THE SIN BIN: Rough Saying Goodbye To The ‘Dogs

Friday was a sad, yet satisfying, night. Friday was my last game at Walter Brown Arena.

I’m leaving this Friday night for Spring Break, so I’m not going to be around to see the Terriers spank Maine next weekend in front of absolutely no fans because everyone will be on a plane to Aruba, Cabo San Lucas or Jimmie’s Crawfish Shack in Nawlins.

But Friday I sat, first in Section 7 and then in 11, decked out in my Terrier jersey, drinking a Bud Light and watching the Slovakian Slasher, Frantisek Skladany, lead the No. 6 Terriers to a 5-2 victory over pathetic Providence. It was the first time I had attended a BU game as a fan since the Beanpot championship over Northeastern in February 1999, my freshman year.

All this nostalgia left me to ponder my hockey years at BU and the great and wondrous moments I’ve been privy to witness in my tenure. As a fan and as a reporter, some of the games and people I’ve witnessed won’t be seen at Merrimack, Providence or any UMass school in a lifetime, so I’m grateful for the good times and bad. Here, then, is a short list of memorable people of BU hockey since October of 1998:

• Bobby Orr — He was one of the greats for the Bruins, but he seems to be a thorn in BU’s side the last couple of years. He lured away Rick DiPietro at the NHL Draft deadline, and he is reportedly now a “family adviser” for freshman Ryan Whitney and his family. He’s not allowed in the press box (because he’s an agent), and if he keeps plucking away our best players, he shouldn’t be allowed in the arena.

• Rick DiPietro — Yes, Sean Fields now has more wins in one season than Ricky did in his only go-around on Babcock Street, but the saves, the charisma, the confidence were unlike anything I may ever see from any professional athlete I cover.

• Russ Bartlett and Carl Corazzini — They were the best of friends during their freshman and sophomore years. In the 1999 Beanpot semifinal, Bartlett scored the prettiest goal I think I’ve ever seen. While falling on his tush, he knuckled the puck past BC’s Scott Clemmensen in OT. He and coach Jack Parker had a spat that offseason, and Bartlett transferred to St. Lawrence University. In response, Carl relinquished his No. 8 and wore Russ’ No. 14 for the rest of his college career as a tribute to his friend. However, Bartlett may have had the last laugh, when his Saints beat BU in four overtimes at the NCAA East Regionals in 2000. Bartlett was in the stands and smiling. Not so much because his team won, but because he got to see his old friend again.

• Tommi Degerman — Chris Dyment and Mike Pandolfo are such a close second here, but Tommi was a born leader and captain. For crying out loud, he had to go back to Finland to fulfill military service after he graduated in 2000. He had a scar on his chin that gave him an air of intimidation. He carried himself like a general, and the players climbed aboard his tank into battle, all the way to within one dented post of the Frozen Four.

• Jack Parker — His legend will forever be known here at Boston University. He’s been here longer than John Silber, Jon Westling or the janitors in CAS. The new arena is being built due to his efforts and should by all rights be named after him. He’s the fourth-winningest coach in the history of college hockey and has the most ever at a single Division I school. Other teams have tried to pull him away (like, say, the Bruins) but Dr. John Parker will always be a part of BU after signing a “lifetime” contract last offseason. Despite some antics (e.g. talking to the bench via radio when he was supposed to be suspended, allegedly assaulting a Northeastern fan, pulling his team off the ice in protest during a period), Parker has been an exemplary coach to follow. And he’s the best in the business at dealing with the media, players and staff. One thing I would change would be his admittance that he doesn’t read The Daily Free Press. Yet more evidence that no one is perfect.

Thus ends a wonderful four years at Walter Brown Arena. And after this season has concluded with stops at the FleetCenter, the Worcester Centrum Centre and the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., I hope to return in future seasons to see old Jack behind the BU bench — in the spanking new Parker Pavilion Arena.