Winchester: No Game Like Your First
The following blog, written by former Colgate standout Jesse Winchester, appeared April 4 on the Ottawa Senators Web site.
By Jesse Winchester
Seeing Stephane Da Costa play his first NHL game for us on Saturday night definitely brought back some memories for me. We both went straight from NCAA hockey to the NHL, but he seems a little bit more mature than I did at that time, a little bit more confident, I think. He's younger than I was when I made my NHL debut, but he's played in the world championship a couple of times for France and he's been around pro guys, so he knows what it takes. Even if was still playing for Merrimack College until up until a week before Saturday.
I went through the same thing three years ago, when I graduated from Colgate and signed with the Senators. A few days later, I played my first NHL game in Boston. The good thing about it was that I didn't have time to get nervous because it was a 1 o'clock game. We got in the night before and I went out for dinner with some of the guys, then I went to bed early. Brian Lee was my roommate and it was only his second or third game, so were were both still fresh. Everything about it was so new to us.
On the day of the game, I got up and tried to enjoy the experience. My brothers drove through the night with a couple of my best friends from home and got to Boston just in time for the game. A bunch of my friends from Colgate showed up, too, to cheer my on. It was a really, really special day. It wasn't a great game, if I recall right (the Senators lost to the Bruins 4-0), but it's still a day I'll never forget.
Complete article can be accessed via the Senators Web site by clicking here.
