Brooks hopes to rekindle 1980 magic in NHL-based U.S. Olympic team
A week ago, Herb Brooks gathered a group of 38 NHL players together in Colorado Springs. Colo., for a brief three days of workouts in order to compile the players for the 2002 U.S. Olympic hockey team.
A frequent topic during those workouts was the connection to 22 years ago, when the same Herb Brooks assembled a group of fuzzy-cheeked college players and went off to shock the hockey world by beating the powerful Soviet Union and winning the 1980 gold medal at Lake Placid. The claim has been made that the 1980 team provided a huge psychological lift for the United States, which was collectively demoralized by the tension of the Cold War and the holding of U.S. hostages in Iran at the time of the Olympics.
Nobody, however, could have imagined, as Brooks ran his new, more sophisticated talent through some preliminary but high-tech workouts, that one week later an entirely new cloak of tension would grip the country, when terrorists hijacked four U.S. airliners and crashed them into strategic targets at the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
The events of this past week could change the way of free-movement life in this country, and threaten the 2002 Winter Olympics, which are scheduled for February in Salt Lake City, Utah. But, while the enormity of the 1980 U.S. “Miracle on Ice” may be exaggerated to melodramatic length by some sports historians, it is impossible to overlook the eerie parallel — that the older and wiser Brooks with a new U.S. team could be in position to provide a similar boost to a U.S. psyche that may still be in shock by the time the 2002 games are played.
Last week, of course, there was no such consideration, but there was an aura of enthusiasm from otherwise hardened pros about their opportunity and about the high-tempo, constant-motion style new to the NHLers that Brooks showed them in the brief workouts.
“There are two schools of thought about whether the Olympics should use the pros or not use the pros,” said Brooks. “The decision has been made to use pros, and change is part of our whole social life here. There’s a lot of ‘little boy’ in all the players here, and I sense a real energy from this group.”
Brooks, a Saint Paul native now residing in White Bear Lake, gives the 2002 U.S. team a distinct Minnesota flavor. So do players like goaltender Damian Rhodes (Richfield), defensemen Bret Hedican (North Saint Paul), Phil Housley (South Saint Paul) and former Hill-Murray star Dave Tanabe, and forwards and Duluth residents Brett Hull, an ex-UMD star, and Darby Hendrickson, a Richfield native who now lives near Island Lake. Another Minnesota link is Mike Modano, the former box-office idol of the Minnesota North Stars, who now wears a Stanley Cup ring won since the franchise moved to Dallas.
“A lot of great players aren’t going to make this team, and I want to make it,” said Housley, who made the leap from high school directly into the NHL after Buffalo drafted him on the first round in 1982. “I’ve known Herbie for a long time, but this is the first time I’ve ever been coached by him. It would be a great honor to play on this Olympic team. Herbie knows so much about the game, because he’s been through it.
“He brings a lot of energy, and he knows how to control the room by saying the right thing. He’s upbeat and positive, and he told us, ‘Don’t forget about your dreams,’ and this has always been a dream of mine.”
Hendrickson, who capitalized on the opportunity to become a legitimate NHL star with the expansion Minnesota Wild last season, also knows Brooks well off the ice, but had never been coached by him before. Hendrickson’s father, Larry Hendrickson, who also now lives in Duluth, has been a close friend of Brooks for years.
“Having met and knowing Coach Brooks in person, it’s fun to have the chance to play for him,” said Hendrickson.
In the brief drills, Brooks reunited the sizzling line from last year’s NHL All-Star team, with Tony Amonte, Doug Weight and Bill Guerin. He also moved Jeremy Roenick from center to wing, explaining that “I put Chris Drury in the middle on that line, so Jeremy could have a little more freedom to use his speed on the outside. I told Roenick that he made one play that showed me what he could do at the elite level of this game, but that I also wanted to see that from him every day now.”
Another flashy combination reunited Hull, who was left unsigned by Dallas and recently signed with the Detroit Red Wings, and center Mike Modano, joined by Keith Tkachuk. “That line could score some goals,” Brooks said. “Mike and Brett have played well together before at Dallas, and Tkachuk gives them a power forward on the other side.”
Brooks, of course, was just getting a preliminary look at line combinations, but while Hendrickson may be considered a longshot to make the team, his exceptional skating ability, dedication to defensive responsibility and willingness to step into any role make him a perfect component for Brooks, who always combines varied individual capabilities into his own team chemistry.
