What's new
By:
USCHO Fan Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • The USCHO Fan Forum has migrated to a new plaform, xenForo. Most of the function of the forum should work in familiar ways. Please note that you can switch between light and dark modes by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right of the main menu bar. We are hoping that this new platform will prove to be faster and more reliable. Please feel free to explore its features.

All Things Denver, XXVIII

Status
Not open for further replies.
Re: All Things Denver, XXVIII

Old Pio said:
Are you including the engineering school as part of "new" or already on the drawing boards? For my money, Penrose has always been an eyesore, an extremely ugly building. Any improvements there would be welcome.
Click to expand...

Don't know about the engineering school.

The Penrose renovation is going to totally change the place, both internally and externally. They are reviewing architects now, and I expect DU will look to rip the current place down to its bones and redesign the exteriors of the place to match the look of other campus buildings.
The interior concept is that academic libraries are really changing in the the new milennnium - the nature of research has changed and will continue to change due to the internet. Libraries are becoming more academic hubs than quiet book repositories. I think they are tring to turn Penrose into something called an "Academic Commons."
 
Re: All Things Denver, XXVIII

Puck Swami said:
Don't know about the engineering school.

The Penrose renovation is going to totally change the place, both internally and externally. They are reviewing architects now, and I expect DU will look to rip the current place down to its bones and redesign the exteriors of the place to match the look of other campus buildings.
The interior concept is that academic libraries are really changing in the the new milennnium - the nature of research has changed and will continue to change due to the internet. Libraries are becoming more academic hubs than quiet book repositories. I think they are tring to turn Penrose into something called an "Academic Commons."
Click to expand...

kewl. I have very warm memories about Mary Reed as a library. Especially the time I was researching a paper on Michelangelo and found a book that hadn't been checked out in 25 years! Plagiarism city.
 
Re: All Things Denver, XXVIII

Old Pio said:
kewl. I have very warm memories about Mary Reed as a library. Especially the time I was researching a paper on Michelangelo and found a book that hadn't been checked out in 25 years! Plagiarism city.
Click to expand...

Didn't you wonder what really was going on in the carrels in Mary Reed?

I do remember writing a paper using Thorstein Veblen's 1899 classic, Theory of the Leisure Class as my primary source. The book itself was so old that it may have been a first edition for all I know. :rolleyes: BTW, I got an A, but have no idea what my point of view was.
 
Re: All Things Denver, XXVIII

Ah, Veblen. Conspicuous consumption and all that. I would imagine most of it still holds up 100 years later.

My favorite paper I ever wrote at DU was a 40-page paper on the DU/NCAA hockey scandal of the mid-70s, including primary research interviews with some of the key figures in the scandal - ex-DU coach Murray Armstrong, Walter Byers (who was President of the NCAA at the time) former DU Chancellor Maurice Mitchell, and Denver Post Sports Columnist Dick Connor. I remember spending hours of time poring over old microfilm (do they still use that?) in the basement of Penrose library. What amazed me was how much both sides seemed to hate each other. DU hated the NCAA for it's hypocrisy and whitewashing of legitimate, legally-recruited players, and Byers seemed determined that DU needed to be taught a lesson for not following his dictums.
 
Re: All Things Denver, XXVIII

Puck Swami said:
My favorite paper I ever wrote at DU was a 40-page paper on the DU/NCAA hockey scandal of the mid-70s...
Click to expand...

Out of curiosity, is this where the jokes about Denver and 28 year-old Canadian recruits came to pass, or does that stretch back to the late 50s and the old WIHL? :confused:
 
Re: All Things Denver, XXVIII

FadeToBlack&Gold said:
Out of curiosity, is this where the jokes about Denver and 28 year-old Canadian recruits came to pass, or does that stretch back to the late 50s and the old WIHL? :confused:
Click to expand...

When Murray showed up on campus in the 1950s, he recruited Canadian players from Ontario to BC. There were no 28 year old recruits, that is an urban legend. What bristled everyone, especially Minnesota, was that he was bringing in some of the top junior players who were anywhere from 18 to 21 that were better than anyone else's players. These players were legitimately eligible to play college hockey. Many of the players played for the Memorial Cup and as there were only 6 NHL teams at the time, playing in the pros was a long shot. Coming to DU to get an education was a way to continue to play hockey at the same time.

