I've long trumpeted that the WCHA is the best conference in college hockey. Now in Patrick Reusse's annual hockey column in today's Star Tribune, we have affirmation of that claim (and more) from Tom Kurvers:
Kurvers played four seasons for Minnesota Duluth. He was the Hobey Baker Award winner in 1984. He played 11 seasons as an NHL defenseman. Now, he sees hundreds of games per year.
"The best league in this country is the NHL, obviously, but do you know what's the second-best league?" Kurvers said. "It's the WCHA.
"There are more people in the arenas than you find anywhere except the NHL. There are only two games a week, and that makes the games more intense than in the American League.
"The WCHA is the second-greatest place to play hockey in the United States."
Kurvers also goes on to point out what players miss by leaving early:
Kurvers paused, then offered this example: "Look at Jack Skille. He scored the winning goal in the national championship game for Wisconsin. He still could be playing for the Badgers, twice a weekend in front of 11-, 12,000 cheering, fired-up fans in Kohl Center.
"Instead, he's 60 miles down the road in Rockford [Ill.] in the AHL, playing three times in four nights in front of a few thousand people ... all in the name of development."
Instead of the on-going rush toward "development" and always moving up to the next level, young hockey players should be advised to pause more often and enjoy where they're at. They're so busy chasing their dream, they may not realize that they're already living it.
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