The Beanpot Tradition: Then, Now, & Forever

In 1953, the college hockey world was very different. Four teams competed for the national championship, three of which came out of conferences that no longer exist. The fourth team was an independent, a Boston University team without a league affiliation. Less than 10,000 people attended the tournament, won by Michigan for the third consecutive year.

The city of Boston, meanwhile, had already crowned a champion of sorts. A couple of days after Christmas in late 1952, the Boston Arena played host to an official tournament for all four major college hockey programs. Dubbed "The Beanpot," Bill and Bob Cleary helped Harvard defeat Boston University to win the time filler at the old barn on St. Botolph Street.

65 years later, the Beanpot is now one of Boston's most hallowed traditions. In a college hockey universe defined by larger leagues and a more structured approach to the game, it harkens back to an older time before national television contracts and conference realignment. Just as the Bruins, Canadiens, Maple Leafs, Rangers, Blackhawks, and Red Wings hold distinction in the NHL as the "Original Six," Boston College, Boston University, Harvard, and Northeastern claim their own longtime heritage as "Beanpot Schools."

"It's a special night for the four schools to play," BC head coach Jerry York said. "We talk about Super Bowls, and the Super Bowl (was) on Sunday in Houston. But this is our Super Bowl. Fans in this area historically have come out time and time on a couple of Monday nights in February. They're coming to watch four schools of our tradition play for that gray, shiny silver beanpot."

What makes the Beanpot so special is its link to the history of the game. It's a source of local pride, the same parochial pride that always seems to come up when talking about Massachusetts. Local kids grow up idolizing neighborhood hockey players who went to those schools, same as their fathers did.

The game itself is different. The development of youth hockey's structure means kids aren't growing up playing as their heroes in the streets or emulating teams on frozen ponds; they're playing youth hockey on travel teams at local rinks. But they all grow up playing each other, and every year, the Beanpot is about renewing the age-old rivalries that grew up on those teams with them - whether friendly or adversarial.

That element is a time-honored tradition in a sport where time-honored traditions are considered holy. College hockey's growth and realignment makes this tournament much more different than before. The changing tides and increased parity in the game means detractors can now point to other tournaments and teams as being more competitive type matchups. That's similar to how the NHL's grown well beyond its Original Six, with more modern powerhouses in non-traditional hockey markets.

But like the NHL, the Beanpot's incorporated that element of the game into its tradition. What was once wholly territorial to Massachusetts is now bringing other people into its mix. As the sport's gone worldwide, players from non-traditional hockey markets are now getting a taste of the game's roots at it most divine places. For Boston College, a roster with players from California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Maryland, Texas, and even Finland are now finding themselves part of the Boston hockey fabric.

"You're seeing a lot more players - the Californians, the Floridians, the Arizonans, and the Texans - who are saying, 'Hey I like playing hockey,'" York said. "That's what brought so many more people (to the game). We're getting more players from areas that historically wouldn't produce any hockey players."

In the process, the Beanpot's started to transform. Instead of becoming obsolete in the growing hockey universe, it's become even more important. People from everywhere now have a chance to embrace and enjoy a culture that's wholly Massachusetts and Boston. No other area in no other sport can enjoy the Beanpot the way people in Boston can. To watch or play in the Beanpot in Boston is to be the purity of a tradition predating an entire half-century. It's enriched Boston's roots because Boston has now become worldwide.

This year, the greatest rivalry in college hockey - Boston College and Boston University - will play an extra game against one another in the first round of the Beanpot on Monday. It's a celebration that is quintessentially Boston, and there's no better way to have it.

The Beanpot Tradition: Then, Now, & Forever

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