Harvard @ Cornell Saturday

[RichH]

I'm on a zoom with the people I work with and one of them went to his first-ever Cornell hockey game Saturday night with his wife and two kids, both of whom are less than two years old.  His attitude about the cussing was, "well they're going to hear it anyway at some point, what's the difference?  We're already seeing guys beat each other up on the ice."  He was surprised at Coach Schafer's announcement, as he said it didn't seem to be all that bad.

It seems it was only an issue when the league brass came to town. I assume they're melting the ice this week and we've got 7 months for memories to fade over a hot summer. This too shall pass.

I recall Coach Schafer scolding the students over the PA after "The Refs Fuck Sheep" got new lungs and "Asshole" started being appended every time to "See ya" (before "you goon" started manifesting). He had young kids at the time.

I liked it when a few years prior, Section B just chanted "SHEEP *pause* THE REF *pause* SHEEP ..."

It's never the right words that are most effective in chants/cheers, but the right *silences*. Very few students understand that.

[RichH]

I can tell you that ~15 years ago when I was a student, there was no such entry onto the ice after games and there was virtually no opportunity to interact with the players unless you were classmates, working with the team in a media capacity, or socially acquainted.

During my undergrad days (a few years before yours), there was an annual "Skate with the Big Red" event where students (and maybe staff?) could show up and have essentially a "free skate" session with members of the men's and women's teams. It was a lot of fun, but it clearly didn't continue much longer than that.

I don't know what's taking them so long to bring it back. Bring back the ice-storming tradition too. Why are they being so stupid when people can be making great memories for almost free. What kind of morons are running this show?

The seems to be some interest in suppressing storming the court after basketball games since the Duke player was injured a few weeks ago.  It's hard for me to imagine managers worried about liability condoning it at hockey games.    https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/39680623/court-storming-ban-college-basketball-injuries-march-madness-kyle-filipowski-caitlin-clark

yeah except nobody was storming - they literally had an orderly exit through the zamboni doors and everyone just commiserated and had fun.

bring in back ... and 15 years? bollocks I say. time can't fly that fast. (checks notes: it does)

All that. The first "storming" of the ice that happened in my era was the Nov. 11, 1995 game that broke the Harvard streak. (OK, there were only a few of us that went over the glass, but it was still pretty great & smelly), and the 1996 QF win vs. Colgate was such a party atmosphere and represented such a return of the program, we went over the glass again.  I recall, perhaps wrongly, the players helping some folks over. The next couple years it kept happening until they replaced the low glass with metal supports with the high seamless glass, as Arthur mentioned. By then, "tradition" gave the expectation of the student section joining, so an orderly line to the open the Zamboni doors followed, supported by the rink staff. Players certainly waved A & B towards the ice.  I couldn't tell you the last year of that.

Not completely true.    I recall specifically that the "storming" happened after the Randy Wilson game ON March 6, 1979. I cannot recall if that was the first one.

Sure. As Trotsky said, I made a point to say "my era." We've all seen the video of 70s long-haired hippies dancing around the ice looking for Gemmel or Nethary. Or Randy Wilson. Personally, I've probably watched that thing 100s of times. :-)

[Will]

I'm on a zoom with the people I work with and one of them went to his first-ever Cornell hockey game Saturday night with his wife and two kids, both of whom are less than two years old.  His attitude about the cussing was, "well they're going to hear it anyway at some point, what's the difference?  We're already seeing guys beat each other up on the ice."  He was surprised at Coach Schafer's announcement, as he said it didn't seem to be all that bad.

As the parent of a 10 year-old, I have mixed feelings on the issue myself.  I'm lucky that my daughter doesn't utilize vulgar language at all (or is smart enough to know not to use it around me or my wife) so she's not mimicking the "Fuck you ____" cheers.  And obviously, as an attendee of most home games over the past few years, she's clearly been exposed to the cuss words already anyway.  But it seemed much heavier at the games this weekend.  So I'm okay with toning it down a bit.  Schafer was right in his comments addressing the crowd: we're better than that.

[ugarte]

I'm on a zoom with the people I work with and one of them went to his first-ever Cornell hockey game Saturday night with his wife and two kids, both of whom are less than two years old.  His attitude about the cussing was, "well they're going to hear it anyway at some point, what's the difference?  We're already seeing guys beat each other up on the ice."  He was surprised at Coach Schafer's announcement, as he said it didn't seem to be all that bad.

As the parent of a 10 year-old, I have mixed feelings on the issue myself.  I'm lucky that my daughter doesn't utilize vulgar language at all (or is smart enough to know not to use it around me or my wife) so she's not mimicking the "Fuck you ____" cheers.  And obviously, as an attendee of most home games over the past few years, she's clearly been exposed to the cuss words already anyway.  But it seemed much heavier at the games this weekend.  So I'm okay with toning it down a bit.  Schafer was right in his comments addressing the crowd: we're better than that.

The point isn't whether it is the worst thing in the world; it isn't. It's about whether it is necessary and it definitely is not. I'm mostly shocked that by the playoffs screaming FUCK in an arena (more than a couple of times anyway) isn't boring to you.

