Each year, I eagerly await attending five sporting events, of which the Beanpot remains one (a selected New Year's Day Bowl Game, NC$$ Phinal Phour and Army v. Navy make up the others). Unfortunately, the Beanpot's luster shines a little duller, albeit still brighter than the majority of "tainted" college sporting events. The blame falls squarely on the FleeceCenter building. The Beanpot remains a great attraction because of the fierce loyalties of students, alumni and an ever growing number of "sidewalk" alumni. From the "Catholics v. Pagans", "Brahmins v. Brown Baggers" and "BMW's v. Bleached ball caps", the overtones of the event create a historical ambiance representing (maybe stereotypically) the fans. The FleetCenter simply kills this ambiance. While the old barn lacked the amenities and easy concourse access, the Garden possessed something the new building lacks -- a soul. Yes, the wooden seats of the Garden balcony often left you squished and packed in like a People's Express flight, but people overcame it and focused squarely on watching, no, actually "impacting" the game. The building appears stale and corporate, encouraging people to sit complacently. Moreover, the second tier of luxury boxes between the lower and upper decks really detaches the upper attendees from the action. For five years, I've tried to always bring different hockey-l people to the game who otherwise wouldn't be able to attend. Each time my guests walk away with a greater joy and passion for the game -- although the Northeastern squad I support always seems to end up on the shorter end of the stick. This year, I turned to my guests last night and apologized. Not for the play, that reflected tight defensive hockey and an overmatched Northeastern team that refused to die passively, but for the amiance. The passion I saw at Walter Brown Arena, Conte Forum, the Bright Center and even Matthews Arena this year evaporated before my eyes. Boston University's domination of this tournament also concerns me. BC's two overtime victories in 1994 and Harvard's 1993 (I think) wins sandwich the 1990's version of the "Hoosier Invitational" or "Lapchick Memorial Tournament." A Northeastern victory during the 90's might help create more parody and excitement between the four schools. In short, yes, I still look forward to the Beanpot with the hope someone will re-write the story so Casey hits the winning home run. At the risk of sounding alarming, however, I hope someone wakes up the fans slumbering comfortably to witness it. Thanks for your time. --John. HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey; send information to [log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.