A Quarter Century Of Enjoyable Films

 

By Mark Pukalo

Once we all had survived Y2K, everything changed.

Well, maybe not. But movies sure started to become a bigger part of my life after Jan. 1, 2000.

I was going to theaters around Hartford before the turn of the century. However, my visits soon became more frequent. By the end of the next decade, I was documenting the best movies I saw during each Oscar Year.

There were consistent trips to the big Cineplex on Silver Lane in East Hartford, Cinema City in Hartford for some Indies and the second-run theaters in Manchester and West Harford. I also went to see some films at Trinity College from time to time - unfortunately without popcorn.

The first year of the century provided many memorable films, even though some of the highly-regarded movies such as "Memento" and "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" did not do it for me. However, two movies from that year are in my top 10 of all time. The year also provided gems such as "Traffic," "Coyote Ugly," "Best in Show," (below) "Erin Brockovich," Remember the Titans" and "Thirteen Days."

Remember video rental stores? It was a few years until Red Box arrived in 2002. But I did not get into the 100s of movies viewed per year until 2015. It's been an amazing journey the last few years with streaming available. It has all made me an amateur critic. Maybe I will be a pro some day and make trips to Sundance, Tiff and South by Southwest. Cannes? Probably not. Sorry France.

The first 25 years of the century in film ended last December, so I embarked on the impossible task of putting together a list of my top 25 favorites during that period. It is so difficult to put them in order because they all were special to me, including a 100 or so honorable mentions. It's possible I missed a few between 2000-2015 as well.

However, I'll give it a try. Here's what I came up with.

Honorable Mention (Just some of them): Cha Cha Real Smooth, Conclave, Da5 Bloods, The Descendants, Miracle, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Past Lives, Pure O, A Real Pain, Short Term 12, The Sum of All Fears, Theater Camp, Truth, The Wrestler, 25th Hour.

TOP 25

25. The Hate U Give - Black Lives Matter. This film does not scream that, but the sentiment is clear and it shows the temptations and the impossible decisions minority youths in the inner city have to make. I truly believe this movie should be watched and discussed in schools. Let's talk about how we treat each other and how the police can deal with minorities and situations better. Great writing, great acting, plenty of heart. That's why it was No. 1 for 2018 in my rankings.

24. Sing Street (below) - Director John Carney provides another enjoyable movie with music as the theme. A young Irish lad (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) puts a band together starting from scratch to impress a complicated, beautiful girl (Lucy Boynton). Mark McKenna is brilliant in a supporting role. It is fun, smart and heartwarming.

23. Wedding Crashers - Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn have fun crashing weddings and finally meet their matches at the ceremony for a congressman's daughter. Rachel McAdams and Isla Fisher draw the two goofs out of their fantasy world and make them better people, but there is plenty of comedy to be had along the way. Will Ferrell makes perhaps his best cameo performance as Chazz, who crashes funerals to meet women.

22. Guardians of the Galaxy - The 2014 film from Marvel Studios is an action/comedy romp with a motley crew of superheroes, led by Peter Quill (Chris Pratt). Bradley Cooper provides the voice for the cheeky raccoon-like character Rocket, whose buddy "Groot" steals the film. It's just a load of fun and the sequels are almost as good.

21. The Hunger Games - The first of four in the trilogy of adapted novels from Suzanne Collins is based in a post-apocalyptic society of the haves and have nots. Jennifer Lawrence shines as the heroic Katniss, who volunteers in the last-person-standing brutal contest in place of her younger sister. While the sequels are solid, the debut of the series was shocking, powerful and heartwarming.

20. CODA -  Ruby (Emilia Jones) is an under-appreciated high school girl in a blue collar town with a wonderful singing voice who must find a balance between her burgeoning talent and a big role in the family fishing business that includes two deaf parents and a deaf brother. It is a special movie that more people should be able to see - not just Apple TV+ subscribers.

19. Crazy Rich Asians (left) - The romantic comedy based on a best-selling novel is fun and emotional from the first minute to the last. Constance Wu is dazzling as she takes on her fiance's snooty rich mother when the couple travels to Singapore for a friend's wedding. The best love story of 2018. One of the best of all time. Kina Grannis' version of "Can't Stop Falling in Love With You," at the wedding is breathtaking.

18. Moneyball - The 2011 film is based on a book by the same name from Michael Lewis about the 2002 Oakland Athletics, who won 20 in a row, and their general manager Billy Beane. Brad Pitt provides one of his career-best performances as Beane, who tries a new style of scouting through statistics (sabermetrics) to help put together a competitive team with a limited budget while battling his manager and old-school scouts.

17. The Big Sick - Kumail Nanjiani hits a home run with his sly humor "you're the Pakistani Sammy Sosa," playing himself in the true-to-life story. Zoe Kazan was the perfect casting as Emily "I don't date time nerds," but the big surprise was Ray Romano's perfect deadpan performance. Everything seems to come together perfectly for this film, which you can watch over and over and still smile throughout.

16. Once - Director John Carney's first of three brilliant films (also Begin Again and Sing Street) is about a Czech immigrant and an Irish street singer who meet by chance and make beautiful music together. Non-actors Glen Hansard and the gorgeous Marketa Irglova add authenticity to the story with outstanding performances. "Falling Slowly" won Best Original Song at the 80th Academy Awards.

15. Garden State (right) - Zach Braff wrote and directed this 2004 quirky cult classic about a heavily-medicated young actor who returns to his hometown after his paraplegic mother dies. Andrew Largeman (Braff) re-unites with his old townie friends and meets a cheeky young epileptic woman named Sam (Natalie Portman), who he falls in love with. It is smart, hilarious at times, wacky and heartwarming all in one fun film.

14. Lion - My pick for the best film of 2016 is an emotional true story that follows the journey of Saroo Brierley, who is trapped on a train that takes him hundreds of miles from his home in India when he is just 5-years-old. The amazing Sunny Pawar plays the young Saroo in the first hour of the film and Dev Patel takes over as the 25-year-old Saroo in the second half as he desperately tries to find his home. It is a movie about the power of family and I have never balled more during a final scene.

13. The Big Short - Some people quibble with the facts or say they are exaggerated (NOT ME), but director Adam McKay (Anchorman) does a strong job turning Michael Lewis' book about the horror of the 2007-2008 financial crisis into an entertaining film. Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt and Christian Bale earn high marks with their performances while telling the story of fund managers and an analyst who predicted the collapse of a still fraudulent system.

12. Nebraska - I'm still disappointed that Bruce Dern didn't win Best Actor (Matthew McConaughey did) for his work in this delightful, humorous slice of life that was directed by Alexander Payne. Dern plays a fading veteran who thinks he has won a million dollar sweepstakes and his son (Will Forte) decides to take him on a journey to Lincoln, Neb. despite knowing it is just a scam. The trip takes Woody through his old town before coming to a touching conclusion.

11. Silver Linings Playbook (left) - Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper star as two people going through different types of mental issues before forming a unique relationship. Robert DeNiro shows up as Cooper's gambling father, who is very superstitious about his beloved Philadelphia Eagles. Director David O. Russell (The Fighter, American Hustle, Joy) allows J-Law and Cooper to produce one of their career-best performances.

10. Promising Young Woman - Cassie (Carey Mulligan) carries out mental vengeance on manipulative men and others to avenge her best friend, who was sexually assaulted at a party when they were both in medical school. The best film of 2020 is gripping, humorous and smart. Mulligan will never be better in a role.

9. Ex Machina (right) - A creepy rich recluse (Oscar Isaac), who owns a search company, recruits a programmer (Domhnall Gleeson) to his secluded mountain home to give the Turing test for his new creation - a beautiful AI. Alicia Vikander should have won the Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of the amazing Ava instead of  for "The Danish Girl." It is a fascinating, unique, science fiction film with one heck of a stunning ending.

