You know that Staples commercial that comes on every year right before school starts? The one with the dad prancing up and down the aisles tossing school supplies into his cart and Andy Williams singing "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" in the background? If you love hockey and you're in the Boston area, that's about how you feel right now. Why?
It's Beanpot time.
For the 54th time, the puck is set to drop on the first Monday in February as Boston's four schools - Boston University, Boston College, Harvard University and Northeastern University - wage war to earn bragging rights for years to come. While it's a special event for everyone involved, it carries a little more weight for one group in particular: seniors.
It's kind of weird how it works. You make it to your first Beanpot freshman year and it's an overwhelming experience, whether you're on the ice or in the stands. For two Mondays in February, college hockey takes center stage on the local sports scene. The Patriots might have just won the Super Bowl or the Red Sox might be amidst some huge offseason move, but when the Beanpot hits, that's what steals the headlines.
At BU, it's on virtually everyone's mind. Professors mention it in class, you discuss and analyze it with your friends and everyone struggles to find a ticket. It's one of the few times each year that our huge, diverse campus seems unified and everyone seems to have an abundance of school spirit.
Before you realize it, you're no longer a freshman but a senior about to take part in your final Beanpot. From a fan's perspective, it's a little tough to describe how it all feels. Imagine the feelings you have about the Beanpot every year -anxiety, excitement, fear - and multiply it by 10.
I can't even begin to imagine what it feels like from a player's standpoint, because here's the thing: this is the one that really matters. This is the one your class will be judged by. Lose the Beanpot during your senior year and those other two wins won't feel quite the same.
Lyman Bullard is a former Harvard player who was called up to the varsity level only days before the Beanpot during his senior season. The keynote speaker at yesterday's Beanpot Luncheon, Bullard pointed out that this also represents the last chance for seniors to do something memorable, to become a Beanpot hero. Do something magical during this tournament and you're name will never be forgotten no matter how many wins you've had or points you've scored during the rest of your career.
This will be my fourth Beanpot, meaning I have only missed 50 of them. That makes me a little less than an expert. But in that span of time, I have felt what's it's like on both sides of the fence - from the ecstatic victory to the heart-wrenching loss.
Losing the Beanpot - well that's one of the worst feelings in the world. There's nothing worse than watching a team fling their sticks and gloves all over the ice and then pose for that picture with the Beanpot at your expense. It gnaws at you, it eats away at you, it depresses you. I can say without a doubt that life is much better when you're on the winning side.
There's really only one comfort in losing: there's always next year, and you're already counting down the days. But that's the biggest difference between seniors and everyone else. When you're a senior, there is no next year. There is no chance for redemption. You can countdown all you want but it's never going to come. What happens your senior year you're stuck with for the rest of your life.
Sure, if you're a fan there's a good chance that you'll end up back at the Beanpot in the future. If you're a player, maybe you'll find yourself coaching a team in the Beanpot someday. But while we'll always be Terriers, we won't always be students, and when this year's tournament is over I can't help but imagine that the Beanpot will be just a little bit different for us.
Whether it's your first time or your last time being a part of the Beanpot, make sure you enjoy it. You only have four chances to be an integral part of one of the greatest traditions in all of sports. As a senior I can only hope that my own Beanpot career ends with a win, followed by a rowdy celebration at the Dugout.
Joe Rouse, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, is a weekly columnist for The Daily Free Press. He can be reached at jrouse@bu.edu.
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