DENVER 'FINEST EVER' NCAA champion by virtue of its 6-1 win over Minnesota in the first round and its 12-2 romp over a hopelessly outclassed St. Lawrence squad in the final game, Denver was called by Menard, Minnesota coach John Mariucci, and most other experts at the tournaments "the finest college team ever assembled." Denver has climbed from mediocrity to supremacy in a surprisingly short period of time under the leadership of coach Murray Armstrong. When he took over in 1956-57, he guaranteed a national championship in three years. It took only two. And in 1958, after Denver had won its first NCAA title, the Pioneers had grown so strong that only two teams in the Western league would play them the following year (NDU and CC). As a result, the league folded, and Denver did not have enough NCAA-accredited games for the tournament in 1959. The league was reconstituted as the WCHA in 1959-60, after certain rules were changed. One revision was the 20-year rule, subsequently added to the NCAA rules on eligibility (last January). The 20-year rule states that any one who plays on an organized team after his 20th birthday and before his college matriculation shall have each year of play counted against his varsity eligibility. (The NCAA limits the rule to foreign students.) This was the first major step taken to cut down on the number of older, more experienced Canadian players--such as the 32-year-old freshman North Dakota reportedly played in 1957-58. But Denver continued to dominate Western and American hockey. Here are some of the accomplishments of the Pioneers in the past four years under Armstrong: three NCAA championships (58, '60, '61); a 6-1-2 record against American amateur representatives in the World Games and the Olympics (the U.S. Nationals) including a 7-5 win over the gold medal-winning Olympic team last year and a 10-0 victory this year; wins over the West German and Swedish Olympic team; and the distinction of never losing to the Russian Nationals (two ties, 4 to 4 in 1958-59; and 2 to 2 in 1959-60). This year Denver scored over four points for every one of its opponents, won games by up to 14-pont margins, and finished with a 30-1-1 record. In short, the Denver University hockey team has established itself as one of the best amateur teams in the world. RESENTMENT RISING How? That is what everybody wonders, and what hearsay has made into a rising tide of suspicions, accusations, and resentment. There is a lot of curiosity, jealousy, and bitterness over Denver's hockey domination. Like most WCHA teams, Denver is predominantly Canadian. All but one of its 19 players this year were natives of Canada. The only American was junior goalie Paul DiNapoli from Belmont, who has never played in a varsity game. Of the 18 Canadians, one was 24; three were 23 (including standout junior goalie George Kirkwood, who has been declared ineligible for next season because of the 20-year rule); five were 22; five were 21; three were 20; and one was 19. All but two of the Canadians played in the controversial Junior A leagues before college; one (defenseman George Konik) turned down a two-year pro contract with the New York Rangers to go to college. (Despite the 20-year rule, western players are usually much older than those in the East. On this year's 22-man Harvard roster, for example, no player was older than 21. Only two of the Crimson varsity players were Canadians: 19-year old sophomore Dave Johnston and 19-year old junior Tom Heintzman.) THE UNIVERSITY Denver University is a private institution founded in 1864 as a Methodist seminary. It has an enrollment of 4200, three-fifths of which are men. The University has three undergraduate programs--in the Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and Business Administration--and graduate programs incuding a law school. Located "at the foot of the Rockies," the University boasts of students from all 50 states and from over 50 foreign countries, and of its "over 140 organizations for students" including 14 fraternities and seven sororities. Sixty percent of the student body is not from Colorado. "Denver has a natural drawing attraction," Chancellor Chester M. Alter (Ph. D. in chemistry from Harvard, 1934), said, noting that DU is the only private university within a thousand-mile radius touching St. Louis, the West Coast, Dallas, and Canada. The three admissions requirements are: A diploma from "an accredited high school," a recommendation from that school, and score no lower than 400 in the SAT's. Walden C. Irish, Admissions Counselor, remarked that students in the 400's are borderline cases and must have strong extra-curricular assets in order to be admitted. Foreign students, he said, must meet higher requirements--and usually do--adding that "Our athletic coaches cannot admit any students or give any financial aid. They make recommendations. We decide who is to be admitted and who is to be given financial aid." 'THIRD RATE' COLLEGE A well-informed member of the press who had studied at DU's graduate school said, "By Ivy league standards, Denver is a third-rate institution, especially weak in the humanities and liberal arts, and with practically no endowments." He did comment, however, that its underpaid Faculty resents favoritism toward athletes: "The athletes don't slide through this place. The Faculty is not anxious to do any favors or make any exceptions for campus heroes." Denver's athletic director is Elton E. "Tad" Wieman, a highly respected former coach at Princeton (1932 to 1943) and a member of the Football Hall of Fame. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1921 after election to Phi Beta Kappa and recognition on the All-America football team. He is regarded locally as an arch-conservative who abides by the letter of NCAA law--"an Ivy Leaguer at heart." Noticeably conscientious and confident about his athletic policies, Wieman is candid and direct about DU's attitudes toward recruiting. "I defy anyone to find any instance in which we have played a Canadian in violation of NCAA or WCHA rulings," he said, noting that each year he sends the Denver hockey roster to the Central Registry in Montreal (which lists Canadian players) to check up on their amateur standings. He also sends the roster to all of DU's opponents so that they may question or investigate the eligibility of any players if they wish. "We want to make sure our players are not professionals," Wieman said. OVER THE COUNTER Unlike most of the Eastern colleges, but consistent with the policies of the majority of Western schools, Denver pursues an active over-the-counter recruiting program and awards players athletic Grant-in-Aid scholarships not necessarily based on need. Wieman explained that Coach Armstrong has a total of 26 hockey scholarships for freshmen and upperclassmen which cover tuition, fees, room and board (each worth about $1500 per year). Also, Armstrong gets $500 each year from a "Student Promotion Fund" to cover traveling expenses for an annual recruiting trip into Western Canada at the end of the season. And Armstrong goes right up into the controversial Junior Amateur hockey leagues to recruit players. A native of Regina, Saskatchewan, the 45-year old Armstrong believes that "There is no question about it, the Canadian is a better hockey player than the American. He is on skates from the age of three, and because Canada has outdoor ice for a longer period of time than any other country except Russia, he naturally plays more hockey. "Canadian schools don't have teams as we do; interscholastic athletics are not stressed. Instead, there are town teams and local hockey programs sponsored by civic-minded groups. Kids from the ages of eight to 13 play in the city park leagues; players up to age 16 play midget hockey; those up to age 18 play juvenile hockey; and those up to age 20 play Junior A. After that, players enter Senior Amateur, intermediate, or professional leagues, or go to college." JUNIOR A TEAMS Junior A teams are not just over-grown park league teams. Armstrong said that a single game can draw around 5,000 fans in Regina, 7,000 in Edmunton, and up to 8,000 in Winnipeg. Many players pass up juvenile hockey and begin playing Junior A at the age of 16, as did Denver's Captain Bill Masterton and most of his teammates. One of the biggest question-marks about Junior A players is whether they get paid. Masterton admitted that many Junior A players do receive stipends, but maintained that he and the Denver players received money only for traveling expenses and room and board. Players coming into town from rural areas to play, as he did, get free room and board, Masterton said.
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