Tracy likens Dury's greatness to that of basketball star Michael Jordan. "[Jordan] is the best ever not only because of his talent but because his leadership and competitiveness make his teammates better. And I think Ted does the same for us."
"He's not a get-in-your-face, Mark Mensier-type of leader, but he doesn't back away from saying things." Flomenhott agrees. "And his work ethic makes us always want to work harder."
Drury, naturally, deflects the credit to his teammates. "It was a really easy team to be a leader on. Everyone had goals for each game and for the season, and I just tried to be myself and help them along".
Greatness (although perhaps not on the level of a Jordan or a Gretzky) always seemed destined to him at Harvard. Flomenhoft remembers a moment way back in his freshman year when he knew that his then- classmate was bound to be something special.
"I don't remember the team we were playing," Flomenhoft recalls, "but I remember him cranking it up with the puck in his own defensive zone and just skating through all five guys on the other team. He made a great final move and shot it cleanly in the net. He always makes everything look so much easier than it is."
But Drury won't let success spoil him. "My parents did a great job with me in making me realize that while it's nice to be talented, in the grand scheme of things, that's not so important. Being a good person and treating people micely is."
As sophomore Steve Martins notes, "what a down- to- earth guy he is. On the ice he's a real competitor, but once we get away he's so laid- back and mellow.
"I didn't have a fantastic first year, but (when he came back) he put me right at home and made me feel a lot more comfortable."
But comfort isn't on Drury's mind as he stands at the crossroads of the career. He has just returned from the World Hockey chamionships in germany (the U.S. finished with a 2-2-2 record; "It went alright," according to Drury), where he played alongside American NHLers that didn't make the playoffs like Tony Amonte of the Rangers and he knows he can compete with the best.
Quo vadis?Nobody knows Drury has set for himself the simplistic longrange goal of "playing as long as I can in the best league in the world." And it looks from here as though he can join other ex- Crimson Ted Donato and Don Sweeney as a ready-for-prime-time player in Calgary's Saddledome.
Tracy sums up the situation: "I'd give almost anything to play another year with Ted Drury, and the guys on the team all really like him.
"But I know it's best for him to go, and I wish him well wherever he plays next year."
'He is never, ever negative. His is a constant positive influence.'
Freshman Tripp Tracy