Rick McAdoo responds:

>Greg Ambrose took some exception to my description of the penalties that
>Orpik took in the 2nd period of Saturday night's game.  He characterized
>Orpik as "a goon, period."  And, as Greg had a good view of the tripping
>penalty that resulted in Jim Abbott's injury, he thought it was a clear
>and obvious bad penalty that is considered one of the more dangerous types
>of penalties.
>
>I defer to Greg's better view of the 2nd play, if that is what happened.
>I did not clearly see the hit, just the aftermath, and reported what I
>knew, which was a clear difference of opinion between the UNH and BC
>supporters that I heard first hand.

Thanks for defering to me Rick.  Believe me, Abbott was going to blow by
Orpik quite easily when the leg came out.  A very  dangerous play which
IMO, deserved more than a 2-minute trip.

>I know enough of Orpik's play to know
>that he does take a lot of penalties that he could avoid if he chose to;
>for his own reasons, he chooses to play extra-physical and accepts the
>costs of those penalties.  I assume the BC staff has accepted most of this
>as a tradeoff between his talents (and despite Greg's characterization, he
>is not just a goon)

...but, you would have to admit, he does have some serious goon-like
tendencies

>and the benefits he brings in physicalness contrasted
>to the penalty kills that are required.  Most folks see this same behavior
>in many players in all the leagues.  Personally, I think Brooks has tried
>to play too physical this year, possibly as an attempt to cement his image
>as he decides what his future may be in the NHL -- he was a 1st round pick
>in the most recent NHL draft.  In general, I think he is big and strong
>enough that he can adjust to a more physical style when he gets to the
>pros.  Right now, BC needs him on the ice to strengthen the defense.

I agree.  It has always been puzzling to me why kids like Orpik, who do
have a degree of talent, choose to accentuate a physical, on-the-edge style
because they think that's what the NHL is looking for.  From my observation
of the level of play by defensemen in the NHL, a guy who can take the body
in front of the net and stand guys up at the blueline would be a hell of a
lot more attractive than someone who cross checks, leg checks and plays on
the edge like Orpik does.  His coaches and, more importantly his agent
(whoops, family advisor) should clue him in on this.
>
>As a historic note, Orpik did set the single-season penalty-minute record
>for BC last year, and may break it again this year if his current trends
>continue.

I guess I rest my case.
>
>In general, hits like the one that caused Abbott's injury are always a
>mixed bag.  There are a lot of collisions and checks in games, some legal
>and some not, which potentially cause injury.  Leg trips, as Orpik was
>called for, are more dangerous than others, yet still result in no injury
>in most cases.  If the collision had not been on the knee, and Abbott had
>gone flying with no significant trauma, it would have been a penalty and
>the vitriol that some expressed would not have been so severe.  It is safe
>to say that almost no players go out of their way to cause an injury (to
>bruise and intimidate, certainly, but not injure,) and certainly in this
>case there was no intent to injure.  To call for a tape review and
>treating this as a deliberate effort is probably more than it is worth.

I have to disagree.  A leg check is always a dangerous play since it
usually occurs in open ice where at least one, if not both players, are
moving pretty quickly.  The sudden, unanticipated impact of a leg check, I
think, is potentially more injury inducing than any other penalty in hockey.
>
>As to Greg's comment that I "must have had [my] Maroon and Gold colored
>glasses on for this game", well, yes, I am a fan.  I have to work hard at
>trying to be objective and see things as they are, and I'll freely admit
>that my view of players like Orpik are kinder than other fans.  And it is
>tempting to paint players on other teams as bad, or goons, or dirty, or
>...  Trust me -- I've played sports, and I know what players can do on the
>field or the ice.  No team is immune.  In general, I defer to the coaches,
>players, and officials to regulate the behavior; I'm not privy to their
>discussions or decisions, and they generally have a much better view than
>I do.  I assume that those who read my summaries know that I am a BC fan;
>my signature includes that fact.  They can account for that in their
>judgments of my objectivity.  At the same time, I'd put my objectivity up
>against Greg's, anytime, anyplace.  --

As most of my fellow UNH diehards will attest, I have had some very strong
opinions over the years on the deficiencies of various players and coaches
affiliated with the team.  However, since UNH detractors seem to do a
pretty good job of writing about the same, I keep my comments to myself
and, like Rick, focus only on the positive attributes of the  Wildcats.

Greg Ambrose