Alumni in the pros 25-26

[BearLover]

You all realize Jane writes for the school paper, right? She's a college student. Pretty sure she doesn't want nor need this level of praise or criticism.

[stereax]

You all realize Jane writes for the school paper, right? She's a college student. Pretty sure she doesn't want nor need this level of praise or criticism.

Counterpoint: have you read any of the slop the Devils' "beat reporters" put out? Novozinsky, Nichols, and Amoia the chief offenders.

Compared to that...

[scoop85]

McNally's final article for the Sun.

It's an awful piece, but she is entitled to one stinker.

The best thing about McNally is she has never written a piece like this before and never will again.  While mawkish blowhards  and talentless typists like Dan Shaughnessy and Mitch Albom reel them out weekly over 40-year careers, McNally never takes the easy way or the cheap derpy angle when she writes a real column.  She's a great analyst and a compelling writer, and she is worth reading.

Hopefully she'll keep doing that, and there will be a market for it.  1% of sportswriting is worth more than monitor toilet paper, and her work is in that category over half the time.  I cannot think of another sportswriter, ever, who fits this description. 

She's allowed her victory lap; it probably felt icky writing it but the pigs expect, and monetize, their slop.  Now, go out into the world and make sports journalism more than just the lazy, cliche mixture of sports marketing and overheated soap opera it has been for a century.

Sorry, hard disagree from me.

[adamw]

McNally's final article for the Sun.

It's an awful piece, but she is entitled to one stinker.

The best thing about McNally is she has never written a piece like this before and never will again.  While mawkish blowhards  and talentless typists like Dan Shaughnessy and Mitch Albom reel them out weekly over 40-year careers, McNally never takes the easy way or the cheap derpy angle when she writes a real column.  She's a great analyst and a compelling writer, and she is worth reading.

Hopefully she'll keep doing that, and there will be a market for it.  1% of sportswriting is worth more than monitor toilet paper, and her work is in that category over half the time.  I cannot think of another sportswriter, ever, who fits this description. 

She's allowed her victory lap; it probably felt icky writing it but the pigs expect, and monetize, their slop.  Now, go out into the world and make sports journalism more than just the lazy, cliche mixture of sports marketing and overheated soap opera it has been for a century.

never change bro

[Weder]

This is beside the point, but the traditional "farewell column" at many college papers is a no-win situation. Either they come across as navel-gazing or you don't do one and everyone who expected to be thanked feels slighted.

[pfibiger]

You all realize Jane writes for the school paper, right? She's a college student. Pretty sure she doesn't want nor need this level of praise or criticism.

I have to ask —- do you feel like this doesn't apply to students who play for the college varsity hockey team?

[arugula]

Forgive a moment of personal indulgence and parental pride. My son, not a Cornell grad and not a sports guy, is now a working journalist.  When he was editor in chief at his school paper,  as he approached graduation he had a personal goal of publishing a piece in every section of the paper, an apparently rare accomplishment.  His project was to figure out the last article. What could he possibly write for sports?  He wrote a column entitled "Learning to Love Hockey", which was mostly about our relationship.  I'm welling up as I write this. So, I'm happy to allow Jane a little personal nostalgia. Actually, I loved it.

[stereax]

This is beside the point, but the traditional "farewell column" at many college papers is a no-win situation. Either they come across as navel-gazing or you don't do one and everyone who expected to be thanked feels slighted.

This one didn't even seem that navel-gaze-y to me. Can't win.

[abmarks]

You all realize Jane writes for the school paper, right? She's a college student. Pretty sure she doesn't want nor need this level of praise or criticism.

I have to ask —- do you feel like this doesn't apply to students who play for the college varsity hockey team?

BL usually blames the coaches tbh!

[Weder]

This is beside the point, but the traditional "farewell column" at many college papers is a no-win situation. Either they come across as navel-gazing or you don't do one and everyone who expected to be thanked feels slighted.

This one didn't even seem that navel-gaze-y to me. Can't win.

Oh, definitely. This is on the very high end of the range for this type of column. Way better than whatever I churned out when I wrote for the Sun.

[marty]

You all realize Jane writes for the school paper, right? She's a college student. Pretty sure she doesn't want nor need this level of praise or criticism.

I have to ask —- do you feel like this doesn't apply to students who play for the college varsity hockey team?

Yes, but not the coaches. Can't skate but anyone can coach.

[marty]

This is beside the point, but the traditional "farewell column" at many college papers is a no-win situation. Either they come across as navel-gazing or you don't do one and everyone who expected to be thanked feels slighted.

This one didn't even seem that navel-gaze-y to me. Can't win.

Oh, definitely. This is on the very high end of the range for this type of column. Way better than whatever I churned out when I wrote for the Sun.

My son did a hockey column and was in the Pep Band at one Whale of a school.  I loved his columns but they didn't approach Jane's.  Her last column was sweet - our resident dissident is entitled to take pot shots if he wants. I'm entitled to tear up and wish I was 22 again for half a minute or so.

[BearLover]

You all realize Jane writes for the school paper, right? She's a college student. Pretty sure she doesn't want nor need this level of praise or criticism.

I have to ask —- do you feel like this doesn't apply to students who play for the college varsity hockey team?

Well, one important distinction is that I think Jane reads this forum. But yes, I try to not go hard on Cornell athletes on this forum in case it gets back to them. I also try to be mindful that these are just kids.

[stereax]

In only somewhat related news, I've got FloHockey 24 on while I'm writing my fuckass final papers. It's not going well. Anyway, they're playing the same 3 or 4 games over and over again - a Maine Mariners one, the SPHL final with the Peoria Rivermen, the Charlotte Checkers' 8-spot versus Springfield, then there's a program where they talk about the '26 NHL draft and do a terrible mock of it... And there's also a fight compilation.

Guess whose name I alerted to, then rolled back to take a good look at my TV screen where he was busy jumping on someone twice his size in a scrum.

There's only one answer here.

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

In only somewhat related news, I've got FloHockey 24 on while I'm writing my fuckass final papers. It's not going well. Anyway, they're playing the same 3 or 4 games over and over again - a Maine Mariners one, the SPHL final with the Peoria Rivermen, the Charlotte Checkers' 8-spot versus Springfield, then there's a program where they talk about the '26 NHL draft and do a terrible mock of it... And there's also a fight compilation.

Guess whose name I alerted to, then rolled back to take a good look at my TV screen where he was busy jumping on someone twice his size in a scrum.

There's only one answer here.

Is he good at hockey?