Of all Boston's treasured sporting traditions, none is so definitively Boston as the Beanpot Hockey Tournament. On the first two Mondays in February, the four Division 1 rivals-Boston College, Boston University, Harvard University, and Northeastern University-face off to claim the coveted local championship. Beginning with a turnout of fewer than 500 fans for the first game at the Boston Garden, this time-honored intercollegiate competition has grown to legendary status and fondly celebrates its golden anniversary at the Fleet Center during 2002. In this richly illustrated retrospective, Bernard M. Corbett chronicles fifty years of fierce contests on ice. Nostalgically reviewing the tournaments of the preceding decades, he highlights unforgettable games, extraordinary team efforts, and stunning individual performances, including such marvels as the exclusive, ten year BC/Harvard rivalry, the spectator-stranding Blizzard of '78, Northeastern's twenty-eight year quest for the trophy, and BU's incredible decade of dominance. Not forgotten are the coaches-the driving force behind much of the excitement-nor the social aspects surrounding the games, where alumni across America gather for.