Thoughts of BU-CU & Beyond

[nyc94]

That's not good.  We need to win the Maine game.  I guess I have mixed feelings about the players going off to pursue other glory.  I would probably be more opposed to it if he was receiving a scholarship but still, he did get a spot at possibly compromised admissions standards.  How are we going to feel if he gets injured while playing for Canada?

I was in school when Manderville and Ratushny went to the 1992 Olympics and never came back.

[Melissa\'01]

Well ... perhaps Lenny won't end up playing.

From NHL.com

"One position that the Canadians have traditionally wanted returning players is in goal, but this year's camp will have four netminders -- Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers of Chicoutimi (QMJHL), Marc-Andre Fleury of Cape Breton (QMJHL), David LeNeveu of Cornell and Cam Ward of Red Deer (WHL), all looking to make the team for the first time.

"There are no goalies returning from last year," said Habscheid, "but we find that these guys have been outstanding so far this season, they have all helped their teams a lot. There is no front runner right now which gives us a chance to evaluate them at the camp, not only on the ice but how they mesh with the group."

[Ben Doyle 03]

First: I don't think anyone here is in a position to question Dave's academic endeavors. He did decide to come to Cornell over Harvard(sUcKs), end of discussion.

Second: That being said, I could not disagree with you more. . .playing for ones country is quite possible the greatest honor an athlete can have. Yeah, it would  suck if Dave didn't come back (though I don't think we have to worry) but if he is really that good then he doesn't belong playing for the RED in the first place. The self-serving sentiments are on both sides of the table, neither of them right or wrong, it just depends upon which side you stand.

[jason]

My recollection from articles following Team Canada's summer camp was that Lenny had been the strongest goalie there. How scary is it that Cornell may have the best amateur goalie in all of Canada! That would make two out of the six populated continents, since Cornell arguably already accomplished such feat with Australia. :-)

[Hillel]

Bill R '94 sez: "I would probably be more opposed to it if he was receiving a scholarship but still, he did get a spot at possibly compromised admissions standards."

My understanding (based on second-hand, unconfirmed reports) is that LeNeveu is actually one of the best students on the team, perhaps one of the best in recent years. That doesn't mean that chits weren't used with admissions, but I think it's less likely in his case.

I have no problem with his attending camp. Here's one (brutally shallow) plus: Don't you love the idea of Lenny telling all these other young Canadian talents about how much he's loving Cornell and Ithaca and Schafer? What a great word-of-mouth opportunity--there ain't another collegian in camp. Cornell won't land any of these guys, but word would spread around the Juniors.

[ugarte]

I want Lenny at Cornell instead of the training camp the same way that the partners at my law firm want me here billing my time 24/7.  They want it, but they don't expect it - and they don't request it.  

I know that my wants are selfish and tuck them away into the part of my mind that harbors such thoughts - and replace them in my public self with wishes that Lenny makes, and excels on, the Canadian national team.  And then loses to the U.S. in the finals -- 1-0 in OT -- when he is bumped by his own defenseman. (Damn selfish private self escaped again.)

I let my public self acknowledge that I don't want to schedule MAAC and CHA opponents.

And my public and private selves rarely argue out loud. I've learned my lesson.

[nyc94]

I guess we'll disagree on this but maybe I can clarify a little.

It doesn't really matter if Dave is "too good" to be playing NCAA hockey.  The fact is that he is a member of a college team and he made a commitment to play for that team.  Unlike a professional athlete, or even a college football player, Dave gets more out of Cornell than the school gets from him.  College hockey does not generate significant revenue like football does.  Aside from getting a first rate education, he is also honing his skills that will allow him to play professionally - something that I don't think 10 days of tryouts is going to do - and because he is on a winning team, he has exposure that has allowed him to be drafted higher than he may have otherwise been - which will directly translate into a higher salary if and when he goes pro.  And getting back to the education, even though he does not receive an athletic scholarship, the full cost of tuition does not begin to cover the expenses of running a school like Cornell.  Alumni giving to the school helps make that possible.  So I don't think it's too much to ask that he show up for the games.

Sure, playing for one's country is an honor but I think the loyalty to an institution that may help make him a success should be a factor.  How might Dave feel is all of his defensemen decided to take a few weeks off and he got peppered with so many shots that his GAA ballooned?

And I don't think you can underestimate what beating Maine would do for the program - this year and in the future.  This year we would probably see the Red break into the top five and it will only help in the recruiting effort.

Anyway, I'm jealous you guys have a winner to go watch.  My junior year ('92-'93) we didn't even make the ECAC tournament.

[Jim Hyla]

Yes, they do usually come back right after the Sat. night game. Those of us  at Ohio State might remember the team talking about the ride back to Ithaca. I was tired driving back to Cleveland after the post game party say nothing of Ithaca. Coach Schafer also said the would have to stop for food again on the way as the pizza at the party certainly wouldn't hold the team. I wonder when they got home.

[Adam \'01]

lol.  Wouldn't hold the team?  I just have this image of Dougie sheepishly approaching the front of the bus at about 2am on the ride back from Columbus, "Excuse me, Coach, some of the guys in the back are beginning to get a bit peckish.  Might we stop for a bite to eat?"

[Beeeej]

...and I just got an image in my head of Hornby hip-checking Iggulden out of the ordering line at Wendy's.

Beeeej

[melissa]

Exactly my sentiments!

And I couldn't agree more with Ben!

Go Lenny, Go!

[nyc94]

>I have no problem with his attending camp. Here's one (brutally shallow) plus: >Don't you love the idea of Lenny telling all these other young Canadian talents >about how much he's loving Cornell and Ithaca and Schafer? What a great
>word-of-mouth opportunity--there ain't another collegian in camp. Cornell
>won't land any of these guys, but word would spread around the Juniors.

That's the smartest thing I've heard since I regretfully started this thread.  It beats when one of the players father (circa 1993) was rumored to be telling guys not to play for Coach Brian McCutcheon.  I heard this from within the sports information office.

People seem to be jumping on this imagined attack I have made on LeNeveu's intelligence.  If you reread my post(s) I never implied that Lenny is not intelligent or that he took a spot from a regular student.  Again, he could be exceptionally smart but he wasn't compared to all of the applicants.  I even said that he could be the smartest guy in the entire applicant pool to the University but it doesn't change the way the admissions decisions are made.  Anyway, I merely meant to suggest maybe he show some loyalty to the school.  He does get a lot back from the school and from being on the team.  Nobody has commented on that.  Or than beating Maine might be good for the program.

[nyc94]

But what would your law firm do if you had a big trial starting at the end of December and you decided to take off for a month to do pro bono work in another country while leaving a first year associate in charge?  I'm thinking they might pack up your office for you.

Look, I don't know what the coaches expect of the players in this type of situation.  Since this seems to happen all of the time I guess it doesn't truly bother them.

Anyway, lesson learned.  Thanks for all of your helpful advice.

[Ben Doyle 03]

Bill, you are completely right when you say that a win over Maine would be beneficial to the program and recruiting. Wouldn't a starting goalie on the Canadian Jr. National Team be just as beneficial??? Just a thought:-)



As for Dave's loyalty to the team. . .he was a Canadian long before he ever put on a RED jersey, his loyalty is right where it belongs.

[DR]

Don't forget the negative effects it would have on recruiting had Schaeffer tried to prevent him from going.  Frankly, it looks better on the program that they are able to attract players of a level that are able to compete with the best in Canadian junior leagues.  Ultimately, if this team is going to the Frozen 4, it's going to do so on Leneveu's back (we would've made it last year if not for Underskill's play against UNH).  The experience in Halifax will only make him better