This weekend marks an emotional moment of deep reflection for DU hockey broadcaster Jay Stickney. Yale hockey is coming to Denver and Stickney will be calling a game of what ‘might have been’ when Yale plays the Denver Pioneers. Stickney went to the University of Colorado, forsaking his self-described ‘safety school,’ Yale.
“I had my pick of the ivies, but Yale caught my fancy,” said Stickney to LetsGoDU. “I’ll never forget the day I got the letter from Yale* (he was waitlisted). Ironically, that same day I ran into Barry Fey, a big-time local concert promoter, and he said he would hold a future slot open for me at Feyline Productions – So, I decided to stay local and go to CU.”
“Fast forward four years, I went back to see Barry – ‘He said Jay? I don’t know a Jay Stickney!’ I was immediately escorted out of the office building – that’s when it all began.”
So, that led you to become the lead play-by-play man for DU hockey?
“No, it ignited my career in live entertainment. Never far from the bright lights, I was in advertising and media. I moonlighted as a mic man at Sid King’s Wild Horse Bar on Colfax. That was my launching pad to become the voice of DU hockey.”
In a brief reflective moment, Stickney added, “I often wonder what it would have been like to be an Eli. What the hell is an Eli, anyway?”
Stickney gazed out a nearby window, “the memories will come flooding back when I see Yale in their blue and white sweaters.” His eyes welled up.
You mean what might have been if you had gone to Yale?
“No. What would it have been like if I bought out Sid King.”
*Yale Admissions could neither confirm nor deny an offer to the 22-year-old Colorado high school senior with a 2.3 GPA.
While an undergrad at DU, Sid Kings was the place to go!
Dunker here. My first strip joint was Sid King’s. It was actually a high end place. DU kids knew how to behave themselves thus we were easily admitted with fake ID. ( and Sid knew we would spend Money. They did not water down their drinks)I got in as a freshman. Sid’s son became a famous children’s dentist in NYC.
Dunker once stayed at Fey’s house for two weeks one summer. Helping a friend house sit. Beautiful home 5 minutes from Cherry Creek. ( name of area slips my mind. Slightly southwest of Cherry Creek). One day one of us tripped on a rug on a hardwood floor. While straightening the rug, we noticed a trap door on the floor. Curious but nervous, we opened the trap door. Guess what we discovered. No cash which we wouldn’t have touched. Oh to be young again.
Eliuh Yale was a large donator to Yale. Thus Eli Yale. Also known as the Bulldogs.
All of these things made Jay the man that he is today. Rejecting his safety school created a butterfly effect that brought him to us at DU.
Sid King’s: “The perfect place to bring your wife or girlfriend”. Great slogan!