We Were Only Freshmen

Chuck and I may have had a class with Chris Drury at BU our freshman year.  No one remembers for sure.  We obviously learned a lot in “Rocks for Jocks” or whatever we were studying, and that knowledge comes in handy today when identifying the sediment strata of the landscape in pictures of Jonathan Toews golfing.

New York Rangers captain Chris Drury has told the New York Post he will accept a buyout of the final year of his contract Wednesday, and become an unrestricted free agent Friday.

Drury signed a five-year, $35.25 million with the Rangers on July 1, 2007. According to CapGeek.com, Drury will count approximately $3.716 million against the 2011-12 salary cap, and about $1.667 million in 2012-13. [NHL.com]

Chris battled injury last year, including that pesky broken finger that really made NYR Fan Steph mad.  He’s 34, has played 12 seasons and tallied 255 goals + 360 assists.  He was part of the ’01 Avs team that I loved so much, along with Ray Borque.  That was a fun year.

And thanks to Wikipedia for doing all this work:

• Only player in hockey history to win both the Hobey Baker Memorial Award and Calder Memorial Trophy.
• Holds the record for most goals in Boston University Men’s Ice Hockey history with 113.
• Only Boston University ice hockey player with at least 100 goals and 100 assists.

(Terrier) Puppy Love

So… where do 34 year old former captains with possible serious knee problems go?  We’ll have to wait and see.  Let’s hope he gets  a few more seasons in before he’s done (even if he does like the Yankees).

PS: This post makes us feel old. If you don’t know the song from post title, you definitely didn’t have class with us.

We must protect this house.

The Canucks want us to hate them.  I mean Kesler keeps trying to be cute, but the other guys are biting and concussing and all kinds of crap.  Today, the final straw:

from @vancanucks

Get ’em, Bs.  Do it for Chuck.  She’ll be the one in the Seguin jersey tied to a seat in the club level.

Back in da day: Timmy and Martin

We present to you Timmy “The Tank” Thomas and Martin “Squishy” St. Louis, circa 1996…

Baby TIMMAY!

Baby SQUISHY!

BABY HOCKEY PLAYERS!! Watch the awesome video, complete with stellar 90’s soundtrack!

In 1996, Pants and I were juniors in high school.  She had a curly afro and I had reaaaally long hair and wore Doc Martens.

In 1996, the Tank and Squishy were teammates on the Vermont Catamounts’ hockey team.  Who knew that 15 years later, they’d be facing each other for a chance to play in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Certainly not them.  We’re thinking they were more worried that they ran out of Ben and Jerry’s and that they couldn’t find their favorite flannel shirt.  Let’s be realistic here, people.  It is Vermont, after all.

Should be interesting to watch them when the Eastern Conference Finals start up tomorrow.  Think they’ll meet up at center ice during warm ups for a chat?

Or will it be this instead?

*facepalm*

The Beanpot – aka the BU Invitational

For the first and second Mondays of February, the four Boston* college hockey teams – Harvard, Northeastern, Boston College, and Boston University – take part in the Beanpot Tournament.  This special hockey tournament has grown to be one of the most unique and anticipated college sporting events in the country.

Winning the silver pot of Boston baked beans is a source of immense pride and bragging rights amongst players, students, alumni, and fans – especially for those of us with ties to Boston University (ie. myself and Pants). In the 59 years that the Beanpot has been played, the BU Terriers have won it 29 times.  That’s about 50%.  Hence the nickname.

We win. Again.

For those of us who have had the pleasure of watching in person, these games are truly special.  No matter what sort of season the teams are having, they always seem to step up when February rolls around.

BU could be considered to be in a “rebuilding” phase and have lost all their games vs. the Eagles.  BC is the defending national champs and atop the national rankings.  But when the puck drops for their semifinal match up at 8pm tonight, all the trials and tribulations of the current season don’t matter.  BU has got history on their side.  For many of BU’s players this year, this is the first time that they will playing in the Beanpot.  I hope they take a moment in the quiet before the national anthem to reflect on that this tournament means.   I hope they take a deep breath before the puck drop to realize how much this means to their fans.

Victory makes us want to hug everyone!

“What the Beanpot means to me? Quite simply, there are two words that come to mind: tradition and emotion. Anyone who has a pulse around here knows about the tradition of the Beanpot. I’m a local kid. I grew up in Scituate. I started coming to the Beanpot about the same time I started playing hockey.” — David Silk, former BU forward and 1980 Olympic gold medal winner

*Writer’s Note: Two of the four teams are not actually IN Boston.  Harvard is in Cambridge, right across the river and Boston College is in Chestnut Hill, MA.

Hockey Memories of Section 8

As a hockey fan living in New England, it is virtually impossible not to be a fan of or follow college hockey.  After all, Hockey East is arguably THE most competitive conference in Division I college hockey.  Since 1993, Hockey East teams have won 7 National Championships (and the last 3 in a row!) Can you say “Domination”?

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

When I was an undergraduate at Boston University, my winter social life pretty much revolved around the Terriers’ hockey schedule.  Hockey game, party on West Campus, recover, rinse, repeat.  I sat in Section 8 of the old Walter Brown Arena, where the seating bowl was weirdly elevated so that when I stood up from my 2nd row seats, my head was completely above the board.  While definitely unsafe (errant puck to the head, anyone?), it did make for an unimpeded vocal corridor right to the opposing team’s sieve..er…goalie.

Section 8 was especially adept at taunting these poor souls.  We had a knack for coming up with very creative insults and epitaphs to hurl at the visitor’s goalie.  My personal favorite (coined by some drunk dude in the 4th row) – “Your grandmother doesn’t love you.”  Another favorite wast the “Ugly Goalie” chant.  [Every time the opposing goalie would take off his mask, our crowd would yell “UGLY GOALIE!” over and over again.  Then when he’d put his mask back on, the crowd would cheer “YAY!”]

Random?  Yes.

Juvenile?  Maybe.

Effective?  You betcha.

You make her feel shame. Disappointment and shame.

 

On more than one occasion, an opposing goalie would hear one of these jeering affronts and quizzically look to his right.  Yeah, that’s right, buddy.  We’re talking about you.

SIEVE!

The team has since departing the charming Walter Brown and moved into the swanky Agganis Arena.  The seats are more comfortable and less precariously situated.  Section 8 has morphed into 2 spirited student sections at each end of the ice, but the cheers remain as lively and clever as ever.  I’ve been a  season ticket holder since my undergraduate years (minus a 4 year stint when I was living in LA) and I don’t think that I will every give up my seats.

College hockey is too special to give them up.  Special because you get to see players grow and develop.  You see their progression from skinny 4th-line  freshman to Hobey Baker finalist to NHL star.  College hockey is an imperfect game.  The goalie is not going to make every save.  The forward is not always going to score on the breakaway.  The defensemen is not always going to land that perfectly timed hip check.

But it is because of these imperfections of the college game that make it so enjoyable to watch. You feel like are a part of something just on the brink.  You are witness to these players on the edge of the diving board, ready to make the leap into the deep end of the hockey pool.

I, for one, cherish this and it makes me proud to be a college hockey fan.

No, no. Thank you!