Rick Feldhoff wrote:
>
>  I assume there will be 4 teams, but have no idea of how players will be
> chosen nor how many games will be played or game times. St Louis is only 4
> hrs
> from us which has piqued my interest. It appears current college hockey
> players will be participating - is it limited to college-level players? Any
> American pro's?  Do the coaches pick the teams? Etc.
>
I'm not real sure on it, myself.  It is 4 teams (North, South, East, and West,
but they're meaningless designations, as the info below will show -- the East
team has the most Minnesotans on it!)  I know the coaches of the teams must have
some sort of "draft" to pick the teams.  Some of the Minnesotans invited are
still HS age (entering college) and there don't seem to be any US pros.  (I'm
surprised Craig Johnson isn't listed- he was a member of the Olympic team who is
still undecided about signing with St. Louis or returning to Minnesota.)  I'm
sure James Bradshaw or some other regular attendee can tell you more, but I
think they play a round robin (6 games, total) and use the standings from that
to determine seedings for the gold and bronze medal games (or do they actually
have semi-finals, then the medal games?)  So it's 8 or 10 games in all.
 
I don't think this post (below) got through on the first try.  If it did, sorry,
here it is again.  Rick Feldhoff refers to "several posts" about the Olympic
Festival, but I've only gotten Justin's.
------------------
Well, no sooner did I mention that I hadn't heard any more about the Olympic
Festival invitees than the St. Paul Pioneer Press had an item in its "Area
Update" column today (6/4/94), listing these Minnesotans who were invited.
(College info added from my memory, apologies in advance for omissions &
errors.)
 
TEAM               Hometown               College
 
EAST
 
Chris Imes         Birchdale              Maine
Mike Crowley       Bloomington            Minnesota (94 recruit)
Nick Checco        Bloomington            Minnesota
Drew Palmer        Wayzata
Brad Willner       Richfield              Lake Superior State
Brian Bonin        White Bear Lake        Minnesota
 
WEST
 
Eric Rud           Inver Grove Heights
Rick Mrozik        Cloquet                Minnesota Duluth
 
SOUTH
 
Dan Trebil         Bloomington            Minnesota
Scott Swanson      Cottage Grove
Chris Kenady       Mound                  Denver
Landon Wilson      Eden Prairie           North Dakota
 
NORTH
 
Brian LaFleur*     Bloomington            Minnesota
Rusty Fitzgerald   Duluth                 Minnesota Duluth
 
* a Minnesotan despite his Francophone name, as Dave H would say  :-)
 
All but Team West have a former Bloomington Jefferson HS defenseman (Crowley,
Trebil, LaFleur).  Team East has Minnesota's 1992, 1993, and 1994 Mr. Hockey
winners (Bonin, Checco, Crowley).  I don't know anything about Drew Palmer,
except that he's supposedly the top-rated Minnesota player by the NHL scouts.
 
Pam Sweeney                            Go Gophers!!!
[log in to unmask]      1993 & 1994 WCHA Playoff Champions!!!
                                  1994 NC$$ PHinal PHour!!!
                                        Ski-U-Mah!!!