[Chris '03]

I'm on a zoom with the people I work with and one of them went to his first-ever Cornell hockey game Saturday night with his wife and two kids, both of whom are less than two years old.  His attitude about the cussing was, "well they're going to hear it anyway at some point, what's the difference?  We're already seeing guys beat each other up on the ice."  He was surprised at Coach Schafer's announcement, as he said it didn't seem to be all that bad.

As the parent of a 10 year-old, I have mixed feelings on the issue myself.  I'm lucky that my daughter doesn't utilize vulgar language at all (or is smart enough to know not to use it around me or my wife) so she's not mimicking the "Fuck you ____" cheers.  And obviously, as an attendee of most home games over the past few years, she's clearly been exposed to the cuss words already anyway.  But it seemed much heavier at the games this weekend.  So I'm okay with toning it down a bit.  Schafer was right in his comments addressing the crowd: we're better than that.

The point isn't whether it is the worst thing in the world; it isn't. It's about whether it is necessary and it definitely is not. I'm mostly shocked that by the playoffs screaming FUCK in an arena (more than a couple of times anyway) isn't boring to you.

Back when "suck" was an ejectable word, the instructions we got were that it was OK if it was part of something long and creative but not to just drone on with "yaaaaalle.... Sucks" twenty times a night. Same idea more or less. Don't be lazy and chant "f you____" over and over again when there is so much more material out there.

[CU2007]

I'm no prude; I just think we're better and more creative than constant f*ck you's

[upprdeck]

I'm no prude; I just think we're better and more creative than constant f*ck you's

Thats pretty much the only word kids under like 25 use.

[imafrshmn]

Are we witnessing the Dave Portnoy-ification of the Cornell students? Just greenlighting all manner of boorishness?

[Jim Hyla]

I think the problem this weekend was the intensity and frequency of the F U Harvard (as well as directing it against individual players on Saturday) cheer.

The number of students that were doing the cheer meant that no one could miss it. During the season it appeared much less frequently, with less intensity, so could almost be ignored.

I have no idea if the ECAC had anything to do with it, but it would not surprise me if Coach Schafer's announcement was on his own. He's had a long history about not liking profanity at the rink.

[yougoon]

I'm on a zoom with the people I work with and one of them went to his first-ever Cornell hockey game Saturday night with his wife and two kids, both of whom are less than two years old.  His attitude about the cussing was, "well they're going to hear it anyway at some point, what's the difference?  We're already seeing guys beat each other up on the ice."  He was surprised at Coach Schafer's announcement, as he said it didn't seem to be all that bad.

It seems it was only an issue when the league brass came to town. I assume they're melting the ice this week and we've got 7 months for memories to fade over a hot summer. This too shall pass.

I recall Coach Schafer scolding the students over the PA after "The Refs Fuck Sheep" got new lungs and "Asshole" started being appended every time to "See ya" (before "you goon" started manifesting). He had young kids at the time.

I liked it when a few years prior, Section B just chanted "SHEEP *pause* THE REF *pause* SHEEP ..."

It's never the right words that are most effective in chants/cheers, but the right *silences*. Very few students understand that.

Ironically, it was my inability to shout profanity (a-hole) that led to me standing up and screaming in frustration (at Nickerson?) "you goon!" in one of those quiet moments...

[W]

Hey y'all, in the band, I can shed some light.


The league was getting pissed at all the cursing (there was at least 8 F-You Harvard chants, clearly audible on the broadcast), so the band was asked to not do Gary Glitter for that night, just a one time thing as far as I can tell.

We still play Gonna Fly Now, and Love Story was played both nights.

[BMac]

I'm 1000% sure that people jumped over the glass in the 2004-05 clarkson Q1 and that the glass was taller the next season, so we were waved through the Zamboni doors instead. I have a pic with a very happy Matt Moulson on the ice to prove it :-)

He had the look of a man who has just scored the OT goal on his last time on the ice at Lynah. God, he was good that season.

[Dunc]

Email just sent to Student season ticket holders from Schafer:

Hello,

This past weekend, we completed a series sweep of Harvard in the ECAC Quarterfinals before a sold-out crowd of 4,267. Saturday's decisive win was amplified by the infectious environment in Lynah Rink, which has been cultivated by generations of dedicated student fans.

Our student fans are the core of the Lynah Faithful, and your participation invigorates the atmosphere each time we play at home.

I wanted to take the time to thank you for your support throughout the season, and your willingness to adapt during Saturday night's game. Your resilience and ability to continue the momentum, while refraining from the use of profanities, ultimately contributed to the environment that propelled the team to a win. Supporting our team - while abiding by league rule and being gracious to our opponents - is integral to our success. I encourage you to continue to support the Big Red and our traditions in creative and innovative ways.

This upcoming weekend, Cornell will face Dartmouth in the ECAC Hockey semifinals at Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, N.Y. Your continued support is greatly appreciated as we continue our post-season competition.