Brooks also named former Wisconsin Badger and longtime NHL star defenseman Chris Chelios as his captain. “I was very moved by Chris’ sincerity, conviction and desire, and he’s an absolute warrior,” said Brooks. “His signature will be on this team.”
While NHL devotees continue to assume that traditional NHL style will dominate the Olympics, playing on the wider (100 feet instead of 85 feet) Olympic-size rinks is a major adjustment, and the reason the superstar-laden U.S. and Canadian teams failed so badly in the 1998 games at Nagano, Japan. It also is why Brooks wanted the chance to install a couple of departures in style before the players dispersed to their NHL teams for training camp.
“The size of the rink is a reason that great NHLers might not make great Olympians,” said Brooks. “There are some great European players in the NHL now, but when they get back to their countries’ teams, they create entirely different types of teams. The Russians are aggressive and dynamic; the Czechs are so good at counterpunching; the Swedish team plays its unique style. All the different countries historically have a different style of play.”{IMG2}
And the NHL-dominated U.S. teams have always tried to win playing an up-and-down NHL style — ever since Brooks put together his hybrid combination of the best elements of various international styles back in 1980, and since then with NHL teams such as the New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins.
Brooks gave the NHL stars a taste of what he expects from them in February. For example, instead of a static breakout, with one defenseman behind the net passing to a posted winger on the sideboards, Brooks had all five skaters in constant motion, with one wing flying long up the side for a pass, which would be relayed with a deflection to fast-breaking linemates.
“I like the ‘big-rink’ game,” said Hendrickson. “Movement is so critical on the big ice. You have to use the space, moving, regrouping, controlling the puck and being patient. We’re all used to getting to the blue line, then moving up in the NHL.”
It was suggested that Hendrickson has an advantage on some of his more prominent fellow candidates because of his experience in past international games. “It’s true, I’ve played in six straight world tournaments,” said Hendrickson. “That’s because I haven’t been on teams that have played many NHL playoff games.”
Housley noted the difference in style, also. “North American players grow up playing up and down the rink,” he said. “Europeans grow up moving and playing completely different systems. They can come here and adjust easily to the North American game on the smaller rinks, but it’s easy for them to go back to the big rinks. For us, it’s great to be able to play this style, because we’ve got some of the best forwards in the world. But in the NHL, you don’t see many players flying the zone like this, because if you did, you’d be flying right back to the bench.”
But in the Olympics, it might be the route to the gold medal.
Leo Spooner wins golf event named in his honor
Leo Spooner works in downtown Duluth, selling men’s clothing at Harry Allenfall’s on Superior Street during working hours, but if you want to find him after hours, your best chance is probably to head on out to Northland Country Club and find out which hole he’s playing at the moment.
But Spooner, 74, recalls vividly his youthful years, growing up in Duluth when he couldn’t imagine playing the lush green countryside course at Northland, let alone becoming a member of the city’s hallmark course, on 39th Avenue East and Superior Street.
Spooner reminisced about those years earlier this week, although he did so reluctantly, because he insisted he didn’t want to talk about himself, but about last weekend’s big tournament at his beloved Northland.
However, it was impossible to separate the two for a couple of very good reasons. First, the event was the 16th annual Leo Spooner Invitational; and second, because Leo Spooner won the event named in his honor.
Spooner and Dick Kohlbry shot 74 and 72 to win the senior portion of the best-ball tournament with a 146. The overall tournament was won by Joe Jeannette and Jim Abelson of Duluth at 136, with a three-way tie for second at 138 among Bill and John Israelson of Bemidji, Jesse Bull and Cade Ledingham of Duluth, and J.B. Lloyd and Pete Honsa from the Twin Cities.
The array of areas represented by the entries is what makes the tournament worthwhile, Spooner said.
“When I was a kid,” said Spooner, “I used to play at Enger and some other public courses, and I had some success in amateur golf tournaments. But I couldn’t win any tournaments at Northland because I was a city kid. I could win everything else, but I couldn’t afford to play at Northland.
“I finally became a member at Northland in 1956.”
Typically, Spooner, Duluth’s best-known golfer for over half a decade, won the first tournament he ever played in at Northland. After winning his first tournament at Northland, and numerous subsequent events there, Spooner, who had made his way up to the club’s board of directors by then, made a bold suggestion in 1970.
