This weekend I read the USCHO message board more thoroughly than I have done
in the past, because of the great concern for Joe Exter's health. After
bearing witness to Travis Roy's injury more than 7 years ago, I tend to look
at player injuries a little bit differently than I had previously. When
Rick McAdoo refers to the posts on the board as flaming and anger from
idiots, he is barely scratching the surface.
Now I love USCHO. The amount of detail we can gather there about our
favorite little game is wonderful. Compare that to what one could get from
the mass media just five years ago. But my reading of the USCHO board this
weekend was a reminder to me of why I never post on that board and save all
my college hockey opinions for this list (and BU's group). The level of
discussion on the USCHO board gives the first amendment a bad name, and it
doesn't get any lower when those morons actually debate the applicability of
first amendment rights.
I am sure that Friday's game at Conte was one of the most staggering and
emotionally charged games college hockey has seen in quite some time. Of
course it would provoke irrational rantings, but the level of discourse I
read this weekend on the USCHO board defied all sensibilities. Rick, you
deserve a lot of credit for both trying to be objective and stating your
lack of objectivity for a very sensitive situation. We should all strive on
this list to uphold that kind of standard.
Edward N. Moller
Controller and Assistant Treasurer
Mount Ida College
777 Dedham Street
Newton Centre, MA 02459-3323
Tel 617-928-4515
Fax 617-928-4746
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-----Original Message-----
From: Rick McAdoo [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Saturday, March 08, 2003 4:57 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Merrimack at BC, Fri. March 7, 2003 (HE Quarterfinals)
COMMENTS
--------
This is a hard game to report on, with the serious injury to Merrimack
goaltender Joe Exter suffered late in the third period on a hard full-speed
collision with BC's Patrick Eaves. At this time (Saturday afternoon)
Exter is reported to be in stabilized but serious condition in a Boston
hospital with a fractured skull; the last I heard he had still not
regained consciousness. I'll try to report what I saw and leave the
flaming and anger to the idiots in other online forums.
<snip>
I wish I could say I am an objective observer with no allegiance to either
team, but I am a BC fan and recognize that I am likely to view things in
a sympathetic light for BC. At the same time, I try to be as objective as
I can, and I know how hockey games are played, with emotion and passion.
That being said, it was unfortunate that Merrimack showed less concern for
their injured captain and friend and more interest in attempting to exact
blood in retaliation. There were several attempts late in the game to
injure BC players in retaliation, and none of them were called for any
intent to injure. The hit between Eaves and Exter was horrific in its
outcome, and no one could have foreseen the terrible results. I have
read a lot online in various places where people have flamed each other
back and forth about the incident and its aftermath, and heard some of
the callers on sports talk radio in Boston as I returned home last night.
I don't think anyone is handling this too rationally at the moment, due
to the severity of the injury. We all hope the Joe will recover fully,
but I think it will be a long road to recovery and it remains to be seen
what the final result will be.
Everyone else has stated an opinion, so I'll mention mine. I don't believe
that Eaves should have received a penalty for intent to injure and I don't
think he deserved a double DQ. This was NOT a case of a player "running
the goalie" and did not fall into the typical category of collision. Many
have taken Eaves to task for not trying to "avoid" the collision, and not
recognizing the special status of goalies. I don't think the circumstances
of this collision lend themselves to that interpretation. Yes, he could
have pulled up at the blue line and conceded possession of the puck to the
other team. Likewise, Exter could have realized he couldn't reach the
puck safely and gone back toward his net or just interfered with the
onrushing forward. Neither player made a smart play. Neither player
realized the consequences of his action until it was too late. For all
the seriousness of the impact, it could have just as easily been Exter
who upended Eaves and forced him into the boards for another type of
injury. We will not know, as that didn't happen. All hockey fans are
saddened when events of this type occur, and all of us hope and wish only
the best to come of it in the long run.
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