As someone who has covered the Harvard men's hockey team for three
years, I feel I should clarify the Steve Martins situation a little.
Martins is an extremely talented player, who was an endangered species
due to the way other teams and referees treated him. Along the lines of
goaltenders not being protected in the ECAC, Martins was sabotaged game in
and game out.
        In 1993-94, the problem wasn't as great because the Crimson had
many players who were scoring all the time. Last year, Martins was the
sole go-to-guy, and all a team thought it had to do to win was to get
Martins off his game. (It worked, too.) They speared him, cross-checked
him--flat-out mugged him--and the officials didn't seem to give a
damn; that is, until Martins finally lost his cool and retaliated.
        Granted, Martins is a feisty player with a bad temper, and I am not
condoning some of his actions. However, had the officials done their job
in the first place, Martins would have been in the sin bin far less frequently.
 
        David Griffel
 
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