8. American Fiction - A very sharp satire about a talented writer (Jeffrey Wright) frustrated by establishment profiting from minority entertainment sources with stereotypes. It's smart, funny, thought-provoking and has one heck of an apt and hilarious ending. The definition of a perfectly-made movie. The scene with Wright and Sterling K. Brown during the maid's wedding is so good.

7. High Fidelity - Had never seen a preview for this film before choosing it between the morning skate and a hockey game in New Jersey one day, then went to see it about four or five more times. John Cusack stars as a music store owner who can never settle down, but is driven to irrational behavior when his latest girlfriend (Iben Hjerjle) leaves him. It is based on a book by Nick Hornby, with the setting changed from London to Chicago where Lisa Bonet and Jack Black show up among others in the smart, hilarious movie.

6. The Social Network - David Fincher directed this film written by Aaron Sorkin based loosely on the making of facebook, with Jesse Eisenberg starring as Mark Zuckerberg. Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake add outstanding performances while Dakota Johnson and Rooney Mara steal their scenes. The film is more about entertainment than accuracy, but most are and it is fun to watch.

5. Inglourious Basterds - Director Quentin Tarantino tells the fantasy story of the triumphant attempt to assassinate Hitler by a group of Jewish American soldiers with wishful "alternative facts" and intense, intriguing dialogue. Brad Pitt plays the witty and deadly Lt. Aldo Raine while Christoph Waltz won Best Supporting Actor for his depiction of the devilish German Colonel Landa. Melanie Laurent (left) is also great as Shosanna/Emmanuelle, especially when she puts on her war paint to a David Bowie song.

4. JoJo Rabbit - A cheeky comedy-drama which both loudly and in subtle ways shows the lunacy of hate and fascism. Taika Waititi writes, directs and stars in the film while amazing 12-year-old Roman Griffin Davis plays the Hitler Youth "JoJo" Betzler, who must deal with finding out his mother (Scarlett Johansson) is a member of the resistance and is hiding a young Jewish woman (Thomasin McKenzie) in the wall at the end of World War II. It is funny and beautiful.

3. Lost in Translation (right) - Sofia Coppola may have ruined The Godfather 3 as an actress, but she wrote and directed a masterpiece with this 2003 film. A washed up, lonely famous actor (Bill Murray) has a chance meeting with a confused, curious and beautiful young woman (Scarlett Johansson) in Tokyo and they develop a unique friendship far from home. It is subtle, simple, funny, bittersweet and smart.

2. Spotlight - An impeccably directed (Tom McCarthy) and acted drama about the Boston Globe's investigation of child abuse by Catholic priests, which was covered up for decades in the area. It brings back memories of the reasons why I got into the journalism business, what it was like in the newsroom and what the profession can mean to a community. Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery and Rachel McAdams produce perfect performances in the Best Picture of 2015.

1. Almost Famous - Cameron Crowe directed and won best original screenplay for what he termed was his "love letter to music" in 2000. The film was semi-autobiographical as William Miller (Patrick Fugit) is based on Crowe, who was a teenage reporter for Rolling Stone - covering the Eagles, Led Zeppelin and the Allman Brothers among others on the road. Kate Hudson (left) brings the story together with her portrayal of "Band Aid" Penny Lane while Jason Lee, Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman shine. It pulls at the heart strings and makes you laugh throughout with wonderful dialogue and music. It is my favorite film of all time, not just the first quarter of the 21st century.

My 40 Years in Journalism: Chapter 8 - Goodbye Newspapers, Hello Bolts

 

By Mark Pukalo

This is not the end. .. However. ...

Those last few years at the Courant wore on me. Newspapers were not the same. Parents of high school players were way worse. A change was needed.

There were a few new things to cover the final few years, though. Like town council meetings.

Yes. Twice in a few years, I was assigned to fill in as bureau news reporter in New Britain for three months covering the town of Southington. I certainly didn't volunteer and was not particularly thrilled to be there, but I had no choice and it was certainly a learning experience.

They treated me well in the bureau, especially co-editor Bill Leukhardt and writer Doan Le. I did the best I could. I went to meetings, tried to find some simple stories around town and counted the days down. The Town Manager was a crotchety old Republican named John Weichsel. But we got along surprisingly well. I learned a little about politics. Maybe they all just felt sorry for me.

Probably the highlight was interviewing Chris Murphy (right), who was a state senator in the area at the time. You could see he had a future. He was intelligent, sharp and friendly, but not in a fake politician way.

Who knows? I might have been sent there again, but in the Spring of 2007 I put in my papers for a buyout.  

It wasn't just one thing. There were many reasons. I think I just needed a new course to take.

I did some work for AP (Little League, women's futures golf) and started the process of interviewing at ESPN (below). I was involved in several pre-interview calls where they judged my knowledge. Finally, I was set up for a day of meetings with department heads.

It was a nerve-wracking day and, to be honest, I was quite unimpressed with most of managers who interviewed me. There was only one department (Bottom lines) where I really liked the manager. He asked good questions and put me at ease. Unlike the others, I think he understood me and my qualifications.

I was a finalist for that job, but of course I was passed over. If I did get the job, I probably would have been among the 100s of layoffs years later. Just as well.

I had one more interview in Connecticut with Sports Ticker in Cheshire. Think I did well with future colleague Tom Torrisi, but I believe they just elevated a part-timer or something. I got the call as I was driving home from the Jersey Shore after hearing my father died.

I hated watching my father suffer from Cancer. It was a rough time and I was doing a lot of soul searching. I needed a fresh start somewhere.

Soon after, I decided to go to Tampa and make a final decision whether it was the place for me. I stopped at one apartment complex in Brandon and it felt like home. The pretty young woman who showed me a model apartment had once played tennis for Haddam-Killingworth. A sign?

Months before I made the final move I sent out about 15 letters and resumes to general managers around the NHL.to see if there was a wild chance I could get some type of job in scouting.

I received nine responses. Let's just say my resumes were said to be put on file with the Edmonton Oilers and Washington Capitals. I also received a wonderful letter from Lightning GM Jay Feaster and later was put in touch with Bill Wickett, the team's Communications Director. I was offered a chance to be a free lancer for the team's website when I arrived in Tampa during the Fall of 2008.

On November 16, I officially became a Floridian.

Seen Stamkos?

On my final trip down to Tampa, the news that coach Barry Melrose was fired came across the radio. Rick Tocchet was the Lightning head coach when I got there and my first feature was on goalie Mike Smith. Tocc was good to work with. He has gotten a lot better as a coach.

The end of that first year - the rookie season for Steven Stamkos - the Lightning had the second pick in the draft. They brought in the top three ranked players, who all met the media. That sounds kind of unique these days, but I was asked to profile all of them for the website.

It was John Tavares, Victor Hedman and Matt Duchene. Tavares was very serious, smart and cordial, but did not have much personality. Duchene seemed a bit less mature than the other two, but fun to talk to. Hedman was a gem. The big Swede was friendly, smart, confident and a good interview. Sheesh, I noticed on a questionnaire "One Tree Hill" was listed as one of his favorite shows. Never asked him if he liked Peyton or Brooke better.

There's no doubt I wanted the Bolts to pick Hedman. The New York Islanders chose Tavares first and the Lightning nabbed Hedman while Duchene went to Colorado. The rest is history Lightning fans.

77-91. Hedman-Stamkos. Two of the best athletes on and off the ice I ever covered consistently. Good people. Great hockey players.

Hedman took his lumps from the fans. You could see the high ceiling the defenseman had, but he was young and made enough mistakes to annoy the impatient fans. He never changed though. Heddy just kept getting better and he will join Stamkos in the Hall of Fame some day. It's awesome that I was with those two from the start.

