My Hockey Parent Prayer

As the start date fast approaches for another season of hockey, I wish to share this Facebook posting I cam across this morning. (I have modified it slightly)

My Hockey Parent Prayer

May I find the best route to the hockey arena in rush hour traffic. May there not be any road closures, beginner drivers or other stressed out hockey parents in my path.

May "The Child" have remembered all their equipment. May I hold my incredulous yell of frustration back when we're running late and they tell me that they MIGHT have left their hockey gloves on the floor back home.

May I find the grace not to scream at an opposing player who has just elbowed my child in the head.

May I find a spot in the arena that is actually under a working heater.

May I not get sick of Dunkin’s coffee, bagels, sandwiches and Munchkins in the next eight months.

May I try, for once, to just enjoy the game and not get stressed out and embarrass my child by screaming in the third period "Jesus, Mary and Joseph! SKATE!!!!!!!"

May I have the right words to comfort and encourage them when they have a bad game and the exuberance to celebrate with them when they have a good one.

May I remember that they love this freezing, time-consuming, money-sucking sport and that they are a thing of beauty when they skates.

And, most of all, may I remember that their childhood is passing all too quickly and that one day, I will actually miss all the time we spent in the van hustling back and forth between arenas. One day I will wish for that time back, so let me hold it in my memory as long as I can because it is flying away from me, faster than my child on hockey skates.

MRYHA SHOUT OUT

  Congratulations to Matthew Desmond!  

Matthew, a member of our Squirt Major team, represented MRYHA during the AHL Manchester Monarchs unveiling of their new jersey for the 2014 - 2015 season!

MRYHA Memorial Scholarship

As you know, MRYHA was formed 50 years ago.  With any group/organization/family that exists for that length of time, you cannot escape the untimely loss of one of its members.  MRYHA has chosen to honor our lost members with a memorial scholarship.  Over the years the number of recipients, criteria, and even the name has changed.  The essence of the scholarship, however, has not. 

The MRYHA Memorial Scholarship is currently awarded to one or more graduating seniors who, at one time or another, participated in MRYHA and upholds the qualities and community service of those it is named after.

I must admit, until deciding to write this, I did not know about several of the individuals of whom this scholarship is named. It is my hope that after reading this entry, you too will know who each of the individuals that this scholarship is in memory of.

History of the Scholarship

The Marc Boulanger Scholarship was first awarded in late 1989 and awarded annually until 1994. 

The Kevin Charbonneau Scholarship was first awarded in 1992 and awarded annually until 1997.

The Eric Richardson Scholarship was first awarded in 1995 and awarded annually until 1997.   

In 1997, the Board of Directors voted to combine all three and rename them to the MRYHA Memorial Scholarship in memory of Marc, Kevin, and Eric.  At that time they also added Danny Richards and Jack Villemure to the list of names this scholarship is in honor of.

I am saddened yet honored to announce that on Monday July 7th, the Board of Directors unanimously voted in favor of adding Luke Capistran to the MRYHA Memorial Scholarship. 

Honorees

Each of these individuals were dedicated and passionate hockey enthusiast and MRYHA family members.

• Marc Boulanger who at the age of 15 died in an ATV accident in 1988.  
• Danny Richards who at the age of 16 died in a motor vehicle accident in 1989.
• Kevin Charbonneau who at the age of 15 died of heart failure after he was hit in the chest by a puck in the championship game of the MRYHA Bantam House League in 1991.  
• Eric Richardson who at the age of 24 died in a motorcycle accident in 1995.
• Jack Villemure, who coached in the program passed away unexpectedly in 1997.
• Luke Capistran who at the age of 16, died after a courageous battle with Brain Cancer in 2001.

The Board of Directors is currently working on a banner to hang at the West Side Arena so that as each year passes and scholarships are awarded, the memories of Marc, Danny, Kevin, Eric, Jack and Luke are never forgotten.

MRYHA SHOUT OUT

  Congratulations to Brady Sufat & Stevan Tempesta Jr. as recipients of the 2014 MRYHA Memorial Scholarship.

L to R: Steve Tempesta Jr., Michael Durant, & Brady Sufat

Brady will be attending Bentley University this fall.

Steve will be attending McGill University this fall.

