GatorMail-Q                   For Greg Berge only
Greg:  I cannot get thru to you.  Hope you receive this.
 
Tom
 
--------------------------------------
Date: 4/19/92 2:04 PM
From: [log in to unmask]
 
From: "Tom Tseng" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Hockey Banquet
To: [log in to unmask]
 
 Hockey Banquet
Greg:
How are you doing?  First of all, I have bought some blank tapes but have
procrastinated in the last week or so.  I'll try to dupe the tape for you this
weekend.  I just need the Colgate at Cornell tape from you.
 
Re: the annual Hockey Boosters Assc. banquet, Bill Fenwick has done a good job
naming the award recipients.  This was my first attendance of the event, and I
must say it was enjoyable.  The dinner was held at the Trillium and served by
Cornell Dining (rice, string beans, and chicken, with cheesecake and I think,
strawberry shortcake for desserts).  Anyone could have attended the dinner for
$20, but like you said, as students, we wouldn't have forked over that much $$.
 
 
I sat with Andy Bandurski, and Sue McCutcheon and her daughter Kelly and
Kelly's friend Angela said down with us (my girlfriend Rebecca was there, too).
We talked to Andy mostly; Mrs. McCutcheon had a lady friend there whom she was
entertaining so we did not chat with her all that much.
 
The seniors were awarded the "hat-trick" awards, and they were white Cornell
sweaters with our school seal on the left chest.  They did not look cheap.
Each was "sponsored" by a booster family with whom the player had lived (there
was maybe one exception).  A lot of hugs and kisses.  Pete Tufford, who was
introduced as the "Voice of Big Red Hockey," was the emcee for the evening.
 
Coach Brian McCutcheon '71 gave a long speech (15 minutes, give and take)
reflecting the past season and reminiced the past four years for the seniors.
He began by saying he would not take long and something like "you're all great,
bye."  Some people actually applauded in the back and Brian looked a bit
stunned.  He went on to credit Parris Duffus (to be named MVP) for his good
work between the pipes, contributing greatly to the team's success in 1991-92.
I was especially touched and proud when Brian acknowledged Andy for stepping in
at the end of the season at Vermont and performed outstandingly in that game to
boost the team's morale.  Knowing how frustrated Andy was at times during the
season, I believed Brian did a classy thing by giving this freshman credit
early in his speech.
 
Brian went on to recap the four trips to Boston Garden.  I couldn't help but
sensed a trace of bitterness and disappointment, that there was no title or
trophy to show for at the end of these nine guys' career.  Brian brightened up
slightly when he mentioned the double-OT win over Clarkson last month.
 
John Burke, David's father, assumed the "Dean of Player Parents" role and
actually gave thanks to the coaches and boosters before Brian's speech.  John
spoke eloquently and briefly, giving profuse praises to the boosters.
 
Each senior gave a short speech at the end.  David went first, and his was the
longest.  No one cried, and I did not even detect a misty eye.  That really
baffled me.  I had expected a highly emotionally charged evening, but the whole
thing was kind of anticlimatic.  Each senior gave thanks to the various people
who have helped them in their Cornell stay, but no one choked up or got teary
eyes.  One nice touch was that the players invited the two senior student
managers to speak, too, and that was classy.  Joe Dragon mentioned his
girlfriend in a cute, bashful way that was very endearing.
 
One highlight of the evening was when Pete roasted Parris Duffus during the Gun
Hill POY presentation, about his forgetting his suitcase.  I thought Parris was
a little rattled and never recovered from that.  When he was presented with the
MVP award, he did not even say two sentences.  Maybe it just wasn't the Oscars,
but you would think one can muster up more words for the occasion.
 
Afterwards, I overheard Alex Nikolic inviting all the freshmen (except Andy) to
go down to Dunbars for free drinks.
 
BTW, the two jokes I posted on the list, the first one about Tim MacConaghy was
from Pete Tufford, and Brian told the second one about John Gallagher not being
able to come to dinner.
 
Tom