“There was not much play on golf courses around here after Labor Day, and I remember what a big thing it was for local kids to get a chance to play at Northland, so I had an idea about having a best-ball tournament for everybody in the area,” he said.
That was the start of the Northland Four-Ball Championship, which fulfilled Spooner’s idea of giving regional golfers a focal point to aim for in September, as sort of an annual grand finale to the tournament season.
Spooner, who also has had success nationally, reached the National Amateur semifinals in 1984. Fittingly, Northland Country Club renamed the tournament the Leo Spooner Invitational in 1985.
The two-day tournament has grown over the years, just as the colorful Spooner has gracefully aged from arguably the best area golfer to the best senior golfer in the area.
Last weekend, with the number of entries limited to 120 golfers, there were the full 60 two-man teams participating in the tournament, which paid prizes for both low gross and net scores. Reluctantly, Spooner acknowledged that he and Kohlbry won the senior category of his own event.
“But I don’t want to talk about Leo Spooner,” said Leo Spooner. “I’d rather talk about all the younger guys who came from all over to play in the tournament.”
Denis Jacobson scores 5 TDs to fuel Denfeld win
All coaches take great pride when their players offer evidence of that elusive quality called “character.” If opening weekend of high school football is any indication, Duluth Denfeld proved its character by ignoring a couple of steep deficits to win convincingly.
Mountains of press clippings and videotape have been compiled about the long-awaited opening of the renovated Public Schools Stadium, but PSS wasn’t the only football field dedicated by an official opening game Friday night. Hermantown’s new Corey Veech Memorial football field also was officially opened for football Friday, and Denis Jacobson and the Denfeld Hunters made sure it would be a night to remember.
Jacobson, a slim senior halfback, said he was never concerned about the Hunters coming back from an early 20-0 lead against Hermantown, or even when it was 27-18 in the second half. He made sure the comeback would work by slicing, dicing and otherwise chewing up the Hawk defense to personally score 34 points in Denfeld’s stunning 41-27 reversal.
Jacobson scored five touchdowns, displaying an array of skills that included 147 yards sprinting on 13 carries including three touchdowns, 36 more yards on one pass reception that also was good for a touchdown, and 132 more yards on three kickoff returns — including one for 85 yards and yet another touchdown. He also ran in for a pair of 2-point conversions.
Afterward, the Denfeld coaches were giving Jacobson some grief about his third-quarter fumble, which temporarily interrupted Denfeld’s rally and gave the Hawks the chance to increase their lead to 27-12. “They make sure nobody gets a big head,” laughed Jacobson.
If the Hawks had their home-opening dedication game snatched away from them, down at Public Schools Stadium the opening night was less than a rousing success for Duluth East. The Greyhounds spotted Princeton a 7-0 lead, then came back to 7-6 when Tony Roman made a diving catch of a 32-yard Erik Lillejord touchdown pass. But the anticipated East rally in the second half didn’t develop, and the Tigers romped to a 25-8 victory with a decisive second half.
If the neat artificial turf at PSS was not friendly to the hometown club, Jacobson was not willing to say he preferred natural grass, even though he ran up and down Hermantown’s turf as if it were his one backyard.
It didn’t start out that way. Hermantown quarterback B.J. Radovich ran 33 yards for an early touchdown. Mike Anderson made it 14-0 for the Hawks by returning a punt 75 yards for another touchdown, then Anderson also scored in the final minute to boost the Hawks to a 20-0 lead after one quarter.
“We didn’t play well at the start,” said Denfeld coach Dave Mooers. “It was 20-0, but it was kind of strange. They got away with a long run, then they ran a punt back, and then we fumbled one to help them score three times.
“But our guys never seemed to be bothered. You get to where you might start to wonder if you can come back, but we never got to that point.”
The Hunters came stalking back in the second quarter, when John Borich — who has taken on double duty to play quarterback on offense while still playing his trademark middle linebacker on defense — connected with Jacobson for the 36-yard touchdown pass. Jacobson came right back to break free for a 41-yard touchdown run, but the Hunters missed a kick and a pass for extra points, and still trailed 20-12 at halftime.