It all came to a head in the early 1970s when the NCAA declared former Major Junior players as professional and ineligible to play. However, they told all the schools with former Major Junior A Canadian players that they would have to declare the players as professionals and the players would then immediately be reinstated with no penalties. Therein lies the hypocrisy. DU was the only school that refused to do this as they felt they had followed the rules. In the grand scheme of things, DU is a small private school with little weight to throw around against the NCAA. They were not a big time football or basketball school that wielded a lot of power. Chancellor Maurice Mitchell and coach Murray Armstrong stood up for their principles against the NCAA and the school and hockey team paid for it. Their 1973 NCAA tourney win over BC and loss in the finals to Wisconsin were vacated and the two players that were named to the All-Tourney team lost their awards. Several players were eventually suspended by the NCAA for varying amounts of games and DU was barred from appearing in the NCAA tourney for two years, 1977 and 1978. Murray retired after the 1977 season. DU appealed the decision in Federal court and on the day of the first game of the last round of the 1978 WCHA playoffs against CC, the appeal was denied. DU's season would end no matter what after playing CC the two game total goals series on March 14th and 15th. The players on the #1 team in the country were extemely disappointed that they were not going to get the chance to go the NCAAs. They lost the first game 6-3 and came out Saturday night to get a win in their final game, 4-3. BU went on to win the 1978 NCAA title but the Hockey News after the national championship had been played ranked DU the #1 team in the country, a ranking all of those players are still proud of today.

BTW, MTU also had a lot of former Canadian Major Junior players but MacInness played ball with the NCAA as did all of the other coaches with such players.
 
Last edited:
Re: All Things Denver, XXVIII

FadeToBlack&Gold said:
Out of curiosity, is this where the jokes about Denver and 28 year-old Canadian recruits came to pass, or does that stretch back to the late 50s and the old WIHL? :confused:
Click to expand...

Murray Armstrong, former NHLer and coach of the Regina Pats junior team, took over the DU program in 1956, and guaranteed an NCAA champion in three years, and it took him two years. He did it through his Canadian pipeline of legally recruited talent. In those days, freshmen were not eligible for varsity competition, so Murray would sign 20 year olds who had finished the junior career in Canada, but who had not signed with a pro team. By the time they could suit up for the Pioneers' varsity, they would often be 21, and finished their three year DU careers at 24 or so. Very few of them were older than that.

Minnesota was signing 18 year olds out of Minnesota high schools, and his players were mostly 19 when they started their three year careers as Gophers. Maricucci felt the 2 year age gap between most of his guys, and most of the the older Denver players was an unfair advantage for DU.

The facts were that Mariucci was using best local players available to him as the US did not really have strong junior leagues back then, and Armstrong had no local players in Colorado, so Canada was really the only viable competitive option available to him. Armstrong could have gone to Minnesota and taken the Gophers' leftovers, but to build a program in a non-hockey area and make it viable, you need to win.

The WIHL broke up a couple of times in the late 50s over this issue, and Mariucci decided he would not play Denver in the regular season. This went on for over 10 years until the early 70s.

Eventually, Major Junior players were finally outlawed from NCAA play in 1980 after many years of struggles, scandals and court cases.
 
Last edited:
Re: All Things Denver, XXVIII

Today is 08/12/10.
There are 57 days until DU's next game.

('57--the last time DU's neighbor to the south won it all)

This is based upon 8 October for the start of the regular season
51 days until the first exhibition.
 
Re: All Things Denver, XXVIII

FadeToBlack&Gold said:
I figured it went something like that. Thanks for the history lesson. :cool:
Click to expand...

Swami's narrative was complete and correct. In my mind, it's important to remember that DU broke no NC$$ regulations. We were punished for refusing to participate in a face saving process for declaring the players involved "eligible." IIRC in our case, we were talking about two players.

In our mandatory U.S. government courses in high school, most of us were exposed to "ex post facto" laws and how America rejected the notion of making illegal today what you did yesterday. Evidently the poo bahs at the NC$$ were out of town the day that was taught.

This episode cost DU a legitimate shot at a NC and more importantly was a key factor in a 20 year decline which saw DU more often than not a mediocre or worse team. There were other factors, of course, but this retaliation by the NC$$ was critical. When this story was reported, people read about "recruiting violations" and as you might imagine, thought of grades, cars, girls, drugs, money and all the rest. None of it was true.
 
Re: All Things Denver, XXVIII

DU Hockey to host Alumni Pro Camp

The first annual University of Denver Hockey Alumni Pro Camp will be held Aug. 16-20 at Joy Burns Ice Arena, two-time National Coach of the Year George Gwozdecky announced today. The pro camp will allow current professional DU hockey alums the opportunity to train together in preparation for their upcoming seasons this fall.

DU hockey alumni expected to participate in this year's inaugural camp are Peter Mannino, Chris Butler, Rhett Rakhshani, Joe Colborne, Marc Cheverie, Geoff Paukovich, Ryan Dingle, J.D. Corbin, Tom May and Matt Glasser. Cody McLeod of the Colorado Avalanche is also expected to participate in the camp.
Click to expand...

http://www.denverpioneers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=18600&ATCLID=204976710
 
Re: All Things Denver, XXVIII

Old Pio said:
When this story was reported, people read about "recruiting violations" and as you might imagine, thought of grades, cars, girls, drugs, money and all the rest. None of it was true.
Click to expand...
You might want to rephrase this statement. It pretty much summed up 95% of DU in the 70s & 80s.:D
 
Re: All Things Denver, XXVIII

Today is 08/13/10.
There are 56 days until DU's next game.


This is based upon 8 October for the start of the regular season
50 days until the first exhibition.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top