I'd like to echo Brian Gentry's approval of seeing such "peaceful harmony and good will on HOCKEY-L". If Alan and Arthur want to have a little flame war, could you both please take it to private email? As for the content parts of their exchange, I'd like to throw in my support for the idea of student athletes having opportunities to take part in events and be honored by that selection. These guys are NOT being paid to play hockey. Even if they were, K-Mart even had a pitch on TV the other night about supporting irregular work schedules for a couple of employees with shots at the Olympics. Do we want our colleges to be more backwards than K-Mart? Someone mentioned that the juniors, olympics, etc. are excellent showcases for college talent. What do others on the list think of that post about supposedly declining college hockey talent? It sure doesn't seem true based on some of the guys who just went into the pros, e.g. Jim Carey and Jamie Ram, two of the hottest goalies in the minors in a year when some of the guys shooting at them would have been in the NHL (if there were an NHL.) It also doesn't square with all I've read and seen of the younger talent now developing in NCAA hockey. Maybe this is a little "dis-information" targeted at hockey-starved NHL fans who might try NC$$ hockey and realize that they like watching hockey more than watching fights-on-ice? Merry Christmas to all, Dave Carroll - BU '73 - [log in to unmask]