Andrei Vasilevskiy and Nikita Kucherov, too. Did a story on Kuch at his first training camp, interviewing him through an interpreter. He was great. 

The first few years were strange. The cowboys - Oren Koules and Len Barrie - who I actually never met, owned the team and installed know-it-all GM Brian Lawton. They all set the franchise back together. However, their poor management led to Stamkos and Hedman. 

Net win.

During those early years, I did a Lightning /NHL podcast with press box friends Jon Jordan and Mike Corcoran that we taped at a broadcasting school in Brandon. We had a ball with that and I really wished it went on a lot longer.

There would have been way better Lightning teams to talk about.

Rubbing Shoulders With Legends

I enjoyed those years in the press box and the meal room. Jim Devellano, a former NHL GM and current Red Wings senior vice president, used to hold court while we enjoyed pasta or chicken. It was there I also met the great Scotty Bowman. 

Although a former colleague said he was not pleasant for reporters in Detroit, Bowman was always fun to talk to at Amalie Arena. He has over 1,200 coaching wins and nine Stanley Cups, but gave time to anyone who wanted to gab and ask questions here. I had several conversations with him while enjoying popcorn and sat by the all-time coaching victories leader a few times. He had his stories. 

I always wonder if I could have gotten Bowman and Paul Maurice together and stood between them for a picture. The caption would be, "These three have over 2,100 NHL coaching victories combined."

Then, there was Bobby Taylor. I have always liked chatting with "The Chief," a TV analyst for the Lightning and a former backup to Bernie Parent with the Philadelphia Flyers. He is not a company man. Chief will tell you what he is thinking about the team. I often agreed.

TV legend Rick Peckham and radio play-by-play man Dave Mishkin were always great to me as well while I also enjoyed many Phil Esposito stories over the years. Others that wandered around the press box at different times included Wayne Gretzky, Brett Hull, Marty Brodeur, Mike Emrick, Cam Neely (wanted to cheap shot him, but I controlled myself), Jim Rutherford, Brad May, Stu Grimson, Don Koharski and Ron Francis to name just a few. Always enjoyed seeing Walt, Jan, Erik, Lonnie, Matt and Igor as well.

When Jeff Vinik bought the team, everything changed. Steve Yzerman took over as GM and installed a young, brash coach named Guy Boucher. The two built and coached the Lightning to the conference finals the first season, where they lost 1-0 to the hated Boston Bruins in Game 7.

Boucher was a quote machine. I remember one time after practice when he came into the small press room and the podium was higher than normal. Someone asked him jokingly whether he felt more power being that far above us.

"No. You have the power. You have the power of the pen," he quipped.

After a tough loss, he used a line that I always remember Penelope Cruz saying in the movie Vanilla Sky. "Every passing moment is a chance to turn it all around."

However, Boucher is the type of coach that might wear on players and GMs after a few years. His system in the defensive zone seemed to have a short shelf life. I remember seeing him and Martin St. Louis battling verbally after practice and morning skates on the ice several times.

Still, Peter Laviolette was so befuddled by the 1-3-1 trap one game that he told his Flyers to hold the puck behind the net. Why coaches didn't run that system against him all the time, I'll never know. LOL.

Boucher missed the playoffs the next year and was fired during the 2012-13 season. In stepped another coach with personality - Jon Cooper.

Cooper was confident and, because I liked Boucher, I was a little unsure about him at first. He turned the Bolts into a playoff team in 2013-14 and took them to the Cup finals the following season. I was not pleased that season with how he handled top draft pick Jonathan Drouin, though.

I compare Drouin to Hedman in a way. The left wing was an incredible talent, but he was young and imperfect with and without the puck. Instead of bringing him along like Tocchet with Stammer and Heddy, Cooper benched him and did not allow him to spread his wings on the power play much. Drouin still almost led the league in assists per minute played during his rookie season.

Drouin (27 left with Nikita Kucherov) made a mistake by leaving the team because of his treatment from Cooper. Bad advice, poor decision. But he came back that season and had a great playoff run in 2015-16 before scoring 21 goals in 2016-17. However, the wounds he created led to him being traded to Montreal for Mikhail Sergachev after the Bolts missed the playoffs.

Tampa Bay made it back to the conference finals in 2018, but lost to Washington at home in Game 7. My press seat was in the crowd for that series and I remember meeting Yzerman on the steep steps to the main press box after the second period. The look on his face said it all. Is this ever going to happen for us?

The Lightning went 62-16-4 the next season, but lost to John Tortorella, Sergei Bobrovsky and Columbus is the first round. The Bolts led 3-0 in Game 1 at home (and I was making fun of Bob). Blew it. The rest was a mess. Injuries played a big part, but it was a major failure.

Thankfully, all the failures became learning experiences for the Lightning. New GM Julien Brisebois built a slightly more stable team after Yzerman left for Detroit. Cooper stopped playing favorites for the most part and became a future Hall of Fame coach.

The pandemic took me away from the team unfortunately. Two Cups were won. All was good.

While I was working with the Lightning, I also did stories for the Berlin Citizen from afar, writing wrap ups on the area's high school teams. It gave me a chance to write a feature on Niko Koutouvides from Plainville (below, 53), who was going to camp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

I recently found a printed copy of the Koutouvides story. Had a great time talking to Niko and special teams coach Rich Bisaccia that day at camp and it apparently made the front page of the Citizen.

When the Lightning decided to hire a beat writer after Vinik took over the team and changed the website, it was not for me anymore. I began working for Sportdirectinc, writing deadline game stories and previews with old friend Don Thompson, among others. 

Sportsdirect became Gracenote and Gracenote was bought by Nielsen. Checks came, but sometimes they were delayed. I did it for nine years until the pandemic hit. The staff came back for one week to cover baseball in the summer of 2020 before being terminated.

During my early years in Florida, I was also a stringer for the Tampa Tribune. I did a little softball, soccer, volleyball and basketball, but mostly Friday night football. I covered games at Bloomingdale, Strawberry Crest, Lennard, East Bay, Riverview, Newsome, Spoto, Durant and Brandon. 

Best press box food - Lennard (grinders) and Bloomingdale (wings). Best mascots - Riverview Sharks. Sharkie and Sharkette (below). Best player - Ray-Ray McCloud.

Saw Ray-Ray with Sickles when they played at Brandon one night. He was a running back and I could not believe how quick and elusive he was. It's strange that he became a receiver at Clemson and for the most part in the NFL. His performance that day wowed me like Jiggy Williamson and Nadine Domond did on the basketball court early in my career.

It was sad the Tribune got swallowed up by the St. Pete Times. I enjoyed those Friday nights, except for the Thunderstorms.

I took a few years off, except for my blogs, but finally joined BetUS.com for a different form of writing in January of 2022. I can thank Don Thompson for that gig as well.

I've learned much more about sports betting since (maybe that's not a good thing?). I had no idea what +1100 or -120 odds meant before then. Started playing some parlays at Hard Rock this fall and had some success with football and hockey. If Utah State and UCLA had only scored more points in their NCAA tournament game and Maryland not lost at Northwestern in OT. ... sigh.

It's 40 years since that first professional story. Hard to believe. There are so many people to thank. Honestly, there's not enough space on the internet to give everybody their due. I don't want to leave anyone out. You know who you are.

I have been lucky. I've met great people, experienced wonderful places, amazing athletes and witnessed jaw-dropping moments in front of the computer.

As Jack Evans said so well. ... Memories.

But, with all of this, my career is not close to over. I'm still writing. I'm not going to stop. Movies have become a major focus for me. I have written Best of the Year blogs for a decade now. Perhaps at some point I will start a website where I write about sports, music, movies, politics and do a podcast.

