Pictures with Andy (1992)

Regardless of if it’s Christmas, a birthday, or any other time of the year; the true gifts in life are the people you have in yours. I am really lucky to have my friend Andy in mine. It’s hard to believe we have known each other for (ugh) over 20 years, but math doesn’t lie. Pictures don’t lie, either. We may look a lot younger in these shots, but the smiles and having fun hasn’t changed one bit (The tightness of the jeans and curve of the hat’s brim have been altered since).

Of course, Andy and I have shared more serious moments too. There was the time in college he bailed me out of a drunken beat-down and went back on the T to Harvard wearing a t-shirt stained with my blood. There were visits to the hospital and talking about our traumatic experiences with each other. And there were even times we did or said things that upset one another. But now, we look back and laugh at all of it.

Even though I only get to see Andy once or twice a year, our connection and friendship remains strong and picks up right where it left off. Looking forward to spending some time with him and his family tonight!

(L-R: brother Jon, me, Andy, cousin Matt, brother Tom)

Frozen Fenway Ticket (1/8/10)

Even though BC lost this game, I still had a great time going with my father, brother, and nephews. And even though I love college hockey and this rivalry, I want to write about something that is far more important…

On Sunday, a BU hockey star was arrested for sexual assault. Anytime I see a story like this I get angry, frustrated, and sad. I’m angry at the scumbag who did it, frustrated because I feel helpless to do anything, and sad for the victim. Although I give credit to coach Parker for kicking Trivino off the team right away, it wasn’t until today’s Globe article that I saw any mention of the victim.

Then I found out that a UVM fraternity was suspended after they asked members “If you could rape someone, who would it be?” in a survey. I really don’t know what to think. Whenever I don’t understand something, I try to put myself in the other person’s place. Do these douche bags not have mothers, sisters, cousins, and female friends that they love? I do, and I know if anyone ever assaulted any of them I would probably end up in jail after retaliating.

If these two stories aren’t bad enough, how about a rape victim being imprisoned for having sex outside of marriage and being let out of prison only if she marries the man who raped her:

The US statistics make me sick, too: Almost 1 in 5 women say they have been sexually assaulted (compared to 1 in 71 men). Like a lot of things, I think making an improvement starts at the home and can be reinforced by education. If you live in a home where women are respected and loved, I think you will be more likely do the same when you go out into the world. If students are taught about “appropriate touching”, boundaries, and that no gender is superior to the other; I think they are less likely to think they can do whatever they want to another person’s body.

I really wish I had the answers, but I don’t. I just hope this post makes at least one person more aware of what a problem sexual assault is worldwide. Even 1 in 71 is bad enough.

#3 Boston College vs. #20 Providence College Hockey Tickets (12/6/11)

Looking forward to watching this game with my older brother and nephew. I discussed the pregame meal with my nephew and his reply was, “I don’t care, as long as we eat somewhere.” I like that attitude. Go Eagles!

BC BU Ticket (12/2/11)

Many times in life, things happen when you need them to. As I got closer to the end of this daily scan blog, I wondered how many people were actually reading it. Was there anyone outside of my family and friends? Then tonight before the hockey game (that I do NOT want to write about) started, a BC student walked over to me. “Are you from My Life Scanned?” he asked. He told me he found it by doing some random internet search for “Boston College”, and had read some of my BC-related posts. He lives in an apartment that's right near where I got hit by a Ford Bronco. It friggin’ made my night, and reminded me of why I blog and do things like speak for 15-40.org: If I can connect with at least one person, I’ve succeeded. Thanks for coming up to me, dude. Bounce back tomorrow, Eagles.

Picture of Me and Scott at B’s/Islanders (3/14/09)

I really love sports. I have my whole life, and will never stop. I’ve been rooting for the B’s, Sox, and Pats since I can remember, and BC since I was accepted there my senior year in high school. Although recently these teams have been very successful (9 championships in the last 10 years), it wasn’t always like that.

