To all Interested,
 
 
> Also a talented player from another state may want to go to the
> University of Minnesota to pursue a career in some academic field, and
> play hockey also.  It would be hillarous if some player came from Canada
> or Wisconsin and was already a draft pick for some NHL team and he tried
> out for the Gophers and was just fantastic, would the coaching staff
> say, "Well your pretty good, but sorry you didn't make it, your not from
> Minnesota."
 
        I don't think that *ANY* Division I coach would turn down a player
in the situation stated above.  I think (correct me if I'm wrong) that
what's meant by the term "recruiting" is when the coaching staff
*actively* talks to a talented player encouraging him to attend the school
in question *AND* play hockey.  It is certainly not true that a coach will
*ONLY* use players that he actively recruited and will not take qualified
players who were not recruited, tried out, and had the talent to play
(I believe ... and again correct me if I'm wrong ... that Garth Snow,
former goalie for UMaine, the U.S. Olympic team, and presently the Quebec
Nordiques was a walk-on at UMaine who wasn't recuited by Walsh).
 
        I'm almost 99% sure that if a talented player from Canada,
Wisconsin, Mass., Maine, Finland, etc. were to attend UMinn. (or ANY
other school with DivI, DivII, DivIII, or club hockey) for an
education (or any reason) and wanted to play hockey without being
recruited for that purpose would DEFINATELY make the team (I doubt even
Coach Woog -- even though I don't know him --  would deny this).
If you have the talent to compete and contribute to the team, try out as a
walk-on for the team and show your talent, then you SHOULD play, and if
that player is short-changed, then it IS a major tragedy!
But that does not mean that coaches can't recruit players from wherever
their hearts desire ... that's called free choice.  If Michigan (this is
just an example ... nothing against Michigan) chooses to recruit players
from Alabama, then that's their choice!!  Also, I don't believe that
recruiting a player in any way obligates a coach to use the player
regularly, or even dress the player for games.  All in all, recuits don't
make a team, PROVEN TALENTED players do!!
 
        IMHO, however, with all of the schools in Minn. that do have DivI
hockey (UMinn, Minn.-Diluth, and St. Cloud) and with all the possible
future DivI schools (Mankato St. and Benmiji St.) the talent pool from the
Minnesota high schools is being spread out more and I don't believe that
UMinn will always have the monopoly on talented players from Minnesota.
However, I'm a big fan of tradition and my personal opinion is that
Minnesota should NOT give in on their longstanding tradition of recruiting
just Minn. players because they are having a bad start.  EVERY team is
allowed to have a bad season once in a while and, IMHO, Minnesota is still
a competitive team!  It gives the players PRIDE to know that they were
recruited for an all state team, and it probably gives more fan loyalty to
that team to see familiar faces on the team . . . but I digress!!
 
        Oh well, sorry for taking up too much network space. . .
 
                                                        Dave Guay
                                                        Bates College
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