Stay tuned. It never ends when you are a writer. Chapters 9 and 10 are coming.

Some day.

 

My 40 Years in Journalism: Chapter 7: A Year With The Whale, NHL Memories

 

 

By Mark Pukalo

Robert Petrovicky scored against the Whalers and Keith Primeau had the only tally for Hartford on March 20, 1997 in St. Louis. My trip up the Gateway Arch earlier in the day was way more exciting.

A 4-1 loss was the fourth of six straight defeats for the Whale. While the team went to the airport to leave for Dallas, I finished my late story in the press room, mentally and physically drained, with a late winter cold about to hit me hard.

I decided to walk back to my hotel. It wasn't particularly far. Just go out the front, take a left down the main street a few blocks and another left to my hotel. Simple.

One problem. For some reason, they would not let me out the front of the then-Kiel Center for some reason. I was directed to go out the back door, but I failed to ask what was my best plan to get to my destination. Or, at least I don't remember. No biggie. I know what direction my hotel is in. Just walk and I'll get there. 

Bad decision.

I could not get back to the main street and I could not go straight toward my hotel. I kept going left and left and left. Soon, I was lost. I was walking in a big winter jacket, carrying my laptop in a bag and cursing loudly. Eventually, I was able to start going back to the right. But I was not in a safe area. I could have easily been robbed or worse. I was lucky. 

It's kind of embarrassing, but I flagged down a cop car. He probably thought I was looking to buy drugs when he first saw me walking. I told him what happened. It looked like he thought it was funny.

"So, you want me to drive you back to your hotel?" he said.

He did. Thanks Blue. Not the Blues.

You are free to laugh. It was a weird night, but an amazing season with plenty better days. I had done some work with the team the year before, made some trips, but the final season of the Whale was a wild ride. I worked my ass off, had some good moments at the computer, but mostly learned so much about hockey, being a beat writer and dealing with people.

I just wish I had another year to use what I learned.

My 5-6 years as a season-ticket holder were a lot of fun, from the highs of the 1992 first-round playoff series with Montreal (when I became a true hockey fan) to the lows of the third-period collapse against the Bruins in 1990 - turning a 5-2 lead into a 6-5 loss and a 2-2 series. Bob Beers scored. Sigh.

Anyways, I was thrilled to get some chances to cover the team in 95-96, including the trip to Toronto. I still have the picture of me with the Cup at the Hall of Fame (left). No, I didn't touch it. I am not worthy. I had lunch and beers at Gretzky's as well.

However, I was full-time backup beat guy behind Michael Arace for what would be the final season of NHL hockey in Hartford. It will be 30 years in September of 2026.

With Michael's wonderful wife Brigid pregnant, I was able to make more trips with the team than I normally would have as the B guy. Training camp moved to Barrie, Ontario for a week and I made the trek of more than an hour from Toronto on a bus.

The Whalers played a few games at the Barrie Molson Centre and I rented a car to make the trip to Kitchener for another game. I really enjoyed Barrie, the arena and would have loved to join the Curling Club down the road. Yes, there was a Tim Horton's very close by the hotel and a heck of a sports bar, but I can't remember the name. Would like to go back there some day.

The Live 8 concert was held in the park next to the arena in July of 2005. Bryan Adams, Gordon Lightfoot, Motley Crue, Deep Purple, The Tragically Hip, The Barenaked Ladies, Neil Young and others performed. 

That was one heck of a trip in September of 1996. I was so tired that I slept through the whole plane ride home. I had to be woken up when we were o the ground..

Oh Shanny Boy

The end of the 95-96 season, you could see Brendan Shanahan was frustrated. 

His quotes after the final game in Buffalo were telling. He didn't feel the Whalers could get a fair shake in the league. The officiating in that game - the finale at The Aud - was one-sided. Shanny earned a game misconduct, goalie Jason Muzzatti fought and there were 156 penalty minutes.

(Why oh why did I not take one of the old wooden folding chairs with "Aud' written on the back as I was leaving. I could have given it to Journal Inquirer writer Phil Sweetland, who drove to Buffalo. Damn!)

Rumors started circulating that Shanahan wanted out. Unfortunately, I was tasked with trying to get in touch with him, find someone to talk. I tried, but no one called me back. The only person I spoke with was Rangers broadcaster John Davidson, who didn't know much more than me.. 

When the season began, a trade was going to happen. It was just a matter of when. But Shanahan played two games before being dealt to Detroit. He scored a goal in the 7-3 win over Pittsburgh. Alexander Godynyuk netted the winner in the opener.

Keith Primeau (below) came to Hartford in the trade and was a breath of fresh air. While Shanny was always cordial, except the day after the opener when he snapped at my simple question, Primeau was tremendous and quickly became a fan favorite.

That's what I will remember about Keith. He was always pleasant. However, no Whaler fan can forget when he fought his brother Wayne at the Civic Center one night.

"Nuggies," Arace joked.

There were a whole bunch of characters on that team. Sean Burke, Geoff Sanderson, Adam Burt, Primeau and captain Kevin Dineen were always great to talk to, Jeff O'Neill was a jokester and so was Glen Featherstone. Stu Grimson joined the group as well and contributed great quotes. I'm not surprised he's on TV now.

Hall of Famer Paul Coffey also spent 20 games with the Whalers that year before requesting a trade. I remember talking to Dineen outside the visitor's locker room in Tampa and asked him about Coffey.

"I don't want to talk about anyone who doesn't want to be on this team," Kevin told me.

Coffey went to Philadelphia and faced off against Shanny in the Stanley Cup Finals. Of course he did.

It's Just Another Town Along The Road

I wish I had documented every trip I made that season, but a few stand out.

My visits to Ottawa were great. I really liked that city and the then-Corel Center in Kanata. The route to the city from the airport went along a river for a period, with people skating the whole way. I always think of it when I hear Joni Mitchell sing "I wish I had a river I could skate away on."

My partner in crime often on road trips, Jerry Higgins of the New Haven Register, and I had a few fun days in Ottawa. The Westin Hotel seemed a short walk from everything. I also remember some pretty amazing ice sculptures. 

It had to be the mid February trip when the Whalers dropped a 4-2 decision in Kanata during the playoff chase. I flew home the next day, with a connecting flight in Baltimore, and my plane had to be de-iced twice on the runway. Finally, it took off slowly - I mean slowly - rising up.

The Senators were on that commercial flight with me. They had a game in Washington the next day. Ottawa coach Jacques Martin (below) sat across from me in the front row. A mother, who was sitting in the isle seat next to me, asked if he could switch sides to let her sit next to her son. Jacques kindly obliged.

I did not bother Jacques on the flight. He was working up a plan to beat the Capitals 6-1. But when I missed my connecting flight in Baltimore, Jacques came over to me near the luggage carousel and asked if I would like to hop on their bus to the hotel in Greenbelt with them.

I thought that was quite nice of him, even though it was better for me to stay at the airport. And, who the heck wants to go to Greenbelt? LOL. I stayed in Greenbelt, Md. once for a Whalers game at the old Cap Centre in Landover. and (name drop), future ESPN TV personality Rachel Nichols drove me back after the game. Nice of her.

I boarded the Whalers charter on Thanksgiving for a game the next day against the Panthers in Miami at the old arena - a 1-1 tie. I didn't really have time to explore Miami. The next day might have been my first game at the future Amalie Arena - a 6-3 Whalers triumph.

After surviving St. Louis, I flew to Dallas for a loss against the Stars. I was tired and sick. After finishing my early notebook, I took a nap during the afternoon. Unfortunately, I did not set any kind of alarm or ask for a wake-up call. I woke up maybe a half hour before the opening faceoff.

