Charlie and others my be wondering why I, as an academy graduate,
do not believe that the academies should play Division I league
hockey.
 
Consider these points:
 
1. There is a five year commitment upon graduation to serve in
a military service.
 
2. The military academies can not recruit Canadians.
 
3. The demands of the academies are more rigorous than at
most US universities and colleges. In addition to sports and
academics, students must serve in leadership building roles
and usually must perform military duties during the Summer months.
 
4. While technically, a military academy entrant must not be 22
by July 1 of the year entering the academies, most entrants are
recruited directly from high schools (with exceptions.) This
does not allow for Jr. Hockey League play.
 
For any talented hockey player who foresees an NHL carreer, these
requirements are prohibitive. Quite frankly, the playing field is
not level for the military academies when competing with the high
quality hockey schools such as exists in all of the Div I leagues.
 
I believe that in many aspects, the education at the military
academies is superior to that of most universities and colleges.
However, it is not optimized for a professional atheletic carreer
nor should it be. Therefore, in such sports as hockey, basketball
and football, where the NCAA top divisions are essentially
professional league training camps, the best that the military
academies can hope to do is to have a Roger Staubach or a
Robinson every decade or so that has the ability to compete at
that level. Otherwise, they will dominate the league cellars as
was the case when Army was part of ECAC.
 
I certainly do not want these fine schools looked upon as "losers"
as result of structural differences that must and should exist if
the military academies are to produce officers for our combative
forces. In reality this would be the same as putting Colorado
College in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the
NHL. CC would not be able to compete becasue of the structural
difference.
 
 
Walt Olson
USMA '73