I have enjoyed being on Hockey-L for quite a few years now.  When I joined
Hockey-L back in the 91-92 season, Hockey-L was a great list.  It was
comprised of quality hockey commentary and constructive criticism.  Not
anymore.
 
Let's label 1996-97 as the "year to take cheap shots at Michigan."
 
Michigan is a quality hockey program with quality hockey fans.  Yes--I'll
say this right up front--Michigan has many bandwagon & obnoxious fans as
well.  SHOW ME A TEAM THAT DOESN'T.  If you're going to take every shot you
can against Michigan, fine, just don't even try to tell me that your team
is perfect.
 
The Michigan Hockey team is comprised of quality young men.  They have
worked very hard this season and they were expected, BY NEARLY EVERYONE IN
THE COLLEGE HOCKEY FIELD, to repeat as champions.  Not everyone may have
wanted it to happen, but they expected it to.
 
Come on, people, no matter where you are from, you can't argue this fact:
Michigan came into the Phinal Phour as the favored team.  Michigan, ON
PAPER, was the best team in college hockey throughout the entire season.
 
However, we all know that paper isn't worth anything come Tournament time.
As BU's Jack Parker said when asked about Michigan, on WEDNESDAY: "The best
team doesn't always win the championship.  It's the team that plays the
best two games."  Hmm, that phrase sounds familiar.  Okay, EVERYONE who's
belittled Brendan Morrison, how about doing the same to Jack Parker?  I
mean, after all, he said it first ;-) .
 
BU played a better game than Michigan on Thursday.  NoDak played a better
game than BU on Saturday.  NoDak has the right to call themselves National
Champions.  No other team in College Hockey can make that claim.
 
At 08:07 PM 3/31/97 -0600, Charles Bell wrote:
>>>>>>>>
= He started talking to us, and went mentioned that he played for UND back
= in the 60's.  Furthermore, he talked about playing against Red Berenson.
= He said that his coach at the time pointed Berenson out to him and told
= him to defend him and watch out for him at all times.  He said that toward
= the end of the game that Berenson speared him and as he sat on the bench, he
= noticed he was bleeding from the wound.  He also had a championship ring
= from that year.
 
CHEAP SHOT.  Let's do a little research...  NoDak won the National
Championship in 1963.  Berenson's senior year was 1962.  Hmmmmmmm....
 
= sat next to Coach Blais and got to talk to him throughout
= the game.  He said before the game that Michigan was basically in a league
= of their own and said that he was surprised that they lost any games
= during the year.
 
Hmmmmm again.  It seems that Coach Blais thought that Michigan was the best
team too.
 
= Unfortunately, the line took away most of the respect that I have
= for Morrison.
 
Oh, come on.  A) the context in which Brendan made the comment.  Most
people seem to have forgotten that Brendan was in the middle of thanking &
consoling his teammates--all of whom showed up to applaud their friend; and
B) Jack Parker and Dean Blais seemed to think that Michigan was the best
team.  I don't hear you ridiculing them.
 
 
Now, let me say this.  Michigan may have been the best team going into the
phinal phour, but they did not come out with the National Championship
trophy.  The players will have to live with that.  I did not feel that
Michigan was the best team in Cincinnati.  They came home with the trophy.
That's the way sports work.  When the puck is dropped, or the first pitch
is thrown, or the ball is kicked off, it becomes irrelevant "who the best
team is"--it all becomes "who wants it more."
 
BU and NoDak, this year, wanted it more.  BU outplayed Michigan and they
deserve every bit of praise for it.  BU & NoDak played an excellent and
exciting championship game.  They deserve every bit of praise for doing so.
 
And the University of North Dakota is the NCAA Division I 1997 National
Champion.  They deserve every bit of it.
 
 
= Some kid from Illinois - Don't know who this person was, but he was
= frantically giving me the thumb's down sign on Friday as his mother was
= speeding past me on the beltway.  I promptly gave him another sign (use
= your imagination).
=
<<<<<<<<
 
Boy, Mr. Bell, giving (use your imagination) signs to kids.  And you dare
call others classless.
 
 
I'm sorry.  I'm sick of every little thing being taken out on the
Wolverines.  The Michigan Hockey team is as classy and generous and
hardworking as any other team out there.  And that's a statement that I'll
stand behind until the day that I die.
 
Roger Spurgeon
University of Michigan Hockey (and damn proud of it).
 
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