In last night's game between the Flyers and the Sabres, ex-BU player Ed
Ronan (who spent most of this season in the AHL) scorwed the GW goal in OT.
 
A friend in Buffalo called me to tell me that when the press asked Ronan
about how thrilling this goal was, Ronan was quoted as saying "I can't wait
to tell coach [Jack] Parker!"
 
 
Imagine how great that must feel for both Ronan and Parker -- or for any
coach and player, for that matter. If you coach at *any* level, nothing
brings you more pride than to see happiness / accomplishment / success in
your players. Likewise a player like Ronan, never seen as a superstar, the
kind always called a "good role player" or "hard worker" comes through when
it counts. This builds up a tremendous amount of respect between (ex)player
and coach.
 
 
Just off the top of my head, this year Parker has seen Amonte lead Chicago
in scoring and be named to the All-50 Tournament Teamm; seen Tkachuk notch
a 50-goal season (with 200+ pim, no less), seen Grier score 3 first-round
playoff goals as a rookie, seen McEachern help Ottawa return to the
playoffs, seen Lachance make the All-Star team... not to mention what he's
seen from Pandolfo, Sacco, VonSteffenelli, and others. Did I mention that
Scott Young helped the Avalance win the Stanley Cup last year?
 
Sure, some players played at BU for only a short period of time. Still, I'd
find it hard to believe that Parker wouldn't feel at  least a small bit of
pride with Tkachuk's performance this year. One year may not seem like
much, but a lot can happen through a single season. I can relate to this
personally, as in 1993 I was fortunate enough to receive coaching from two
olympic medalists in addition to one of the top coaches in the world
(speedskating). I learned more in a single season that I had in my entire
life.
 
Tony Biscardi's comments were dead on about Parker; he sees  himself as a
*teacher*, not a coach, not someone who leads the team. For years Parker
has made this attitude public, which kept many of us familiar with Parker
from being too worried over his leaving BU.
 
What thrills me is that Parker's staying at BU means that he feels he has a
lot left to teach. Given what he's accomplished in the past 20 years, I
can't wait to see the next 20!
 
Go BU!
 
greenie
 
-- did I mention... S P O O N  ! !
 
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