One of Tuck's longest standing traditions
Tuckies have played ice hockey since time
immemorial. In the early years when the Tuck School was
all-male, many players were glad to have
free time, given the heavy course load here. Those that qualified were members of an exclusive
organization, the Tuck Tycoons intramural team.
One alum wrote to us, saying:
"I am a T' 65. We had a team that
dominated the intramural league. Our roster included former
Division 2 & 3 college players and some strong ex-high school
players. The team existed before I entered Tuck in September
of 1963. It was a big winter thing and you had to 'make' the
team. There were 'try out' and 'cuts' which, I am sure, many
would find offensive today. I still have my game jersey (which
no longer fits), that bears the team name--Tuck U Tycoons--a vision
we all had and some achieved."
Another alum, who played against Tuck as a
Dartmouth undergrad in the mid-50s and for Tuck in the early '60s
wrote that:
"They were indeed known as the Tuck
Tycoons and they had the most recognized cheer on campus which
undoubtedly exists even today: Tuck U, Tuck U, Tuck U!"
(admittedly, this is a chant that has long since been forgotten)
This alum told us about a very interesting
piece of history:
"I was at Tuck during 1962 and 1963. There was
no organized hockey. However, like many dorms and fraternities
around campus, we had a 'rink' at Tuck. In those days
there was a small triangular lawn abutting the south side of the
Dinning Hall [currently Stell Hall] and Chase Hall [no longer a
dorm, now houses administrative offices]. In winter, we would shovel
a rink area in the snow on that lawn and then 'fill' the
rink using the fire hose in the basement adjacent to the stairwell.
In the 'cool' of evening, we would tie the hose to the
window grating located by the landing between floors with the nozzle
aimed at the rink. Since the nozzle was of the 'suicide'
variety--no shut off valve on the nozzle--should the hose break
loose we had to approach the hose station shielded by mattresses to
shut off the water to the hose which would wildly gyrate in the
basement hallway. Since I lived in the basement room near the
stairwell, the alternative was to climb out the window and go for a
beer, leaving for someone else the task of 'taming' the
hose. The scars are probably still on the basement
walls!). Nature took care of the rest. Games were usually of
the 'pickup' variety with players mostly from Tuck.
Skates were optional, depending on the rules of that particular
game."
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One of the greatest clubs on campus
From its very humble beginnings, Tuck Puck has evolved
to become a very
different organization. We
are now a coed organization, open to players of all skill
levels. In any given year, as many as 150 men and women
participate in our activities.
We currently play in various venues around
town. Thompson
Arena is our main facility. It is also home to
Dartmouth's
Hockey program.
Campion Rink is located near Sachem Village
and has hosted various Tuck Puck tournaments, intramural games, and
skating sessions. In the winter, Occum Pond (near the
Dartmouth Outing Club) freezes over and provides another great place
spot for Tuckies to enjoy hockey (of the "pond hockey"
variety). Ice time at Thompson and Campion is generally
scheduled later in the evening.
During the year, we divide our players into
different teams and levels. The Men's A-Team is our top
tier team. They are a traveling team that hosts tournaments
and competes at a high level with various business school teams
around the country, including: Wharton, Harvard, Michigan, Babson,
and Cornell.
Our Men's B-Team, is comprised of
various intermediate-level players that engage in various pickup
games against Vermont Law School, local teams, and intramural clubs.
Tuck's B Team is the current reigning 2000-2001 Dartmouth Intramural
Champion.
The Tuck Tripods comprise the majority
of players on campus. The term "Tripod" comes from
the notion that a new player has his two legs, AND his stick, to
keep him falling down on the ice. Tripod enrollment is large
enough to create four-five teams with two-three lines each.
Our Tripod players are generally new to the sport of ice
hockey. Clinics and practices are conducted by A Team players
in the early part of the year to help new players learn about the
game. Every Tripod receives a jersey with his or her
"nickname" on the back, a moniker that we find can follow
a player around for a very long time. The Tuck Hockey League (THL)
was created for Tripod teams to go head-to-head. Tuck's
Tripod teams have won the Wharton Chalice for the past two
consecutive years at Wharton's Annual Cheesesteak Tournament.
We also sponsor a yearly new and used-equipment sale
to help players acquire gear at bargain prices. Tuckies can
then sell their equipment back to the hockey program at the end of
their Tuck careers.
Our Women's Hockey program is also
very popular.
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