Digging Through The Archives

I am a pack rat. It's crazy the things I've saved. But, while looking for something tonight I found some of my old articles from back in high school that I don't even recall writing. My guess is that I wrote them for the school paper but don't even remember being published. So, as I keep searching for fun-yet-interesting filler, I figured I would throw an unedited piece up here). I hope you enjoy it; I know I got a laugh. There are a few other treasures, but I will save them for now. This was written back on September 26th, 1994:

As the new school year begins, so does a new hockey season - didn't one just end? The 1993-94 NHL hockey season ended gloriously with the New York Rangers ending their 54 year curse by winning the highest team honor in hockey - the Stanley Cup. For 54 years the Rangers futilely struggled to win the cup coming up short every time. During all that time, a world war has come and passed, man has went to the moon, and the New York Islanders ( who started over thirty years later than the Rangers 1940 cup win ) has won the cup 4 consecutive times. Now, for the first time in a very, very long time, we are wondering if the Broadway Blues can repeat.

With many of their players getting old or injured and their coach gone, chances do not look to good. Colin Campbell, the replacement for the traitorous Keenan - who went to St. Louis to try to win with a talented Blues team ( never thought you'd hear those two words together huh? ), is said to be a more players coach than Keenan. Campbell has never coached in the NHL before and now he gets a shot with the returning champs. On the island, the other New York team is looking to rebound from an embarrassing showing against the Rangers in the first round ( if anybody hasn't heard, the Isles were swept 4 games to none and were shutout twice by the Rangers ).

This year the Isles gave up their experienced netminder, Ron Hextall, in favor of Swedish goalie Tommy Soderstrom. With Soderstrom, the Isles have the goaltenders of both of the last two Swedish Olympic teams ( they drafted Tommy Salo, this years Olympic netminder, in the first round of the amateur draft ). It looks like the Isles have young defence, young goaltending, and a one line offence made up of Benoit Hogue, Pierre Turgeon, and Steve Thomas. The Isles look like they will have little chance this year to make the playoffs with the Philly Flyers and the Florida Panthers rebuilding and improving over the off-season.

As a Ranger fan myself, I sincerely hope that the Rangers repeat and the Isles fall flat on their collective faces. This year I can proudly walk around the school with my Rangers jersey and laugh in the faces of the Islander fans. Our school, although it may be located on Long Island seems to be predominately behind the Rangers, with all of the former Ranger fans and the Islander fans converting. Now there can be no more chants of 1940 and may the Rangers go on to win 3 more so the Islander fans have NOTHING to be proud of! 54 no more! Go Rangers!

Well, the Rangers didn't. We are still waiting for the follow up but there is always next year ... right?!?!