Radovich had gained 115 yards rushing at that point, with the final 63 of those yards coming on an option sprint. But he was caught from behind before he could reach the end zone, and the Hunters forced a fumble at the 5 to prevent the Hawks from adding to that 20-12 lead.
Denfeld came out and quickly scored to open the third quarter, with Jacobson covering the final 38 yards to close it to 20-18, but another 2-point conversion try failed. It was ealy in the fourth quarter when Jacobson’s fumble helped Hermantown throw a wrench into Denfeld’s momentum, as the Hawks capitalized for a short touchdown run by Mike Anderson, restoring the lead to 27-18.
Again the Hunters remained unruffled. At least Jacobson did, and he again ignited his teammates that time by taking Hermantown’s ensuing kickoff and going 85 yards for a touchdown. This time Borich gave the ball to Jacobson on the conversion, and his 2-pointer lifted Denfeld to a 27-26 deficit.
As usual, other Hunters contributed greatly to the victory, and overlooked by Jacobson’s big night was Steve Muellner, the fullback to carried 21 times for 129 yards. That included a 6-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter that gave Denfeld its first lead at 32-27. Jacobson again ran in for two points and it was 34-27 — impressive, but far from safe in this rivalry.
It became safer after the Hunters defense stymied Radovich and the Hawks, and Jacobson dashed for his fifth and final touchdown from the 20. Jacobson then went to the sidelines not feeling well, and turned the offense for the last seven minutes over to Muellner and Matt Nylund, who added 27 more yards on six carries, and ran two punts back for 31 yards.
“I really believe we wore them down,” said Mooers. “We were two-platooning the whole game, and I think they were getting tired.”
Jacobson said: “We knew we could come back. Their veer is tricky, and it was frustrating to stop them on a dive and have them still coming at you. It can bring you down to get behind, but we knew we could come back, the whole time.”
As for sitting out the final seven minutes, Jacobson’s ailment might have been nothing more than having overlooked eating something substantial on game day. “I weigh 160,” said Jacobson, but then he smiled and acknowledged that his weight might be exaggerated more than his touchdown or yard count.
Nonetheless, being that skinny might have made him more elusive for zipping through Hermantown’s defense. And if he felt lousy after spearheading Denfeld’s remarkable comeback, imagine how the Hawks felt.
Familiar East girls soccer standouts blend with skilled rookies
With 13 players departed from their state tournament team of last year, Duluth East was intent on getting this season started successfully. With the backdrop of the dedication ceremonies for the new Ordean Field complex, the Greyhounds blended some familiar faces with new talent for a rousing season-opening victory.
Duluth East is both the beneficiary and the victim of the two-class system in girls soccer. As the only Class AA school in Duluth, the Greyhounds are seen as elitists by some for pulling out of the Lake Superior Conference, but while retaining old rivalries, they also have scheduled some of the state’s elite programs and set high regional standards for the sport.
The Greyhounds, who won all five games in their own jamboree a week ago, made their own footprint in history on Thursday by beating a strong Eden Prairie outfit 2-1 to officially open their season and dedicate the new soccer/football stadium at Ordean.
The event was East’s invitational girls tournament, with Cretin-Derham Hall facing Woodbury in the second game on the hot, sunny afternoon, and the winners and losers meeting Friday to complete the tournament.
True, the Greyhounds lost 13 seniors, but just as true, their junior varsity was something like 22-0 playing a rigorous schedule. And among the returnees are some of last year’s standouts.
Anne Litecky was the team’s top scorer last year, although she’s still only a junior, and she has elevated her game another notch. Litecky made a key play to sophomore Emily Zobel — one of the new faces — for the first goal ever scored on the new natural grass turf at Ordean. Then, after Amy Everstam tied the game 1-1 in the second half for Eden Prairie, Litecky scored with a header off a slick feed from Melissa Nelson for the game-winner.
Becky Salyards, a senior, played the full game in goal, as coach Shawn Roed departed from last year’s plan of splitting every game with Salyards and Ann Siders playing a half each. Both goalies will still play, maybe even equally, but they will get full games, with Roed planning on playing whichever one has the hot hand. And as one of five seniors, Salyards got the opening start.
“With only five seniors, it’s pretty exciting to see them come together,” said Roed. “I think Eden Prairie was the best team we’ve seen, counting the teams at the jamboree last week, but Cretin and Woodbury both are strong teams too.”
