Sasha Pokulok signs with the Capitals

[CUFan]

Has it occurred to anyone that Sasha really had no other options at this point in his career. I don't think it is any secret that academically his career at Cornell was finished.

[Lauren '06]

[quote CUFan]Has it occurred to anyone that Sasha really had no other options at this point in his career. I don't think it is any secret that academically his career at Cornell was finished.[/quote]
Other than the standouts that make the all-academic team, and those like McKee who willingly proffer their GPAs to the media for good reason, are players' grades usually matters of public record?

That said, I'd heard rumors along those lines as well.

[kaelistus]

Rich, what the hell are you talking about? I, like others here, don't recall anything remotely like what you're describing happening on this board.

[RichS]

Why don't you just ask it "Sopranos style"...you know..."WTF???"

Sounds like you've forgotten the shots taken at Clarkson here not long ago, specifically re: Cole and Mitchell having left early.  That's what I'm talking about, when Clarkson was referred to as a "hockey factory" along with many other schools that have lost players early.

Yes, it is a product of recruiting highly talented kids who aim to play professionally.  Schafer, like every other coach before him who has lost top players, Berenson and Morris, e'g., acknowledge it as someone said earlier.

Therefore, my tongue in cheek remark that now that Cornell has lost a few in the last couple of seasons, you should either be consistent and refer to it as another "factory".  Or do the enlightened thing and agree with Liz that none of the ECAC schools are "factories."

Pokoluk had academic issues?  I thought all Red hockey players were Academic All American material?  Guess not.  No other schools' are either so don't feel bad.

For fun, you could do some research.  If you're old enough, you'll recall Kevin Petit from the '70 NCAA title team.  How did his senior year end in '71?  Or ask an  older alumnus.

Again, it happens to all programs to some degree.  Just don't try to sell that it never happens at Cornell.

[Beeeej]

[quote RichS]That's what I'm talking about, when Clarkson was referred to as a "hockey factory" along with many other schools that have lost players early.[/quote]

Again: When?

[quote RichS]Pokoluk had academic issues?  I thought all Red hockey players were Academic All American material?[/quote]

Did someone here suggest that?  When?

[quote RichS]Just don't try to sell that it never happens at Cornell.[/quote]

Who did that?  When?

Nothing personal, just not taking your word for it 'til I see pointers to posts.

Beeeej

[ugarte]

[quote Beeeej][quote RichS]That's what I'm talking about, when Clarkson was referred to as a "hockey factory" along with many other schools that have lost players early.[/quote]

Again: When?[/quote]
Well, there are all of these posts. Oh, wait...

[longtimered]

Beeeej

I don't consider Cornell (or Clarkson, or any ECAC school, for that matter) to be a "hockey factory."

Yeah, I've always considered our guys to be handcrafted. Mike Schafer's works of art.

[Liz '05]

[quote RichS]Sounds like you've forgotten the shots taken at Clarkson here not long ago, specifically re: Cole and Mitchell having left early.  That's what I'm talking about, when Clarkson was referred to as a "hockey factory" along with many other schools that have lost players early.[/quote]

Because I have no memory of this, I just searched for "hockey factory," "Clarkson factory," and "Cole Mitchell."  "Factory" only gave me results in this thread and the word "satisfactory."  "Cole Mitchell" also gave me an extended thread entitled US Olympians but mostly talking about whether or not Clarkson is a bunch of goons and one post in a thread from last December about whether the sizes of ECAC players has been increasing and why (and whether that had to do with our lack of dominance last fall).  I think you're either imagining this or remembering it from somewhere else.  If not, please direct me to what I'm missing.

[q]Pokoluk had academic issues?  I thought all Red hockey players were Academic All American material?  Guess not.  No other schools' are either so don't feel bad. [/q]

This seems simply mean-spirited.

[q]Again, it happens to all programs to some degree.  Just don't try to sell that it never happens at Cornell.[/q]

I'm not sure whether you're referring to academic issues or the "hockey factory" here.  I dealt with the latter above; regarding the former, you may have a point.  We do have a certain amount of pride in the smarts/work needed to get into Cornell, but I don't think anyone has said, per se, that Cornellians always do well in college, and I'd argue heartily against that if I saw it.

Edited to add:  I was beaten, in much more succint terms.  Oh well

[Beeeej]

[quote longtimered]Beeeej

I don't consider Cornell (or Clarkson, or any ECAC school, for that matter) to be a "hockey factory."