Luckily, Reunion Arena was a short walk from my hotel.

I wish I had time to visit the Grassy Knoll. But I went out after the game to some really weird places (a go-go bar with women dancing in cages) in the "fun" district. Would like to go there again some day.

My Buffalo trips were kind of interesting. One of the best bar/restaurants I ever visited was Jim Kelly's place at the time, "Sport City Grill."

My favorite trips were all to Canada, except for Tampa. Ottawa, Barrie and Montreal were all wonderful. Walking down Sainte Catherine Street is quite an experience. I played video poker in a grocery store in Montreal. Really. Another place to revisit. I flew Air Canada on a small jet with just one or two other passengers. You could see out the front as we coming in to land.

The Molson Centre was amazing in 1997. I have never felt like I was higher in a building than that one. The Whalers won that contest 4-1. It was Chris Murray's greatest game with the Whale.

The Montreal Gazette headline the next day read "Un Joli Fiasco."

Wild Trip To The Hotel California

The last two days of January, I got a special treat.

I boarded the Whalers charter and headed out for a two-game, two-day trip to California with games against the Kings and the Ducks. Well, it ended up being a four-day trip for me.

The plane stopped in Kansas to refuel and then weaved through the Rockies and down into Long Beach. What an amazing view that was.

It was neat to view a game at the Forum. We sat amongst the fans on press row. I can always say I was there. The game was forgettable.  I spoke with former Whaler Ray Ferraro about California hockey at the pre-game skate for my Sunday column.

With the games ending so late, you sent your story right after the final horn, grabbed a few quotes and phoned them in before the final deadline. The copy editors inserted the quotes into the story. Everything went well that night. I finished up and hopped on the bus for Anaheim. We got there early enough to go to the hotel bar and play some pool. It was a very unique circular hotel where you could peer over the rail to the bottom.

The Anaheim arena is still one of my favorites. I'm sure The Pond (now Honda Center) has lost some charm over the past 28 years, but it was quite a venue in 1997. That was the good thing about that night. However, after a 6-3 loss, all hell broke loose.

I don't feel I took any longer than the night before. I called in the quotes, packed up and left the press room, which was not far from the loading bay where the Whalers' bus parked.

But. ... they were gone.

The bus had left minutes before. They had to make the window for the flight to get out of Long Beach. Whalers PR guy Chris Brown said later he went up to the press box to try and find me. Why the fuck didn't he look in the PRESS ROOM? 

Sigh.

The Ducks PR staff quickly got me a cab and unfortunately the guy was in no hurry. I think he was driving under the speed limit on the highway. We made it to the airport, I got out and the charter was taking off - with my luggage.

What to do? I had the cabbie take me to a local hotel, which was really nice. After a tasty breakfast, I took a shuttle to the hotel at LAX that I had stayed at for the Kings game. I actually talked the front desk into giving me the NHL rate. The Courant should thank me.

I noticed that night the Kings were hosting the Chicago Blackhawks. I called the Kings PR and got a press pass for the game. Why not? Don't recall much about the game (3-2 Chicago win), but I do remember the Hawks' locker room afterward.

Jim Belushi was in there, trading fake jabs with Bob Probert. Chris Chelios, Denis Savard and Tony Amonte were on that team as well.

I walked out of the locker room and toward the VIP entrance where the cabs were and who walked right by me? 

Robert Shapiro. 

I caught a flight back the next day. I think it went through Chicago. Of course, it did.

The Birth of Doogie Howzer

Paul Maurice took over as coach early in the 1995-96 season for Paul Holmgren and was nicknamed "Doogie Howzer" for his coaching chops at a young age.

Maurice (below) knew how to coach and he knew how to treat people, even the media. I can't ever say I had a bad day with Mo. He wasn't always in the greatest mood. No one can be when you're losing. But going into his office at the Civic Center or at Avon Old Farms was never dull.

He was blunt, but he trusted us. He told us stories, gave us good quotes. 

I was learning early in the season. I realized it wasn't the thing to do later on. But sometimes I called him at home on a Sunday after a Saturday night game. He always answered and gave me a few minutes, even though you could hear the fatigue in his voice.

I remember one story he told about a young Eric Lindros. Maurice recalled seeing Eric hop over the boards for one shift in juniors and knocking down all five players on the ice.

It's amazing what Paul has done since. When he was with Winnipeg, I was sitting in the stands for the morning skate at Amalie and somehow he recognized me after all those years. He gave me a quizzical look like "what are you doing here?' smiled and point his hockey stick. I went down to see him after, but he was in a meeting and I didn't have the time to wait.

I hate the stinking Panthers. But I was very happy Paul won his Cup. No one deserved it more. Two is enough, though.

The Sad Ending

Michael was covering the potential move of the team down the stretch, so I did most of the day-to-day coverage during the playoff run.

The day the move was announced, I boarded the charter to Tampa. Apparently, that's where my heart went afterward. The next day I sat with GM Jim Rutherford at the morning skate. Even though I was pissed, I told him North Carolina was probably the best spot for the team if it wasn't going to be in Hartford. Seriously.

The Whalers won that game and the next at home against the Rangers. They went 2-1-1 after that, including the "fiasco" in Montreal.

But in true Whalers fashion, they lost 5-4 at Ottawa and coughed up a 6-4 decision in Long Island against the Islanders. Win one of those games and they reach the playoffs.

It's fitting that the Whalers played the Lightning in that last game on April 13, 1997. Dineen (right) and Glen Wesley scored for Hartford. Burke had 38 saves in a 2-1 win. Brass Bonanza was heard all day. 

It was a strange afternoon. Anger, tears, memories.

Thanks Kevin, Paul, Adam, Geoff, Jeff, Stu, Sami, Glen and all the others for a great season. 

NHL Playoff Magic

I was able to cover the playoffs in 1997 and 2000 before the Courant started cutting back.

The Rangers beat the Devils in the second round, but ran into Lindros and the Flyers in the Eastern Conference finals. I covered the games at MSG during that 1997 series and it was quite an atmosphere.

I was able to stay at the Courant's apartment, which was a short walk from Grand Central Station. Have to say, that was pretty cool. Wish the Rangers made the finals.

I took the train a lot in those days, including to Philadelphia for the finals against Detroit. The Red Wings made short work of the finals, winning the first two in the City of Brotherly Love and finishing it in Detroit.

Darren McCarty scored a rare goal in Game 4 with a nifty move and afterward said "Every blind squirrel finds a nut." Steve Yzerman won his Cup and, yes, so did Shanny.

Three years later, I did some work on the playoffs as well. I went to New Jersey for a story on the Devils-Leafs series. One afternoon, I remember finding a movie theater to pass the time and saw a film named "High Fidelity," which I had not heard anything about. It's one of my favorites of all time.

The Devils won that series and faced the Flyers next. It went seven games and I took the train to Philly for the memorable finale on and off the ice.

It was quite a night. Lauren Hart, the Flyers anthem singer belted out "God Bless America" with a bald head and a hat on after going through chemo. Nothing against Whitney, Marvin, Jose Feliciano and others. But that was the best anthem of any kind I ever saw. Tears were streaming down everyone's face.

It was the game that changed Eric Lindros' career. Scott Stevens laid him out with a neutral ice hit (left). The aftermath of the game was strange. Patrik Elias got the winner with 2:32 left for the Devils. No one could get much info on how Lindros was doing.

There were some pretty surprising stories floating around about how the Flyers treated Lindros after that game. Who knows which ones were true, but it was ugly.

Didn't do much with the NHL after that, but I continued writing draft stories. Chris Higgins, Dan Lacouture, Doug Janik, Ron Hainsey and others were profiled. It gave me a chance to speak often with Gary Dineen, who ran the Springfield Pics junior program.

