I thought Hockey-L participants might be interested in
this note fromthe Providence Journal
 
                       The Providence Journal-Bulletin
 
                    February 17, 1995, Friday,  ALL EDITIONS
 
BYLINE: Sherry Skalko
 
 
Pretty soon, Hobey will be as famous as Heisman. The first public
presentation of the Hobey Baker Memorial Award will be held
on March 31 at the R.I. Convention Center in conjunction
with Fan Fair. The time has yet to be announced.
The ceremony is a major step in the growth of college hockey.
In the past, the Decathlon Club, presenters of the award, held
a news conference for the media without a public reception.
"Some people came and we never minded, but the conference
wasn't aimed at them," said Patti Riha, award coordinator.
The format was changed this year largely due to the number
of people expected to attend Fan Fair.
"Not to be a part of Fan Fair would be a mistake. We never
had the vehicle to do it in, we just got the word out. However,
with Fan Fair, we have a built-in event."
The format for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award presentation
has varied over the years. In the past, coaches had objected
to the award being handed out before the championship game,
saying that if the winner was on one of the finalists, he may
have trouble focusing on the game.
The Decathlon Club complied by handing out the award after the
final, which resulted in an unfortunate situation in 1991. The
trophy was awarded after the final between eventual champion
Northern Michigan and Boston University, a game that went into
triple overtime. The winner, Boston College star and Cranston
native David Emma, had to wait in the wings until after midnight
- after a majority of fans had left and after newspaper deadlines
across the nation had passed - to receive the award.