Portrait of a Hockey PlayerThe year is 1992. I am ten years old. I'm with my brother Stephen and my uncle Seamus. We're in my uncle's BMW headed to his winter home in Pennsylvania. It's about ten in the evening and we're starving. We decide to stop at a small restaurant on the corner of this dark street. This stop changes my life. During the meal my uncle says he knows Mike Richter. Mike is the goalie for the New York Rangers, a major professional hockey team. I've always liked hockey, but I never thought about playing it. I know now is the time to start considering I have an advantage over the other guys. From time to time I get to meet Mike Richter and ask him questions. For the rest of our trip all I can think about is starting to play hockey. The year is 1991. Before I started playing hockey, I was the shyest person in my fifth grade class. I was always the one in the corner playing alone. I had no friends and, more significantly, I had no confidence. Every year before I started playing hockey I was a terrible student. I never got higher than a C in school. The only things I looked forward to were playing video games and hanging out with my Uncle Seamus. I always had a great time with him. I finally get home from Pennsylvania and call the only person I know who plays hockey, my best friend Kenny. For the first time I tell him that I want to play hockey. From then on I play hockey every day after school. Until I can afford real goalie shin pads, I use a couple of couch cushions. I'm really starting to get good at it. It also gives me the one thing I lack, confidence. At school I start making friends and we start a hockey team. We start playing every day in a free parking lot near the block. I really know I can be a good goalkeeper. The year is 1994. I decided to switch from playing street hockey to playing ice hockey.