Gary Conn overlooked

While by every measurable factor that could be used, I am in full agreement that Paul Kariya’s jersey belongs in the rafters at the Alfond, he never should have been wearing the number nine in the first place. That honor should belong to Gary Conn, the first goal scorer and still one of the greatest to ever play for Maine. His scoring records held up for a number of years. His grace and physical presence on the ice made him a dominant player in both his division 1 and 2 years. The archives will show that he was a Division 1 All-American selection in 1981. He was the star of the pre-Shawn Walsh years and most certainly had the skills to be a consistent first-line player on a number of the teams of the late 80’s and early 90’s. But even if I am overestimating the impact he could have made in future years, he was a true star and the first in a long line of memorable players at Maine. He deserves to be honored in the rafters at Alfond as well. Maybe there is still a way this could happen.

Jay Prindall

Topsham

Reunion special

This past week, much has been said and written about the “hockey happenings” at the University of Maine. Among these, something has been missing. Somehow I suspect that it is easier to express the affairs of the heart and soul and emotions as you get older. These feelings sometimes encompass pride, involvement, commitment and most importantly, love. You could see them in the eyes of the daughter of 76-year-old Dick Kelson (class of 1950) as she watched her dad take part in the events of the reunion. It was in all of us as we exchanged hugs and laughter brought on from the joy of being together and sharing the joys of the past.

Many of the great joys in life involve the grace and beauty to be found in nature, the arts and athletics. They will be joyous and emotional, but that is what real life is all about.

That was an emotional weekend. Shawn could not be there, but was he ever present. You almost found yourself talking to him. The presence of a low-key Kurt Russell and his son Wyatt was just another example of the power of the bonds that link Shawn and his friends. It is Shawn who is the center of all this. It is to Shawn that we owe our appreciation for bringing so much joy into our lives; it is to Lunne for her unwavering love of and support for Shawn; it is to Millie and Charlie, Shawn’s parents, and to his sisters and brothers, especially Kevin; it is to the fine young men and their many talents that Shawn brought here.

How can we ever forget all those “senior moments” at MacMillan’s Friday night, trying to decide who was approaching us out of the low setting sun. “Is it Chris…? It is… a bit heavier, but the same smile”. It was fabulous!

And that brings us to the older alums and their time at Maine, and the fans. It started back with Jack Semler’s teams. Remember Jamie Logan, who would go to the Shop ‘n Save in Stillwater for a quart of milk and still be there an hour later, holding a mutual love court, in English! Or Scott Smith being informed of what would happen if he lost his temper on the ice one more time. Or how we got to know their parents during those great Parent’s Weekends. Or Jean-Yves Roy and his 2,000 relatives at center ice, or Jamie Thompson’s dad, Bob, raising the hair on our arms as he sang the Canadian and American National Anthems. And all of those wonderful moms and dads.

That was a grand era and it is behind us. We no longer can have such close relationships, and rightly so. It is different now, but no less emotional. We still have the same players in terms of character personality and skill. We still have Shawn and his magic curved stick; Grant and his relentless and unerring sense for talent. We will always have the memories and more to come.

We would be remiss if we did not express our gratitude to the University of Maine and Howard Neville, who made these memories and joyous occasions possible; to the spirit of Maine as exemplified by Dick Kelson, who will be on the ice at the next Reunion Weekend, still being adored by his daughter. And we will be there to cheer him and all the alums on. These are truly among the good things in life.

All that we can offer to the university, the players and the coaches is thank you for all of it, and we will dearly love you always.

Lou and Murray Bain

Orono