The AHCA membership can stand and cheer on December 3 when former Bowdoin College coach Sid Watson is inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. Watson, a three-time winner of the Eddie Jeremiah Award given by the AHCA to the College Division Coach of the Year, joins former NHL veterans Rod Langway and Gordie Roberts as 1999 inductees.

A native of Andover, MA, Watson spent three decades in Brunswick, Maine, as Bowdoin's head coach and athletic director. He compiled a record of 326-210-11 over 24 years, retiring from coaching in 1983 and as athletic director in 1998. A graduate of Northeastern, Watson was known as 'Century Sid' for his prowess on the gridiron, averaging better than 100 yards per game as a running back. That skill led him to a four-year NFL career with Pittsburgh and Washington. As a Steeler rookie in 1956, he led the NFL in kickoff returns and kickoff return yards. For his career, he compiled 10 touchdowns, six on kickoff returns.

A Request From USA Hockey

Lou Vairo, former U.S. Olympic Team Head Coach (1984) and current Director of Special Projects for USA Hockey, has made a special request to the hockey community at-large, particularly the college hockey community.

'If anybody wants to do a real nice thing, there are some incredibly poor countries whose people could use donated hockey equipment,' says Vairo. 'Romania, Bulgaria, some of these people make do with nothing and are so poor. The head of one Federation makes $60 a month and he's considered rich. It would break your heart to see what these kids do with nothing.' Anyone with used (or new) equipment to spare can either send it to USA Hockey (1775 Bob Johnson Drive in Colorado Springs, CO 80906-4090) or call Lou and he can give you some direct addresses to use overseas. The USA Hockey switchboard is 719-576-USAH (8724).

Speaking of USA Hockey, Lou also extends an invitation to anyone - particularly teams - who are travelling out to Colorado Springs. Call him at the office to arrange a tour of our national governing body's beautiful new headquarters.

No Dues, No Tickets

AHCA members have been calling in hopes of getting in line for NCAA Frozen Four tickets. The AHCA receives a limited number of sets (75) and members are entitled to order two per member. The catch is this: you don't get on the list until, a) you have paid your annual AHCA dues, and, b) you send a check payable to 'AHCA' for $110 per set. A 'set' is one ticket to each of three games, two semifinal games on Thursday, April 6, and the Championship Final on Saturday night, April 8.

Regarding dues, AHCA members from lost year will receive the first two issues of 'Stops and Starts.' Starting with the January 2000 issue, only paid-up members will receive the newsletter.

Speaking of NCAA Hockey..

Here's the schedule of this year's NCAA Division I Ice Hockey Tournament games. Division III and Women's Alliance info will appear in future issues:

53rd NCAA DIVISION I ICE HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIPS
West Regional
(Mariucci Arena - Minneapolis, MN)
Friday, March 24-Saturday, March 25 (6:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.)

East Regionals
(Pepsi Arena - Albany, NY)
Saturday, March 25 - Sunday, March 26 (12:00 noon and 3:30 P.M.)

FROZEN FOUR
(Providence Civic Center - Providence, RI)
Semifinals
Thursday, April 6 (2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.)
Championship
Saturday, April 8 (7:30 p.m.)

Group To Spur Growth of College Hockey

As if he wasn't busy enough already, Doug Johnson, publisher of "Let's Play Hockey' and promoter of one of North America's biggest hockey trade shows (Las Vegas), is spearheading a group whose goal is to expand the base of men's and women's college hockey.

Johnson has recruited a number of people to help gather information and establish guidelines for schools looking to start a hockey program, expand from club to varsity, or move from Division III to Division 1. 'It's a wonderful idea,' said Herb Brooks, 1980 U.S. Olympic coach and a member of the group's Steering Committee. 'It's important that we must do everything we can to expand opportunities for our youth players coming up through the ranks.'

Josh Brandwene, President of the American Collegiate Hockey Association and coach of the team at Delaware, estimates that around 250 colleges have men's non-varsity programs.

Neil Sheehy, a former Harvard defenseman and NHL'er, serves on the USA Hockey Executive Committee. He stresses the relationship between the possibility of earning a col- lege scholarship and the growth of the sport at the youth level. Says Sheehy, 'College sports have a high profile. Youth programs will grow around that.'

Members of the Steering Committee include Josh Brandwene, Herb Brooks, Brian Burke, Kelly Burns, Bill Cleary, Craig Dahl, Larry Davenport, Dan Jelinek, Don Lucia, Tom Maher, Brian Mullen, Al Murdoch, Andy Murray, Bob Naegele, Lynn Olson, Tom Pratt, Julie Sasner, and Neil Sheehy.

Anyone interested in learning more about this undertaking should contact Doug Johnson at (612) 729-0023 or log on to www.letsplayhockey.com.

Weekly Polls Begin Amid Expansion Debate

The weekly college hockey polls sponsored by American Hockey Magazine and USA Today, and operated by the American Hockey Coaches Association, have begun while debate swirls around the amount of teams to be included. The men's Division I poll, which has been a 'Top 10' since its inception four years ago, has been expanded to a 'Top 15' this season. But that has not been enough for some.

Jack McDonald, athletic director at Quinnipiac College and a member of the NCAA Division I Hockey Committee, has launched a crusade to encourage all groups sponsoring such polls to expand to 25 teams. McDonald sees that increase as a potential help to the on-going effort to expand the NCAA Division I Tournament field from 12 schools to 16.

Opponents counter with the fact that 26 schools would represent approximately half the schools eligible for the tournament and would undoubtedly include many schools with losing records, possibly weakening the 16-team argument.

The weekly Women's Poll is slated to begin in November, moving from a 'Top 5' to a 'Top 10.' The women expect to participate in their first NCAA Tournament in 2001. Plans are also in the works for the AHCA to sponsor a Men's Division III Monthly Poll beginning in November as well.

USA Hockey Announces Honorees

Hats off to a handful of individuals honored in separate ceremonies announced by USA Hockey. On September 23, five Americans were inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame. So honored were four Olympians and the former Executive Director of USA Hockey.

The Olympians were: goaltender Mike Curran, backbone of the 1972 Silver Medal-winning Olympic Team; Herb Brooks, Jim Craig, and Mark Johnson, the winning coach, goaltender, and offensive spark from the 1980 Gold Medal winning Olympic Team. The administrator inducted into the Hall was Hal Trumble, the first full-time Executive Director at USA Hockey, who served from 1972 through 1987.

Two of the nation's top coaches were also recognized in September when Bill Beaney of Middlebury College and Bart Larson of Edina, MN, were named 1999 National Coach of the Year and 1999 Developmental Coach of the Year, respectively. Beaney led the Panthers to an unprecedented fifth consecutive NCAA Division III Ice Hockey title last March. Larson has coached 35 seasons of high school hockey in Minnesota, 17 as a head coach. He has coached more than 100 players who went on to Division I college careers.