> >Now let's hear what Arthur Mintz and Adam Wodon have to say about the Big >Red. > >Geoff Howell >The Trenton Times >Drop the Puck Well. It's not often I'm asked for a command performance. :) >1) ECAC Commissioner I've known Joe Bertagna for many years, and have always found him open-minded, personable, knowledgeable, and keenly interested in promoting hockey at all levels. But I agree with those who believe Joe spreads himself too thin. I don't see how he can be commissioner of the ECAC, AND president of the ACHA, AND goalie consultant to the Bruins, AND involved with the US Olympic team, AND involved as a broadcaster, AND run his goalie camps, and achieve excellence in all of them. Joe is certainly capable of being an excellent commissioner for the ECAC if he chooses to concentrate on doing so. But I share Luis's and Geoff's skepticism that that will be the case. > >2) Cornell > Like Tom Tseng, I'm a Cornell employee, and thus really can't campaign publicly for or against another employee's keeping or losing his or her job (have I qualified that statement enough to make it totally meaningless?). But I can say this, all of which is public knowledge: - the team is headed for its third straight sub-.500 season, and is in danger of missing the playoffs entirely - ticket sales are off, costing Cornell thousands of dollars (minimum of $6 per ticket x 400-500 tickets) per game - there is an NCAA compliance review under way - there are only four seniors on the team, only three of whom are playing regularly; last year's graduating class comprised two seniors, the year before four - the head coach is responsible for the performance of the program. >I still contend that Cornell has inherent advantages over all >Ivy schools save Harvard. Including diversity of academic programs (7 undergraduate colleges), costs (even out-of-state resident tuition at the four New York State colleges is significantly less than at other Ivy schools), geography (close to Canada). > It also has a prestige value in hockey >circles that outweighs every non-Ivy in the ECAC except Clarkson. Two national champions (although none in the last 25 years). More ECAC titles than any other team in the league (although none since 1986). Ken Dryden. Joe Nieuwendyk. Kent Manderville (sort of). But this is eroding rapidly. > So >there is no reason why the Big Red can't climb into national contention, >at least semi-regularly. I think a realistic level of expectation would be to contend for home ice in the ECAC quarterfinals pretty much all of the time, and go beyond (Lake Placid or wherever, ECAC title, NCAA appearance) that with some regularity. But that has to become an institution-wide priority, not just the hockey team's goals, or even the athletic department's goals.