When I was young, the Celtics were the only team that won anything. The B’s would lose to the Habs every year in the playoffs, and the times they managed to make it past Montreal, they lost to Edmonton and Pittsburg superteams. The Sox invented new ways to lose each year, and even better ways of choking in the playoffs. They even set an MLB record for most consecutive playoff losses. We were lucky if the Pats even made it to the playoffs, and the year they made it to the Superbowl was an embarrassment. While I was at Boston College, the football team did well and made their usual bowl game but the hockey team struggled (the only highlight was their 1994 Beanpot victory).

This year, I’ve been reminded what it felt like to root for Boston teams when I was younger. The Sox season exploded with two walk-off games that ended within minutes of each other. And last night, Boston College lost to a couple of their biggest rivals (86-64 to Holy Cross in basketball and a 3-2 overtime loss to Notre Dame in hockey with 1.1 seconds left). Ouch.

But, at least I don’t root for the Islanders. My friend Scott, a lifelong fan of The Isle, became a fan of them when he was a kid. He enjoyed their 4 consecutive Stanley Cup Championships, but has been paying the price ever since. But even though the Islanders haven’t produced lately, Scott is a great sport about it and is one of my favorite people to talk hockey with. He understands the game, loves the game, and I’m sure he’ll proudly be wearing one of his 10 Islanders jerseys tonight – just like he did in their 2-1 loss to the B’s when this picture was taken. Go B’s!

BC UVM Hockey Ticket (11/13/10)

Even though the BC Hockey team got dominated by BU yesterday 5-0, I am not worried. Just about a year ago (see 11/13/10 blog), I went up to UVM and watched the Catamounts beat the Eagles in another early season upset. It wasn’t easy to watch, but it made my younger brother (UVM ’99) very happy.

I have full confidence that Coach York will help the BC boys bounce back and have another successful season and Frozen Four run. Boston College may have lost their #1 ranking, but there’s a lot of hockey left to play. GO BC!

Chris Nilan Card, Pictures from Bruins vs. Habs and Newspaper Article (3/31/91)

(all pictures by Paul F. McGrath)

I thought with tonight being the first B’s/Habs game of the season, it would be appropriate to write about someone who played on both teams…

My friend Tim sent me a bunch of hockey cards a while back, and he handpicked which ones he thought I would like. Tim knew I was a fan of the enforcers, and Chris “Knuckles” Nilan certain fell into this category. Although hated while he was on the Habs (and responsible for an extra piece of glass being added to the Garden to divide visiting players from the B’s bench), I was glad to see a Boston-bred tough guy on the B’s.

On my 17^th birthday, I watched Knuckles make NHL history. My dad took me to the B’s-Whalers game, and “Nilan was penalized a record ten penalties; six minors, two majors, one misconduct and one game misconduct, for a total of 42 penalty minutes.” (from Wikipedia).

I hung out with my friend Mike before the game, and thanks to my dad capturing many McGrath Moments on film; I have this picture of Mike with me sporting my sweet mullet (not to mention our almost straight across hat brims). He also got pictures of Nilan fighting Jim McKenzie, sitting in the penalty box, and being kicked out of the game. And, of course, my father took a picture of the post game scoreboard – complete with #30’s remaining penalty minutes (I think my dad takes a picture of the scoreboard no matter what the outcome, while I usually only take one if the B’s win).

It was definitely a game I’ll never forget, and I have Nilan to thank for most of that!

My father also keeps the newspaper articles to most of the games he takes pictures of, and this one was no different. Kinda gives you an idea why I have all of these things to scan and blog about, eh?

Even though the B’s lost their first game to Montreal tonight, I still love this rivalry. Like Nilan, there still is at least one Canadiens player I wouldn’t mind seeing in black and gold. Looking forward to payback on Saturday night!

