Leneveu signs with Phoenix?

[marty]

Richard Stott wrote:

We have huge graduation losses and what now appears to be a really first-rate Freshman class.  I don't know when I have had less idea what to expect from team.  I'm really looking forward to seeing them play.

And for any of the faithful who aren't so faithful, I will be happy to buy your season tickets, single tickets or even a ticket to park in the lot outside Lynah.

Damn it, look on the  bright side.  You could be watching your Division 1 hockey in Cambridge (ugh), Hanover (ugh) or Troy (ugh, ugh ugh-ly).

[atb9]

I think you guys are giving 20 year olds too much credit.  :-)

[Greg Berge]

Dave McKee was #41 for Texas, presumably because he wanted to be (a Tom Seaver freak, maybe?).  I hope we won't see a non-traditional uni number next year, but I guess it's a possibility.

[cbuckser]

I figured McKee was paying homage to the illustrious Eddie Mio.

Anyway, I'd be surprised if McKee isn't issued #31 next year.  It's not unusual for a player to wear a number higher than 31 in juniors and beign wearing a traditional number upon his arrival in Ithaca.  For example, Jeremy Downs wore #44 for the Omaha Lancers.

[Give My Regards]

big red apple wrote:

Greg wrote:

I doubt we'll have a three goalie rotation for long, if at all.  Coaches generally regard that as a morale nightmare.

Not all coaches.  See Morris, Mark (Clarkson '88 - '02).

Ahem, yes, and see morale (Clarkson over about the same time period, particularly since '97 or so).

Anyway, I would call Morris' strategy a lot of things, but a "rotation" isn't one of them.  It often seemed more to me like he would decide, "OK, I'll start this guy, but at the first hint of shakiness, I'll yank him for that guy, who will play until the first hint of shakiness, etc."

Joe Marsh did actually have a three-goalie rotation at St. Lawrence in the 1999-2000 season, as he rotated Jeremy Symington, Sean Coakley, and Derek Gustafson until the February stretch run, at which point Gustafson took over full-time and the Saints made the Frozen Four.

[dirtbag]

hmm.. well i agree with you just a little.. lenny still has school and he should have at least taken us all the way before leaving... because we all know he could try again but this time we could make it and be the champions. also i talked to lenny twice about the situation... and he did say that he wasn't going, and we all believed him.. so basically he lied to our faces, which really hurts after such a wonderful season with such a wonderful guy. but if you look on the positive side, if lenny thinks hes gonna get something out of this (including money if hes looking for it) then go for it... if hockey is what he wants to do, then he should go for it. but i still think he should have stayed at least another year, started out fresh to get back where we were, and get another year or two under his belt. he's a great goalie but i seriously doubt phoenix will play him anytime soon. the nhl goalies can beat him any day, and if he doesnt play, then he just made a huge mistake. basically, he's rushing into things. i would think phoenix would hold on to him until he graduates if they really love him that much....

[rhovorka]

I'll try to go easy...

dirtbag wrote:

lenny still has school and he should have at least taken us all the way before leaving... because we all know he could try again but this time we could make it and be the champions.

Sure.  Sounds like a piece of cake.  All we needed was to throw Lenny back between the pipes, and that national championship was practically in the bag.  Even though we lost a significant amount of the core of the team to graduation...

[Q]also i talked to lenny twice about the situation... and he did say that he wasn't going, and we all believed him.. so basically he lied to our faces, [/Q]
What do you mean "we," kemosabe?  I never heard any combination of words from him that said he was definitely coming back, and I was still in a "wait-and-see" mode.  Sorry he broke your heart, but honestly, I don't believe he owed us, the fans, anything.  He'll still have opportunities to continue his education, which he did say was important to him and his family...I respect that a great deal.

[Q]nhl goalies can beat him any day, and if he doesnt play, then he just made a huge mistake. basically, he's rushing into things. i would think phoenix would hold on to him until he graduates if they really love him that much....[/Q]
Actually, if you're an NHL team, and you have a valuable player...would you rather A) have him play for a team independent of your organization that has its own agenda and goals under coaches that have no real vested interest in his professional future...or B) Develop him in your own minor league system under coaches, trainers, and resources you hire and control?  He'll play in an environment (most likely the AHL) that is much more suited to Phoenix's developmental goals.  They invested a high draft pick on him, and now have invested money in him.  They obviously love him more than we wish they did.  :-)

[Al DeFlorio]

Rich Hovorka '96 wrote:

Keith K '93 wrote:

OK, I'll eat my words.  I hope, for the sake of academic integrity, that McKee had already been admitted to Cornell and had been deferring unless and until Lenny went pro.

I spoke with someone in the hockey office last week, and that is indeed the case.

I'm 100% with Keith on the academic integrity issue, and I'm happy to confirm Rich is absolutely correct.  

I just learned from a very reliable source that McKee--just as Rich said--had already been admitted and had been deferred until fall 2004.  And for all the naysayers on the subject of Ivy League need-based financial aid, this source emphatically made very clear that McKee "will receive no financial aid at all."  

Which, of course, is not unusual in the Ivy League.  From a 1972 SI article on Canadiens' rookie goaltender Ken Dryden--then making a whopping $35,000 salary:  ""Despite what people think, I did not have a scholarship at Cornell," Dryden says.  "Oh, I got $200 each year for an honorary scholarship [a year in A&S cost about US$3500 at that time], but that barely accounted for the currency exchange."  So he worked.  As a freshman Dryden was a waiter and dishwasher in a fraternity house and earned his room and board.  During the summers he did construction work in Ithaca, destruction work on Toronto buildings and a combination of both in Alaska."

Rest easy, Keith.  Academic integrity lives.:-)

[Steve Marciniec \'85]

Were there lots of empty seats at Lynah before our recent successes?  I haven't been to a game at Lynah in 17 years, but if my memory serves me correctly, there weren't many empty seats even during the lean years in the early 80's.

[marty]

One of the goals that Coach Schafer made at the onset of his tenure was to make sellout crowds the norm at Lynah.

It was no problem whatsoever to call the ticket office in January or February of '96 and buy tickets in the townie section.  My family of four enjoyed two games that winter.

We have tried to make this an annual event and can attest that since '96 tickets have been scarce.

[jbeaber1998]

I bought season tickets my first year at Cornell, 1995.  First year students had no problems getting seats in section D.  The rink definitely wasn't full...

-John

[French Rage]

IIRC from 2000-2001, which was the last mediocre (though still pretty damn good) season, Lynah was full, but not packed.  That is, there werent any gaps anywhere, but it certainly wasnt as full as the last two seasons.  You could still get tickets before the games outside (even Harvard if you paid enough).