Success can be a pretty strange thing, existing like the proverbial double-edged sword.
In one respect, when a team or program achieves something truly remarkable, like winning a championship, advancing far in the postseason or just showing great promise, it can bring unparalleled euphoria and joy to a team, city and fan base.
On the other hand, success also carries the weight of expectations for the following season. A small glimpse of triumph can make even the sanest of sports fans believe that their team will accomplish the same ‘- if not greater ‘- feats merely because it happened the year before. I’m not saying that success and lofty expectations are mutually exclusive, but more often than not, the latter comes in wake of the former.
This phenomenon will become more relevant and applicable than it ever has here at BU for this upcoming athletic year.
It’s been pretty well-documented how well Terrier teams in a variety of sports did over the 2008-09 school year. Call it ‘The Year of the Terrier,’ or whatever you may like, but the point is that it was a banner year. And because of that widespread success, the heightened expectations for this year have inevitably followed, especially considering everyone had the entire summer to reminisce over the past year and then fantasize about the otherworldly possibilities for the coming seasons.
The principal topic of this discussion has to be the men’s ice hockey team. The heights reached by last year’s team were nothing short of phenomenal, with the list of accolades coming off as a roll call of accomplishments. The squad won the Ice Breaker Invitational, the Denver Cup, the much-heralded Beanpot, the Hockey East regular season title, the Hockey East Tournament and of course, let’s not forget that NCAA championship.
The team had star power. They could win in so many different ways, and although they had some head scratching performances (a home loss to lowly Providence comes to mind), they were by in large dominant. What followed all of these triumphs were oft-repeated (stunning as they were) highlights, a book soon to be released and a parade down Commonwealth Avenue complete with Duck Boats and delicious cake.
But the question is begging to be asked: how do we as Terrier Nation respond to this?
Sure you will have your perpetual optimists, diehard fans or just plain delusional observers who expect one title ring to be followed by another, no problem. After all, they did it last year, so who’s to say that it won’t happen again?
The 2009-10 installment of Terrier hockey certainly features talent, there’s no question about that at a storied program that continually brings in top prospects. Stalwarts like Kevin Shattenkirk, Nick Bonino, Colby Cohen and Eric Gryba all return with a promising young cast including Vinny Saponari, David Warsofsky, and Hockey East Rookie of the Year Kieran Millan. The team has now had extensive postseason and high pressure experience, which certainly comes in handy, especially towards the end of the year. And of course it’s premature to count out a team coached by a legend like Jack Parker.
Despite all of this, though, there has to be reason for concern amidst any lofty preseason expectations. At first glance, the number of players that are gone from last year’s championship team may not seem that staggering, but it’s hard not to cringe when you look at which players are gone. The reigning Hobey Baker Award winner, Matt Gilroy, graduated and is now lacing up in the pros, as is his co-captain from a year ago, John McCarthy. Same goes for Jason Lawrence, one of the team’s top scorers, and the hard-nosed Brandon Yip. Gone is Colin Wilson, foregoing his collegiate career for the NHL. Ditto for Brian Strait.
Replacing this crop of players is not as simple as plugging someone else into the equation, particularly for guys like Gilroy and Wilson whose skill set and importance to the team extended far beyond the stat sheet.
Calling this upcoming season a rebuilding one is far-fetched, but it will feature growing pains, with the potential for some serious frustration. Pulling off a repeat won’t be like asking Derrick Rose to read ‘War and Peace,’ but it certainly won’t be easy, and for very good reason: championships are hard to come by in any sport.
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