Another New Recruit

[scoop85]

BRP reporting that Swedish defenseman Joakim Ryan has committed to Cornell for 2011.  Looks like another excellent pick-up.

http://bigredpuckhead.blogspot.com/

[imafrshmn]

A Swedish defenseman!!!!  He's already got good size at 6'0", 190 lbs. as a 16 year old.  

Välkommen!!!

[jtwcornell91]

A Swedish defenseman!!!!  He's already got good size at 6'0", 190 lbs. as a 16 year old.

190 pounds?  Are we sure he didn't eat a 16-year-old?

[Al DeFlorio]

A Swedish defenseman!!!!  He's already got good size at 6'0", 190 lbs. as a 16 year old.

190 pounds?  Are we sure he didn't eat a 16-year-old?

At 190 pounds, "midgets" aren't what they used to be.

[Trotsky]

Two Swedes named Murray and Ryan.  Thank God for mixed marriages. ::cheer::

[Tom Lento]

A Swedish defenseman!!!!  He's already got good size at 6'0", 190 lbs. as a 16 year old.

190 pounds?  Are we sure he didn't eat a 16-year-old?

I hope he's ill-tempered. I miss having an ill-tempered Swede on the team.

[Rita]

A Swedish defenseman!!!!  He's already got good size at 6'0", 190 lbs. as a 16 year old.

190 pounds?  Are we sure he didn't eat a 16-year-old?

I hope he's ill-tempered. I miss having an ill-tempered Swede on the team.

Apparently our favorite Swedish defenseman got close and "chummy" with Jerome Iglina last night in the Shark tank.

CBC's HNIC post-game show had a brief interview with Jerome and they showed some of the hits. Jerome commented on how big Murray was and how he can pack a hit and how Murray might be as wide as he is tall .

Maybe Murray ate a 16 yr old for his pre-game meal:-}.

[Trotsky]

I hope he's ill-tempered. I miss having an ill-tempered Swede on the team.

Perhaps Elin Woods has eligibility left.

[Swampy]

He also apparently runs cross country and plays lacrosse. I wonder if the experience with Milo has changed Mike's attitude about two-sport players. It would be quite cool to see a Cornell athlete who plays D in hockey but also plays lacrosse. The last time we had one of those, we did quite well in both. ::popcorn::

[TimV]

He also apparently runs cross country and plays lacrosse. I wonder if the experience with Milo has changed Mike's attitude about two-sport players. It would be quite cool to see a Cornell athlete who plays D in hockey but also plays lacrosse. The last time we had one of those, we did quite well in both. ::popcorn::

I thought Harry Orr was a forward, no?::rock::

[jkahn]

He also apparently runs cross country and plays lacrosse. I wonder if the experience with Milo has changed Mike's attitude about two-sport players. It would be quite cool to see a Cornell athlete who plays D in hockey but also plays lacrosse. The last time we had one of those, we did quite well in both. ::popcorn::

I thought Harry Orr was a forward, no?::rock::

no, he played D.

[Swampy]

He also apparently runs cross country and plays lacrosse. I wonder if the experience with Milo has changed Mike's attitude about two-sport players. It would be quite cool to see a Cornell athlete who plays D in hockey but also plays lacrosse. The last time we had one of those, we did quite well in both. ::popcorn::

I thought Harry Orr was a forward, no?::rock::

No, he only scored like one (97 points in 3 years as a defenseman in varsity hockey and 20 points in I think only one season as a middie in lacrosse). ::wow::

[Al DeFlorio]

He also apparently runs cross country and plays lacrosse. I wonder if the experience with Milo has changed Mike's attitude about two-sport players. It would be quite cool to see a Cornell athlete who plays D in hockey but also plays lacrosse. The last time we had one of those, we did quite well in both. ::popcorn::

I thought Harry Orr was a forward, no?::rock::

Harry came to Cornell as a forward and played forward on the freshman team and as a sophomore on the varsity.  Ned converted him to defense his last two years.  This was common practice with Ned.  Bruce Pattison was another conversion and another All-American at defense.  Steve Giuliani was another conversion.  Of course, the best known conversion was Dan Lodboa, MOP of the 1970 NCAA tournament and named to the NCAA tournament 50th anniversary team, along with Ken Dryden.

Ned wanted offense from his defensemen, and, for whatever reason, size at defense didn't matter as much 40 years ago.  If Harry weighed 165 I'd be surprised.  Sure could move the puck, though.  Kind of like his namesake on the Bruins.

[TimV]

Wow.  Great long-term memory Al.  Thanks.

[billhoward]

There was also Bob Rule in lacrosse / hockey on the 1970 championship team although Rule was mostly a desperation move to have a backup to goalie Brian Cropper. And Glen Mueller in basketball and lacrosse circa 1972. Bill Murray, sort of the Douglas Murray (size, checking ability) of the early 1970s played soccer and helped Cornell to the Final Four as well as hockey, but he gave up hockey at the strong urging of the coaching staff to concentrate on hockey his senior year, but it turned out to be a went-nowhere year on the heels of those two final four appearances.

In fairness to the single sport ethic, the schedule is getting longer and there's even more off season conditioning involved. (Was it David Peace who said off season conditioning used to be the aluminum curl?) In the case of hockey-baseball, as long as baseball doesn't cut further into academics, it seems the harm is more baseball than hockey.