Feb. 4 is fast approaching, and I’m sick to my stomach.
Yes, I know the Terriers are defending Beanpot champions. Yes, I know they are scoring goals early and often, and have so much offensive firepower that no opponent’s lead is safe. Yes, I know BU has dominated this midseason tournament, both historically and recently. Yes, I know that Nathan Gerbe will once again become Eric Gryba’s favorite target when the puck drops Monday night. None of that is what bothers me.
It comes down to a single point: We’re losing relevance.
I don’t mean relevance in a local or regional sense – that’s a non-issue. The Terriers are still competitive on the local scene, rarely finish in the bottom of their league and generally earn results superior to most other teams. More often than not, the Terriers hold their own in Hockey East. On the recruiting front, BU has a number of cards to play: the reputation of coach Jack Parker, Agganis Arena, Mike Boyle’s strength and conditioning program and the opportunity to play against top competition year in and year out.
None of those things, however, contribute to what I will loosely term “national relevance.” National relevance can only be earned by performing on a larger stage: winning championships and playing important games on national television — other words, the things top teams generally do year in and year out. Being nationally relevant requires sustaining a high level of success.
There are four things Terrier Hockey can do to return to its status as a nationally relevant program: win the NCAA Championship, make the Frozen Four, win the Hockey East regular season title and win the Hockey East Tournament. Hockey East and national championships are listed for obvious reasons, but I include the Frozen Four because those games are the highest-profile games a team can play.
As a benchmark of what constitutes national relevance, Terrier teams from 1989-1997 are prime examples. During those eight seasons, the Terriers won 25 or more games seven times, won the regular season and tournament title four times each, appeared in seven Frozen Fours and took home the 1995 national championship. Although very few programs can sustain that level of success, it’s within the realm of possibility and represents the quality of play this program should strive for.
In the 10 years since their last Frozen Four appearance, the Terriers have won a single Hockey East Tournament and two regular season titles — that’s it. Of the top four teams in Hockey East over the last decade, BU has had the least success over that period. Being the fourth best team in your conference in a sport that receives very little media attention doesn’t equal national relevance.
So why do I bring this up as the Beanpot approaches? It’s simple: the Beanpot is the single biggest distraction from the program’s recent decline. For starters, the Beanpot is the least important trophy this team plays for. There’s no rational argument that can place more importance on winning the Beanpot than winning conference or national hardware. Winning the Beanpot doesn’t bring a team any closer to winning something of real significance than a two-game sweep in the Hockey East regular season. In fact, it does even less because the regular season games contribute to playoff seeding. Benefits in the polls from winning the Beanpot count for nothing come playoff time, as NCAA Tournament teams are chosen based on objective criteria.
None of those things, however, qualify the Beanpot as a distraction. What qualifies the Beanpot as a distraction is the ridiculously high level of importance placed on the tournament by both the team and its fans. A team that peaks in February – as the Terriers so often do – often folds in March. Why is it that a team that finds a way to win in the Beanpot — sometimes by highly improbable means — can’t do the same during more meaningful games a month later?
The fans and atmosphere surrounding this team don’t help either. Chanting “Where’s Your Beanpot?” when the other team either doesn’t play in the Beanpot is a less-than-logical question. And what can be said when a nameless Superfan from Chestnut Hill pays enough attention to your query to ask where your team was during the last Frozen Four?
The sad part is that winning the Beanpot shouldn’t be overlooked. It’s a nice tournament, at least for its four participants. Winning the Beanpot should be celebrated, but let’s celebrate it for what it is: a mid-season tournament — not the two most important games of the season
So when the puck drops Monday, I’ll be watching the games and hoping for a Terrier victory. More importantly, however, I’ll be praying that a Terrier victory isn’t followed by complacency and a late-season swoon. I’m not ready to accept mediocrity while Jerry York and his army of Lilliputians tear through Foggy Conte en route to more postseason success. In light of the Eagles’ recent national success, BU’s performance has been decidedly mediocre. It’s frustrating to be a fan of this team right now.
But hey, who am I kidding? At least I won’t be in Nathan Gerbe’s skates Monday night.
Matt Whitrock, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, is a weekly columnist for The Daily Free Press. He can be reached at whitrock@bu.edu.
