Larry recalls ...
>                 ... and then an "impossible" win over Minnesota in
>87/88 - Webber Oil gave out a white banner to everyone in the Arena,
>and together with the noise, the atmosphere was unbelievable.  ...
 
Down memory lane ...  that Minnesota game was and still is my all-time
favorite.  We were the underdogs and the new kid on the block ...  and
Minnesota was, well, super-human yet the Minnesota program was where we
wanted to be ...  and the fans and team willed an incredible (6-4?)
victory ...  Jan 15, 1988!
 
BGSU would take the Dexter Shoe Classic, but we would get our revenge in
the NCAA quarterfinals.  LSSU would teach me about playing 3-low in the
Lake Placid semis, but we would beat Minnesota (again) in the last NCAA
consolation game ever played.  Watching Rob Stauber play pass with the
Maine goalie while the officials separated skirmish after skirmish,
lessened the pain of what we thought was "our year".  The comradery of
all the fans at Lake Placid and the incredible Maine contingent were
probably the strongest forces in my hosting the College_Hockey mailing
list a couple of years later.
 
But I do mean for this to have a point wrt the current discussions:
 
During those fanatic times we had more than just the immediate game as
an interest and goal.  Shawn Walsh and the fans and players were going
to propel the team to national prominence and, hopefully, a National
Championship.  We all shared the dream;  we all participated as we could
and often with efforts beyond what we thought we could do.
 
This season's players have succeeded, probably through their own sheer
will.  Yet it *seems* to me that several things have conspired to quiet
the fan support.  First, I think everyone (players, coaches and fans)
feels a bit like they've been hit with a stun gun.  No one is sure where
the shot was fired, but everyone seems wary of everyone else.  Blame
anyone and everyone, but the relationship between fans and
players/coaches is not what it once was and will take some time and
effort to restore.  Second, ...
 
Hmmm.  I had some other points, but these seem so important that I hope
you all will discuss the above observations.
 
cheers,
 
Wayne T. Smith                         Systems Group -- CAPS
[log in to unmask]                    University of Maine System
Co-owner of the College Hockey lists - Hockey-L/Info-Hockey-L/Hockey3