Thanks Ed.
 
Now that I'm in the east, I'm grateful that things developed like they did,
so we don't have to debate restrictive recruiting policies.  You see, I
contend that one of the reasons University of Minnesota has produced some
very powerful teams, and have usually competitive with a restrictive policy,
is that for a long time they had no real competitition in a hockey rich
area.  I think that ONE of BC, BU, or Northeastern could have done a similar
thing if they were the only game in town, and if Harvard were located in,
say, Palo Alto, California.  But because there's intense competition for the
top local talent, they haven't ever been able to pull it off, so we're
spared this controversy.
 
It's also interesting to note a change in the makeup of Harvard, BC, and BU.
I think one of the reasons that Harvard could always produce strong hockey
teams was that they got all the best kids from the prep schools.  If you
look at the oak tablets listing the captains of the hockey teams at prep
schools like Belmont Hill, Phillips Exeter, Phillips Andover, or Deerfield
(all high powered prep schools), you'll see a lot of Harvard players as
well.  So Harvard, while a national school, siphoned off a lot of the local
talent (or maybe a better metaphor is skimmed the cream).  But in recent
years, a lot of these players have ended up elsewhere.  BC and BU have much
improved academic reputations and can offer full rides (which at today's
tuition rates is very attractive, especially if you've footed the bill for
four years of prep school) and the other Ivies have beefed up their hockey
programs.  So today, you see a lot of prep school kids at BC and BU, and a
lot of Canadian juniors at Harvard.  Since Harvard can offer needs-based
financial aid, they've got a more or less equal shot at the players who
don't come from wealthy families.
 
Clay
> -----Original Message-----[snipped for brevity]
> From: Edward N. Moller [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Saturday, April 10, 1999 2:41 PM
> To:   [log in to unmask]
> Subject:      Re: Minnesota        hockey
>
[. . . ]At the behest of Boston College hockey's patron saint, John "Snooks"
> Kelly, BC took great pride in suiting up players entirely from the Greater
> Boston area.  [. . . ]
>
> BU started recruiting Canadians in the 1960's when Jack Kelley was coach,
> as he
> discovered that the Terriers had great difficulty in competing for
> Massachusetts
> players with Harvard and BC.  [. . . ]
>
> Harvard, simply because they are Harvard, has never had trouble recruiting
> any
> type of player, nor have they deemed it necessary to make excuses for it.
[. . .]
 
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