It may not have the romantic lore of Red Sox [team stats] genealogy, but passion for the Bruins [team stats] runs every bit as deep for fathers and sons who grew up hooked on hockey here, including a pair who?ll be glued to the tube tonight in South Carolina.
That?s where Patrick Rogers lives now, managing a Marriott, far removed from the star-crossed kid he was that fall night in 1978 when a chippy play in a pickup league changed his life forever.
?I was 15, a sophomore at Wachusett High, and couldn?t wait for the high school season to start,? he recalled.
?My father never coached me, but he refereed a lot of my games and absolutely taught me to love the sport as much as he does.
?I was playing defense when this kid came rushing down the wing, so I knocked him over and we went down together. As we were scrambling to get up I pushed him and he swung his stick at me. Back then we wore wire cages on our helmets and somehow the blade of his stick got under my cage and nailed me in the face. It broke my cheekbone, cut my eyebrow, and my eye closed immediately.?
Six months and three surgeries later, Rogers learned the eye was gone for good.
When the Bruins heard of the skater holed up down the street at Mass. Eye and Ear, familiar faces began to appear in Rogers? room.
?Johnny Bucyk, who was retired by then, was fantastic,? he remembers. ?Stan Jonathan, Al Secord and Peter McNab all came and stayed a long time. They brought a card from Don Cherry, who said he was sorry he couldn?t make it, but told me to call him at home and gave me his number. So I called him and he invited my dad and me to come to a game and meet him in the locker room as soon as I was able.
?A few years ago I took a Dale Carnegie course and had to write about someone who impressed me. So I wrote about Bucyk and the Bruins and how they helped a 15-year-old kid get through a very difficult time.?
Patrick, who remains an ardent fan, was watching when Vancouver?s Aaron Rome leveled Nathan Horton with a late, high, punishing blindside hit that ended his season.
?Moments like that make me reflect,? he said. ?The guy who hit me meant to be malicious, but I don?t believe he meant to hurt me. We were just 15-year-old boys, jostling. But Rome knew exactly what he was doing and it felt very personal to me.
?But everything about the Bruins is personal to me. I?m 48 now, and I?ll be watching Game 6 with Dad. Though we?re a long way from Worcester County, the Bruins will always be our team.?
Article source: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1345020&srvc=rss
Source: http://www.familytreegazette.com/2011/06/13/for-fan-cup-brings-up-bittersweet-memories/
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