Hockey Girl Poem Journal Entry (4/7/11, 10:57PM)

Wrote this one right before the playoffs started last season. Hope the B’s are ready to get serious like I am seriously getting ready to publish another book. Glad hockey is back…

Hockey Girl,

I long for you

And your late 3^rd period

Nails

Digging in my leg

Counting down

A one goal close lead,

Just like a goal

Predicted seconds before.

Worcester Sharks Opening Night Celebration Invite and Ticket

Like I wrote for the AHL All-Star Program and Ticket, the Worcester Sharks were the first organization in the community that I contacted to try and make a connection with when I started at Hope Lodge. I was put in touch with Mike Myers, and he immediately told me Hope Lodge could get free tickets to any game we wanted. Awesome.

The Sharks also helped out when Mike designed a pink goalie mask for Thomas Greiss to wear for the month of October. It was auctioned off at $5000, with all money going to Hope Lodge.

A couple of months later, we had a 17-year-old guest staying at Hope Lodge. He wanted to go to a Sharks game, but they didn’t have any home games scheduled for when he was here. So, Mike Myers and Sharks player Riley Armstrong came to visit him at Hope Lodge. It was great, and you can read that whole story here.

I wondered if Hope Lodge would still get free tickets when the AHL All-Star game came to Worcester two years ago, and we did. I think the highlight for me was watching former BC Eagle Cory Schneider setting a record by making 18 saves on 19 shots in the All-Star Skills competition.

Not surprisingly, the Sharks helped Hope Lodge with Skating for Hope. Finz made two appearances, and the Sharks provided games and prizes to keep the event going.

Tonight, they continued their generous donations by giving me an invite to the 2011-2012 opening night pre-game celebration and tickets to the game. I took my friend Patrick, and we each got a goodie bag with a Sharks pennant, schedule magnet, and t-shirt. There was also free food and dessert, and Fins was walking around greeting everyone. The only thing we had to pay for was drinks; and the $4.00 sodas seemed pricy even after getting everything else for free.

The game had just about everything I could ask for: A lot of goals, fights, and 4 former BC players (Benn Ferriero, Nick Petrecki, Stephen Gionta, Peter Harrold). The Sharks beat the Albany Devils 6-1, and after I beat Patrick 10-2 in his first game of PS3 NHL12 Hockey. Thanks again, Sharks!

Bruins Opening Night Ticket

Last year, I wore my homemade Bruins “I B-elieve” t-shirt to the home opener and I wrote that I believed the B’s would win The Cup. Holy shit, I was right. NESN even published my story during the playoffs. This year, I believe even more…

The Boston Bruins are a team. They stay together, stick up for each other, and play hard no matter what (do NOT see also, 2011 Red Sox). They did it last year, so they know exactly what it takes to bring a title home. They may have not have Recchi, Savard, or Ryder anymore, but they still have most of the players who have their name on The Cup.

Even though tonight will be the last time we can really celebrate the 2011 Champs, the B’s have The Cup until someone successfully takes it away from them during the playoffs.

Last season and this summer were awesome, unbelievable, and dream-like; but tonight and the months ahead are reality. You know what it takes, so just do it again. Stick together B’s; stay healthy, and stay hungry. I hope you’re not satisfied with just one title…

GO B’S!!!!!!!

PS- I paid A LOT more than $25 for this ticket!

Skating for Hope Checks ($13, 740.34)

So, I forgot about the fees that www.myevent.com charged for each donation, so the total is a little less than what I thought. (Maybe next year, ACS will give me a website?) Still, I was very happy when I gave these checks to the Hope Lodge manager. Thanks again to everyone who helped make the first event such a success!

Miracle DVD

Yes, I do.

And in case you didn’t hear, we’ll be having a midnight showing (with a sound system and projector) of this movie at Skating for Hope at midnight!

Puck You, Look at Some of My Puckin' Collection...

