READING, Pa – In our continued efforts to get you ready for the 2009 NCAA Frozen Four tournament, we continue our college hockey primers describing each of the leagues that will participants of this years tournament. 
Today we focus on Eastern College Althetic Conference (ECAC), and learn some of the history behind the legendary league.
The following is from the ECAC’s web site’s. The birthplace of collegiate ice hockey, member institutions have been sponsoring the sport for nearly a century. On February 1, 1896 in Baltimore, Maryland, Yale faced Johns Hopkins in the first collegiate ice hockey game. Two years later on January 19, 1898, Brown defeated Harvard in Boston in the first college hockey game between schools still sponsoring the sport. From a team standpoint, Cornell (1969-70) stands as the only team in NCAA ice hockey history to produce a perfect unbeaten and untied record en route to the Division I men’s title. The Big Red posted a mark of 29-0 under coach Ned Harkness, a Hockey Hall of Fame inductee in 1994. On the ice, legendary players such as Princeton’s Hobart Amory Hare “Hobey” Baker, Cornell goaltending great Ken Dryden, who led the Montreal Canadiens to five Stanley Cups, and Clarkson’s Dave Taylor, who starred with the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, are among the numerous standouts who made their mark in the conference. The conference’s tradition and history are not limited to the playing surface. A wealth of legendary coaches have called the conference home, including Harkness, Dartmouth’s Eddie Jeremiah, whose instructional book on the game was the hockey bible for a generation; Army’s Jack Riley, who led the 1960 U.S. Olympic squad to the gold medal at Squaw Valley; and Yale’s Tim Taylor, who led the 1994 U.S. Olympic Team in Lillehammer, Norway. In terms of leadership, ECAC Hockey is second to none. When the Decathlon Club of Bloomington, Minn., wanted a model for hockey’s version of the Heisman Trophy, they turned to an ECAC Hockey institution and found Princeton’s Baker. Today, the best male player in college hockey receives the Hobey Baker Memorial Award. Lest anyone think ECAC Hockey is about yesterday, the NHL draft annually features a wealth of conference draftees. Since the conference’s inception in 1961-62, 550 players have been drafted by NHL teams, including 61 over the past five years and 159 over the last 15. Today, many former conference players enjoy NHL careers. Former standouts Kent Huskins (Clarkson), Andy McDonald (Colgate), Todd Marchant (Clarkson) and George Parros (Princeton) claimed professional sports’ greatest trophy, the Stanley Cup, as members of the 2007 Anaheim Ducks. In addition to the foursome, ECAC Hockey is well-represented at the highest level by a plethora of alums, including Atlanta Thrashers forward Todd White (Clarkson); Calgary Flames forward Craig Conroy (Clarkson); Carolina Hurricanes forward Erik Cole (Clarkson); Florida Panthers defenseman Noah Welch (Harvard); Los Angeles Kings forwards Matt Moulson (Cornell); Montreal Canadiens forward Chris Higgins (Yale); Nashville Predators forward Rich Peverley (St. Lawrence); San Jose Sharks defenseman Doug Murray (Cornell); St. Louis Blues forward Lee Stempniak (Dartmouth); Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jeff Halpern (Princeton); Toronto Maple Leafs forward Dominic Moore (Harvard); Vancouver Canucks defenseman Willie Mitchell (Clarkson); and Washington Capitals forward Chris Clark (Clarkson) and defenseman Brian Pothier (Rensselaer). Beyond the playing surface, a plethora of former standouts now hold management positions in the world’s elite league. Harvard graduate Peter Chiarelli is the general manager of the Boston Bruins; St. Lawrence alum Ray Shero is the general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins; Clarkson alum Taylor is Director of Player Personnel for the Dallas Stars; Colgate alum Mike Milbury served as general manager of the New York Islanders and is now special assistant to the owner; and Cornell’s Dryden served as vice-chairman of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd. In Florida, St. Lawrence graduates Bill Torrey and Jacques Martin serve as the Panthers’ alternate governor and general manager, respectively. In addition, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is a Cornell graduate. All of these players have played in each of the ECAC Hockey rinks, rinks that are regarded as some of college hockey’s finest. From the frenzy at Rensselaer’s Houston Field House to Cornell’s historic Lynah Rink, spectators get a feel for and become part of the league’s tradition. ECAC Hockey has its Hobey Baker winners, its All-Americans and its national champions, but what may set it apart from any other conference in the nation is its tradition and success in academics. Few, if any, conferences can produce a list of influential and successful alumni like ECAC Hockey. Scott Hanley (Brown) currently serves as the Director of Sports and Competition for ESPN X Games while John McLennan (Clarkson) spent his career as the CEO of Bell Canada. Some former ECAC Hockey