First, there is a nice article on ESPNet about the choice
players face:  College or Juniors.  The piece features
Steve and Paul Kariya and the Drury brothers.
It can be found at:
http://espn.sportszone.com/editors/nch/features/0320divi.html
As it is dated, I don't know how much longer this article
will be available on their site.
 
NC$$ blackout:  $urpri$e, $urpri$e, $urpri$e.  My guess is that
the same thing happened as in 1992, the NC$$ wanted too much
money to air the games, and thus it wouldn't be profitable.
I remember the almost complete blackout in Providence that
year, I was one of eight people in the building with a video
camera.  I don't know that any of the Maine stations even had
highlights on the news.
 
Back then I posted a qoute by Laing Kennedy which had appeared in
the Bangor Daily News about the TV blackout.  I can't remember the
exact words, but I do remember him saying that the most important
thing we can do for hockey is get as much exposure as possible
so it could grow as a sport.  His interpretation of "exposure" meant
selling tickets to the regionals, not airing the games on local TV.
I can understand wanting to sell out the regional, but if exposure
is really what you want, making the game available to a few
million people is better than making it available to 10,000.
 
But, that makes sense.  And sense is a four-letter-word to the NC$$.
 
JHF
"Money, so they say, is the root of evil to-day."
 
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