I also encourage you to stay on the lookout for information regarding season tickets for next year. As I mentioned, the environment in Lynah has been cultivated by generations of student fans, and your perennial support is a pillar of the Cornell Hockey experience.
 

Go Big Red!

I Thought with the discourse about the student section/profanity, this was relevant to share.

Since I haven't spoken about it since I posted my message about getting tossed for starting Hey Song, i thought I'd share my thoughts from the perspective of a section B student. I totally agree with everyone here expressing grief towards the "F U _____" chants. I too, along with many of the seniors up front of section B find these "lazy" chants annoying, especially given they are typically started by wasted students who aren't even always regulars to the student section but who are boisterous and loud enough to get those around them to join in; chants spread like wildfire. I also agree with Schafer when it comes to the need for more creativity and I agree with the general discussion here that the energy in the section as a whole has diminished over the past few years. I remember coming to games growing up and having sustained, steady Let's go Red chants for long, impactful lengths of time. Even my first game as a student (which was covid era and a half full student section) had more cohesion and unity among the chants in the section - probably because there were still students left from pre-Covid. But now we can't even manage a "let's go red" chant for more than 15 seconds.

So I get it. I get the frustration about lack of creativity and the pointlessness of basic chants with just profanity. But at the same time, I don't see how removing Hey Song, moves us any closer towards a more creative and/or traditional student section. So here's to hoping it's a one time thing only due to the sheer number of F U chants on Saturday/pressure from ECAC and not a permanent shift in the mindset of Schafer. As it's one of the few remaining cohesive chants of the entire student section and the favorite of basically all the players I've heard interviewed, it'd be a shame to lose that tradition. I'm hoping Schafer thanking our ability to "adapt" means it is a temporary shift and not something ECAC will prohibit going into next regular season. I guess we will see if they let the band play it at lake placid

[sah67]

https://cornellsun.com/2024/03/19/letter-to-the-editor-thank-you-lynah/

[David Harding]

I can tell you that ~15 years ago when I was a student, there was no such entry onto the ice after games and there was virtually no opportunity to interact with the players unless you were classmates, working with the team in a media capacity, or socially acquainted.

During my undergrad days (a few years before yours), there was an annual "Skate with the Big Red" event where students (and maybe staff?) could show up and have essentially a "free skate" session with members of the men's and women's teams. It was a lot of fun, but it clearly didn't continue much longer than that.

I don't know what's taking them so long to bring it back. Bring back the ice-storming tradition too. Why are they being so stupid when people can be making great memories for almost free. What kind of morons are running this show?

The seems to be some interest in suppressing storming the court after basketball games since the Duke player was injured a few weeks ago.  It's hard for me to imagine managers worried about liability condoning it at hockey games.    https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/39680623/court-storming-ban-college-basketball-injuries-march-madness-kyle-filipowski-caitlin-clark

yeah except nobody was storming - they literally had an orderly exit through the zamboni doors and everyone just commiserated and had fun.

bring in back ... and 15 years? bollocks I say. time can't fly that fast. (checks notes: it does)

All that. The first "storming" of the ice that happened in my era was the Nov. 11, 1995 game that broke the Harvard streak. (OK, there were only a few of us that went over the glass, but it was still pretty great & smelly), and the 1996 QF win vs. Colgate was such a party atmosphere and represented such a return of the program, we went over the glass again.  I recall, perhaps wrongly, the players helping some folks over. The next couple years it kept happening until they replaced the low glass with metal supports with the high seamless glass, as Arthur mentioned. By then, "tradition" gave the expectation of the student section joining, so an orderly line to the open the Zamboni doors followed, supported by the rink staff. Players certainly waved A & B towards the ice.  I couldn't tell you the last year of that.

Not completely true.    I recall specifically that the "storming" happened after the Randy Wilson game ON March 6, 1979. I cannot recall if that was the first one.

He said it was the first of his era, not the first.  My first storming came in 1985 when we won the QF and got back to Boston after a 3-year absence which had spanned my entire undergrad, and we most definitely went over the short glass.  It was not that difficult, taller fans were helping shorter ones, etc.  We then did it every home QF win until at least the late 90s, at which point I had stopped going to QFs and don't know.

I just assumed the fans had always done it going all the way back to the beginnings of the modern program.  It was very special being with your friends on the ice, and the players would stay and hug family and GFs and just random strangers.  Also the players, already taller than most of us, just towered over us in their skates, so it was "Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world / Like a Colossus, and we petty men / Walk under his huge legs and peep about."  As young students it was almost like returning to childhood and being with an older brother; it was just a good, solid, family feeling, and probably a big reason I became welded to this maddening, heart-breaking team.

First documented instance of fans storming the ice after a game was February 3, 1962, when Laing Kennedy made 48 saves as Cornell beat Harvard 2-1. See pp. 33-41 in "Forever Faithful", or p. 243 in Bob Kane's "Good Sports".

Eyewitness here.

I can't testify as to when the side glass first went up, but I remember sitting in the first row of Section B and having players land in our laps.