Mike reports on two rumors heard at Hockeyfest:
>1) Junior goalie Scott LaGrand has played his last game for Boston College.
We sat next to several distinguished-looking BC alumni for Saturday's
championship games, and *their* version of this rumor was that an unspecified
"controlled substance" (wink, wink) was detected in a LaGrand urine sample
following random drug testing some months ago. No further details .....
>2) UNH is going to build a new rink.
Chris replies:
>I've heard this as well. There's a feasibility study going on to see what
>can be done. I believe they're investigating whether renovating Snively is
>an option. I would tend to think not, but I'm not a structural engineer :-)
>I don't know where the money will come from. I have heard rumors of private
>corporation funding, but nothing more.
Mike continues:
>Forgive me for not being clearer...the word I had heard from the UNH people
>was that the study had been done and that building a new rink was going to be
>recommended, rather than renovating Snively. I believe the site is to be near
>the football field. Numbers as far as cost and seating capacity weren't
>available.
I talked with Charlie Holt (former UNH coach) and other well-connected UNH
folks at a reception in the Garden before the UNH-PC semi-final game. When
this topic came up, several rumors were floated/scorched that included:
(1) Build a new rink with private money at Pease Air Force Base, a presently
decommissioned military facility approx. 20 miles from Durham. The
Wildcat hockey program would be the primary (winter) tenant, and the
facility would also serve as a regional ice-hockey facility for local
high school and club (figure-skating) programs in the winter, as well
as a trade-show type facility with the ice off in the summer. This
plan apparently never got beyond the talking stage, and is not much of
an issue any longer.
(2) Renovate/expand Snively Arena. For those of you unfamiliar with "Lively
Snively," it's nothing more than a giant quonset hut that arches over
Batchelder Rink, bounded by high school gym collapsible bleachers running
along the length of both sides. Total "seating" capacity is ca. 3530 +
SRO behind both end-lines since there's no seating at either end. Rumors
have persisted for years that one end of Snively would be "punched out"
and additional seating installed, but nothing ever came of it. In point
of fact, much of the impetus to expand Snively's seating dried up during
UNH's lean years in the mid-late '80s; it's only now that sell-outs are
common again that the cry for more seats (and, not incidentally, to muzzle
the student section) has cropped up again. The feasibility study that
Chris mentioned reportedly said that Snively expansion/renovation was
possible, but the University is unwilling to commit the necessary $$ to
an outmoded, wooden, 25+ year-old building. The UNH Faithful have long
coveted a modern facility along the lines of Thompson Arena at Dartmouth,
but the New Hampshire legislature is unlikely to earmark the necessary
funds in these recessionary times. Efforts are apparently underway to
woo/court a wealthy private donor akin to Alfond (Maine) and Cheel
(Clarkson) to underwrite a new facility, for which drawings placing the
new building near the football stadium have been prepared. So far it's
all as honey-to-a-fly: pledge some real $$ and we'll talk specifics ....
>Oh yeah, there was no fish [thrown in the PC semi-final game], much to the
>disappointment of many .... however, I have heard a nasty rumor that there's
>a movement afoot to get rid of this tradition from within UNH.
This was Topic #1 at several UNH booster functions I attended last week-
end. There is growing disenchantment (building towards outright rebellion)
from amongst an ever-increasing fraction of the Snively Arena season ticket
holders to clamp down on the (in)famous student section that traditionally
sits above/behind the visiting team's bench. Letters have been written,
threats of withdrawal of financial support have been tendered, angry meetings
have been conducted to address: (1) vulgar, abusive cursing directed towards
the officials and visiting team players/staff, and lately, UNH fans themselves
who have the temerity to object, (2) throwing of gum, coins, wadded up cups,
etc. at visiting team benches/players, to the point where several coaches have
threatened to keep their teams off the ice, (3) whole rows of students
standing throughout the entire game, blocking the view of whole sections
behind them who choose to (or, being elderly, cannot) stand continuously for
3 hours+. Ex-Wildcat, now UM-Lowell coach, Bruce Crowder was apparently so
upset at the gum/penny throwing that he and current UNH coach Dick Umile had
a "heated" discussion at center ice following Lowell's season-ending trip to
Snively earlier this month. Umile apparently feels his hands are tied, as
many of the vulgar cheers and student antics began during the late Bob
Kullen's tenure as coach when just about *anything* was tolerated to get
fannies in the seats. Hockey East is none too pleased, and apparently changes
are underfoot for next season. One causality may be the designated fish
thrower, who was recruited by Kullen to start a new Snively "tradition."
Unfortunately, he's among a minority of student "fans" who, along with certain
other students who lead specific cheers, allegedly takes great delight in
"pissing-off the old fart season-ticket holders" who sit behind them. Things
are coming to a boil, and haven't been helped by the athletic administration
whose response (thus far) has been an offer to move anyone's seat who's un-
happy with the situation.
My response ?? The student section offended *me* when I was a student,
so much so that I sat across the rink on the opposite side to avoid sitting
with the animals. Personally I'm embarrassed that it's come to this - I
didn't condone it then, nor do I now. It's probably worth it to try the
Jackie Parker approach - have Umile write an open letter to the students in
the campus newspaper, and distribute copies at Snively. Perhaps a few bench
minors for ignorant fan behavior will get the message across. I deplore the
fact that a *minority* of fans can spoil things for everyone else. Youth
*and* experience can be served if youth would only listen to reason (now I'm
starting to sound like my father :-)
Cheers from the Chesapeake - Jim
P.S. Ron Babuka <[log in to unmask]> writes:
>SUNY-Binghamton announced that they have dropped their Div III
>hockey team. The team had compiled a 7 - 95 record in 4 years
>as a varsity sport.
And this after all my Binghamton spelling lessons over the past several
months :-) Given the precarious financial support given the program,
it's a wonder it lasted this long. Varsity athletics at all the SUNY
University Centers has been downgraded across the board - when was the
last time you heard about a team from SUNY-Albany, SUNY-Buffalo, SUNY-
Stony Brook, or SUNY-Binghamton in *any* sport ...... ??
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