Tonight was the last Skating for Hope committee meeting before things kick off Saturday morning. I tried to concentrate as much as I could, but I really have been getting stressed, excited, pumped, and worried all at once these past few days. I know it’s the first year of Skating for Hope, but I want it to go well enough so people will want to come back next year. I know it won’t be perfect and will be a learning experience, but it’s hard to tell that to yourself when it seems like you have 94 thoughts in your head all at once. Once I get going on Saturday, I’m hoping the stress will slowly leave. I know once I feel the puck on my stick for the first game, I should be A-O-K.

Some notes on these pucks:

I think the Celebrity Hat Trick puck was a stocking stuffer one Christmas.

I ran down the aisle at warm-ups of a Hockey East championship game one year, and grabbed the HE puck…I think we may use this one on Saturday.

Info on the 2005 Hockey Hall of Fame inductees is here.

Here’s my blog about the “Gahden’s” Last Hurrah.

On October 21^st, 2007, the Worcester Sharks had a “Pink at the Rink” game, and I got to drop this puck for the ceremonial face-off (those guys just look a little bigger than me!). In addition to this game, their goalie wore a pink mask for all of October that was auctioned off for a $5000 donation to Hope Lodge.

The Boston College Hockey was the first of my favorite teams to win a championship, when they did in OT on April 7, 2001.

In case you didn’t know, I love the Boston Bruins and they won The Cup this year.

The Tournament DVD

I owe my parents so much that no amount of words I can write will ever measure up to it. They have supported me through diseases (both unchosen and brought upon myself), provided me with an education, and shown me what it means to love someone unconditionally.

On top of everything immeasurable, they’re always introducing me to things that they know I’ll love. They told me about Trailer Park Boys, and that became one of my favorite all-time TV shows (see Rickyisms if you haven’t already). And one year, they gave me The Tournament DVD. It’s a mockumentary about crazy pee-wee hockey parents, and it’s hilarious. If you like hockey and the Christopher Guest movies (Spinal Tap, Best in Show, etc.), you should definitely put this one on your Netflix list.

Thanks for everything, Mom and Dad!

Slap Shot DVD

Sorry to brag, but I got paid to watch Slap Shot tonight. I watched it with three Hope Lodge guests, and two of them had never seen it before. Luckily, no one in the group was offended by the language and humor of this movie – the best hockey film ever made, in case you didn’t know. I pointed out Paul D’Amato to them, and told them how he was from Worcester and donated a raffle prize to Skating for Hope. There was a lot of laughter in the Hope Lodge basement tonight…take that, cancer.

For more about Slap Shot, you can check out the trivia, goofs, and quotes from the movie as listed on www.imdb.com.

“I’m listening to the F’N song!”

Do You Believe in Miracles? DVD

Welcome to my week of inspiration through hockey in the movies…

When I was walking down the stairs to start my shift at Hope Lodge tonight, I could feel the stress of wanting every last detail of Skating for Hope to be already taken care of. Then, I thought of the reason I wanted to do the whole thing – all of the Hope Lodge guests past and present. I thought of the challenges they have to put up with on a daily basis, and how any worries I have about the skate-a-thon really don’t compare to the stress of dealing with cancer. I thought of those guests who have lost their battles with cancer. My stress of planning the event soon passed, and I was reminded that my initial goal for Skating for Hope was only that I skate 24 hours for Hope Lodge. That’s already happening, and now I have a lot of other people supporting the event along with me.

Even with the inspiration from Hope Lodge guests and support from everyone, I think during the nights this week I will be looking for more inspiration from my collection of hockey movies. First up tonight is the documentary (yes, I’m a documentary dork) about the 1980 US Olympic Hockey Team titled Do You Believe in Miracles?. Although I don’t remember specifics of watching the games that year, I do remember running around with my older brother Jon and singing “We are the Champions” over and over (something I wouldn’t do again until BC Hockey won a national title in 2001). It was a big year for me…US won Olympic hockey gold, and The Empire Strikes Back came out. Off to get inspired by some college kids who beat the best hockey team in the world…

Do I believe in miracles? Yes!

