Every other year or so, I see an article in The Post ("Hockey wins games and fans, Sept. 24) on the hockey team and it brings back great memories. I was General Manager of the team from 1990 to 1993 and was always appreciative of any support the team could get. Whether it be in the form of the Friday preview to the Monday review.

I grew up in Athens and it was always my dream to run the team. To do it for three years was an honor and a great learning experience. Fortunately, that experience led to a five-year tenure in the American Hockey League and National Hockey League offices of the Adirondack Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks.

I would love to share some stories of how far OU Hockey has come in the last 20 years. My best memories are from the late 70's early 80's when I was a serious rink rat and would collect autographs of the players as if they were NHL superstars. Hey, to a kid growing up in Athens in a ESPN-less era, they were. Before the nice Plexiglas, there was chain link fence. Stroh's would sponsor dime-a-beer nights and when the inevitable fights would break out, the OU fans would throw beers in the opponents faces, or better yet, grab their jerseys through the fence and hold them while OU legends would pummel them.

I look forward to reading articles this season...keep up the great work and thank you.

Mark Crouse
bobcats@famvid.com