Crabs on Ice

I'll spare you the sad saga of how/why I missed the 33rd annual Crabpot Tournament in Annapolis last weekend.  Suffice to say it involved a lot of ice that wasn't on the rink and snow that was plowed into mountain ranges and frozen into glaciers.  And that was only Prince George Street.  Faint hearted soul that I am, I wasn't about to venture across the Severn when I couldn't even get near downtown.  So I missed seeing the awarding of the trophy topped by a genuine Maryland crab pot with guilded hockey player adorning the lid.

(Not exactly the Heisman, but a coveted prize nonetheless.)

Since the Crabpot is such a classic I have to write about it because skating at the Academy was a special part of growing up in Annapolis when the boys were young.  Until two years ago, Navy Hockey (a club, not varsity, sport at the Academy) called Dahlgren Hall their home pond.  Dahlgren, a beautiful old Beaux Arts building with a hanger-like ceiling, was built in 1904 and was designed as an assembly hall.  It has a balcony that wraps around all four sides and a plane hanging from the ceiling.  This creates a stunning setting for formal affairs (like the Ring Dance,)  but not much gallery space to view the games.   Nonetheless, it was great fun to stick around after skating lessons and hang over the side to watch practices and the games. 

The Crabpot Tournament, founded in 1978, is our variation of Boston's famous "Beanpot."   The idea is to have four local schools compete for state bragging rights.  What the boys and I learned the first time we attended, back in the early '90's, is that the match between Navy and Maryland (who rarely cross paths in varsity sports) was guaranteed to be intense and hard fought. Something about the bad blood left over from the finger-flipping episode in the 60's (some people never forget) and the fact that the two schools are so close and so different gave that contest a particular edge.  I'll never forget the hooting and howling when Maryland edged Navy in the final minutes (and continued celebrating in town the rest of the night.)  Imagine our surprise when we saw Maryland's most aggresive forward treating his teammates to a few brews in our favorite restaurant.  Turned out he was a waiter there when not going to class or brandishing a stick.  The boys were suitably impressed that he could do that kind of hitting without landing in timeout.

 Navy didn't get to play Maryland this year, because the Terps lost in the first round.  Alas, Navy didn't win this year because they lost to Towson, 4-1 in the final.

Despite missing the nostalgic ambiance of Dahlgren Hall, the Mids hockey program has advanced significantly since their move to McMullen Arena in the Brigade Sports Complex.  Their new digs feature an Olympic size rink, which meets NCAA standards.  This will enable them to elevate hockey to varsity status in a few years.

(Navy was named the host school for the 2009 Men's Frozen Four at the Verizon Center, further validation they are ready to take the next step.)

Since the Crabpot was the last home game of the season, it looks like I'll have to wait until next year to see the beautiful new facility.  Hopefully by then, the only ice in Annapolis will be near a Zamboni.