Re: UNH Wildcats 2014/2015 - Wait 'Til Next Year!!!
Honestly, I never saw Lou Frigon play. Just before my time, as was Coach Umile's time as a player. My time with UNH pretty much began with the Cap Raeder era, so yeah, guys like Miller and Ralph Cox (not so much Cliff) are players I saw a lot of on NHPTV.
Miller and Cox were two very different players; Miller was a speed guy, Cox was a sniper. My favorite from that era (besides Langway) was Jamie Hislop (the "H" in C-H-C), an opportunistic scrapper with a real eye for goal, who ended up enjoying a more productive pro career than either Miller or Cox.
Thanks for the reply. So much to say here, so I'll try to be brief. In no particular order...
* You will never see another line as exciting as Cliff Cox, Jamie Hislop and Gordie Clark. Period. Board poster C-H-C will swear on a Bible in front of any judge. Back in the day when UNH scored three times during a two minute penalty to tie a playoff game, when they still had single game elimination format. RPI touched the puck once. And the days when the Cats could score 247 goals in a (shorter) season.
* Jamie Hislop. Yes indeed. Once drove all the way up to Quebec City just to watch him play a game with the Nordiques. Still is, by far, my favorite Canadian city.
* Langway. Came to UNH instead when UVM dropped football an UNH said he could play both that and hockey. Each year, immediately shifted over to the latter when the former's season finished Possibly even a better linebacker than he was a defenseman. Once saw him running the Route 4 bypass in 90+ degree heat with a rucksack filled with 25 lb. dumbbells. An absolute Gronk-like beast.
* 17:17 in the third by #17 Bobby Gould. That was your first ever? You lucky bastard -- what an introduction. UNH's first ever title (and only ECAC one). I remember seeing an exhausted and sweat drenched Greg Moffett slumped against the wall leading to the dressing room, trying to soak it all in. Third best hockey game I ever saw. Number two was UNH's 10-9 double overtime win over Cornell, also in the Garden, in the 1977 semis. Gouldie won that one as well, with a very un-Gould-like goal (generally a defense minded forward). Blast from just inside the blue line on the dead fly that beat Napier high to stick side. An absolute beauty of a goal. And yes, you read that right. 10-9 final in double overtime.
Best was of course THE game against the Soviets. I had a seat in the front row right on the glass at the blue line -- swear to God (still have the $67.50 ticket stub). Drove up from Cambridge that morning with my Harvard grad school classmate buddy Mike Cornfield. He still has his. Who wouldn't. We called each other on February 22, 2010, just to celebrate its 30th anniversary. And still no one believes us.
* Lively Snively. What else is there to say? Used to line up outside more than an hour before games just to get the best spots on the benches. Seats? What are they? Remember watching opposing teams' busses pull in, because we'd gotten there first. Loud? I've been to just two games at The Whitt (moved down here in 1984), and it was at least 40 decibels quieter. Golf claps for some great plays or passes. Sorry -- just sayin'...
* Yes -- the Game Thread posts we used to do. This is my third or fourth this season, so 8,956 of those 8,960... And the flame throwing troll fests with the "Collars Up!" creeps. Swear to God, I've disliked BC ever since that. Even rooted for BU when we had their game with BC on TV down here a couple of weeks ago. Rooted for BU??? That alone tells you how I still feel about those BC posters' arrogance.
More than enough reminiscences for a single post, and apologies to the great majority of you that are younger then a geezer like me. I know every fish you ever caught gets bigger each time you tell the story. But all I can say is "You shoulda' been there". And you have no idea how loud wooden benches can sound when two thousand plus students stomp their winter boots on them in unison.
PS: Miss the Expos also. Any team that suits up Bill Lee is already good with me.
