A Brief History of Pumpup

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Or, if you're in Canada, happy Thursday.

Here's a little something I threw together this week. Knowing that the team likes to take the ice to "The Ecstasy of Gold" when the band isn't around (as may well be the case this weekend), I put together a hypothetical introduction video for the forthcoming video board which will be installed at center ice and new sound system. We continue to hear conflicting reports as to when exactly these things will be installed - some have suggested that they will be installed over winter break (they would have between 12 and 14 working days to get the work done between the game against the US Junior Team on Dec. 19 and the Clarkson game on Jan. 7).

I'm not the best photoshopper in the world, as well established here, and I'm not the best video producer either, but I think this video at least gets the gist of it down.

Imagine Houston Field House at 10 minutes to seven on a Saturday night. The zambonis have just left the darkened ice surface. As the countdown clock reaches 9:00, the video board and sound system come to life:



As the video ends, the RPI goaltender hits the ice, and the Pep Band starts to play "Hail, Dear Old Rensselaer" as the team streams over to the west end of the ice to line up for the starting lineups. How pumped up are you at this point?

Obviously, the video could use some tweaking - video segments at the end to represent the current Engineers, maybe changing with each game, for instance - but I've got to say, it would be a perfect, and classy way to use the video board to get the crowd going before the game starts. What do you think?

Tragedy at 60:00 - 10 months later

It doesn't seem like it was that long ago, but a true tragedy unfolded back in January at Houston Field House last season.



Watch it again, just the "injury."



Poor, poor Taylor Davenport. Such a shame that a Division I college hockey player, and a senior, no less, can't keep his head up while shooting the puck off-balance in the final seconds of a game his team was leading by 3 goals. It is truly tragic. At least his teammates showed the ultimate class in the wake of such heartache.

Of course, it wasn't seen that way in Central New York.



Even before he made headlines whining about the referees, Mike Schafer was issuing thinly veiled threats through the media.

Cornell coach Mike Schafer is hoping that Davenport can play one of Cornell's games this weekend against Yale and Brown, but isn't counting on it. Schafer and the Big Red already are looking forward to the rematch with RPI on Feb. 20 at Lynah Rink.

"Our guys will have a long memory when they come back to Lynah," Schafer said.

Cornell fans were angry with Erik Burgdoerfer's role in Davenport's misfortune.

Cornell has had four games with the Engineers at their dump since this tragic event, and haven't headhunted yet (unless you count the aforementioned stripes caterwaul), but they will be returning to Troy for the first time since tragedy struck that night at Houston Field House. Could this be the weekend Mr. Schafer's threats come to fruition? We hope not. We hope the Big Red will comport themselves with same kind of class and panache that they displayed on that fateful night.

Please, dear reader, pause with me a moment, and reflect.


NEVER FORGET (how to skate)
(Total games missed: one)