To answer some of the questions posed:  Shawn was not really
accountable to anyone.  Technically, yes, he answered to the AD
and the President, but anyone who has followed UM for a while
might recall that those two posts, until recently with the hiring
of Fred Hutchinson and Sue Tyler, have been...unstable...to say
the least.  And I'll repeat one more time:  Woody Carville, who
was supposed to be watching eligibility (and will go down in the
Scapegoat Hall Of Fame) was working in a janitor's closet with
a computer more outdated than my mother's old 286.  So the only
people the hockey program answered to was its booster club.
 
I have said before that I won't comment on the NCAA investigation
which is still going on, but I'll say this one thing:  The NCAA
has about as much compassion for schools and athletes as
the Grinch had for Cyndi-Lou Who.
 
Mike Dunham was the only Maine player to make the US or Canadian
Olympic Hockey Teams in 1992.  And yes, he did come back
to play for us the next season...Either that or his twin
brother is a hell of a goalie too.  Jean-Yves Roy played
for the Canadian Team early on, but was inexplicably cut
in October of 1991 (and a brief "thank you" to the coaches).
In 1994 Maine had Garth Snow, Mike Dunham, Chris Imes, Peter
Ferraro (Chris was the last man cut) and Matt Martin on the
US squad, and Paul (missed a gold medal by a crossbar) Kariya
on the Canadian team.
As far as I know, no violations occurred which could take away
the championship, however, see above paragraph for my opinion
of the NCAA in this regard.  Also, please note I said that none
occurred which could take it away, I didn't say that none occurred.
But if anyone does come to take our banners and rings, my ring, um
fell off...um...when I was shoveling snow...yeah, that's it.
 
 
The boosters:  The boosters, who were named (along with the player)
in the Portland Press Herald today, have been "disaccociated"
from the university.  They can have no contact with any UM staff
or athlete in the next two years.  It may be a stretch, but I hope
Friends of Maine Hockey will also disassociate them, but then again
they're the ones who supplemented Shawn's salary during the
suspension.
 
A question I am waiting to have answered is,
If there were 40 violations, and 27 were by the hockey team,
what are the other 13?  I hope the media do a better job
reporting this story than they've done in the past.
 
I also would like to commend Suzanne Tyler and Fred Hutchinson
for taking these steps (although some will say its not enough).
It sends the message that, for a change, Shawn and the rest of the
coaches are going to be accountable to someone.
 
One thought before I depart for my last day on the L.L. Bean pack
line:  Now that Suzanne Tyler is in charge of the Athletic Dept.
I hope the University will not resort to the same type of tactics
they used against people last time around.  I refer to the
scapegoating of one Jeff Tory and the afore-mentioned Mr. Carville.
I hope that I don't start reading the same type of stories I read
before, that led people to believe Jeff was a brick-headed athlete
and Woody was a bungling old man.  Until yesterday, this is the
opinion many people here had...perhaps many still think all of
this is their fault.  But the blame lies squarely on one man,
who will be thinking about it every day for the next 368 days.
But the people of Maine will be living with this for a much
longer period of time.
 
Merry Christmas, Happy Wrestli..err  Boxing Day and Happy Hannukah
to you all.
 
John Forsyth
 
HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey;  send information to
[log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.