Welcome back for Winter term, sports fans.
Winter in Hanover is a time to take in a hockey game at Thompson Arena, a basketball game at Leede Arena or maybe just take a day off from class and go skiing.
Whichever way you'll have it, sports are a great cure for the winter blues.
Right now, it is a good time to be a fan of Dartmouth men's hockey -- not necessarily in terms of its current iteration (5-7-1, 2-6-1 ECAC), but those of us who have been around the team for a few years are happy to notice that some former Dartmouth players are finally taking the next step in proving that they can make it in the pros.
As recently as the beginning of the 2007-2008 season, there was only one Dartmouth hockey alumnus playing for the National Hockey League, the highest level of professional hockey.
Lee Stempniak '05 was a fifth-round draft choice by the St. Louis Blues in 2003. Stempniak had a fantastic 2006-2007 campaign for the Blues, scoring 27 goals and recording 25 assists for a total of 52 points.
Stempniak has responded this year with another fine season, earning nine goals and 16 assists so far in his first 39 games.
Stempniak is tied for third on the Blues in goals, and posted a six-game point streak in early December.
Dartmouth's NHL contingent tripled this season, as former teammates Tanner Glass '07 and David Jones '08 have joined Stempniak in "The Show."
Glass, captain of last year's Dartmouth squad, was a ninth-round draft choice of the Florida Panthers in 2003, right before he entered his first season playing for the Big Green.
Glass has appeared in 16 games for the Panthers so far this season, including each of the last 12.
Glass was sent back down to the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League on Saturday, though hopefully he can return to the NHL soon.
While Glass' call-up to the NHL might have been a bit unexpected, Jones' was believed to be inevitable. Jones, last year's assistant captain of the Big Green squad, blossomed as a player during his three years in Hanover before leaving Dartmouth after his junior season to play professionally.
Jones, like Glass, was selected in the ninth round of the 2003 NHL draft, by the Colorado Avalanche, over a full year before he came to Dartmouth.
Though Jones, like Glass, has been sent back down to the minors, he appeared in two games over winter break: Friday, Dec. 21 against the New York Rangers, and Sunday, Dec. 23 against the Vancouver Canucks. Jones took one shot in each game, and played a total of 14 minutes and 56 seconds.
Jones will probably be back in the NHL before long, but it was impressive enough for him to get a chance to play with the Avalanche less than half a season removed from playing ECAC hockey.
In football, Dartmouth does have one former player currently on the sidelines in the NFL, Casey Cramer '04.
Cramer, a tight end while playing for the Big Green, now plays fullback for the Tennessee Titans. Cramer saw action in five games this year -- against Tampa Bay, Oakland, Carolina, Jacksonville, and Cincinnati. Against Tampa Bay on Sunday, Oct. 14, Cramer had two special teams tackles, a total that led the team.
Cramer also returned a short kickoff against Oakland on Oct. 28 and started at fullback for the Titans against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, Nov. 4. Cramer finished fourth for the Titans in special teams tackles last year, but he played less this year.
Cramer has spent his off-seasons attending three NFL Business Management and Entrepreneurial Programs while working to stay in shape for football.
This past off-season, he became certified to sell stocks and bonds.
It's always good to see Ivy League athletes living up to their education, even when they get a shot at the big time. The Titans' season may have come to an end last week, but Cramer's career appears as if it will continue.
Take notice, Big Green athletes, you could be next. After all, Cramer took on the Dartmouth mantle held by NFL quarterback Jay Fiedler '94, and with any luck Stempniak, Glass and Jones will be the first of a sizable Dartmouth NHL contingent for years to come.
For now, however, you can enjoy the squads currently fighting for the Big Green and hope for the future.
