A new era begins

As expected, Nathan Gerbe left for the riches of the NHL yesterday, signing a 3-year deal with the Buffalo Sabres. We all knew that this day was coming and as I stated in an earlier post it truly was the right time for Nathan to leave. He does not leave the cupboard empty but those of us who enjoyed watching him play are a little disappointed that we don't get one more year of one of the most dynamic players in college hockey history.

In Gerbe's freshman year, Mrs. Pike and I went to Bowling Green and Michigan to watch BC in its opening two contests of the season. BC beat BGSU and lost a tight one to Michigan. At BG I was reading names on jerseys. Seeing the new Orpik (Andrew), the new Reasoner (Adam), the highly-touted Bradford and Motherwell, and the Little Guy. By that time, I already knew about Jerry York's ability to find quality in small packages and all I hoped was that he would be another hard working guy who would be fast and create some havoc. Against Michigan he had no points but had a goal and assist against BGSU (but they won that game 9-6, everyone had a goal and assist). You could see his speed and that he wasn't afraid to take or make hits. We loved him instantly.

The first time he made my jaw drop (and everyone else's) was in Milwaukee that same year. In the national Semi-finals against North Dakota (who else), he scored what would end up being the game-winning goal when he faked out two Dakota defenders and went in on Jordan Parise and put home BC's 6th goal of the night (another theme they seem to enjoy replicating against Dakota). The goal was on Sportscenter that night as one of the Top 10 Plays. It was his 11th goal of the season. Not a number that will blow you away but there was something about that move he made that made you think that York had found another very special player.

Gerbe's sophomore year was fantastic. He got lumped in as part of the superb sophomore trio with Ferriero and Bradford as they has 47, 46, and 45 points respectively, but his explosiveness made him stand out. Gerbe led the team with 25 goals and it seemed like he was everywhere. Playing with Ben Smith and Bradford on the front line, they were a force to be reckoned with down the stretch and carried BC to their second straight national title game. Gerbe often made jaw-dropping plays and he had become one of the most hated men in Hockey East. Other teams disliked his tendency to embellish penalties (I believe the word "diver" was used more than once) and much like Gionta before him, his tendency to play on the edge of the rules (the other word was "dirty"). But his ability to put the puck in the net, to out-race anyone to a loose puck, and to create scoring chances out of nothing made him a BC fan favorite and endeared him to his supporters.

Finally this year, he continued to elevate his play with the absence of Bradford. His penalty shot is now legendary and his play in the Frozen Four in 2008 will not soon be forgotten by college hockey fans. He took the team on his shoulders (small though they may be) and brought the national championship back to the Heights. It was a great season. Though his cold stretches kept him from winning the individual hardware (one writer said that he was so close in voting to winning the Hobey Baker Award that he "hit the post"), the team's success is what BC fans will always remember about Gerbe.

Now he takes his game to the next level. I hope that Buffalo watches some of these films and gives him a real shot to succeed. I also hope that next year when Buffalo plays New Jersey that Gerbe and Brian Gionta get a chance to sit down and chat about Boston College and about what they did for that school. Gerbe said he came to BC because of Brian Gionta. He leaves the same way Gionta did - hated by the opponents, loved by the fans, and best of all - a champion.

Good luck Nathan - I'll be there for your first game at the Garden.