 Past Recipients

1989 Unknown at this time	1990 Unknown at this time	1991 Unknown at this time	1992 Unknown at this time
1993 Unknown at this time	1994 Unknown at this time	1995 Unknown at this time	1996 Shawn Hunt
1997 Jason Provencher Tracey Mercier	1998 Scott O’Neil Joseph Battistelli	1999 Tim Long Matt Lavoie	2000 Unknown at this time
2001 Unknown at this time	2002  Bryan Marble  Jeff Laurendeau	2003  Derek Russell  Kellen Rattigan	2004  Nate Toth  Nicolas Mirlocca  Ryan Gardner  David Fradette  Nathan Moreau
2005  Jesse Horion  Kenneth Ouellette  Nicholas Poulin  Bryn Doyle  Drew Kazanowski	2006  Jonathan Slebod  Chris Hoerner  Evan Turcotte Jeffrey Anderson	2007  James Paul Fritz Jr  Craig Martin  Nick Blanchette  Kyle Charbonneau  Brian Sowa	2008  Scott Turgeon  Jared Hoerner  Sam Leger  Ben Williamson
2009  Andrew Gardner  Matthew Myers  Kyle Pratte  Michael Trudel  Tom Wickham  Tyler Pratte	2010  Michael Putney  Kyle Tracy  Kyle Pratte  Jared Pellerin   James Dunn	2011  Catherine Putney  Cory Trudel	2012  Easton Dubois  Keith Simpson
2013 Tyler Murry  Mitchell Juneau

What's This "CUP" You Speak Of?

The Stanley Cup was purchased in 1892 by the Governor General of Canada, Lord Frederick Stanley.  Since 1927, the Cup has been awarded to winner of the NHL playoffs. Each team that wins has their team name and the names of the players and coaches engraved on the cup.

There are technically three versions of the Stanley Cup; The original 1892 bowl, the 1963 authenticated "Presentation Cup", and the 1993 "Replica Cup" at the Hall of Fame.

The original 1892 purchased and donated by Lord Stanley, was physically awarded to the Champions until 1970, and is now displayed in the Vault Room at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Ontario.

The authenticated version or "Presentation Cup" was created in 1963 by Montreal silversmith Carl Petersen. NHL president Clarence Campbell felt that the original bowl was becoming too thin and fragile, and thus requested a duplicate trophy as a replacement. The Presentation Cup is authenticated by the seal of the Hockey Hall of Fame on the bottom, which can be seen when winning players lift the Cup over their heads, and it is the one currently awarded to the champions of the playoffs and used for promotions.This version was made in secret, and its production was only revealed three years later.

The replica trophy, called the "Replica Cup", was created in 1993 by Montreal silversmith Louise St. Jacques to be used as a stand-in at the Hockey Hall of Fame whenever the Presentation Cup is not available for display. There are very few differences between the authenticated version and the replica version. The surest way to identify one version from the other is to check the engraving for the 1984 Stanley Cup winning Edmonton Oilers. The authenticated version has x's engraved over Basil Pocklington's name whereas his name is completely missing from the replica version.

Fun Facts

• The current Stanley Cup is made of silver and nickel alloy and is 35.24 inches tall and weighs 34.5 pounds.
• There are more than 2,200 different names engraved on the Stanley Cup, including players, coaches and owners of the Cup-winning teams.
• Every 13 years, a new ring is added to the bottom of the Stanley Cup to add more names of the Cup's winners.
• Twelve women have their names inscribed on the Cup. The first was Marguerite Norris, who was the president of the Detroit Red Wings for their 1954-55 season victory. Sonia Scurfield is the only Canadian woman to have her name inscribed; she was the co-owner of the 1988-89 champion Calgary Flames.
• The Cup is always accompanied by at least one representative of the Hockey Hall of Fame, dubbed the “Keeper of the Cup.” The current Keeper, Philip Pritchard, has held the position since 1991 and even maintains a Twitter account to update followers on where the Cup goes from day to day. 
  

• The Cup is assigned two trustees that have absolute power over all matters regarding the Stanley Cup. The trustees include former NHL Executive Vice President Brian O’Neill and Ian “Scotty” Morrison, longtime NHL referee-in-chief and former president and chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

MRYHA SHOUT OUT

Thanks to Hubie McDonough!

 

I wish to thank Hubie for bringing the cup to Saint Anselm College and allowing the MRYHA families the opportunity to touch, hug, and photograph the "CUP".