Crimson ties

Getting a degree is one of the benefits of kids picking college hockey over major juniors. Provided they fulfill their educational obligations, college gives them something to fall back upon should their hockey careers fall short of expectations.

Just ask Noah Welch, a rookie defenseman for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. After being picked in the second round, and 54th overall, by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, Welch continued his studies and graduated from Harvard University.

That diploma sounds like a pretty good Plan B, or Harvard Business School model, to me.