Feature: Bulldog Determination
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The following article featuring Yale forward Brian O'Neill appeared March 27 on the College Hockey News (CHN) Web site.
By Adam Wodon
Managing Editor
As Brian O'Neill sat on the couch of his suburban Philadelphia
home after his sophomore season of high school, pondering the
results of an MRI exam on his knee, the idea of playing in the
Division I NCAA tournament was about as ridiculous as winning
American Idol and the Olympic decathlon. In the same year.
It's difficult enough to be a 5-foot-9 hockey player from
Southeastern Pennsylvania, no matter how much you may dominate the
high school leagues there. But where there was once hope, at least,
of taking a shot in the United States Hockey League -- maybe then
Division III -- O'Neill now had a doctor telling him that the cheap
shot he took to the knee during the Eastern Pennsylvania
championship game (known as the Flyers Cup) meant his playing
career was over.
"It was really scary," O'Neill said. "Going from playing really
well to not being able to play ever again. That was a tough day for
me."
Complete article can be accessed via the CHN Web site by clicking here.
