At Milwaukee, members of the Dartmouth College and Michigan teams in the first championship game were back to help celebrate this 50th one. Some wince at the big hits in the semifinal match between Boston U. and Michigan. Cleary, who was voted to the 50th anniversary all-time team, is often outspoken about the turn his favorite sport has taken. Ken Hanson of Colorado Springs, a former college player and now a junior team coach, says he believes there were more than a dozen concussions this season in a program of about 250 players. When kids put on their armor, plus the face mask, and then step on the ice, he says, it is more likely they will seek out another skater to bang into rather than learn the fundamentals of stick handling.
Hockey reflects the violence in our society.
Too often, a televised hockey highlight focuses not on the perfect transition pass to set up a goal, but rather two guys without the puck colliding to prove how tough they are. This noble sport deserves better. William N. Wallace has viewed the American sporting scene in various poses, chiefly as a daily journalist for New York City newspapers, including The New York Times. It's no secret that many head coaches at big-time football and basketball schools earn more money in salary and other income than distinguished professors and often earn more than the college presidents who hire them. But the fact is that most college coaches are not campus celebrities and are not lavishly paid, especially in sports such as swimming and gymnastics that draw few spectators and produce little or no revenue.