While noting that the ‘Hounds have to play the top Twin Cities teams to prepare themselves for post-season play, where the scarcity of Class AA programs Up North means East has to wade through Twin Cities suburban powers like Coon Rapids, Blaine, Anoka, Champlin Park and others. But that doesn’t mean he’s comfortable splitting away from the LSC teams.
“I miss the old rivalries,” Roed said. “I grew up when games like East against Denfeld were the biggest thing. So we’re still playing teams from the LSC. We’ve got Denfeld twice, and Central, Marshall and Cloquet and others once each.”
East had polished off the likes of Hopkins, Burnsville, Proctor and Cloquet in the jamboree’s brief games, which got the Greyhounds untracked for their official opener.
Zobel, who played junior varsity last season, fit in well up front for the ‘Hounds, especially with junior Leah Engel out with an injury, leaving Roed with only three forwards. All three collaborated on the first goal, starting with Lisa Trachsel, another of East’s five seniors.
“Lisa Trachsel played the ball to Anne Litecky,” said Zobel. “She came in and the goalie was going toward her, but she faked her out and passed it to me. I was coming in on the right side and shot it in.”
Roed thought Zobel made a flashier play than she described. “Anne passed it to Emily, and she made a great move to get around the goalkeeper and score,” the coach said. “Emily is an excellent athlete; she ran in the state track meet. We knew from JV she would be a strong player, she has real good instincts and a knack for scoring.”
When asked if it was her first varsity goal, Zobel hesitated. But since it was East’s first game, it must have been, right?
“I scored three goals last weekend in the jamboree,” she said, smiling.
Salyards gave herself passing grades in goal, although she is so competitive she doesn’t think any balls should get past her. “I had to make some saves,” she said. “On one of ’em, I thought I could catch it, but when I came out I had to punch it clear. They got the one goal, and it was up high, in the corner. I guess it was a perfect shot.”
Litecky, a fiery player who puts her skills on quick and decisive display every game, collaborated again for the winner, but this time she got the goal.
“We had good pressure on their defense,” Litecky said. “Melissa Nelson came in with the ball, and the defense didn’t back up. That left a pretty big gap between the defenders and their goalie, so Melissa lobbed the ball in between them, and I slid into the gap. The goalie was right next to me, but I was able to turn my head and knock the ball into the right side of the goal.”
With the new scoreboard clock ticking down into the final 10 minutes, and a big and enthusiastic crowd sitting in the balloon-bedecked grandstand, Litecky’s goal allowed the Greyhounds to hang on for the victory. Litecky also got her scoring touch untracked last week in the five-game jamboree, when she scored “four or five,” she said with a shrug.
There will be more, as the Greyhounds appear to have a creative, high-scoring attack, solid mid and defensive players and the experienced talent in goal. Losing 13 seniors from their state tournament team of a year ago is a huge changeover, but when returnees like Litecky, Trachsel and Salyards are joined by newcomers like Zobel, the transition looks pretty smooth.
UMD football team looks for big things in Year III of Nielson regime
UMD football training camp began two weeks of two-a-day drills this week, and coach Bob Nielson isn’t pulling any punches.
Nielson looked at his solid, experienced offense, and his inexperienced defense and made a flat preseason assessment: “We’re going to be a vastly improved team.”
Sure, the Bulldogs have Ricky Fritz back as a junior for his third year quarterbacking the offense, bolstered by tremendous depth, but even the team’s big question mark about filling the holes left by graduation to the defense doesn’t dissuade Nielson from his confident prediction.
“We’ve certainly got some holes to fill, but we’re also in position to fill them,” Nielson said. “For the first time, we’re in position to start working ahead. Some of our position groups are young, but it’s not like they’re all raw freshmen. We have 22-24 players from two years ago who were red-shirted, so now they’re playing for the first time, but they’ve been in the system, and they’re ready to step in.”
Nielson took over the Bulldogs in disarray two years ago, and immediately showed the benefits of his highly organized style of multiple-look offense. Admittedly, however, he had to pull back on the things he most wanted to do because he was working with a group unaccustomed to his system.
Last season, the Bulldogs shocked both Mankato State and St. Cloud State in an impressive opening against two teams from the North Central Conference, and they continued on to become contenders in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference right up to a late loss at ultimate champion Winona State. A victory there would have left the ‘Dogs in a three-way tie for the title.
