"No, not even off the record. You're a writer, you know there's no such thing as 'off the record'..."

But amidst all those traditional lines clothed in stubbornness half a decade old, two things stood out. First, Cleary said that the Hynes story was not the only incident with The Crimson, but was instead the fourth or fifth, and represented a last straw. Second, he stressed more than once that his responsibility was with his players first, not with a paper that apparently has misused them more than once.

Aside from this, the thing that impressed me the most was the fact that not once while we talked did Cleary mention that the media had ever wronged him personally. He is not bitter, rather concerned that his players not be subjected to the kind of treatment reserved for the likes of Derek Sanderson and Dave Schultz.

Cleary thinks hockey at Harvard is a special thing, and if you've ever watched the way his players put out for him or ever heard the way they talk about him, you've gotta believe he turns his thoughts into action.

And with all this, what does he need with a potentially damaging press:

I'm not trying to kiss Billy Cleary's keister and I'm not trying to badmouth the newspaper I write for. The guy is just doing what he thinks is best for his players, a service which was not reciprocated by this paper in seasons past.

He has his convictions, but this is not a crusade. All Billy Cleary wants to do right now is have his team go out and play every game like I was the Beanpot final. Last year's Beanpot final.

And ultimately, that's what we all want also. Even us quote-hungry sports writers.