players became inventors, like Ed Werner (Colgate) and John Haney (Colgate), who invented the board game Trivial Pursuit. Other players have excelled in the financial world after hockey. Players like John Hughes (Cornell), a tax and real estate attorney in New York, Dino Macaluso (Rensselaer), president of The Macaluso Group, and Guy Logan (Union), an associate investment banker for SunTrust Robinson Humphrey Co. LLC. Other former league players made it big in the entertainment world, and none bigger than David Kelley (Princeton) the writer, creator and producer of shows like Boston Legal, Ally McBeal, LA Law and Chicago Hope and the movie Mystery, Alaska. As a means to give fans and alumni an opportunity to remain a part of the ECAC Hockey family, the league offers a variety of opportunities, including a television package, conference web page, and a weekly radio report during the season. As for the future, it is clear that ECAC Hockey shall continue to occupy its spot among ice hockey’s elite conferences. To view some of the other fun facts about the league go to the following link: http://www.ecachockey.com/men/history/index
Six of the leagues 12 teams reside in the state of New York, 2 are from Connecticut, the other 4 teams are from New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. Yale Location: New Haven, Connecticut Enrollment: 5,000 Nickname: Bulldogs Founded: 1701 Colors: Yale Blue and White Cornell Location: Ithaca, New York Enrollment: 13,700 Nickname: Big Red Founded: 1865 Colors: Carnelian Red and White Princeton Location: Princeton, New Jersey Enrollment: 4,600 Nickname: Tigers Founded: 1746 Colors: Orange and Black St. Lawrence Location: Canton, New York Enrollment: 2,000 Nickname: Saints Founded: 1856 Colors: Scarlet and Brown Harvard Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts Enrollment: 6,704 Nickname: Crimson Founded: 1636 Colors: Crimson, Black and White Dartmouth Location: Hanover, New Hampshire Enrollment: 4,200 Nickname: Big Green Founded: 1769 Colors: Dartmouth Green and White Quinnipiac Location: Hamden, Connecticut Enrollment: 7,000 Nickname: Bobcats Founded: 1929 Colors: Blue and Gold Union Location: Schenectady, New York Enrollment: 2,200 Nickname: Dutchmen Founded: 1795 Colors: Garnet and White Clarkson Location: Potsdam, New York Enrollment: 3,000 Nickname: Golden Knights Founded: 1896 Colors: Green and Gold Colgate Location: Hamilton, New York Enrollment: 2,800 Nickname: Raiders Founded: 1819 Colors: Maroon, Gray and White Rensselaer Location: Troy, New York Enrollment: 5,164 Nickname: Engineers Founded: 1824 Colors: Cherry and White Brown Location: Providence, Rhode Island Enrollment: 5,711 Nickname: Bears Founded: 1764 Colors: Seal Brown, Cardinal Red and White ECAC Tournament information The Bank of America ECAC Hockey Championship features three rounds of competition, featuring all 12 teams. The 2009 championship marks the seventh year the league has utilized the 12-team format., and the second season that Bank of America has been the title sponsor. From 1998-02, the league conducted a 10-team tournament with five teams advancing to the championship round. The Princeton Tigers captured the 2008 Bank of America ECAC Hockey Championship title, defeating Harvard, 4-1, Saturday, March 22, at the Times Union Center in Albany, New York. The 2009 championship commences Friday, March 6 with first-round series featuring the League’s Nos. 5-8 seeds, as determined by the final regular-season standings, hosting teams ranked Nos. 9-12. The four first-round series, which are best-of-three games, are: (12) Brown at (5) Harvard Friday, March 6 – 7 p.m. Saturday, March 7 – 8 p.m. Sunday, March 8 (if necessary) – 7 p.m. (11) Rensselaer at (6) Dartmouth Friday, March 6 – 7 p.m. Saturday, March 7 – 7 p.m. Sunday, March 8 (if necessary) – 7 p.m. (10) Colgate at (7) Quinnipiac Friday, March 6 – 7 p.m. Saturday, March 7 – 7 p.m. Sunday, March 8 (if necessary) – 7 p.m. (9) Clarkson at (8) Union Friday, March 6 – 7 p.m. Saturday, March 7 – 7 p.m. Sunday, March 8 (if necessary) – 7 p.m. The four first-round series winners will advance to quarterfinals action to face the League’s top four teams as determined by the final regular-season standings. The top four seeds are No. 1 Yale, No. 2 Cornell, No. 3 Princeton and No. 4 St. Lawrence. The best-of-three games series will be played March 13-15. The League’s top four teams in 2008-09, as determined by the outcome of quarterfinals action, will gather at the Times Union Center to determine the League’s tournament’s 48th champion. The 48th championship will comprise four games beginning Friday, March 20 and concluding Saturday, March 21. On Friday, March 20, the No. 4-seeded team will face the No. 1 seed in the first semifinals contest, followed by the No. 3 seed versus the No. 2 seed in the second semifinals game. On Saturday, March 21, the third-place and championship games will be played. The 2009 ECAC Hockey champion receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. Contact the author at Brian.Jennings@prohockeynews.com
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