Ralph Baer fondly recalled...
>
> My selection is the RPI-Cornell game of 4 December 1968 in Troy.  RPI
beat
> Cornell and Ken Dryden in overtime on a goal by sophomore wing Doug
Hearns
> assisted by linemates Bill Stabler and Barry Sherwood.  This was RPI's
> second game of the season, and perhaps Cornell's first, and it dashed
> Cornell's hope of an undefeated season early in Dryden's final year.
>
 
Ah, yes ... I recall it well. I was at RPI as undergraduate & graduate
from 1960 to 1968. After watching Ned Harkness desert the 'Tute for Cornell
after my junior year and the subsequent collapse of RPI hockey and
tremendous surge of Cornell hockey, I wound up volunteering my services to tutor
the hockey players, especially after Gary Kearns demonstrated some ability
to recruit decent players. First in Physics, then later expanding to Math
& Computer programming, I'd be holding tutoring sessions for some group
of players on an almost weekly basis. Of course, in return I wound up
getting two free tickets in the 10th row right behind the scorer's table, on
the red line for every game.
 
Then in August 1968 I got my PhD and moved to Gainesville, Florida -- not
quite the center of the college hockey universe -- and it became
impossible to follow RPI's fortunes. Until, on the night of 4 December, I got a
long distance phone call from an old buddy, still in Troy, telling me of the
glorious victory over Ned's hated Cornellians.
 
Then, a week or so later, on a hot Florida Saturday afternoon, I'm
sitting around in my shorts when there's a knock at the door. I answer, and
there stands a postman holding a hockey stick in his hand. I look at him weird
and he looks at me weird as he hands me the stick and leaves. And it
_was_ a bare hockey stick -- with just a narrow swath of brown paper taped
around its midsection, just large enough to write my name & address on. On
closer inspection I see that there's writing on the stick itself, and it
says that its the stick that scored the winning goal against Cornell! And
it's signed by all the RPI players.
 
In the intervening years I've moved to Texas and then to Santa Barbara,
but I still have that stick. The writing's pretty faded by now, but _I_
know what it says, and that's all that counts.
 
Thanks for reminding me, Ralph...
 
> My recollection is that contrary to current practice, the fans did not
> leave early.
 
Yeah, and I remember in my Freshman year spending all night, freeeezing
my duff off, in a snowbank, in below zero weather just so I'd be sure to
get some tickets to the St. Lawrence game that weekend. (Ned would never
have approved of any of this wussy season ticket nonsense for students -- let
the suckers stand in line for _every_ game so they'll appreciate 'em when
they get 'em!) And our priorities were: first, get hockey tickets;
second, arrange for a ride from some upperclassman with a car; and last, get a
date -- 'cause that was order of difficulty.
 
Bob Stagat
RPI '64 '68
 
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