Dave-In response to your question about the declining talent in college
hockey.In one sense I believe that it is declining,but then again I don't
think it is.See,in the past 4 years or so,rules have been modified to
take the aggressiveness out of college hockey.I remeber when I first
moved to Bowling Green,OH. and watching my first college hockey teams in
1987.I started watching the BGSU Falcons and they had some players named
Rob Blake,Kevin Dahl,Nelson Emerson,and Marc Potvin.I watched a game
between BGSU and MSU while a guy named Steve Gibson attended NSU.Marc
Potvin got into 2 actual fist throwing fights with Gibson in that
game,and I haven't seen anything like that since.In a way,it is good that
they took the fighting out of college hockey,but that leaves the college
players without a sense of what it will be like in the
ECHL,CHL,AHL,IHL,and NHL.These guys go into these leagues without the
experience of agressiveness that is needed to play at the higher levels.I
think that fighting should still be in college hockey,but not tolerated
as in the higher leagues(5 Minute Majors,2 minutes and a game DQ for
instigating,etc.)Unless the higher leagues ban fighting as the colleges
have(Game DQ and 1 game suspension for fighting),the quality of college
hockey will never compare to what it once was.If fighting was still a
part of college hockey,I don't think there would be a need for guys to go
into the pro leagues and goon it up just to prove something.They would
also be adjusted to the physical style of play and won't be driven out as
quickly for not being able to hold up against the physical type of
play.Anybody agree,disagree?
 
                                                     Alex Bricker
 
Brian Holzinger for Hobey Baker