AHL All-Star Skills Competition Program and Game Ticket (1/25/09, 1/26/09)

When I started working at Hope Lodge 4 years ago, the Worcester Sharks were the first organization in the community that I contacted to try and make a connection with. I was put in touch with Mike Myers, and he immediately told me Hope Lodge could get free tickets to any game we wanted. Awesome.

The Sharks also helped out when Mike designed a pink goalie mask for Thomas Greiss to wear for the month of October. It was auctioned off at $5000, with all money going to Hope Lodge.

A couple of months later, we had a 17-year-old guest staying at Hope Lodge. He wanted to go to a Sharks game, but they didn’t have any home games scheduled for when he was here. So, Mike Myers and Sharks player Riley Armstrong came to visit him at Hope Lodge. It was great, and you can read that whole story here.

I wondered if Hope Lodge would still get free tickets when the AHL All-Star game came to Worcester two years ago, and we did. I think the highlight for me was watching former BC Eagle Cory Schneider setting a record by making 18 saves on 19 shots in the All-Star Skills competition.

Not surprisingly, the Sharks are helping Hope Lodge with Skating for Hope. Finz is making two appearances, and the Sharks provided games and prizes to keep the event going. Oh yeah, they are making me a Sharks jersey…sweet!

Thank you for all the support, Sharks!

Hockey Pictures (1996-1999)

It’s hard to believe, but in one week I will be in the middle of my 24-hour skate.

While looking through all my pictures for some BC Hockey shots, I also came across these.

I graduated from BC 15 (yikes) years ago and ever since my friends Scott, Carl, and I have had an ongoing video game hockey tournament. These pictures show Scott (holding an original Playstation controller) questioning what he thought was a goal, penalty, or something and later doing a celebratory dance in front of Carl after he scored. It’s been 15 years and as you can see from my YouTube video, we’re not going to stop anytime soon.

For two summers, I taught roller hockey at Camp Mah-Kee-Nac in Lenox, MA. The camp had a really nice outdoor roller hockey rink, and campers from 6-16 played their daily. This are pictures of my and Jeff (who was the head of the hockey program) and all the rollerblades in the hockey shed. You gotta love the Punisher shirt I’m wearing! Whenever a camper didn’t show up for roller hockey, we would have them paged to the rink. Because most of the office staff was British, I sometimes had fun with who got paged in addition to late campers. Cam Neely, Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Bobby Orr were all asked to report to the rink more than one time.

After I got my first pair of rollerblades, I knew that I wanted to try them out during my next visit to Prince Edward Island. Right down the street from my parents’ cottage, there is a school that had an outdoor rink. During the school year, they would flood it so the kids could play hockey at recess (why couldn’t I have been born in Canada?). So, this is a picture of me the day I played hockey in Canada for the first time. It was just me shooting alone, but I was playing hockey. When PEI had to give names to all the streets for 911 calls, I guess naming the street near the rink was an easy decision.

A few years after I graduated, my friends and I went to the ESPN Zone in New York. While my friend Drew was taking pictures of me playing the hockey shootout game, a girl came up to him and asked what team I played for. Without missing a beat Drew replied, “Oh, the Boston Bruins.” Her reply was, “Oh yeah, I thought he looked familiar.” I did pretty well shooting, but no one asked me for an autograph.

In 1999, I went up to visit my brother Tom at the University of Vermont on Easter weekend. Here are some action shots of our street hockey game. Tom is in net, and his friend Shane is in the purple t-shirt. Not sure who the other guys are, but fun was had by all.

I can’t wait for next Saturday to be here, and I’m hoping to add many, many more pictures to my hockey collection…

Today’s article from the Worcester Telegram and Gazette (Hope is the thing with skates)

Here’s the scanned version of today’s article about Skating for Hope from the Worcester Telegram. A couple of things…One, I think they could have picked a better picture of Jess and me (he took about 50). Two, they printed the wrong website address for SFH. Still, it’s always good to get more publicity!

