Pucks and Pins

Forty years (and counting) of following college hockey

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I discovered the world of college hockey when I started dating my (now) husband.

  • Lake Placid Frozen Four – what started it all

    My husband introduced me to college hockey when we started dating in 1987. He was a graduate of the University of Maine and had followed the team since they made the jump to Division 1. Maine was ranked #1 in the country that year and made it to the Frozen Four (back then it was called the Division 1 men’s ice hockey championship) in Lake Placid, site of the 1980 Winter Olympics. Off to Lake Placid we went with our friends Bill and Ann Fraser.

    The four teams in the tournament were the University of Maine, Lake Superior State, Minnesota and St Lawrence. Maine played Lake State and Minnesota played St Lawrence in the first round. We arrived in Lake Placid, checked in to our hotel and headed off to the pregame rally. Harold Alfond was there and we actually got to meet him. The pep band led a parade from the rally to the arena, which was just amazing. Maine ended up losing to Lake State 6-3 and St Lawrence beat Minnesota. After the game we went to a local watering hole to drown our sorrows. While we were there we met some fans of the North Dakota Fighting Sioux. They were wearing lime green tuxedos. One of us asked why they were there, considering North Dakota wasn’t in Lake Placid. The statement that followed changed our lives: “WE GO TO THE TOURNAMENT EVERY YEAR EVEN IF NORTH DAKOTA DOESN’T MAKE IT”. Dan and I thought it was a bit strange but to each his own. A fun time was had by all.

    The games took place on Thursday and Saturday, so we had an off day on Friday. We toured the Olympic Ski Jumping Facility which included a trip to the top of the “large” (90 meter) hill. This was right after Eddie “the Eagle” Edwards competed in the Olympics as the British Ski Jumping Team. I lost count of number of times I heard people say “these athletes must be crazy to do this”. Following that we took a ferry across Lake Champlain to Burlington, Vermont to visit some friends of Bill and Ann. We visited Ben and Jerry’s and hit one (or several) of the local watering holes that Burlington had to offer.

    On Saturday we headed back to Lake Placid for the championship game between Lake State and St. Lawrence. We were cheering for Lake State because we ran into some fun fans (and the Lake State cheerleaders). Back in 1988 the NCAA had a “consolation” game – so Maine played and beat Minnesota. We didn’t go to that game. On the way back we stopped for a beer at the lodge at Whiteface Mountain (where they had the downhill ski events in the Olympics). The drive back to Lake Placid was beautiful. Lake State beat St. Lawrence in overtime to win their first National Championship. The next day it was back to the real world.

    As Dan and I get ready to head to our 30th Frozen Four, I now understand why those North Dakota fans went to Lake Placid in 1988.

  • College Hockey Traditions – the UNH Fish

    Another great tradition in college hockey is the UNH Fish – when UNH scores their first goal, a fish gets thrown out on the ice in the direction of the opponent’s goalie. I used to work with someone who played hockey for Northeastern. He told me that he was almost hit by the fish when he was up in Durham!!!

    Copied from the UNH athletics web site is some information on the history of this tradition

    Throwing out the Fish

    UNH has a long history of successful hockey programs. Dating back to Charlie Holt in the ’70’s to present day coach Dick Umile, it has had great support and is a figurehead among the university community. A prominent tradition within the program has been the throwing of the fish. After UNH scores its first goal, all fans turn their attention to the opposing teams net. Up and over the boards, a fish is thrown onto the ice. The crowd erupts in excitement.12188

    VIDEO: NESN Feature on Throwing out the Fish

    According to Bob Norton, a former UNH assistant coach, the fish-tossing tradition began in the early 1970s. “It goes back to when we were playing a Division II team, and our program had gone way past theirs. I remember (the UNH fans) threw out this little dinky thing and they called it a Division II fish. I guess they were trying to tell them they weren’t worthy of a first-rate fish.”

    This tradition caught on as a local fraternity made it a ritual to throw out the fish after UNH’s first goal. The fish was used to resemble the visiting team, “fishing the puck out of the net.”

    One of Umile’s favorite fish incidents occurred in the early 1990s. At that time, the home team received a penalty if fans threw objects on the ice. “At all these different rinks people were throwing things–tennis balls, newspapers –and it was really holding up the game,” Umile recalls. “It’s the Maine weekend, and the cops won’t let the kid in with the fish. I’m in the office before the game, and the students come to get me. So I go down there, get the fish from the cops, and we’re walking in with the fish in the bag. The kids say, ‘But coach, we’re going to get a penalty.’ I say, ‘Don’t worry about it. We’ll kill the penalty. Just throw the fish.’”

  • A College Hockey Tradition – the Naked Five

    There are some great traditions in college hockey. One of the best can be found at Alfond Arena in Orono, Maine. Meet the “Naked Five”. They can be found running around the arena whenever Maine scores a goal. I first met the Naked Five at the 1995 Frozen Four in Providence, Rhode Island. I used that picture as my Christmas card that year, much to the dismay of my mother.

    The second picture was taken at the 2004 Frozen Four in Boston. The last picture was taken earlier this winter at one of the Maine/UNH game up in Orono. Even though I was “the enemy”, these kids were great sports when I asked to take a picture with them.

    Recently the Naked Five celebrated their 30th anniversary. Here’s to having them fill the steins to dear old Maine for another 30 years

    The ‘Naked 5’ Celebrate 3 Decades of Inspiring UMaine Hockey Fans

  • My Favorite Pin

    Someone once asked me “Of all your pins, which is your favorite?” It was very interesting because I had never through about it before. It didn’t take me long to figure out which one was my favorite.

    Years ago I met Dick Umile, the long time coach of the UNH Wildcats men’s ice hockey team. When I met him, I actually was following the University of Maine Men’s ice hockey team (how I became a UNH supporter is another interesting story). I mentioned that I collected pins, did not have any from the University of New Hampshire, and asked if he would be able to get me one. This is the one that Coach Umile sent me.

  • Why Pucks and Pins??

    Collecting pins in hockey, especially college hockey is a real “thing”. When Dan and I went to our first Frozen Four, we noticed people had pins on their hats and shirts. The NCAA also has pins commemorating each Frozen Four for sale. Many schools have pins for sale at their arenas. Pin trading is also very popular. On Friday, my friend Julie and I were watching UNH Play RPI out in Troy, NY. Someone saw me and shouted “I used to trade pins with you at the Frozen Fours!!”.

    I’ve also been very fortunate to have friends and even complete strangers just give me pins. It makes a great conversation starter and has allowed me to meet so many great people.

  • First Post

    First Post

    Well, here it goes. I’ve been a hockey fan since Bobby Orr scored the winning goal in the 1970 Stanley Cup final. When I started dating my now husband in 1987 he introduced me to the world of college hockey. After almost 40 years, hundreds of hockey games and 30 Frozen Fours, I have made some amazing friends and have some wonderful memories which I thought would be fun to share.