Re: Maine Recruit Updates: Monarchs and More......
Many factual errors? Please fill us in on the specifics?
I am assuming you are talking about the article you linked too and not in the alumni magazine? And as I reread it I see it is your own article. As someone who has written many articles in various publications I am not trying to be a pain as much of your piece was well written, but there were several factual errors or historical errors.
Let's take this paragraph
"Included in Walsh’s inaugural recruiting class was a pair of southern New England skaters, Jack Capuano (’85-’88, Salisbury, MA) and Bob Corkum (’85-’89, Warwick, RI) who were pioneers of sorts as they bucked the tradition of the famed Beanpot Schools for a trip up I-95 to the University of Maine. This resulted in several other Boston area prospects following suit – including the diminutive F- Cal Ingraham (’91-’94 – Georgetown, MA) and G- Garth Snow (’88-’93, Wrentham, MA)."
Jack and his brother David were the RI kids and Corkum was from Salisbury, that would be a factual error. Corkum was actually being recruited by BC to play football. Cal Ingraham did not "follow suit" he went to Air Force and essentially flunked out, Garth was a recruited walk on and after his freshmen year went to Ontario to play for a year before coming back, so neither spurned offers from BC or BU. And neither Jack Capuano or Corkum was a member of Shawn's first recruiting class! Mike Golden was actually the most important and first blue chip american recruit for Shawn. He had dropped or flunked out of UNH and was set to go someplace else when Shawn talked him into a visit to Maine.
Also while not a "factual error" this is not accurate as you stated "Walsh, invigorated the program by luring some top Canadian recruits…Paul Kariya, Patrice Tardif, Jean Yves Roy, etc… to Orono in what can be viewed as the true foundation of the program and a harbinger of what was to come."
The foundation of recruits from Canada for Shawn started with Al Loring, Dave Nonis, Dave Wensley and then Scott King. We were established when Roy, Tardiff (who I do not recall being a blue-chipper), and Kariya arrived, so they were not the harbinger. Shawn was the first Hockey East coach to recruit in Western Canada, which was the most significant aspect of what he developed in Orono. In reality it was Montgomery, who was from Montreal, whose father told Grant about Jean-Yves who was only being recruited by if I recall correctly, Clarkson at the time.
This was likely a typo on your part but you stated 6 Frozen Fours "Walsh’s recruiting prowess was followed by a period of sustained success, including a 4 Frozen Fours in 6 years (’88,’89, ’91, ’93) and National Titles in 1993 and 1999. " This lists only 5 but you likely meant "95 instead of "93 in the first part since you alluded to '93 later.
Finally you included Jimmy Howard as a Stanley Cup Champion, Jimmy has not won the cup. Penner has twice and Tortorella as a coach in Tampa.
So yes there were many "factual" errors. I make errors all the time, but I also happen to be someone who first broadcast at then wrote about Maine hockey starting in 1981 so I know this history better than most. I encourage you to continue to write about what you are passionate about, but at the same time urge you to check the facts before the printed word is disbursed to the public, many of who are more passionate about a team or histopry than you may be.
