Kessel, Chucko, Frazee and other underaged Gophers caught with booze

[spintheblackcircle]

http://www.kmsp.com/news/investigators/story.asp?1650014
(snip)
"The Fox 9 Investigators uncover underage drinking by at least five players on the Golden Gopher men's hockey team.

It takes place at Blarney Pub and Grill, in the heart of Dinkytown near the U of M campus.

Starting Thursday night, Dinkytown becomes party town, and the alcohol flows 'til last call at 2:00 a.m. Monday morning.

Blarney Pub and Grill is a popular hot spot, where a lot of booze is poured, and among the many students drinking it are members of the University of Minnesota men's hockey team.

A team ranked number one at the start of the season, predicted by some to win the 2006 national title.

But there's a problem: over the course of 2 months, the Fox 9 Investigators videotaped 8 underage hockey players inside Blarney Pub and Grill.

Of those 8, 5 of them are drinking alcohol.

That means they're breaking laws, and violating the NCAA's policy on alcohol, which says underage drinking by student athletes is unacceptable.

The Fox 9 Investigators spent six weekends undercover inside and outside of Blarney Pub and Grill, shooting 50-hours of surveillance tape with our hidden cameras.

The video we shot of the underage drinkers is now being investigated by the University of Minnesota."

Click to read more...

 

[William H Bonney]

Holy hell batman....college kids drink?!?!?!?!?

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

OH NO, not drinking....thats why Frazee lists at over 205

 

[hockeyfan125]

I'd be more suprised if they weren't caught drinking. Athletes or not, it is the norm.

 

[s7ark]

Wow I hate Fox. What a waste of time. College kids drinking? That's gotta be news...

 

[Maithz]

don't draft them , they are alcoholic !!

 

[Evil Sather]

But wait, if they weren't athletes Fox9 would still be videotaping them... right? Right?

What a complete waste of money, time, and resources, over a complete non-issue.

 

[Bluesman]

Once again, wonderful journalism on the part of the Minneapolis Fox affliate. I swear to god they think journalism means "using hidden cameras to uncover people who are drinking that shouldn't be".

Well, at least they weren't digging through people's garbage

 

[HOCKEY_GURU]

This wouldnt even be an issue in places where the drinking age is 18...unless the drinking was in such an irrisponsible manner that it affects on ice performance... so what are we to make of this.. boys will be boys?

 

[GoSSCHgo]

NCAA Division I
NCAA Division III
USHL
CHL
Tier II
Juvenile

(a list of hockey leagues/categories where red blooded serious hockey players occasionally knock back a brewski or two, whether the drinking age is 18, 19 or 21 or not.

The dilemma is that most of the players on these teams are of legal age, but that there usually is a smaller cohort of a half dozen or so under-agers who have almost no choice but to follow suit, considering teams issues etc. When the guy wearing the C and his henchmen, the Alternates, announce a team outing, everybody goes. And to use a double negative for effect, you can't not drink if you're a star 17-year-old.

The NCAA should concentrate on more important matters. . .

 

[Twist and Shout]

NCAA Division I
NCAA Division III
USHL
CHL
Tier II
Juvenile

(a list of hockey leagues/categories where red blooded serious hockey players occasionally knock back a brewski or two, whether the drinking age is 18, 19 or 21 or not.

Better believe it

 

[usiel]

What Faux news 9 get tired of regurgitating Republican talking points? Crack faux journalism at its best.

 

[xander]

they spent 6 weekends on this?! Man, I know news is slow minnesota but this is rediculus.

 

[BIG GIFS]

Phil Kessel

I can't believe it... he's an alcohol drinker

 

[hfboardsuser]

"and we see sophomore forward Evan Kaufmann also drinking a beer, one month before his 21st birthday."

STRING HIM UP.

 

[friction]

Just another reason why the CHL is so much better...

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Just another reason why the CHL is so much better...

Exactly, if they were in Canada it wouldn't be a big deal because the age there is 18!!! One of the biggest things that ticks me off about the US (my home country) is that you can serve and die in the military at 18 but you can't have legally have a drink. What the ****???

 

[Sherlock]

How much trouble is that bar going to be in for serving minors?

Anyway, nobody should be surprised that college kids drink (especially hockey players, athletes than can traditionally drink just about anyone under the table.)

Nobody around here (Twin Cities) likes Fox 9 for exactly this kind of stuff, but it's tough to defend these guys. They're very, very visible in town so stuff like this is more likely to get out. If they're going to drink, they should be smarter about it.

 

[fatsunny]

Most of you on this thread sound very juvenile, rationalizing under aged drinking. You might not like the law, but it's the law and these kids need to learn to respect it. Athletes are terribly spoiled as a whole with all the attention they get and the freebies and the look aways those in authority give them when they do wrong. Doing that isn't good for their personal human development and I hope the coach takes appropriate action for the best interest of the players involved.

Is it a huge issue at this time? I wouldn't classify it as such, but it's still an issue that can't be glossed over.

 

[rt]

Most of you on this thread sound very juvenile, rationalizing under aged drinking. You might not like the law, but it's the law and these kids need to learn to respect it.

Pffft...

 

[Phanuthier*]

Is it a huge issue at this time? I wouldn't classify it as such, but it's still an issue that can't be glossed over.

Agreed

I'm dissapointed that Chucko (a Flames prospect) didn't take into consideration the consequences of his actions (including losing his scholarship or even getting kicked out of a very good program with the Goalden Gophers, thus likely going to the WHL). It's not about underage drinking as it is that he should have been more responsible, knowing what he was risking and that this could potentially affect his career.

I hope nothing big comes out of it, but there are some serious comsequences that they could lay down on Chucko, Kessel and the rest.

 

[Michael Morbid]

Phil Kessel
Career Potential: Theo Fleury

 

[DaveyCrockett]

This is a joke, I hardly know any students who haven't been drinking since they were 16-17.

 

[Phanuthier*]

This is a joke, I hardly know any students who haven't been drinking since they were 16-17.

Like I said, the issue isn't that they were actually drinking.

It's what they risked in doing so. Schoarlships, their NCAA career (and a very good development program in Minnisota, one of the top in the world), their entire team's post-season or ability to hold tournaments, external funding and scholarships ect ect (yes, I took this info from another site)

Very poor decision making by the 5. But, they are kids. If nothing comes out from this, its all for not - just a couple collage kids having a couple drinks. But, on the flip side, there could be hell to pay for this.

Its a poor decision. Drink at a house party, whatever. Just don't do it in public where you could pay for it. You represent a school.

 

[barfy2000]

"and we see sophomore forward Evan Kaufmann also drinking a beer, one month before his 21st birthday."

STRING HIM UP.

haha id you think thats bad, read the rest:

"By 12:30 a.m. many of the players are back at Blarney Pub and Grill, most of them in costume, drinking.

Included in the group are 20-year old Evan Kaufmann, a day shy of his 21st birthday according to the Gophers’ own media guide."