Huge Specimen

A few things you've never heard about hockey star Hugh Jessiman '06, the No. I pick of the New York Rangers.

HE DOESN'T MIND THE NICKNAME

"I think it's kind of funny actually, not bad at all," says the easygoing Jessiman of being dubbed "Huge Specimen." The name's origin? "Lee Stempniak '05 made it up in the locker room last year." Linemate Stempniak was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the fifth round of the draft, going later perhaps because he is only a moderate specimen, at 6 feet and 190 pounds. Jessiman, at 6 feet 5 inches and 220 pounds, has yet to counter with a nickname for Stempniak. "We just call him 'Stemper,'" he says.

HE NEVER NEEDED A CAMPUS TOUR

Dartmouth runs in the family. Jessiman's father, mother, grandfather, great- grandfather and a couple of aunts and uncles went to Dartmouth. "When I got here, I kind of already knew my way around," he says.

HE LEADS THE TEAM IN BROKEN STICKS

Jessiman uses an Easton Synergy, the same super-light Kevlar-and-carbonfiber hockey stick favored by players in the NHL. "I don't know what it is," says Jessiman, a little sheepishly. "The sticks just wear out on me. After a game, the blades are all floppy. The coach gives me a hard time about it, since they cost about $150 each."

HE WAS NEVER SUPPOSED TO BE THIS GOOD

A year ago scouts ranked Jessiman as the 44th best draft pick. The year before that he wasn't even on their radar screens. He grew up in Darien, Connecticut—as a Rangers fan—and went to nearby Brunswick prep school. "It's not really a serious hockey school," he says. "They don't even send that many players to play in. college." Then he came to Dartmouth. "I was labeled an 'Ivy Leaguer,' which isn't necessarily a positive thing in hockey," says Jessiman. Then he got huge. And he started scoring.

HE WEARS THE SAME SHIRT ALL SEASON LONG

"It's just a plain gray T-shirt I feel lucky in. I cut off the collar, so it has a really wide neck. It's just really soft and nice." And kept clean. "I wash it—absolutely -after every game," insists the Specimen.