Sorry for being so late with my two cents on this controversy.  First let
me say that I am very grateful for anything that is posted, no matter what
is included and what is left out.  That being so, the more that is included,
the more useful it is.  Yes, penalties are not always meaningful, but then
neither are second assists.  Personally, I am also interested in seeing
plus-minus stats and shots on goal.  These two are not always meaningful
either, but in the course of a year, the inconsistencies tend to average
out.
 
I remember how amazed I was to hear a couple of years ago from Kurt Stutt
that the reason that his web page does not contain all the stats, at least
starting from the restart of RPI's program in 49-50, is that RPI has not
always kept or at least retained them.  Unless someone puts these things
in writing somewhere, they can't be reconstructed at a later date.  Most
game reports are such that not all penalties are mentioned.
 
When I attended hockey games when I was a student, I always kept score,
and I have retained the scorecards.  Yet, I know that what I recorded
was not always correct -- for example, scoring is often changed after the
fact, and the announcement may or may not have been made, and sometimes
the change was announced after the game or between periods when I wasn't
there to hear it.
 
I know that The Troy Record did not always publish box scores and RPI's
student newspaper rarely did when I was a student.  It is quite possible
that the complete stats (maybe even the goals and assists) do not exist
for some games played in the last 50 years.
 
Let me repeat -- I am not saying that it is necessary for "complete"
(whatever that word may mean in this context) box scores to be posted on
Hockey-L or Info-Hoc, but let us hope that they are available somewhere.
 
Ralph Baer
RPI '68, '70, '74
 
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