Mike Machnik wrote:
 
>However, a recent discussion here dealt with whether or not the game
>had already experienced a high in the late 1980s and overall is not
>being played at the same level today that it was about 6-7 years ago.
>This was my contention, and I believe that part of the reason is the
>lessening in stature of public school programs in places like
>Massachusetts.  This is, I believe, a direct result of the fact that
>hockey has become much too expensive both for local towns to fund and
>for parents of young children to support.
 
I've learned over the years that when Mike Machnik speaks, I should listen.
However, I'm not sure I agree with this.  Question:  Is this more a phenomenon
of the East Coast than the central states?  For instance, I have seen no
drop-off of local support of hockey in central Wisconsin (and everything
considered, its not likely to drop off in Minnesota ever! ;-)).  Secondly, if
there is some decrease in the level of play, could that not be a result of the
increase in the number of quality programs at the college level?  That is, if
the talent pool remains relatively constant and Pro hockey siphons off a
relatively constant amount, then would not the overall average of play drop a
little among those programs active?  And we have seen a significant increase
in the number of Div I programs.
 
Now, if you want to suggest that Div III has dropped some, I would agree with
you.  But I assumed that the basic reason for that was the same as above -
that Div I has expanded and is snarfing up more of the quality players that
might otherwise have gone to a Div III school.  And Div III is expanding in
the midwest, too.
 
A second question is whether or not one can become a little jaded with
excellent play such that the memory one has of it from years past seems to
outweigh your current estimation of the level of play.  This seems almost
endemic to all sports.  How would Rod Laver (since tennis has been mentioned
recently :-)) match up against Agassi if both were in their prime and using
the same equipment?  Hence I wonder if my opinion that Div III has come down a
hair might not be just that I am getting older.
 
What do other people think of the level of play in Div I?