The Catamount Tribune presented by Redstone Apartments and Lofts is an avenue for UVM student-athletes, coaches, staff, alumni, and fans to tell unique stories in their own words. This edition of the Catamount Tribune is written by Robert Rosenthal '70, who was a member of the men's hockey team from 1967-70. He wrote about his experience playing for former coach Jim Cross, who passed away on Saturday, May 2 at the age of 87. Interested in sharing your story for the Catamount Tribune? Please click here.
Pictured above (from right to left) - Head Coach Jim Cross, George Kreiner, Sam Simmonds, Jim Yeates, George Minarsky, Robert Rosenthal, and Dick Mullaney (partially visible)
I first met Jim in the fall of 1966. I was an eager, shy and unsure of myself freshman. I don't even think I had started shaving yet and certainly had a year or two of growth ahead of me. I grew up on Long Island when there were few rinks and hockey was not on many people's radar, unless you played on roller skates. I mean the kind you strapped to your shoe and used a skate key to tighten around the sole. Sneakers did not work. You need a lip like leather shoes had. Those skates are antiques now if you can find them.
I had played on ice when ponds blessedly froze, all day and all night sometimes. I had skated in rinks less than 20 times. I practiced shooting by polishing a plywood board and putting pucks on it, shooting over and over again at a cement handball wall. So, when I arrived at UVM the only thing I really could do was shoot a bit and run into other players. I could barely skate.
I shouldn't have made the freshmen hockey team but Jim Cross did not let the freshmen coach cut me. The freshmen coach was probably right. I could barely skate and he was afraid I would get hurt. The first day of practice George Kreiner almost separated my head from my body with a crunching mid-ice check. I learned fast. Kreiner never hit me like that again.
Playing UVM hockey for four years changed and saved my life. It changed my life because being on the UVM hockey team gave me a reason to stay in school. I was part of the first championship team, class of 70.
I learned a great deal from Jim who became a lifelong friend.
But first how did it save my life? Without hockey I would have dropped out, or flunked out of UVM. I had no idea at that point what I wanted to do with my life. I would have ended up in Vietnam. And I was fairly nutso and not worried about risk and I can see the rest....
How did Jim change my life? By teaching, and like many others who played for Jim, I never knew that I was being taught. And that is the mark of a great mentor, coach or teacher. He taught me that every member of every team or group has value. He taught me how hard work can overcome more talented, and certainly more arrogant teams. He taught me that leaders make tough painful choices, choices that should be made on what is best for the group or the organization, not always what is best for one individual. And he taught me about friendship and honesty.
I did not always get along with Jim. I wanted to play more, I wanted to prove myself. Winning and overcoming adversity showed me he was right.
I still dream about Jim and hockey.
The day Jim passed I had a hockey dream. It was me and a defenseman closing on a puck along the boards. With a burst of speed and a twist of my body I slipped the check, got the puck and had open ice ahead of me.
And then I woke up, startled.
I think Jim saw that and was as surprised and happy as me.
Be safe Jim and travel on. Thank you for all you did for me and so many others, and thank you for six decades of memories, many of them about the joys of youth and playing a game so many of us loved.
Rosey
