Hobey Baker was a flawless example of that extremely rare human breed – the natural athlete – and to a superlative degree possessed what might be called the four requisites of that unusual species: physique, coordination, toughness, and determination. So striking was his divergence from the normal college boy that he could be called in the biological or genetic sense a “sport.”

Forty-five years – almost half a century! – yet the remembrance of him is redolent enough to summon up the sight of the crowd getting to its feet and screaming “Here he comes!” as he took the puck from behind his net and started up the ice, gathering speed until finally his skates seemed a streak of chain lightning and the Greek-god blondness of him almost a blur, making hearts leap up.

A century ago, the University was at a turning point

Real life and the Hobey Code