Edina on the roster. Gleason is the other.
Dfpjohnnie
Finally the Gophers can play a season without having to worry about the Sioux. Now if they can only avoid Holy Cross things will be just perfect
- Beefy1
  The topic of this conversation is the despicable behavior consistently exhibited by the cheap hoseheads at UND. The discipline imposed by Hak is not enough, and the league needs to step in.
  The topic doesn’t register with weak hockey minds. So they fall back to their old standard Holy Cross reference, forgetting UND’s embarrassing first round West Regional exit to Ferris State in 2003.
  Go start your own league, cheap hoseheads!
  - B.D.
    From our point of view itis the cheap and OBNOXIOUS Gopher fans who have to atone….
The Rev
Wow, I hope this GOON gets over having his A removed. I’m sure that he and Hackstooge where having a nice giggle as he was telling him that he would no longer be an ASSistant captain. It went something like this, “Ben (snicker, snicker) you’re a bad boy…wipe that smirk off your face or I’ll make you go to the library and study. By the way Ben where is the library? Well anyway, any more stuff like that And I’ll suspend you from playing after you leave here.”
Jdhockeyboyz
As far as I know, Bruce McLeod and Greg Sheppard have been silent on the Blood and Kristo actions this past week. Coaches are responsible to keep their players under control, so Blood’s demotion by Hakstol was at least a positive step. The league commissioner’s duties go beyond finding a nice resort for annual meetings. In light of the recent spinal cord injuries in hockey, the trash talking regarding Genoway’s serious injury is tasteless.
- WCHA Fan
  Friends,
  Please join me in writing the WCHA administration to ensure that Blood is appropriately sanctioned for his disgraceful display of un-sportsmanlike conduct last weekend. So far, the onlyweak consequence has been the removal of the A on his sweater.
  Here are the email addresses from the WCHA site…
  clabelle@wcha.com
  smartin@wcha.com
  dspencer@mailbag.com
  Let our collective voices be heard. WCHA Fan…
  - nogofer
    Good luck with all that… It is done. Move on…
    - nogofer
      I wonder if we need to censure Wally Shaver? Who do I call?
  - Fan Man
    Who do you think you are mister big shot…. Oh thats a song, sorry just happened to be playing while a read your stupid comment! Get over the play and yourself. Blood got a nice chop to the leg, get upset, acted immature, and gave a love tap. You are making yourself out to be just as big as joke as anybody so do yourself and the rest of your rodent fans a favor: Shut the F up already. Fan Man…

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