Howard Quimby writes:
>When the BU players were leaving the ice Saturday night, Patrick asked of
>Jacques (and his rather large nose), "Are you going to build a ski lodge with
>that nose?"  Instead of taking the customary action and letting the comment of
>a young fan pass, Mr. Joubert found it necessary to slash Patrick in the
>shoulder and retreat to the locker room.
 
Certainly not the action Joubert should have taken, and I won't defend
him or any player who does this.  But was a comment like this really
necessary?  One of the things that really annoys me about college
hockey is the way many fans act towards opposing teams.  There's a real
difference, IMO, between positive and negative cheering.  When I watched
and heard BU fans call NU goalie Rich Burchill a drunk five years ago,
I was very sickened.  Eight years ago, Princeton fans held up signs
with the most disgusting things written on them about RPI forward John
Carter's girlfriend.  It has to stop somewhere.  Fans can root on their
team all they want.  I don't think it's necessary to take cheap shots
at players on the other team, especially when they are really no
different than the players on your team except for the fact that they're
wearing a different uniform.
 
Joubert should know enough not to react like that, that's true.  Hopefully
somehow Patrick will learn before he gets to be that age.  And it's
not uncommon - often I wince at the things I hear coming from 10- and
11-year-olds at games.  Who teaches them that stuff?  Who teaches them
that wearing the wrong color uniform is reason enough to hate someone
and say things like that?  If the kids don't learn, where will it end?
 
>Maybe I'm not getting out enough, or maybe I've grown to believe that DIV. I
>hockey players are like those at UNH--fine athletes and examples to all of the
>young fans who follow them.
 
This illustrates my point exactly.  All (implied) UNH athletes are
examples to the young fans, but apparently those at BU and other
schools are not?  I am sure there are people here who could recite
bad moments that involved UNH players, too.
---                                                                 ---
Mike Machnik                                          [log in to unmask]
Cabletron Systems, Inc.                                  *HMM* 11/13/93
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