As for the double standard of being in favor of throwing hats on the ice,
I don't think it is a double standard, because there is one big difference.
Throwing a hat on the ice is a way of celebrating a hat trick and supporting
your team;  it has positive connotations.  Throwing objects at members of
the opposing team is not the least bit positive.
 
As for the Dartmouth band's dismissal from hockey games, I think it is a
sad day for Dartmouth hockey.  I was fortunate enough to conduct the pep
band at Cornell, where Brian McCutcheon is very supportive of the band.
He has said that the crowd is worth 1-2 goals a game, and he realizes that
the band is a huge part of the crowd.  I have never heard recorded music that
can elicit crowd cheering like a good band can.  A good conductor works with
the fans, getting them to cheer when things get quiet, and doesn't play when
the crowd is doing a cheer of their own. Working with the crowd, play of the
game, and possibly another pep band is not as easy as it seems.
 
I find it rather ironic that this decision has come down after the Dartmouth
band has improved greatly.  When I went to the Cornell games in 85-86 and
86-87, the band only had about 10-15 members and one of them played a keg!
This year, the band had about 20-30 members and sounded pretty good (they
ditched the keg for a real bass drum).  A band like that could teach the fans
there a number of cheers and greatly improve crowd participation, not to
mention the fact that on road games, you can take a band to another rink,
but who's going to let you play your music over their PA system?  I realize
that Dartmouth hasn't had to think about this for a long time, but wouldn't
it be great if, this year, in their first playoff game in ages, the team
had a roaring crowd to support them?
 
Paulette Dwen
Cornell pep band conductor 88-89