>Any thoughts?  Is Carey right?  Is a good young goalie who wants to
>play college better off not playing in HE?  Or was Carey simply good
>enough that he would have succeeded wherever he played?  And if the
>former is true, what makes Wisconsin or anyplace else more conducive
>to goalies with a dream of playing in the NHL?
>---                                                                   ---
>Mike Machnik                                            [log in to unmask]
>Cabletron Systems, Inc.                                    *HMM* 11/13/93
 
From what I've seen of Jim Carey, he has enough raw talent to have done
well anywhere... However, the thing that really makes Wisconsin 'Goalie U'
is IMHO the presence of goalie coach Bill Howard, who coached all three of
the current UW goalies in the NHL, plus many other greats including Duane
Derksen.  I don't know how many years he's been at UW, but he's been there
a long time, even before the start of the Maine-Michigan game.  Much of the
credit for Kirk Daubenspeck's steady improvement over this season goes to
Howard as well, I think (Dobber's not the next Jim Carey, but he's turned
into a very solid goalie in the UW tradition).
 
Bill Howard ("Howie") also does the color commentary for the UW radio/TV
broacasts, and is a lot of fun to listen to.  He's followed the game for a
long time, and never hesitates to give his opinion on things.  Hmmm... I
wonder if he has internet access...
 
Of course, now that the "Goalie U" reputation is well established, good
goalies from far away places like Weymouth Mass give Wisconsin a good look
when considering colleges, based on that reputation.
 
-john