Yeah, I've always considered our guys to be handcrafted. Mike Schafer's works of art.[/quote]

Not that I would disagree with the sentiment, but you're quoting Liz '05, not me.

Beeeej

[Liz '05]

[quote Beeeej][quote longtimered]Beeeej

I don't consider Cornell (or Clarkson, or any ECAC school, for that matter) to be a "hockey factory."

Yeah, I've always considered our guys to be handcrafted. Mike Schafer's works of art.[/quote]

Not that I would disagree with the sentiment, but you're quoting Liz '05, not me.

Beeeej[/quote]

I like the sentiment too :-)

[Josh '99]

[quote RichS]Sounds like you've forgotten the shots taken at Clarkson here not long ago, specifically re: Cole and Mitchell having left early.  That's what I'm talking about, when Clarkson was referred to as a "hockey factory" along with many other schools that have lost players early.[/quote]While it's no secret that I and others have taken shots at Clarkson in the past (and at Mitchell in particular), and for any number of reasons (whether you feel them to be legitimate or not), I think you're talking out your ass if you're claiming that those shots were for the reason that Cole and Mitchell left early.

[Tom Lento]

[quote Beeeej][quote RichS]That's what I'm talking about, when Clarkson was referred to as a "hockey factory" along with many other schools that have lost players early.[/quote]

Again: When?
[/quote]

If it happened at all, I'm guessing it would have happened in 1999 or 2000, when Cole and Mitchell actually left college.

Back then, the eLynah Forum was maintained by Kyle Rose (he's a GENIUS - just ask him! - Hi Kyle!) and was called the Cornell Hockey Discussion Forum, Clarkson had a substantially stronger hockey team than Cornell, and I don't think anyone was particularly concerned about any Cornell players leaving early.  Those concerns didn't come about during Schafer's tenure until the class of 2004 came in - and even then there weren't any serious concerns about Cornell players leaving early until LeNeveu's amazing sophomore season.

Between 1998 and 2000, it would have been reasonable, albeit in poor form, for a Cornell fan to bitterly and derisively call Clarkson a "hockey factory" since Clarkson had a top 10 team every year, offered athletic scholarships, and flamed out in the NCAAs while Cornell was struggling to get home ice for the playoffs.  But just because a bitter opposing fan says it in the heat of an online argument doesn't make it the opinion of the opposing fan base, nor does it reflect the opinion of that fan base SIX YEARS later.

[RichH]

Me?  I remember being very happy that Cole and Mitchell left.  Cole because he was so frickin' good, and Mitchell because that meant that Coach Schafer didn't have to wear a helmet anymore on the bench at Cheel.  ;-)

[billhoward]

[quote Rich S][quote billhoward]We all wish Pokoluk lived up to the advance expectations. It was still better to have had him two years. The top WCHA schools have assumed they'd have their stars for only a year or two and now some of that's trickling into the ECAC and even the Ivy League.

The key returning member of the team is the coach. Schafer's system gets an incredible run out of a couple good players and four solid lines.[/quote]

How does McKee and Pokoluk having left early square with the assertion made here  in recent years that guys leaving early happens only at "hockey factories?"


And let's be honest.  Yes, he's a very good coach and his pleyers play his system well, but Schafer has had a lot more than "a couple good players" each year for many years now.

"Ya gotta have the horses to win" and any realistic coach knows that including Fat Mike.[/quote]

My, we're getting testy early on in the pre, pre-season, and I had only nice things to say over on Other Sports about all the Clarkson lads coaching my and some neighbors' kids up at the Lake Placid CanAm program.

With a Clarkson man, the obvious perhaps can never be too obvious. Hockey Factory, unlike say pregnancy, has gradations. Lots of guys bail early from North Dakota. That makes it a lot easier to call a "hockey factory," and a damned pleasant factory to work in, too. An Ivy or ECACHL school loses a player now and then, say one a year in Cornell's case, and that doesn't mean Lynah or Cheel just sproouted smokestacks.

Just noticed the typo. You of course meant Phat Mike.

[billhoward]

>>> For fun, you could do some research. If you're old enough, you'll recall Kevin Petit from the '70 NCAA title team. How did his senior year end in '71? Or ask an older alumnus.

According to the history books, Kevin Pettit had a chance to break one of Cornell's most cherished records and, heading into the final game, he was still impossibly short. (Well, in stature, too.) But thanks to a couple minors and a misconduct late in the third, he managed to latch onto that single season record.