On Thu, 17 Nov 1994, Ralph N. Baer wrote:
 
> > Well, this discussion is diverging from college hockey.  In one of the
> messages on this subject D. L. Sullivan stated (quoting from the RPI
> student newspaper).
>
> >Also noted in the announcement was that the ECAC
> >hockey league includes many of Rensselaer's most cherished hockey
> >rivalries, including those with Clarkson, St. Lawrence, Harvard, Brown,
> >Cornell and Princeton.
>
>  In my opinion, the list is a
> bit weird.
 
I'll agree with you that rivalries with Clarkson, St. Lawrence,
Harvard and Cornell are based (mostly) on the fact that they are all
about on an even talent level with RPI.  I'd also add that this usually
means that RPI winds up playing one or more of these teams in the ECAC
playoffs.
 
> This brings us to Brown and Princeton.  Having followed RPI for 30
> years now, I can't think of a time that I would have considered either
> of these fine institutions as having a rivalry with RPI.
>
Yes, I'm not sure I would call these teams rivals.  I think RPI, or at
least the RPI fans, consider these teams more as hated teams than rivals.
This probably comes from the frequent scheduling of both of them as
FREAKOUT teams.  I know Brown should really hate the RPI fans for what
has happened to them in their last few appearances at FREAKOUT.  Also,
games with these teams usually wind up being pretty ugly and rough with
a lot of penalties.
 
> Notably absent from this list is Union.  Clearly, Union is not one of
> RPI's "most cherished hockey rivalries" because Union has not had a
> Div-I team for too long.  But because of the proximity of the two
> schools a rivalry will eventually result.
>
I'm not sure I agree with this one totally.  Look at Army.  Proximity is
not everything.  A strong rivalry will develop with Union because
they are close only if Union can maintain a decent to strong team.
 
> I would have listed Colgate and Vermont on the list of RPI rivals
> before listing Princeton and Brown.
>
I'll agree w/ Colgate.  But Vermont didn't seem like a huge rival to me.
I think I'd put Harvard, Clarkson, Cornell and SLU as the top 4 rivals.
The rest of the ECAC are all about the same and you can argue forever.
The best rivals in HE are BC and UNH.
 
(All comments are purely my own opinion.)
 
-David Sullivan
'92 RPI
 
P.S.  All students at RPI prefer RPI.  It IS a polytechnic institute.
Look at the number of engineers and scientists it produces.
I hope any consideration of a name or "direction" change seriously thinks
about what Steven Van Rensselaer wanted to do when he founded RPI in 1824.