From the June 3rd Minnesota Daily (w/o permission)
 
Mike Crowley, a junior defenseman on the Gophers hockey team, decided late
Sunday night to reject the latest contract offer from the NHL's Anaheim Mighty
Ducks. Unless the Ducks make a counter-offer during the summer, Crowley
said, he is
planning to return to Minnesota for his senior season.
 
"As of right now, I'm planning on coming back," he said. "I just want to
get a fair deal. I've said all
along that it's not worth it to sign just to sign. To miss my senior year,
they would have to make it worth
it."
 
Crowley said it was a difficult decision but one he was comfortable making.
 
"I only have one senior year," he said. "I have nothing but great memories
of the U. Money can't cover
that."
 
Crowley declined to comment on the value of Anaheim's latest offer, but he
did say it was a two-year
deal.
 
At Crowley's request, Ducks' officials set June 1 as a deadline for
hammering out a contract. Although
he rejected the last offer before the deadline, Anaheim could still make an
offer later this summer.
Crowley, who is taking classes during the summer, said he will listen to
subsequent offers.
 
"I wouldn't say I wouldn't take it," Crowley said. "But if they never
called me to make me another offer
this summer, I'd be more than happy to play next year at the U."
 
He had hoped the June 1 deadline would give closure to a process he
described as "dragging on" during
the past three months. Crowley said that because Anaheim representatives
told him they still might
give him the contract he's looking for later this summer, he feels he's in
limbo.
 
"I wish it was done and over with. If it were up to me, it would be over
with," Crowley said. "It's not
that much fun. People ask you what you're doing, and you don't know what to
say. I'm relieved that at
least one portion is over."
 
In the course of making his decision, Crowley said he talked to family
members, friends and teammates,
including former Gophers defenseman Dan Trebil, who now plays with Anaheim.
 
For the most part, however, there was only one person left to make the decision.
 
"You can't talk to a whole lot of people about it because you don't know
who to talk to," Crowley said.
"I talked to Trebil about it, and he could see both sides. He's having a
great time (with Anaheim), but
he also had a great time his senior year."
 
If Crowley's choice holds up during the summer, it would obviously bolster
the Gophers. The
Bloomington Jefferson graduate led Minnesota in scoring last year and is a
two-time All-American and a
two-time finalist for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, given to the nation's
top college player.
 
The Gophers entered last season having to replace 10 departed seniors. With
Crowley and goaltender
Steve DeBus likely to return, the team could go into next season needing to
replace less than half that
number of players.
 
Crowley mentioned the possibility of winning a national championship --
something the Gophers
haven't done since 1979 -- as another factor that makes returning for
another year appealing.
 
"If it works out, and I come back, that would mean a lot," he said. "Maybe
it was meant to be. I want to
play at the next level, but that will be there next year."
 
 
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Anthony J. Frolik        [log in to unmask]        University of Minnesota
Go Gophers!              My views are not representative of the University.
       1997 WCHA Co-Champions!!  1997 Big Ten Basketball Champions!!
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