BC Hockey Pics (1998-2001)

My name is Dave and I love hockey. I never played in an organized game as a kid, but got in plenty of street and pond hockey. As a member of the McGrath household, my NHL allegiance was unquestionable. We watched the Bruins, went to the “Gahden”, and suffered together each year they fell short of winning The Cup. College hockey wasn’t a big part of my life growing up, but that all changed in the summer of 1991…

One afternoon while I was working at Mini Farms in downtown Westboro, my aunt called me to see if I wanted to go with her and my cousin Katie on a tour of Boston College. Growing up I had rooted against BC when we went to see the Eagles play Holy Cross (my dad’s alma mater), but I liked the idea of going to a Catholic school near Boston.

As we walked around Upper Campus, I was impressed. When the tour took us into Conte Forum, everything changed. I pictured myself watching hockey games there, and I knew BC was the school for me. The following year I applied early, and got into my #1 pick.

Although the Eagles didn’t have their most successful years while I was there, they did win the Beanpot my sophomore year. After I graduated in 1996, the program really started to take off.

When I moved to Waltham in 1997, one of my roommates was in the Pike’s Peak Club, and we followed the Eagles religiously that season. Even before the season started, he managed to score the prior season’s team picture and we proudly hung it up in our “bar room” (I loved it when people came over and asked me where I was in the picture). We were chaperones (no joke) for the Pike’s Peak sponsored trip to a BC game up at UNH, where the yellow Superfan t-shirts were unveiled. We watched the Eagles rise through the national rankings, and went to the Championship game against Michigan that year. To this date, it is the most heartbreaking sporting event I’ve attended.

Still, I kept following the BC boys and watched them fall short in 1999 and 2000. In 2001, BC Hockey did something I’m guessing no other team in any other sport has ever done. They had lost in the NCAA tournament to Michigan in 1998, Maine in 1999, and North Dakota in 2000. In 2001, they beat these three teams in their way to BC’s first hockey championship since 1949. Two really great things about this: 1. It was the first time one of “my” teams (Bruins, Sox, Pats, BC) won a championship. 2. Those freakin’ BU fans couldn’t chant “1949!” anymore (I actually started chanting “1995!” whenever I went to a BC-BU game after 2001).

The Eagles have since won titles in 2008 and 2010, and (even with this year’s first round upset) don’t appear to be letting up anytime soon. My name is Dave, and I love BC hockey.

I love BC hockey, and it was really a no-brainer that as soon as I had booked the rink for Skating for Hope, I started trying to get some Eagles there. Three former BC hockey players (Jamie O’Leary, Blake Bellefeuille, and Bobby Allen) responded immediately that they wanted to participate, and I have been looking forward to skating with them ever since. Now, Paul Stewart is going to ref this game and it looks like we’re going to have some former BU Terriers to play against (I predict I will be in the penalty box about 10 seconds in). Skating for Hope was a dream of mine 2 years ago, and these BCers are making part of it a BC Hockey fantasy for me. Thanks again, guys.

Here are some of the BC pictures taken by my dad and me:

Bobby Allen from 1998 championship game against Michigan.

Blake Bellefeuille from 1998 championship game against Michigan.

My friends Patrick, Scott, Father Monan (then BC president) and me at the 1998 championship game.

Me by the team photo before going to 1997-1998 BC Hockey postseason dinner.

BC skating out at a game in 2000 (senior night?).

Blake Bellefeuille at warm-ups.

2000 BC Lineup, a roster with 9 (I think – Farkas, Gionta, Bellefeuille, Mottau, Kolanos, Allen, Scuderi, Orpik, Clemmensen) players who would play in the NHL.

The sign on the Mass Pike (it was fun pulling over to take this one!).