Dineen was one of my favorite people. I did a feature on him that I think was one of my best pieces of all time. Gary passed away in 2006.

(Check out this link for the story https://www.courant.com/2001/06/22/hockeys-true-believer/)

He always talked about Bill Guerin. Gary told me that Bill was the kind of guy who would knock his mother down in the backyard hockey game, but then make her dinner.

I saw Guerin in the Lightning press box when he was GM of the Minnesota Wild one night and mentioned that story to him. He laughed. Janik was also in the press box last year as a scout. It all kind of comes full circle with hockey.

The 1999 NHL Draft in Boston was very memorable. I was there when Brian Burke made the big move to draft Henrik and Daniel Sedin. Atlanta picked Patrik Stefan first and Pavel Brendl went to the New York Rangers fourth, sandwiching the two Swede brothers. The Sedins were the only players selected in the first round that made a major impact. That was also the year Janik went to Buffalo in the second round.

In 2002-2003, I became a Lightning fan. The next season I flew down for Game 7 of the Finals, but could not get a ticket. I watched it in the bar and on the big screen outside the arena.

In 2007, the Lightning drafted a young man from the Montreal area named Alex Killorn. He was playing for Deerfield Academy and I had a chance to go see him play a couple times against state prep schools. The first time was at Avon Old Farms.

I stood near the glass on one side and the two people next to me were rooting for Deerfield. When I had a chance, I asked if Alex was a good kid or something like that.

"I hope so," the mom said. "He's our son."

Told Alex (left) that story years later at Prospect camp. Little did we know that he would win two Cups with the Lightning many years later.

Hockey took me to some amazing places where I met some great people. College life brought me to soccer and my move to the Hartford area brought me to hockey.

Both have given me so much since.

My 40 Years In Journalism: Chapter 6: College Ice Ice Baby

 

 

By Mark Pukalo

I saw Boston College end a 52-year drought to win an NCAA title, the growth of Division I hockey in Connecticut, witnessed a crowded bar sing along to a Vanilla Ice song and may have been in a movie without even knowing about it.

Such was my experience covering college hockey and the AHL in my final 7-8 years with the Harford Courant.

When the Whalers left for Raleigh, I dove into high school hockey and began to dip my toes in the water of college hockey. Yale gave me my first taste of a real college hockey atmosphere.

The 1998 Yale team, led by defenseman Ray Giroux and forward Jeff Hamilton, reached the NCAA tournament before losing to Ohio State 4-0 in the first round. I went down to the Yale's Ingalls Rink on Friday or Saturday nights several times and loved it.

The unique building, featuring a ceiling designed like a whaling ship, has a great history and the team was exciting with legendary Tim Taylor (left) at the helm. Taylor was very nice to me all the way through, even after my editors forced me to dig into his depression issues after coaching the unsuccessful 1994 Olympic team. He passed away in 2013.

Taylor stands as one of the best people I met along the way. He deserved better. Taylor was forced out of his job in 2006 and apparently Yale loosened some of the requirements to get some better players in afterward. New coach Keith Allain did a good job, winning an NCAA title after I left in 2013. Imagine that. Yale beat Quinnipiac for the national championship. Who could have predicted that when I started covering state teams in 1998?

Quinnipiac, Fairfield, UConn and Sacred Heart joined MAAC hockey in 1998-99. The Huskies actually won the tournament at home in 2000, but I don't remember much about it. The league did not get an automatic NCAA bid until 2001 when Mercyhurst won the tournament and played Michigan tough.

Athletic Director Jack MacDonald at Quinnipiac was the catalyst of Division I Connecticut college hockey. The Bobcats were very aggressive in recruiting and had a brash, young coach in Rand Pecknold.

Pecknold seemed a bit more of a salesman at first, but developed into a very good hockey coach. He led the Bobcats to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 2002 where they lost to Cornell 6-1 in Worcester, Mass.

Quinnipiac hockey was going places, though. Eventually, the Bobcats left Northford Rink and had their own beautiful arena that I visited a few times before leaving the job. Pecknold is still there and took Quinnipiac to three NCAA title games before finally winning here in Tampa two years ago.

One year later, UConn reached the NCAAs for the first time.

It was quite a journey from covering the first MAAC tournament semifinals at Holy Cross in 1999 to today. It makes me happy that I was in on the ground floor of college hockey in Connecticut.

I just wish I could hear the Yale pep band play "The Love Boat Theme" and Brittney Spears' "Oops, I did it Again," just one more time. 

Pure magic.

Frozen In Time: The NCAA Tournament

The 1998 Frozen Four at the Fleet Center in Boston was the first I was able to cover.

Michigan edged Boston College 3-2 in overtime with goalie Marty Turco besting Scott Clemmensen. What a crowd with two big bands creating an amazing atmosphere.

Two years later, BC had another chance with Brian Gionta's team. However, the Eagles were beaten by North Dakota 4-2 in Providence. Future NHL defenseman Mike Commodore scored the first goal for the then-Fighting Sioux.

The most memorable Frozen Four for me was in 2001 at Albany. It produced a rematch between North Dakota and BC in the final. I always liked BC coach Jerry York. When I drove to Chestnut Hill to do a feature on future Hartford Wolf Pack defenseman Mike Mottau, York was very welcoming.

It was time for him to win it. The Eagles had not won a championship since 1949. But BC had to work overtime.

Because of a Saturday night deadline and the way the press is seated in some of those older buildings for a big event, the media ends up watching the end of the game on a TV in the press room.

You could hear the roar and the walls shake above the press room a few seconds before seeing Krys Kolanos (left) score the winner on TV for the Eagles. Needing a quick lead to get the top of my story out, I wrote a one-word lead.

"Finally."

I reworked the story later, but it was one of the best college hockey memories I have. What a night n Albany.

I'm not sure when it was that weekend, but I asked the person at the front desk of my small motel outside the city limits if there was a late-night bar to go have a bite to eat and a few beers. He or she directed me to take a left and follow it to the first intersection.

It was definitely a townie bar, but seemed safe enough and I settled for a few beers. But, oh no. It was Karaoke Night. 

After a few poor performances, someone got up and threw the crowd into a frenzy. He started singing "Ice, Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice. The patrons at the bar joined in. All of them. It was a party. There was dancing. I watched in amazement and tried not to laugh.

I know. Some things you just can't forget.

Traveling With Trinity

In the winter of 2005, the Trinity Bantams made it to the Division III Final Four and I was able to make the trek to Middlebury, Vt. Trinity was led by coach John Dunham, who was a delight to deal with.

I worked in the office that day and took off without a hotel booked for the semifinals against St. Thomas, Minn. the next day. I had no clue where to stop and I went too far as it turns out, but some 20 minutes from Middlebury I found a small hotel. I woke up the clerk after midnight and was a little apprehensive about the place. But I was kind of desperate, and tired.

Luckily, it only reminded me of the Bates Motel. 

The Middlebury arena (below) was absolutely beautiful. What a nice little city. Would like to go back some day. Unfortunately, the Bantams lost 4-1 and I could not stay over. It was a long ride home. 

Prowling with the Wolf Pack

In my last two years at the Courant, I had a chance to cover the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack.

It was a way better experience than I anticipated. With beat writer Bruce Berlet away for the start of the 2006-07 season, there were plenty of opportunities to see some developing NHL players.

The year before I covered a few games and defenseman Dan Girardi was getting his start. Goalie Al Montoya was on the team both years. But at training camp in 2006, we saw the first of Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan.

I made trips to Springfield, Worcester, Providence and Lowell. I remember a big night for Dubinsky in Worcester, interviewing Callahan after a win in Providence and an amazing comeback in Lowell on a Sunday afternoon.

