LETTERS: Monday, February 21, 2000

A hockey team is thriving at Penn? A hockey team is thriving at Penn?To the Editor: What surprised me was that he did such incredible research to discern what actually happened to the hockey team, and yet he failed to look to the right of his column to discover that Penn does in fact have a hockey team -- and quite a good one at that. True, it is not of varsity status, but I ask Will himself whether he is more of a fan of hockey or simply of varsity teams. The Penn men's hockey team finished this season with a 21-7 record, has a chance of winning two divisional championships and earned a national ranking for the first time in its history. The best thing about this team is that it is young and getting better. Over 80 percent of the team is either freshmen or sophomores. So, if Will is in such dire need of hockey, I invite him to join the growing fan base at the Class of '23 Rink and "be thankful for Penn sports teams." Josh Remick College '00 The writer is coach of the Penn men's hockey team. To the Editor: After reading Will Ulrich's "The Great Hockey Sit-In of '78," I have to wholeheartedly agree with his assertion that students must be thankful for Penn sports teams. However, I do not believe that "hockey has never returned" to the University. Three years ago, as a freshman, I wrote another letter to the DP to correct a writer who erroneously stated that we had no hockey team. Since my last letter, I have learned that every year the DP writes an obligatory article that laments our lack of a varsity ice hockey program. Now, as a senior, I have a deeper understanding of the reason why varsity hockey does not exist at Penn. It is not because the Athletic Department unjustly deprived its students because of budget cuts. The real reason is that Penn does not deserve a varsity team. I realize that my claim will not be met favorably by students and alumni alike, but no one can deny that the current ice hockey teams at Penn are largely unappreciated. Time and again, I hear students complain that Penn needs a hockey team; but when I point out our clubs, they retort that they mean they want a real team. Why should Penn invest money in a varsity program when the students show no real interest in the hockey teams that they already have? It is with a clear conscience that I can tell you that any so-called hockey fan who claims to have Penn pride without ever having attended a hockey game here is a liar. I also doubt the sincerity of Will Ulrich's declaration that he "would love it if we had a hockey team" when all he had to do was look across the page from his own article to realize that Penn students do not need to "settle" for a club team. True hockey fans do not just "settle" for a team that is in first place in the Delaware Valley Collegiate Hockey Conference and entering the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs. Our men's team, which is regionally ranked by the American Collegiate Hockey Association, is as "real" as a student-managed hockey team gets. The reason we do not have varsity hockey here is not because the administration will not support it -- it is because the students refuse to acknowledge the existence of the hockey teams they already have. Jeff Yan College '00 The writer is a player on the Penn men's hockey team.