Lindy Ruff didn't have too many choices while growing up in tiny Warburg, Alberta. He once

pitched for a Triple-A baseball scout when he was 16 years old and was told he might have a

future on the mound. He ditched that idea when it became evident it meant giving up hockey.

Ruff was set on playing major junior hockey, a goal still ingrained in many Canadian kids

looking for a ticket out of small towns en route to a greater life. You might say it worked

out for Ruff. He played in the Western Hockey League, was drafted by the Sabres, had a good

career and became a coach.

Give him the opportunities that top American players are getting these days, and it's a no-

brainer. Ruff takes an entirely different route. He accepts a Division I scholarship and the

free education. If hockey doesn't work out, he has plenty of options.

"In my job, I see more guys not make it than make it," Ruff said by telephone Tuesday from

South Florida. "You can troll in the minors and make a pretty good living now, but it's hard.

If you're a good player, you can get an education. If you're in that middle class and can play

Division I, you have a chance for an education and a chance to play hockey. You're doubling

your chances [for success] in my eyes."

Translation: Take the scholarship. If you're good enough, the NHL will find you. If not, you

have a degree.

A recent study making the rounds of the American College Hockey Coaches Association shows

there are 111 U.S.-born players who have forgone the college route and are playing in one of

three major junior leagues in Canada. It includes a 14 percent jump over last year in the

Ontario Hockey League alone.

NCAA rules prohibit major junior players from getting college scholarships because they're

paid to play. Most make peanuts, but technically they're pros. It means they're ineligible at

the college level, and there's no turning back.

Apparently, major junior programs in Canada have grown more aggressive in recruiting kids,

selling the dream and offering loose promises of money on the side for education, while the

United States has lagged behind. The result is too many good U.S. players aren't making it to

the NHL or getting a college education. How does that make sense?

Sorry, but when 200 players are selected in the NHL draft every year and only about 40 on

average ever play a shift at that level, players need to understand the long odds against

them. I'm not suggesting kids should quit on their dreams, not by any means, but they'd better

have a backup plan.

Yes, there are exceptions to every rule and reasons for choosing major junior. Some kids

can't meet NCAA academic requirements. Some want to play more than the 34 games, plus

playoffs, allowed at the Division I level. Some are overlooked as teens and jump on an

opportunity to play against the best 20-under players and advance their careers.

Patrick Kane took the major junior route and was the first pick overall. Tim Connolly left

home for the Erie Otters and was taken fifth. Patrick Kaleta signed with Peterborough partly

because he thought his hard-hitting style was better suited for the OHL than the NCAA. Sanborn

native Thomas McCollum, barely on the radar in local youth-hockey circles, evolved into a

first-round pick after a tryout with Guelph.

For them, it was a risk worth taking. For many others, it's an opportunity lost.

"I've been on both sides," said Niagara coach Dave Burkholder, previously with the Niagara

Falls Thunder. "There are millionaires who are fast-tracked [to the NHL]. It doesn't matter

which way they go. And there's a lot of other guys hoping for the lottery. Looking at the long

haul in life, there's no question that school is the right way to go."