Time to weigh in on this discussion.
And I think it's a healthy one for HOCKEY-L or INFO-HOCKEY-L or HOCKEY or
whatever.
This is my third year on the list, and I enjoy it immensely.
I've made new friends as a result of the list, and hopefully, I haven't lost
any as a by-product of any postings.
I miss some of the old regulars, who added their unique insights and
personality to the list.
But just as the Internet evolves, the list must evolve.
People come and go, although some topics never seem to change (I'm sure
we'll go through another round of Gopher bashing or Maine bashing before the
season is out :).
The Internet has grown and matured in the time I've been on the list.
There are excellent sources of college hockey information on the Web now,
including real-time scores, from my own site, USA TODAY Online, and from the
superb U.S. College Hockey Online and it's dedicated webmasters.
Jeff Weiss and Keith Instone (haven't heard from you in a while, Keith) do a
great job on the CCHA site and set a standard for the other leagues (thanks,
Bill Beagan, for having the insight to let Jeff start early with the site;
you've always been a forward-thinking commissioner, and I will miss you on
the college hockey scene).
Many of us now get instant scores and updates on the Web, rather than being
dependent on HOCKEY-L like we used to.
The question, I guess (or at least one of them) is: Is HOCKEY-L superfluous?
Has its time passed?
I think not.
HOCKEY-L and its offshoots are central to college hockey discussion on the
Internet.
And I don't think it's redundant for scores and boxes to be posted, even
with the excellent work being done on the Web.
Like many of you, my home modem is not as fast as my office access. Like
many of you, I am not (always) in the office Friday and Saturday night. It
is more likely that I am checking HOCKEY-L in my e-mail at home than I am
firing up my browser.
Therefore, I hope all of you will continue to post scores and boxes on
INFO-HOCKEY-L. I hope you'll use USA TODAY and USCHO so that they receive
the traffic they need to continue to maintain their level of service and
information.
And I hope you won't pick on the Gophers too much!
Also, I wouldn't mind seeing some discussion on who might succeed Beagan as
CCHA commissioner.
Yours in hockey (oops, that's Jon Barkan's line; how are y'all, Jon?),
Steve Klein
Sports Editor
USA TODAY Online
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