"Watching the Soviets play gave me some ideas," Taylor says. "It is the style I would like us to play in this country. We're in a rut now, with the pro influence."

When Billy Cleary took over the head coaching job from Weiland in 1971, assistant coach Taylor found himself a friend and an ally in coaching styles.

"Billy and I have sort of influenced each other over the past five years, we've grown together and changed each other. We're very much akin in our philosophy, and we developed our style together.

"I can't say enough about him," Taylor goes on, "as a person and a coach. He's been a great supporter of mine."

The Best

Cleary will certainly miss Taylor's assistance both with the varsity and the freshman teams. Taylor took over as head freshman coach in 1970, and has become, as former football star Dick Clasby said at this year's hockey dinner, the best freshman coach in the country because he's the only college freshman coach in the country.

While most of the other Ivy schools, Yale included, are abandoning their freshman programs, Harvard has stood by its first-year squad. But with plenty of players coming in each year and a coach of Taylor's calibre, who has a six-year record of 79-29-1, to instruct them, Harvard has no reason to even consider abandoning its freshman skaters.

Yale, on the other hand, is not so lucky. Former Eli mentor Paul Lufkin has left Taylor with only two teams and a varsity squad that has amassed a 2-41-1 record the past two campaigns.

"A lot of people wondered why I took the job," he said. "But they told me at Yale that they'd cooperate with a coach that did his homework. Everyone seems to be committed to turning the program around. It's a good time to get in."

Losers

Initially, Taylor will have to work with what talent he has inherited from Lufkin, a group that has gotten into a "losing frame of mind." That is just the first hurdle.

"I think I can turn around the attitude pretty quickly and get the kids wanting to play. Then, I have to get more kids to come to Yale. That's the challenge--to get them to choose Yale over Harvard."

Taylor knows all too well the advantages of playing hockey in Boston. "Harvard has the Beanpot, Cambridge and all," he comments, "versus New Haven. There will be a lot of things to overcome, but not everyone wants to go to Harvard."

No Move Yet

It may be a while before Taylor himself can get over some of the prejudices that a lifelong association with the Hub and Harvard has produced. He is not planning to terminate his ties around the area, and doesn't plan a move to scenic New Haven until next fall.

In the meantime, he will continue to help out the Harvard golf team this spring and run his hockey instructional camp in Natick in the summer. For the time being Tim Taylor can continue to enjoy being a "local." Then he must think about becoming a fixture at Yale.