Given the amount of recent traffic about the Hobey Baker award, I have
a couple of questions about other member's expectations of the Hobey
Baker winner.
 
1.      What are your expectations of a Hobey Baker winner, post-award.
Are you expecting a wonderful NHL career, a productive life, or both.
(I relaize that in a perfect world we'd all probably say both, but if
all you expect is a good pro career please say so.)
 
2.      What is the significance of the award, viz a viz, media
coverage and future career. The only other award of similar
significance to its sport is the Heisman (sp?){remember that rhymes
with theisman}. Most college football fans (and the media) would say
they expect an outstanding NFL career. I can't be certain but college
hockey fans and the hockey media seem to be less concerned with the pro
career of Hobey winners. Is this true? Whenever I watch an NFL game,
invariably the announcer will mention the name of any Hesiman winners
playing in the game (even runners up). Yet when watching pro hockey
(any level) I rarely hear the title Hobey Baker winner attached to any
players name, on or off the ice. If you're a runner up forget being
mentioned at all. Also, being a Heisman winner, or even a runner up
like Theisman, seems to follow you for the rest of your life, and its
something that's mentioned at the drop of a hat. Think about it, how
many times during the OJ trial did you hear that he was a Heisman
winner? A few years after winning the Hobey, its forgotten, unless its
a special occasion. Is the Hobey less significant or do we, as hockey
fans, not go "NUTS" over someone who wins the award?
 
3. And finally, assuming your answer to question 1 was an excellent
pro-career, who would be your selection for most disappointing Hobey
winner. I've got 2. Personally, my most disappointing would have to be
Kip Miller, but that's only because he's a fellow Spartan and didn't
turn out to be the second coming of Gordie Howe. (I'm not expecting too
much am I? I expected the same of his brother's and they've come closer
to living up to my expectations.)
From a hockey fan's standpoint however, my most disappointing winner
would have to be Tony Hrkac. In the finals against MSU in 87 Tony was a
one man wrecking crew. He looked like a man playing with boys (I don't
mean that the way it sounds). I thought he was destined for stardom in
the NHL. He's had a pretty disappointing NHL career, but a rather
sucessful minor-pro career (from my viewpoint).
 
 
Michael Smar, R.Ph. ([log in to unmask])
College of Pharmacy
South Dakota State University
 
Medicines are nothing in themselves,
if not properly used,
but the very hands of the gods,
if used with reason and prudence
(and by a pharmacist).
 
With apologies to Herophilus
 
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