I am posting this as advance warning to the hockey-l community.  In
today's 'The Daily Free Press' ("Freep"), the Boston University
Student newspaper, Joel Kitay has written an article about the good
ol' college hockey mailing list.
 
So, hope everyone is getting their fire hoses ready, because we might
see an influx of new BU students shortly.  My guess is that there are
already a number of 'newbies' that have just arrived. :)
 
To those just coming aboard: Welcome aboard... hope you enjoy what you
read.  Try to read for a week or two before you start responding so
that you know what it is all about.  [Otherwise, you might end up with
more mail then you know what to do with! :)]
 
There are a number of inaccuracies in this article, but it worth
reading.  Perhaps one of Mike's "History of Hockey-L" posts would be a
good response. :)
 
adam
BU '89
Hockey-l member since the "college-hockey" days. :)
 
-----begin quoted material----
The Daily Free Press, Sports Monday, "Kitay's Kennel", March 14, 1994.
 
"Cruisin' on the hockey superhighway" by Joel Kitay
 
  The information superhighway has built its newest exit ramp and the
signs read "college hockey".
 
  Just before spring break, I was introduced to the college hockey
digest, a service created and posted on Internet by a college hockey
fan at the University of Maine named Wayne Smith.  The service is free
and after subscribing, the consumer receives a daily summary of
information, news and notes sent by other college hockey fans from
campuses across the nation.
 
  On any given day, the consumer receives an electronic mail message
containing 30-plus postings.  While this lends itself to a good
half-hour or more of reading on a daily basis, it's anathema to many
college students.  It provides a wealth of valuable information from
the computer voices of those who know best -- the fans and people
interested in their respective teams.
 
  Of particular interest are the statistics provided on this service.
At the touch of a finger, you can get all the statistics from all the
major conferences, standings and box scores from the games.  Sports
has become a game of numbers over the years and for the fan with an
insatiable zest for them, this is the place to be.
 
  When college hockey news is breaking, such as the recent ban on
Maine from the Hockey East playoffs and subsequent lawsuit against
Hockey East, Hockey-L, as this service is called, is a great resource
for linking together facts, theories and opinions gathered in
different parts of the country on the same story.
 
  Ever wonder how NCAA officials determine the seeding for their
tournament?  They always tell us they utilize a magical computer
ranking program, implying that you need to be a Cal Tech or MIT
mathematics major to figure out their complex formula.  Someone on
Hockey-L did just that.  Every week the power rankings are updated for
every team in Division I college hockey.
 
  Guess who's No. 1 at the moment?
 
  One thing, which I found out the hard way, is that Hockey-L is not a
forum for promoting needlessly the cause of your favorite team.  The
term for this activity is "flaming" and usually results in a whole
bunch of hate mail sent burning to you directly, embarrassment on the
daily report and threats from Smith that you will lose your account
altogether if you do not erase and desist.
 
  Who reads Hockey-L, you ask?  Rumor has it that Maine coach Shawn
Walsh takes a look at it, but the regulars are college hockey fans,
some graduated, some still in school and others working as employees
in some department at the various institutions.  At present, the
largest blocks are from Maine, the Cornell/RPI/Union area, Minnesota
and points west.
 
  Boston University students need to be made aware of this forum
that's out there.  The only posts from Beantown seem to come from Tony
Biscardi, the T-shirt wearing former Ogre, a few of his friends and
members of the BU student media like myself.
 
  That aside, more BU fans need to utilize their voice, especially
with the sanctions against Maine filling the majority of the recent
talk of the network.  As I wrote above, this isn't a forum for rah-rah
rooting (although there should be one), but fair discussion of hockey
issues.
 
  To subscribe to Hockey-L, send a mail message to
[log in to unmask]  In the body of the message, type the
following line: subscribe hockey-l xxx.  For the "xxx", insert your
real-life name.  You'll then start receiving the daily reports and
instructions on how you too can post messages.  If you need help, you
can reach the kennel at [log in to unmask]
 
  But perhaps the most useful aspect of this communications revolution
will be its ability to link people with similar interests together
across the country and across the world.
 
  The sports world, for one, may never be the same.
-----end quoted material----