Mike Crowley Retires

[Greyeagle]

Former Gopher all-American Mike Crowley has decided to retire after being assigned to Houston by the Wild. Houston would have that affect on me too. :D Good luck Mike in life as a bond trader! For those of us fortunate to see him play three years in college it was an amazing show.

http://www.startribune.com/stories/1330/3329492.html

Yes (jen!), this should be in the Alum section. But, I actually would be curious on some thoughts. In my opinion, Crowley is the poster boy for staying in school for four years. Its seems every year players of his ability leave early and are never heard from again. I would guess he would take the chance to play his Sr. year at MN in a heartbeat if given the chance. Ultimately the bright lights and big paycheck and bonus are hard to turn down, but it seems the road to the NHL is littered with former college stars. Yes I know there are exceptions, but they are few and far between.

Thoughts?

[jen]

People post thoughts in the alumni forum too, you know. ;)

I don't know much about the situation that led him to part ways with Anaheim, but I thought it was a bad move. After that, he seemed to get further and further from the NHL. His NHL numbers weren't too bad, especially given his size. As I said in the other forum, I always liked him, even though he killed us.

Now look what you've started. Someone posted about the P-Bruins and their alums in D-I. It's anarchy!!!!

[scsutommyboy]

Thank God that little midget finally decided to retire. It's nice to see yet another goofer flop as a pro.:D :cool:

[Target]

Originally posted by scsutommyboy
Thank God that little midget finally decided to retire. It's nice to see yet another goofer flop as a pro.:D :cool:

And SCCC has so many players in the NHL! Hartigan may have a career, though, if he can stay out of jail.

[beersong]

Originally posted by Target
And SCCC has so many players in the NHL! Hartigan may have a career, though, if he can stay out of jail.

here comes the list.... :rolleyes:

[Greyeagle]

I would guess SCSU may have more quality players in the NHL now than do the Gophers. At least top players such as Parrish, Cullen, & Hedican - to name a few. There are no current Gophe alums of that skill level currently in the NHL. Although guys like Leo and Taffe could be at that level by the end of the year.

[The Paragon of Virtue]

Originally posted by Greyeagle
I would guess SCSU may have more quality players in the NHL now than do the Gophers. At least top players such as Parrish, Cullen, & Hedican - to name a few. There are no current Gophe alums of that skill level currently in the NHL. Although guys like Leo and Taffe could be at that level by the end of the year.

Then there are the likes of Scott Meyer (if the Dan Blackburn sucks again), Duvie Westcott, and Mike Pudlick who could all do something in the NHL this year.

[ScoobyDoo]

I always think it is stupid for them to leave early. There is no evidence supporting players having better pro careers because they left school early.

[Lord Sidious]

Some are clearly ready (Paul Kariya, Dany Heatley), some aren't. Mistakes are made sometimes. What's sad is when kids leave that *clearly* are not ready to, yet are enticed by a big signing bonus or a gaurantee of a roster spot (which never materializes).

[jen]

I figure the Gophers will see this if I post it here... Lance Pitlick announced his retirement.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/avalanche/article/0,1299,DRMN_39_1451121,00.html

[Rabid Husky]

As far as SCSU goes, don't forget about Tyler Arnason with the blackhawks