I just got back from the UMass-Lowell Chiefs luncheon and thought that some
of you may be interested in Shawn Walsh's comments.  There is one in particular
that I found fascinating about Paul Kariya.  If you want to blow off the rest
of them, search down to five asterisks and get at least that one.
 
Anyways... These are probably old
hat to the Maine-iacs out there, but I enjoyed them.  Forgive me for any
factual errors.  This is all from memory and I've got a brain like a sieve.
As I reread this now, I also must confess that it was a lot more interesting
in person than my article conveys.  Hey, that's why I diddle bits for a
living instead of dangling gerunds.  :-)
 
First, there were about three times as many people as have been at past
luncheons.  I don't know whether this included Maine fans who'd come down for
the weekend or whether the increase was entirely due to local fans, but it's
pretty obvious that Walsh's presence was the difference.
 
Anyways, prior to Walsh's remarks, Ian Hebert was being recognized as the
Chiefs Player of the Week.  Hebert, who has come out of nowhere to be a
national leader in (the almost totally worthless statistic of) game-winning
goals, as well as a top ten scorer in Hockey East, was being interviewed
by Bob ("Voice of the Chiefs") Ellis and Walsh piped in, "Ian, how about
transferring?" which got a good laugh.  Before anyone gets in an uproar,
let me underline that Hebert is a senior ("the youngest senior in the
country").  When Walsh did get up to speak,
he said that he hoped some pro team would give Hebert a shot since he was
truly one of the most unsung players in college hockey.
 
Walsh said many complimentary things about Chiefs coach Bruce Crowder, which
to the uninformed could have seemed like playing to this audience, but keep
in mind that Crowder was an assistant at Maine under Walsh for several years.
Although Walsh is certainly charismatic, I think that the mutual admiration
these two have is genuine.
 
Then he said, "In Maine, we started having luncheons, I see Bruce is doing
that here.  In Maine, we worked hard on our special teams, and I see that
the Chiefs are playing swarming, in-your-face penalty-killing and are number
one in Hockey East and the nation at it.  They're number four or five in
the nation with one of the deadliest powerplays around.  In Maine, we brought
in the best rookies in the country like Kariya.  You folks now have Bullock.
We had Dunham and Snow.  You have Roloson.  We beat BU.  Now you beat BU."
 
Having amused people to this point, he then became serious.  "I know at the
beginning of the year you set your sights on getting into post-season play.
Well let me say that other than possibly Michigan the field is wide open.
Forget about making post-season play, you have a definite chance to win it all.
You need three things to win it all.  Great goaltending.  Great play from
your seniors.  And great special teams.   You have great goaltending in
Roloson.  You have seven seniors that can play with anyone in the country.
And you've got terrific special teams.  The national title is a matter of
winning three games.  [Assuming a bye in the opening round.]  You can win
those three games."
 
More humor:  "I've just received word that because of the security problems
involving figure skating, the Olympic hockey competition has been cancelled.
Kariya, Ferraro, Ferraro, Imes, and Dunham are flying back as we speak and
will be dressing for tonight's game."
 
On Kariya: "Yes, he's the best player I've ever coached.  Watch him on the
Canadian Olympic team.  He's a hockey version of Magic Johnson."
 
*****
Again on Kariya: "The morning before the title game against Lake Superior
last year, Paul came up to me and said, 'Coach which bench do we have for
tonight's game?'  I told him which one and then asked, 'Why?  What does it
matter?'  Paul said, "When I lay down this afternoon, I want to be able to
visualize what I'm going to do in the third period tonight.'  Paul went on
to assist on the three goals that won the championship for us that night."
[I think that at least two of them were in the third period, in the
"visualized" end of the rink.]
 
On players returning to Maine after the Olympics: "We're still not sure what's
going to happen with Paul Kariya and the Ferraros after the Olympics.  That
is to a great extent dependant on their NHL teams.  But there's a chance that
they'll rejoin us, in which case I'll make a line of Kariya, Ferraro, and
Ferraro.  That will replace our fourth line.  I think that that's a good
switch."
 
On Maine this year: "We've been through a lot between Olympic losses, forfeits,
suspensions, and injuries.  What people forget is that in games when we've had
our top six defenseman all playing, we are 9-0.  We've had games where four of
them have been hurt and we've had to play either forwards or redshirts back
there."
 
Bob Ellis, in his introduction, said, "He's been called many things.  Cocky,
arrogant...  all the way to a genius and a committed family man."
Walsh: "All those negative terms were only said about me back when I was in
the media."
 
Again, Bob Ellis, this BEFORE the intro.  He asked Walsh if he remembered some
specific date many years back.  Without a blink Walsh answered, "We lost 16-2."
Then Ellis recounted the date last year when Maine won the championship.  Ellis
then made some comments about reaching goals when you have the proper
direction.  I'm not sure if that was intended solely as a UMaine plug, or if
it was also reference to UML's much-discussed losses to RPI and BU and their
hoped-for future glory.
 
Anyways, that's all I can remember.  Hope you enjoyed some of 'em.
 
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