I didn't get to see the ESPN program,  so I would appreciate any
private E-mail folks might care to send along.
 
        In particular,  I was curious about the comment Andy made about
racial tension on the ice in the Boston area.   That is just about 180 degrees
out of phase with my kids' experience in Connecticut.   I won't say there is
absolutely nothing of a racial nature ever said on the ice or in the stands,
but it is really rare when something along those lines happens  --  and when
it does it is really fairly innocuous.   In addition,  both my kids have
played games occasionally in the Boston area and have not encountered a
markedly different atmosphere.
 
        For those on the list who don't know me personally,  Dorothy and I
met when I was in the Peace Corps in Swaziland,  Africa.   My older (adopted)
son, Mandla, is black,  and my younger son, Charles, is bi-racial.
 
        Our up-close and personal experience is that hockey has been pretty
darn free of the types of experiences that are being attributed to the
Grier family.   In fact,  what is so remarkable to me is the number of
locker rooms my kids have walked into not knowing a single person there --
only to walk out 2 hours later good friends with a dozen kids.
 
        But maybe that says more about Connecticut than anything else.   I'd
be curious to know.
 
        -- Dick Tuthill