Edward James 'Eddie' Rowe was a Canadian ice hockey
center
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*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
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** Center (ring theory)
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who was a two-time
All-American for
Clarkson and led the team in scoring during its undefeated season in
1955–56.
Career
Rowe was a star player for his junior team in
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
, helping the team win both the city and regional championship in 1953 while collecting both the scoring title and MVP trophy. After the season he began attending
Clarkson College of Technology
Clarkson University is a private research university with its main campus in Potsdam, New York, and additional graduate program and research facilities in the New York Capital Region and Beacon, New York. It was founded in 1896 and has an enro ...
in nearby
Potsdam, New York
Potsdam ( moh, Tsi tewate’nehtararénies) is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The town population was 14,901 at the 2020 census. The ZIP Code is 13676. When SUNY Potsdam and Clarkson University are in session, the popul ...
and spent a year on the freshman team. He joined the varsity squad in his second year and instantly provided a scoring punch, leading the team with 29 goals just 21 games.
In his junior season Rowe became the focal point of the offense and the team ran roughshod over their opponents. Rowe finished with 65 points in 23 games to lead the NCAA in scoring but it was Clarkson's 23–0 record that was really astounding.
The Golden Knights finished the first recognized undefeated season in
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
history (other teams had undefeated records but played fewer than 10 games) and were offered a bid to the
1956 NCAA Tournament. There was, however, a problem; eight members of the team were 4-year varsity players and NCAA regulations at the time limited players to 3 years of varsity play. For Clarkson to accept those eight players wouldn't be allowed to participate. Head coach
Bill Harrison left it up to the team to decide what they wanted to do and the players unanimously decided that if some of them couldn't play none of them would play.
Even without a tournament appearance Rowe was named as an
AHCA First Team All-American.
Rowe was named
team captain
In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In eithe ...
for his senior season and while the Golden Knights winning streak ended at 25, they did finish the regular season with an 18–2 record. Despite not winning their conference Clarkson was offered a bid to the NCAA Tournament again and without any 4-year players they were able to make their first appearance in the national tournament. In the semifinal against
Colorado College
Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell in his daughter's memory. The college enrolls approximately 2,000 undergraduates at its campus. The college offer ...
Rowe assisted on the game's opening goal but the Tigers were by far the better team. Clarkson was outshot 60 to 21 in the game but a superhuman effort from goaltender
Eddie MacDonald
Edward MacDonald (born July 7, 1980) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He most recently competed part-time in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in 2018 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, 2018, a series which he competed in for over a deca ...
kept the score close. After losing 3–5 Clarkson met Harvard in the consolation game and the two teams fought a tough, defensive battle. Either side could only manage a single goal in regulation and the game required overtime to finish. Both goalies remained stout in the first extra frame and the match became the first NCAA contest to require a fifth period. At the 6:51 mark Rowe fired home the final goal of his college career, allowing Clarkson to finish 3rd in the tournament.
While Rowe's playing career ended upon his graduation, he continued in the game as an executive. Rowe earned a degree in
mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, and ...
and worked for
General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...
for many years. After he settled in
Peterborough
Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...
, Rowe worked in the
Petes
Pete or Petes or ''variation'', may refer to:
People
* Pete (given name)
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* Pete (Disney), a cartoon character in the ''Mickey Mouse'' universe
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organization for 24 years, serving as both president and governor during that time. He was inducted into the Cornwall, Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1982 and was an inaugural member of the Clarkson University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992.
Personal
Rowe was diagnosed with
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...
in 2003 and succumbed to the condition in 2010.
Statistics
Regular season and playoffs
Awards and honors
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rowe, Ed
Year of birth missing
2010 deaths
Deaths from Alzheimer's disease
Neurological disease deaths in Canada
Canadian ice hockey centres
Clarkson Golden Knights men's ice hockey players
Ice hockey people from Ontario
Sportspeople from Cornwall, Ontario
AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans