Unless someone has a better explanation, my understanding is that
Berenson opened the door to college hockey players going into the NHL.
As a juniors player, Berenson was told by the General Manager of the
Montreal Canadians that he'd never be allowed into the NHL if he went to
college instead of taking Montreal's offer.  After losing Michigan's
semi-final game in his senior year in '62 (in a game in which one of the
opposing players was Ron Mason, later the winningest college coach at
Michigan State) and playing in the consolation, Berenson joined Montreal
in Boston the next night and, coincidentally, scored the Montreal goal
that set the NHL team scoring record for a single season, went on to
score six goals in one game and, when his 17 years as a player were
finished, become NHL Coach of the Year in his first full season as head
coach, before he got fired as head coach.  Then he came back to Michigan
as coach and took a hockey program that had sunk to obscurity back to
the winningest program of the 90's.  He REALLY screwed himself by going
to college.

Shortly after the NHL accepted Berenson, 60's players like Michigan
Tech's Tony Angotti and Tony Esposito (who set the NHL season shutout
record in his first full season as a regular goalie) and Denver's Keith
Magnuson were some of the better NHL players.

Bob Griebel

P.S. Who was that guy at last night's game wearing the "Where's Tony
Buffa?" t-shirt?



Anthony Buffa wrote:

> I dont recall any players from college going to the NHL in the 50s or
> early 60s. I recall seeing Red Berenson in action in the NCAAs in 1963
> (?) in Syracuse, when Clarkson upset UMich 5-4 (I believe) and he was
> probably one of the first. Until the mid 80s, I bet they were few and
> far between as the gap in talent between D-I and the NHL began to narrow.
>
> Even the fantastic skater and scorer for RPI, Bobby Brinkworth '64.
> couldnt make it much past the lower levels of the minors as I recall.
>
> Tony Buffa
> RPI '64
>
> ==============
>
> Bob Griebel wrote:
>
>> (a) Vic Heyliger
>> (b) Nobody
>>
>>
>> Henry wrote:
>>
>>> Well, now that Denver's done the repeat I got curious and looked at
>>> the roster of past champions.
>>> Wow. In the first ten years of the tournament, 1948-57, Michigan was
>>> in the final 7 times and won
>>> 6. No other team has ever come close to that sort of dominance. Does
>>> anyone know, off the top of
>>> his head, (a) who was the coach in those years and (b) which players
>>> went on to good careers in
>>> the NHL?
>>>
>>> cheers,
>>>
>>> Henry
>>>
>>>
>>>
>