I think the best way to promote American hockey is to let our best
collegians compete with the best collegians from elsewhere.
 
Last year Boston College came within a shot off the post of winning the
national championship -- with one non-American on the roster.  Boston
University was ranked 1 or 2 going into the tournament, with four
non-Americans (2 Canadians, 2 Finns) on the roster.  The Minnesota situation
has been discussed a lot here lately.
 
In the 50's and 60's when I rooted for CC and hated DU, they were both 100%
Canadian.  This year, CC has 5 Canadians and DU has 12.  They're not as
dominant as they once were, but they're still very competitive.
 
So the best US Collegians can compete with the best collegians from
elsewhere, without artificial restrictions.   In my opinion, it's good that
they get that opportunity, and it's the best way to promote American Hockey.
 
If DI were restricted as to nationality, there would be only a few
powerhouse programs, or the competition would get severely watered down
(like the NHL, each team having one or two superstars and a bunch of spare
parts), and eventually the quality of play would decline, because the top
flight players (American and otherwise) would realize that college hockey is
doing nothing for their careers and pursue juniors instead.
 
Clay
 
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