Saturday, January 27, 2007
Small-Town Hockey
by Greg
Missed this the first time 'round -- Patrick McGrath in Friday's New York Times, with a feature on high school hockey in northern Minnesota.
It's a worthwhile read, though there's some odd editing (there's a mention of a legendary high school championship from 1969, but no further details are provided). And, it won't seem revolutionary to anyone who's read that subset of American literature that deals with small communities that orbit around sports (cf "Friday Night Lights").
Still, it's a nice little feature, and it contains this insight into the life of Minnesota hockey legend Henry Boucha, discussing representing his town in that 1969 state championship:
"Just playing for your community, that's the greatest gift for an athlete.... It's an immense feeling, like having sex for the first time."
Missed this the first time 'round -- Patrick McGrath in Friday's New York Times, with a feature on high school hockey in northern Minnesota.
It's a worthwhile read, though there's some odd editing (there's a mention of a legendary high school championship from 1969, but no further details are provided). And, it won't seem revolutionary to anyone who's read that subset of American literature that deals with small communities that orbit around sports (cf "Friday Night Lights").
Still, it's a nice little feature, and it contains this insight into the life of Minnesota hockey legend Henry Boucha, discussing representing his town in that 1969 state championship:
"Just playing for your community, that's the greatest gift for an athlete.... It's an immense feeling, like having sex for the first time."
Labels: high school hockey, Minnesota
