Hobey Watch

So, here we are, a little more than a day away from knowing who the 10 finalists are for the Hobey Baker Award. To me, this is the fun part. After all, picking the Hobey winner can be very easy sometimes, as it was last year, when Kevin Porter had it locked up early. Picking … Read more

I realized something earlier in the week, as I was doing my weekly call-in segment on Hockey On Campus on ESPN 890 in Boston with Bernie Corbett and Paul McNamara. As wide open as this Hobey race is, it seems like we’ve been discussing a lot of candidates from the eastern conferences, particularly the guys from … Read more

I’ve got to admit, I didn’t pay all that much attention to the Oscars on Sunday night – for one thing, I was watching the Rangers’ last game under Tom Renney, featuring a three-assist performance by Dartmouth’s own Lee Stempniak for the Maple Leafs – but one thing you tend to hear around Oscar time is that … Read more

If you heard a whoosh of air over the last couple of weeks, look for a flash of red: it just may have been the free-fall of Ben Scrivens’ save percentage. OK, that may not entirely be fair, but the Cornell goalie has allowed a total of 15 goals in his last six starts, including the … Read more

OK, I’ll admit it, I was briefly annoyed with myself for not asking Northeastern goalie Brad Thiessen about the Hobey race  on Monday at the Beanpot. However, the truth is, it’s not really necessary. Any player worthy of the award will give an answer along these lines: “It’s a tremendous honor to be considered for the … Read more

There are many things I love about the Beanpot that wouldn’t change if it were played without a single participating team in the top 10: the energy in the student section (often expressed through some nasty clashes between the BU and Northeastern sections of the balcony), the excellent press meal before the first game (as notable … Read more

I know I’ve been on the quiet side since the calendar turned to 2009, but the folks at the New York Daily News have certainly been keeping me busy. But then, that leads me to my subject for today… Yesterday, I had the chance to go over to the MSG Training Center and talk Beanpot … Read more

I could be wrong, but I’ve always thought that holiday tournaments have been key opportunities for Hobey Baker candidates to distinguish themselves. With coaches from all across the country involved in the selection process, holiday tournaments offer players exposure to coaches that don’t normally see them, especially when tapes of the games wind up being used for … Read more

A lot of analysis goes into our season-long discussion of the Hobey Baker Award. We look at numbers, watch the way players impact their teams, talk about what goes on – good and bad – off the ice, you name it. In the end, though, I think it comes down to one thing: being exceptional. I started … Read more

I used to joke on a regular basis that somewhere along the line, a Cornell coach and a Boston College coach must have bumped into each other at a festival or something, and when they accidentally picked up the wrong sets of notes, it led to Brian Boyle going to BC and Topher Scott going … Read more

Last year, none of the returning Hobey Baker finalists from the 2006-07 season were named finalists again in 2008. However, I had a feeling this year would be different, and as we prepare to enter the college hockey season’s second month, that feeling appears justified. Not that it isn’t still possible for this season’s returning … Read more

When I changed jobs earlier this year, one thing I resolved to do was take more time to enjoy my trips up to Dartmouth for Homecoming. I’ve made it up to Hanover every year since I graduated, but because the weekend is before the Ivy League schools start hockey season, I’ve always found myself running … Read more

As the 2008-09 college hockey season gets under way, there are all sorts of questions all over the college hockey map. Will Boston College be able to repeat as national champion? Will Notre Dame continue its meteoric rise as a program? Will Minnesota bounce back after what was clearly a down year for the program? … Read more

So much for Jean-Philippe Lamoureux getting to shake Kevin Porter’s hand after the national championship game, huh?  Oh well… In any case, the Hobey Baker Memorial Award will be presented tonight, in all likelihood to Kevin Porter, and while I won’t be watching the ceremony here in New York – I don’t get ESPNU…thank you very much, Cablevision – … Read more