ECAC Hockey, “where hockey’s not just another tradition.” ECAC Hockey, as it exists today, was founded in 1961. The evolution began with an ‘informal’ conference, which witnessed prosperous years in the late ’60s and early ’70s and over the years progressed into one of the best college hockey leagues in the country. ECAC Hockey is one of six conferences that compete in NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Hockey Championships. The conference is comprised of 12 institutions filled with tradition, legendary players, coaches, and administrators who have paved the way for recognizing and celebrating yearly accomplishments on and off the ice. With a noteworthy past, collegiate ice hockey has been a mainstay with member institutions for nearly a century. On Jan. 19, 1898, less than two years after the first-ever college hockey game, Brown defeated Harvard in Boston, Mass., in the first college hockey game between the two schools still sponsoring the sport. ECAC Hockey has evolved into pure hockey. The rise to prominence has not been limited to the playing surface, as the league’s alumni has cemented itself with such identifiable labels as; integrity, sportsmanship, leadership, scholarship, pursuit of excellence and commitment.
INTEGRITY:
Prestigious play, fairness and respect have been values associated with former with former ECAC Hockey players that have been carried onto the next level. Today, many former players are enjoying careers and are respected on the next level in the National Hockey League (NHL). Former League standouts include Anaheim Ducks forwards George Parros (Princeton), and Todd Marchant (Clarkson); Atlanta Thrashers defenseman Grant Lewis (Dartmouth) forward Todd White (Clarkson); Boston Bruins forwards Byron Bitz (Cornell) and Rich Perverly (St. Lawrence); Buffalo Sabres forward Dominic Moore (Harvard); Calgary Flames forward Craig Conroy (Clarkson); Carolina Hurricanes forward Erik Cole (Clarkson); Colorado Avalanche forwards T.J. Galiardi (Dartmouth) and David Jones (Dartmouth); Columbus Blue Jackets forward Craig MacDonald (Harvard); Dallas Stars forward Raymond Sawada; Florida Panthers defenseman Tanner Gladd (Dartmouth); Los Angeles Kings forwards Matt Moulson (Cornell), Kevin Westgarth (Princeton) and John Zeiler (St. Lawrence); Minnesota Wild forward Dominic Moore (Harvard); Vancouver Canucks forward Chris Higgins (Yale) and defenseman Ryan O’Byrne (Cornell); N.Y. Islanders defenseman Joe Callahan (Yale), goaltender Yann Dannis (Brown) and forward Mike Iggulden (Cornell); Ottawa Senators forward Jesse Winchester (Colgate); Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Randy Jones (Clarkson) and forward Darroll Powe (Princeton); Pittsburgh Penguins forward Craig Adams (Harvard) and defenseman Ben Lovejoy (Dartmouth); St. Louis Blues forward Andy McDonald (Colgate); San Jose Sharks forwards Tom Cavanagh (Harvard) and Ryan Vesce (Cornell) and defensemen Kent Huskins (Clarkson) and Doug Murray (Cornell); Tampa Bay Lightning defensemen Corey Murphy (Colgate) and Noah Welch (Harvard); Toronto Maple Leafs forwards Jeff Hamilton (Yale) and Lee Stempniak (Dartmouth); Vancouver Canucks defenseman Willie Mitchell (Clarkson); and Washington Capitals forward Chris Clark (Clarkson) and defenseman Brian Pothier (Rensselaer).
SPORTSMANSHIP:
Respect, hard work, and intense competition help mold some of the players into model student-athletes and citizens. Cornell head coach Mike Schafer, several current players and several alumni traveled in early June to the Dominican Republic to do some construction projects for a school. Among items the group finished
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were enclosing the water generator for drinking water and shielding it from the elements of hurricane season, extending a fence around the school and laying the foundation for a medical clinic; the entire league participated in a “Pink at the Rink” program wearing and selling special jerseys with proceeds benefiting the American Cancer Society and Hockey Coaches Care program; Harvard annually holds a youth hockey clinic for Allston-Brighton Youth Hockey, and several players run the non-profit Crimson City Hockey Clinic; Quinnipiac raised over $30,000 at Rand Pecknold’s Blades & Skates event to benefit St. Baldrick’s Children’s Cancer Research.
LEADERSHIP:
Delivering hockey and connecting strong values beyond the playing surface has produced its share of administrators in the National Hockey League (NHL). Peter Chiarelli (Harvard) is the general manager of the Boston Bruins; Joe Nieuwendyk (Cornell) is the general manager for the Dallas Stars, while Dave Taylor (Clarkson) serves as its director of player personnel; Mike Barnett (St. Lawrence) is currently serving as an adviser and scout for the New York Rangers, while fellow St. Lawrence University grad Ray Shero is the general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins; Brent Flahr (Princeton) serves as the assistant general manager for the Minnesota Wild; Colgate alum David Conte is the executive vice president, hockey operations, for the N.J. Devils; St. Lawrence graduate Bill Torrey serves as the Florida Panthers’ alternate governor, while fellow Saints’ graduate Jacques Martin is the current head coach of the Montreal Canadiens and Randy Sexton is the assistant general manager for the Florida Panthers. In addition, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is a Cornell graduate and NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daley is a graduate of Dartmouth.
SCHOLARSHIP:
It is been a primary goal of ECAC Hockey institutions to strive for academic achievement. It is instilled that all student-athletes not only excel in sports, but build character. Each year all teams boast several players on the all ECAC Hockey All-Academic Team. Few, if any, conferences have been able to produce a list of influential and successful alumni like ECAC Hockey. Scott Hanley (Brown) currently serves as director of sports and competition for ESPN X Games, while John McLennan (Clarkson) spent his career as CEO of Bell Canada. Some former ECAC Hockey players became inventors, like Colgate’s Ed Werner and John Haney, who invented the board game Trivial Pursuit.
COMMITMENT:
The future of ECAC Hockey continues to develop, as it is consistently labeled as one of the premier conferences from top to bottom. Each year all 12 institutions strive to set new standards of excellence. The league continues to offers a variety to their fans and alumni including a television broadcasts of several games, i ncluding tournament games, newly designed conference web site with up-to-the-minute scoring updates, and a weekly radio report during the season.