WALKER ARENA vs. CHEEL ARENA
 
I can't really add a whole lot to what has already been posted by Bud,
Andrew, Geoff, Keven, Laura, Tom & Chris, except to say that taken as a
composite they certainly reflect my recollection of Walker and the fact
that Cheel is any entirely different venue.  There are three points I would
add to what has already been a most interesting trip down memory lane --
the ladder to the Walker press box (at the entrance (non-Zamboni, non-bell)
end of the arena and jutting out above the top three, of maybe 12, rows
behind the goal) was a vertical adventure and I can still recall trying to
negotiate those steps with practically anything more than a pencil in my
hand.  Once inside what can only be described as the enclosure,
claustrophobia was your constant companion.  Of today's press facilities,
only Union's Achilles and Yale's Ingalls serve as a reminder of the Walker
Arena experience, although the press box at Princeton's Baker Rink (prior
to the renovation) was about the same size with another vertical access
route.   Like the Walker press box, the  one at Achilles is situated above
the end boards, but at Baker the press box was mounted near center ice and,
if memory serves, also boasted a trapdoor entry.
 
Second, I have seen no mention of the fact that as much of a bandbox as
Walker was when it finally closed in '91, it was only a few years before
that the rink had undergone a major renovation to add (memory, don't fail
me now) some 10-15 feet to the ice surface and expand the seating at the
far (Zamboni) end of the building.  So, if Walker eventually ended up being
190' x 85' or thereabouts (I don't think it ever got to the 200' mark),
just imagine the original Walker sheet at 180' x 85' and you can envision
why it was such a home sweet home to the Golden Knights.  Talk about no
room behind the net, you could skate thru neutral ice with three strides.
Visiting teams typically spent at least the first period getting accustomed
to the ice surface, particulary in terms of breakout passes and defensive
zone coverage (I can remember defensemen getting trapped behind their net
with hardly any maneuverability).
 
Lastly, there is only one building in the East that compared favorably with
the intense atmosphere of Walker Arena -- the now late, but not forgotten,
Davis Rink at Dartmouth.  The Big Green's Thompson Arena is regarded by
many as the best ice hockey facility in the East, but many of the comments
made comparing Walker to Cheel can be said about Davis vs. Thompson.
Sometimes our memories embellish past experiences, but in the case of the
Walker and Davis legends, the similarities are not overstated and the
impact of the new buildings which replaced them have common threads.
 
RPI FIELDHOUSE
 
Thanks to Leigh and Ralph, the lore and legend of the RPI Fieldhouse has
been recounted.  However, in Ralph's post he speaks about a hanging
scoreboard.  I certainly remember (in Ralph's words) "those little clocks
on each side of the stands that kept time" which were hung from the catwalk
on each side of center ice (they're still there, or at least one is), and I
also know that the present scoreboards are mounted on the each end wall of
the building, but I don't rember that the RPI/Houston Fieldhose ever had a
centerhung, four-sided scoreboard, but perhaps there was one immediately
following the renovation and then they went to the present set-up after a
brief experiment.  Anyone else want to weigh in on this?  As always, I'm
looking forward to my annual Fieldhouse visit on January 12th, particularly
since the Bears have not drawn the Big Red Freakout invitation for what
seems like the first time in four years.  And yes, Cheel's bell/siren and
SLU's siren come in a poor second to the pure agony of the Fieldhouse
whistle.
 
 
Bill Corrigan
 
LET'S GO BRUNO!
 
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