Beanpot Originals

A recent Boston Globe article describes the annual reunion of four men who played in the first Beanpot ice hockey tournament, which started on December 26, 1952. The next night, Harvard overcame Boston University, 7-4, to bag the first championship. As always, the participants were Harvard, Northeastern, Boston College, and Boston University. At that time, the players thought they were playing in the “New England Hockey Invitational”; it was several years before the “Beanpot” name took hold.

For about a decade, the four Beanpot pioneers—from Northeastern, Harvard, and BU—have met for lunch, usually in the Framingham area, about a week or so before the tourney. Walter Greeley ’53, LL.B. ’60, represents Harvard in the octogenarian group; former Boston Red Sox manager Joe Morgan represents Boston College. (The former BC hockey star didn’t play in the first Beanpot, but did play in succeeding tourneys.)

This year’s Beanpot tournament begins February 3, with the men’s semifinals commencing at 5 P.M. (Northeastern versus Harvard) and 8 P.M (Boston University versus Boston College). A week later on February 10, the men’s consolation game begins at 4:30 P.M. and the championship contest starts at 8 P.M.  All games will be played at TD Garden in Boston. The women’s Beanpot follows the same times and team matchups, but one day later, on February 4 and February 11, with one exception: their consolation game starts at 5 P.M. Women’s games take place at Kelley Rink at Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.