That's another game story I would like to find. If I remember right, Hartford was down a few goals late, with nothing going on and enduring a tiring stretch on the road. They may have had some injuries as well. But they battled back to win.

There was a quote from coach Jim Schoenfeld after the game that I could not use. Let's just say he doesn't normally "laud" his teams after games, but he was very pleased with their effort against the odds. Unfortunately, it was too profane and would need too many .....s. I wish I could remember it word for word. It would make even Lori Riley chuckle.

Schoenfeld was great to work with that year. He was honest, asked me opinions and always gave his time with a smile.

Years after that I saw Schoenfield in the press box at Amalie Arena and he would come over to talk. Guess who I also chatted with in the press box during that period of time? Yes, Don Koharski.

If you know hockey lore, those two are connected. "Have another donut ya fat pig," Schoenfeld yelled at Koharski after a period of NHL hockey when they were coach and referee.

Koharski never told me personally, but I heard that Don was ultimately grateful about that incident. It made him think about getting healthier and it might have saved his life.

Oh, and I had to watch the documentary "Secret Mall Apartment" very closely. It is a documentary about a group of artists in Providence who built an illegal apartment in a forgotten area between the mall and the parking garage near the old Civic Center between 2003-07. I was in that garage a few times that year covering the Wolf Pack.

Nah, they didn't show me walking to my car. Darn.

My 40 Years In Journalism: Chapter 5: Tales From The College Pitch

 

By Mark Pukalo

It was Sunday, September 3, 1981, my first weekend on campus at UConn before classes began. I didn't know too many people, but decided to follow the crowd to the stadium for the men's soccer opener against Saint Louis.

It became one of the best games I ever saw in person for any sport. 

I sat amongst the crazies behind the North goal and watched the Huskies win 4-3 in overtime. I had a new passion. One Halloween I actually dressed up as UConn coach Joe Morrone, with a suit jacket and a clipboard.

I had been a little interested in soccer over the years, especially when Pele came to the New York Cosmos. I monitored New England Tea Men games on the radio. I remember listening to UConn lose on an icy field at Hartwick in the 1990 NCAA quarterfinals.

But that day in 1981, and that season, was when I became a soccer fan. I went to games with my floormates from Fairfield Hall in the Jungle. Am I remembering right? Did we actually take a keg to the game on Wednesdays?

Not sure. Can't be true. 

However, that season ended with me screaming in the kitchen at home in Canterbury after hearing the call of Jim D'Orsaneo's flying header off Jimmy Lyman's perfect cross to win the national championship. The next season we braved a snowstorm to watch the Huskies lose to Columbia in the quarterfinals. 

When I got to the Courant, I was able to write about a few UConn men's games the first couple years, but I did not cover the prominent contests until Ray Reid took over as coach in 1997. While the UConn administration was sloppy and careless the way they treated Morrone at the end, Reid did an amazing job. I wrote about the transition for Soccer America magazine.

Reid was more guarded than most coaches, which made it difficult at times. However, once he got his system in place, he loosened up just a bit. His 2000 team allowed me to write a national championship game story.

That was a memorable weekend as UConn beat a talented SMU team in the semifinals and took care of Creighton in the final with one of my favorite players and people Chris Gbandi leading the way. Gbandi is now the coach in Storrs.

"When the final seconds had ticked away and another talented offensive team had been shut out, they sprinted to their fans and leaped into the crowd. They danced. They hugged. Every second was savored.

The UConn men's soccer team always believed it could be the best in the country. Now, on the same turf where their season ended in tears a year earlier in the semifinals, the Huskies had proved they were champions."

The lasting memory of that game at Ericsson Stadium in Charlotte was Darin Lewis scoring the second goal in the 2-0 win before running to where Connecticut was painted on the field and laying on the T while extending his arms.

It was not my first final four of college soccer. It was my fifth, and last.

My Favorite Soccer Team: "The Sensational Seven"

When the 90s began, I started covering more college soccer. Many weekend afternoons and weekday nights were spent at the University of Hartford. The only bad thing about that was I had to drive over the colossal speed bumps while weaving my way to Al-Marzook Field.

Hated those things. They were like mountains.

No doubt my favorite season was in 1992, when the Lady Hawks took me on a wonderful ride all the way to the Final Four in Chapel Hill, N.C. The cover of the media guide pictured the seniors on that team with a caption reading "The Sensational Seven Seniors."

Whoever came up with that line nailed it.

"When (the seniors) came in as freshmen, they changed the program," Hartford coach Austin Daniels said that year. "There was a solid group there already, but these players were the ones that made the difference in 1989 and got better each year."

Nancy Kramarz, Karen Romero, Km LeMere (bottom from left), Suzanne Laakman, Jeannae Dergance, Beth DeBlasio, Tammy Thompson (top from left). I knew LeMere from covering her in high school at Torrington and Thompson at Simsbury. Kramarz and LeMere are two of my favorite people along the 40-year journey. 

The younger players on that team were great as well, like spirited freshmen Jessica Reifer from California and Amy Fournier from Washington. Junior Rose Daley was awesome beside LeMere up front. I covered Jewel Cooper, Jann Gregory, Lisa Kesselman and Kim Early in high school while Stacy Roth was a co-ed soccer teammate for a few games later on. Great players. Great young women. All of them. And they had a perfect role model.

Daniels was the calm, steady hand on that team's back. The UConn grad became a friend and I was sad to hear he passed away from a long illness last year. He is missed.

There were so many great games to cover that year, but none better than the matchups with coach Jim Rudy and UMass, along with the incredible game against UConn at home. Hartford won 2-1 in front of a huge crowd against the Huskies. A picture of LeMere celebrating the winner, sliding on her knees with arms straight up in the air (below) graced the Sports cover.

Those were the days at the Courant. Great photos, editors who knew what was important, and no on-line stories needed.

Everything set up a battle for a spot in the Final Four with UMass on a frigid November day at Al-Marzook. The Hawks were able to celebrate on the field as they pulled out a 2-1 victory. Owen Canfield was there with me and wrote a wonderful column, as only he could, without seeing the team all year.

The Hawks had a date with Duke in the national semifinals and I took the trip to Tar Heel Country. It was one of my favorites. I was able to get a press pass to the Dean Dome for a basketball game (Cinnamon Pretzels, yum) and really enjoyed the campus.

The only downer was the Hartford offense could not get on track and the Blue Devils earned a 1-0 victory. The Hawks were disappointed they would not get a chance against Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly and the Tar Heels - even though NC won 9-1 in the championship game played on a sloppy field.

The night after the semifinal game was spent in the hotel bar with the coaches and the seniors. They had moved on. They laughed, they danced, Every time I hear the song "Hip Hop Hurray" from Naughty by Nature, I think of that night. I tried to get them to play some Bruce on the jukebox, but I was outvoted.

Daniels left for Colorado in 1996 and Mark Krikorian brought the Hawks to the NCAA quarterfinals in 1999. That gave me a trip to Penn State where Hartford was beaten 2-0. The soccer field was in the vicinity of the great football stadium. What a campus.

Those teams were solid, but could not match the guts, talent and the personality of the 1992 group. It's been almost 33 years. Heyyyy Ho. ... Heyyyy Ho. Miss those days.

The Whalers And Whalen

The UConn women's team allowed me a trip to the Final Four in Greensboro, N.C. in 1997. The Huskies beat Hartford in double overtime in the second round and routed William & Mary in the quarterfinals to set up a date with powerful Notre Dame.

It was also the first year after the Whalers had moved to Carolina and I was assigned to write a story on the atmosphere at the Greensboro Coliseum. It was good to visit some of the players who made the move to Carolina like Kevin Dineen, Sean Burke, Sami Kapanen, Keith Primeau, Jeff O'Neill, Adam Burt, Geoff Sanderson and Glen Wesley.

