My last year at the Daily Campus was 97 - turns out the Whale's last year.
I covered women's hoops and asked my editor - might have been Ostrout unless he had just left the year before can't remember - if I could cover the Whale on nights the women weren't playing instead of having us just take the AP feed like we usually would.
It was basically a fan's dream come true. Got to go to most home games in the press box surrounded by other reporters, scouts, scratched players. Got to the locker room after the game and ask a few questions to players who you always watched on TV. When the game was over I drove back to the paper and had to bang out a story as quickly as I could. I'm sure only a few kids read it but who cares. The whole experience was awesome.
Rick Ley sat in front of me most times - I think he was a scout for Toronto at the time, he might still live in the area.
Heard a few good stories up there. My memory is a little foggy but I think it was Steve Smith, the big defensemen from Chicago who was scratched and I overheard him telling someone that Stu Grimson would get so worked up before the Detroit games that he'd yak. Reason being he knew everyone going to the game was just waiting for the big Grimson/Probert fight that was just a matter of time.
Also think I remember a story where Grimson basically dared Coffey to a fight during a practice when Coffey was halfassing it with the Whale when he didn't want to be here. Coffey skated away smartly. Stu was a good teammate.
Also remember a few drunk Marchment stories, but that's not surprising. I. loved when Marchment was traded here only to be lost when Rutherford stupidly signed Steven Rice. Marchment was a ridiculous open ice hitter (sometimes borderline illegal but hey, you have to keep your head up when you're a forward).
That was basically my way of going out on top. Haven't watched the NHL since really. From what I understand the NHL isn't the same. Not much fighting. Blah. Of course a few years later the Hurricanes win it all with jackass Karmanos grinning from ear to ear. Just awful. As if Whalers fans needed a greater kick in the nuts already.
so anyway, F-off NHL and I'm all about UConn now. Couple years ago I watched UConn up at Freitas the year before we went to HE and was surprised at how good hockey was at the college level - I literally had stopped watching hockey cold outside of the one lame attempt to watch the Islanders.
