Neil writes:
>Dead fish used to be a staple at Lynah Rink when Cornell hosted Harvard.
 
The fish were supposedly meant to symbolize Harvard's proximity to the
Charles River and Boston Harbor. (that's why they're dead :-)  As I under-
stand it, this all started in response to the Harvard fans' practice of
throwing (frozen and presumably small) chickens on the ice whenever Cornell
played there, to symbolize the Cornell agriculture school.  I guess we can
consider ourselves lucky that they didn't think of using cow manure.
 
Fish-tossing at Lynah seems to have died out.  It's been a couple of seasons
since I've seen a fish come flying out onto the ice. (Hi, Nate! :-)
 
Fans should remember, though, that throwing stuff onto the ice usually
results in a bench minor to the home team for delay of game, which isn't
exactly helpful.  Every year before the Harvard game, the Cornell team
issues a plea in the college newspaper asking fans not to toss things on the
ice.  This isn't just something the athletic department or administration
forces them to do; the last thing Cornell needs against a team like Harvard
is to be a man down.  In addition to causing a penalty, throwing things onto
the ice is dangerous for the players, especially small or sharp objects that
might freeze to the surface and be missed by the cleanup crew.  A player
could be skating at full speed, catch a skate in something stuck to the ice,
and could easily tear a knee ligament or something.  I'll bet it's happened
a few times, and that it's part of the reason for the penalty.  Anyway...
 
>In addition, a live (most years) chicken would be leashed to the Harvard
>goal just prior to the Crimson's arrival on ice for the third period.
>
>          ...even though I missed the last few years, I bet the chicken
>still makes the annual appearance.
 
Indeed he does (yes, it's usually a rooster).  I have no idea how people
sneak this bird by the ushers, but someone always goes out on the ice with
it and ties it to the Harvard goal.  Then almost immediately a rink
attendant unties the chicken and takes it -- well, I don't know where.  The
chicken used to be left there until the teams came out, but they don't do
that any more, which is just as well.
 
>sidebar question -- Do any schools besides Cornell play both the Canadian and
>American National Anthems?
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, (he said unnecessarily :-) but I think most schools
play both anthems.  It's probably more tradition than anything else, even
though there are a lot of Canadian players at American colleges.  I think
when Cornell played the Swedish National Team in an exhibition at Lynah a
few years ago, the band played the Swedish national anthem in place of the
Canadian one, for obvious reasons.
 
Bill Fenwick
Cornell '86
LET'S GO RED!!
 
"Pick a number from one to ten."        "Got it."
"Is the number odd or even?"            "Even."
"Is the number between one and three?"  "No."
"Between three and five?"               "No...I think I got him!"
"Between five and seven?"               "Yeah."
"Number six!"                           "Right...How did he do that?...HEY!"
-- Abbott and Costello, in "Buck Privates"