Hey, why bother with rehashing the whole Mass vs. Minnesota, Western vs.
Eastern hockey thing, right?  But  . . . if the Woogster had not coached at
Minnesota, would the rest of his hockey resume be enough to get him into the
Hall?  Probably not.  I will grant that he did enough as coach of the U to
warrant admission, however his accomplishments at that level, IMHO, do pale
in comparison to the accomplishment of the Fusco brothers.  That's all.

Greg Ambrose

> From: "Lethert, Patrick" <[log in to unmask]>
> Reply-To: "Lethert, Patrick" <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Sat, 21 Sep 2002 00:03:36 -0500
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: U.S. Hockey Hall of fame inductees are...
>
> My take on the Star Tribune article wasn't that they were alleging any of
> the members were the "centerpiece" of the Hall induction, simply that Woog
> was the most notable to those likely reading that paper (hence the headline
> "Minnesota Scene").  In the big picture, you don't really need to "rank"
> Hall of Fame inductees.  All were/are something special or they wouldn't be
> there.
>
> That said, saying that Woog's accomplishments "pale in comparison" doesn't
> work for me.  First, there was no Hobey Baker award when Woog played so its
> hard to hold that against him.  Second, there are pretty valid arguments
> that anyone could make if forced to decide which of the three living
> inductees was the best.  Scott Fusco was the only 2 time ECAC player of the
> year, a Hobey winner and played in two Olympics.  Mark Fusco won a Hobey,
> played in one Olympics and was the only one of the three to make the NHL (15
> pts in 80 NHL games).  Woog wasn't eligible for a Hobey, and played when
> freshmen weren't eligible (so he only got 3 years of career stats).  He was
> one of the top coaches in college hockey for a decade and a half, made
> twelve consecutive NCAA tournaments, six Final Fours and sent a number of
> Gopher players to the NHL.  He also coached Phil Housley in high school and
> was the one who encouraged Phil to go Pro instead of taking a scholarship at
> Minnesota.  Woog also coached a number of USA Hockey teams (including, I
> believe, serving as an assistant Olympic coach).  His "certain level of
> accomplishment as a coach" left a record not matched by many.
>
> Even if one granted that Woog was the least of those three as a player, I
> can't buy that his accomplishments "pale in comparison".  Considering that
> his impact on American hockey took place over 30+ years, it seems very
> legitimate for the Star Tribune, USCHO, ESPN and others to lead with Woog in
> coverage of the induction.
>
> Call it spin if you wish, but based on your logic, Brian Bonin would merit
> more consideration for the U.S. Hall than Ron Mason...and even us arrogant
> Minnesotans know that's not the case.
>
> In any case, congrats to all 3 and the family of the late Joe Riley.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Greg Ambrose [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Friday, September 20, 2002 8:03 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: U.S. Hockey Hall of fame inductees are...
>
>
> Carol:
>
> That is certainly at Minnesota spin to the US Hockey Hall of Fame inductee
> announcement.  No doubt the Woogster was a very good college hockey player,
> and he certainly achieved a certain level of accomplishment as a coach.
> However his accomplishments have to pale in comparison to the Fusco
> brothers, both of whom not only were All-Americans but won the Hobeys as
> well.
>
> Greg Ambrose