I took some shots at Carolina in the story, so apparently it was well received in Hartford. But my primary job that weekend was the UConn women and they gave me an exciting game to cover in the semifinals.

Notre Dame outshot the Huskies badly, but Sara Whalen (left) scored twice and Ellington's Heather Stone made some key saves for coach Len Tsantiris in a 2-1 victory. My press seat was behind the goal where UConn preserved the victory in the second half.

"Put them in any order you want, but the three elements UConn needed against Notre Dame in their NCAA women's soccer semifinal materialized on a magical Friday.

Defense. Luck. Sara Whalen."

North Carolina had too much for the Huskies in the final with US national team players Cindy Parlow and the very likeable Lorrie Fair leading the way to a 2-0 win. I recapped the Final Four in a story for Soccer Digest when I got home.

UConn had plenty of talented players and great people as well, led by Kristen Graczyk (now Corona), and including Carey Dorn, Chrissy McCann, Jen Carlson, Kerry Conners, Kerry Page, Karen Ferguson and Sarah Barnes - among others.

That 1992 game at Al-Marzook and the magical Friday afternoon in Greensboro top the list of UConn women's soccer moments for me.

Two Years With Sasho

A young coach with a big personality took over the Hartford men in 1991 and turned the Hawks into an NCAA tournament team.

Sasho Cirovski was smart, friendly and commanded attention with a strong team in 1991. The Hawks won the league title on the wet turf at Nickerson Field against BU to reach the NCAAs for the first time, led by forward Vito Serafini among others.

I traveled to Columbia for the first round win, but could not follow Hartford to Charlottesville to see their 2-1 loss in four overtimes against Virginia. The Cavaliers went on to win the national title.

The Hawks made it back to the NCAAs next year, but lost at Seton Hall in the first round. Then, Cirovski was gone. Maryland stole him away and the Terrapins have won three national titles since.

Cirovski (left) called me after he decided to take the job in Maryland. He was almost apologetic. He thanked me for my work. I told him how much fun it was covering his teams and wished him luck. I heard he later nominated me for the New England Soccer Writer of the Year. Didn't come close to winning, of course. But it was nice of him.

Hartford wasn't the same to cover afterward. Jim Evans had some success, but did not have the same personality and talent as Cirovski. I was able to take a trip to UNC-Charlotte for an NCAA quarterfinal game, which the Hawks lost 3-0 in 1996, but they only made the NCAAs twice.

Southern Nights In Florida

Ray Reid built a dynasty at Southern Connecticut before taking over at UConn. I rarely saw them play, but I was able to cover the Owls in the Division II Final Four twice.

The Owls beat Gannon 2-0 in the 1993 semifinals and lost in the final at Melbourne, Fla. However, the thing I remember most about that weekend was the pulsating semifinal game between Seattle Pacific and host Florida Tech.

My story was in already and just needed a line on who won the other semifinal that would never end. The teams tied 3-3 in regulation and skillful Tech delivered two goals in overtime to take the lead, but Seattle Pacific scored with 62 seconds left in the second OT and in the waning seconds to survive. After 30 more minutes of scoreless sudden-death OT, it took 13 rounds to end the penalty-kick shootout in Seattle Pacific's favor.

A story on the internet said the game last 4 hours and 7 minutes. It is one of the best soccer games I have ever seen for skill and drama. Just amazing.

The two players I remember most from that Southern team were talented goalie Bo Oshonyi and midfielder George Kiefer, who would later become the head coach at USF.

The following year Southern returned to the Sunshine State as I was introduced to my future home. The Owls took on the University of Tampa in a 0-0 tie as goalkeeper Rick Koczak from Wallingford put on a show before the hosts won a PK shootout.

Tampa felt like home. It wasn't long before I started vacationing here. I guess I can thank the Owls 

Central Had Plenty Of Heart

You almost forget about Central Connecticut soccer, but I had some good times occasionally covering teams coached by Shaun Green (men) and Mick D'Arcy (women).

Green, a product of Newcastle, England, was a great interview and stuck around for more than 30 years as coach - well after I left the state. It all nearly ended in the early 2000s when he suffered a heart attack. His recovery turned into a feature story for me. I look back at some of the quotes now and think about how just being diagnosed with heart failure a few years ago changed my life.

"The problem is you tend to think you always have something left in your account," Green said. "You always save a little bit of yourself. Since then, I'm not that way. I try to get as much out of every day as I possibly can. Every day is worth 10 times what it was before. ... If I do live until 80, I'd feel blessed that I had a heart attack. It's made me a much better person."

I knew D'Arcy (left) a little before he took over as coach at Central. He was an assistant with both the men and women at Hartford and worked for Tony DiCicco's camps. D'Arcy, a native of Ireland, is approaching his 26th year as coach. I can still hear him yelling "Ohhhh, Mr. Referee!"

The best memory I have of his team was their 1-0 victory at Boston College in the first round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament. I wrote my story in a little hut near the field, on the outskirts of the campus. Kelly Shimmin led the Blue Devils, who lost to UConn in the second round 3-2 in three overtimes. Don't remember that game. Perhaps I was covering something else that day.

 The Huskies went on to the NCAA championship game that year, only to lose 6-0 to North Carolina.

Woooooooo!

Some of the players with the men's college teams I covered went on to suit up for the Connecticut Wolves.

The Onolfo Family founded the team that played in the USISL to start in 1993. Clif Onolfo ran the Wolves for the first four years until the city of New Britain bought the team. While his brother Curt played for the national team and was always classy, Clif was more of a snake-oil salesman.

It was a poorly run team off the field, but there were some memorable moments at Willow Brook Park. Tony Meola showed up to play one night for example. I think Glastonbury's Erik Barbieri scored on him. They met a club team from Latvia one night. National team player Janusz Michallik played some games with the Wolves in 1995 as well.

The best thing about the Wolves was player/coach Leszek Wrona. The former Polish national was always a pleasure to talk to. He went on to coach other teams and then led the girls and boys squads at Plainville High.

On To MLS

The 1994 World Cup created a buzz that turned into a new pro league in America. Major League Soccer opened its doors in 1996 and I was allowed to cover the teams in Foxborough and New Jersey the first few years.

I traveled to cover the New England Revolution more often than the New York/New Jersey MetroStars and had a lot of fun with it. The Revs had a good following and some characters, led by Italian goalie Walter Zenga early on.

I didn't write on deadline some nights in Foxborough and I can remember zipping out to the media lot after the game ended, listening to the Beatles classic song "Revolution." You always worried if MLS would survive early on, but look at it now.

I covered the first MLS Cup final as D.C. United beat the LA Galaxy 3-2 in Foxborough. Not sure about 1999 and 2002. Really enjoyed some of the Revs teams that could never win a Cup. Michael Parkhurst (left) was one of the best defenders and Shalrie Joseph was fun to watch in the middle of the field while Taylor Twellman and Clint Dempsey could score with anyone.

Twellman seemed to start every answer after games with "At the end of the day. ...," which became a running joke in the press box. Later, he became an analyst on TV. Maybe he was just fooling with us.

Dempsey was a force, and always a good quote. However, some of the players used to joke about how bad his try at rap music was. Lots of swear words. LOL.

Miss those trips for night games at Gillette Stadium. I don't watch as much soccer these days. Perhaps some day, I will get into it again.

Those crisp autumn days in New England will not be forgotten, though. Whether it was Joe Morrone Stadium, Al-Marzook Field or even at Yale, where the men made a run in 1991 under Steve Griggs and Rudy Meredith's women reached the round of 16 in 2005, it was more than just a job.

Soccer was my life in the 90s.