But as good as the 5-3 NSIC and 7-4 overall records were in his second year, this will be the first time Nielson goes into a season armed with his own recruits from the red-shirted crop of his first recruiting crop.
“Erik Anderson from Cook County, for example, had a good spring for us after red-shirting last year, and he certainly demonstrated he’s improved enough to fit into our quarterback structure,” Nielson said. “He’s just one of three guys all considered red-shirt freshmen age, and then we’ve got Ricky Fritz, who’s a seasoned veteran by now. That gives us good depth, with a good understanding of what we’re trying to do.”
In the past two seasons, what UMD did was to have Fritz pass a lot. Enough so that Fritz has nearly a dozen school passing records and ranks as UMD’s second career leader for total offense and passing yards. However, if the Bulldog offense clicks the way Nielson foresees, Fritz will be throwing less and enjoying it more.
“We’re not going to change a lot. Hopefully, we can run the ball more,” the coach said. “We were inconsistent in our running game; we ran well against poorer teams and not very well against the better teams. When we didn’t run well, we had to throw the ball more. So Ricky’s completion rate was not as high as we’d like it to be because he had to pass. If we run the ball better, it will open up the passing lanes more as well.
“Ricky had one game where he passed the ball 50 times, and four weeks later we beat Wayne State in what was probably our most impressive offensive game, and he only threw five passes.”
With a receiving corps led by Cloquet brothers Steve and Tim Battaglia, Fritz should have little trouble pulling the trigger on an offense that should be quick-striking and exciting. And if seniors Tim Ofthus and Jared Murray — and a few faces — can run the ball sufficiently to replace the departed Erik Conner, the Bulldogs should have a potent attack, running behind all five returning offensive linemen.
It is defense where the Bulldogs’ biggest questions lie, but Nielson is optimistic. “We lost all three of our starting linebackers, but we’ve also got three starters back in our defensive secondary,” said Nielson. “And our depth is better at every position defensively.
“We have Eric Wirz as our only senior linebacker, but we’ve also got Brian Wenngatz, who played quite a bit. And last spring, some of our red-shirt players, like Adam Skinner from Cumberland, Joe DuPree from Milwaukee, and Russ Rabe (from Lake Holcombe, Wis.), all played well. You take that core group of young guys and you add to them new guys like Dave Otto, a transfer from St. Cloud State, and we look pretty solid.
“Same thing up front on the defensive line. We lost a couple of key guys, but we’re got Nic Free, who played well as a true freshman last year, and Nate Davis, who had a shoulder injury last year, Paul Beck from Superior, Ryan Johnson from Cloquet, and you add in Mike Walters, who is transfering in after playing for the Gophers and has two years of eligibility left.”
Walters had been a victim of the depth chart at Minnesota, and decided to join former Eden Prairie High School teammates Fritz and Nate Reimers with the Bulldogs.
Winona State was the coaches’ pick to repeat as Northern Sun champ, but UMD and Bemidji State were voted a close second.
“Winona lost some key players, but has a good nucleus back,” said Nielson. “I think Northern and Bemidji will both be tough, and Crookston and Concordia will be improved. Based on last year, I agree with the coaches rankings.”
Nielson, however, couldn’t conceal a sly grin as he said that. He doesn’t mind at all heaping a little extra pressure on Winona State, although he also is aware the Bulldogs won’t be sneaking up on anybody — not with opening games at Minnesta State-Mankato (Sept.1) and at home against South Dakota (Sept. 8).
“South Dakota has been ranked about 14th in the country, and it says something about our program that a top-20 team will come here and play us,” said Nielson. “But it also means that it takes time to develop our young guys, and we don’t have the luxury of easing them in. Our young guys will have to step up right away.”
About the Author
John Gilbert is a lifetime Minnesotan and career journalist, specializing in cars and sports during and since spending 30 years at the Minneapolis Tribune, now the Star Tribune. More recently, he has continued translating the high-tech world of autos and sharing his passionate insights as a freelance writer/photographer/broadcaster. A member of the prestigious North American Car and Truck of the Year jury since 1993. John can be heard Monday-Friday from 9-11am on 610 KDAL(www.kdal610.com) on the "John Gilbert Show," and writes a column in the Duluth Reader.
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