Well, the hopeful article appears this year about our alumnus Peter Ferraro.
Compare it to last year's article, and see what torture Harry et. al. then
put the guy through over the remainder of last year's B's season.
As I said last year, he did not get a ringing endorsement then from
management, neither in the Globe nor in several radio interviews about the
roster. Such is again the case this year.
Seems to me we'll see Peter at the Tsongas Center and at the Civic Center
in Portland, playing with the spoked "P" and not at the FleeCenter with the
spoked "B". He deserves better.
And I hasten to remind you, I'm a thirteen-year season ticket holder with
the Bruins.
Here's last year's article....
Ferraro wants to make his points
with Bruins
By Marvin Pave, Globe Staff, 09/18/98
WILMINGTON - After a roller-coaster ride through the
1997-98 season - one that included getting claimed
on waivers by Pittsburgh from the New York Rangers,
reclaimed by New York in midseason and assigned to
Hartford of the American Hockey League for the duration
- former University of Maine star Peter Ferraro hopes to
land square on his skates with the Bruins.
The 25-year-old forward from Port Jefferson, N.Y., who
played for Tabor Academy in Marion and was a key in
Maine's run to the 1993 NCAA title, was signed as a free
agent by Boston in late July. His stint with Hartford,
during which he scored 17 goals and added 23 assists in
36 games and was part of the power-play and
penalty-killing units, has helped him prepare for one more
shot at an NHL job as a more complete player.
''I wanted to have a good end to the season in Hartford.
We had a decent run at the Calder Cup and fell short, and
after the season was over, I was an unrestricted free
agent,'' said Ferraro, the first New York native selected
in
the first round of the NHL draft (1992). ''Boston was
after
me pretty much the whole summer, and I knew growing up
as a hockey player it was a fun place to play. It's a
young,
hardworking team, and that helped make the decision for
me.''
The former US Olympian, who bagged six goals in eight
games in Lillehammer in 1994, has never had a problem
scoring goals while climbing the hockey ladder. He had
48 three seasons ago with the Rangers' AHL affiliate in
Binghamton and 38 the next season. But his call-ups to the
Rangers were always brief: Seven games with New York
from 1994-97 produced just one assist, but it was a
memorable one - it helped set up twin brother Chris's
first
NHL goal. That was during the 1995-96 season when
Ferraro, after being sent down again, wound up setting the
AHL record for power-play goals with 27.
The Ferraro brothers played together in the USHL Junior
League, at Maine, and with the US national team (Chris
was one of the last cuts before the Olympics), Atlanta of
the International League, and Binghamton for two seasons.
Both were claimed by Pittsburgh last October, and when
Peter came back to New York, it marked the first time
they had been separated in a hockey rink, counting their
days growing up on Long Island. Chris has signed with
Edmonton, and, said Peter, ''he's having a good camp. I
hope we both get the chance to play against each other up
here.''
A strong skater and stickhandler, Ferraro isn't the
biggest
kid on the block (5 feet 10 inches, 185 pounds) but relies
on quickness, puckhandling, and scrappiness.
Ferraro, who set an AHL record for shots on goal in a
season two years ago, began last season with the Penguins
and had three goals and seven assists in 29 games. He
played one game with the Rangers, then was sent packing
to Hartford.
''New York was a tough organization to be part of,'' he
said. ''They tended to go with their older players, and
speaking on behalf of myself and my brother, we had
some great numbers in the minors. But unfortunately, we
didn't get much of an opportunity at the next level. But
in
Pittsburgh, we both learned a lot, even though it was a
brief stint. When we arrived there, they had pretty much
established their lines, so we kind of got worked in and
out of the lineup.''
All of which can increase the pressure to do well, to make
an impression, when that limited ice time presents
itself.
''There's no question about that,'' said Ferraro. ''You
always want to make the best of minimal time. But any
opportunity you have in the National Hockey League is a
positive experience, and I'm just hoping to make it on a
full-time basis.''
At Maine, his teammates included current NHL regulars
like Paul Kariya, Garth Snow, and Mike Dunham. ''I
learned a lot about the game in college,'' said Ferraro,
''and I've also learned that timing is everything - and I
hope I've come to Boston at the right time. In the minor
leagues, all they wanted me to do was score goals. I
learned a lot more about the other part of the game after
I
got to Pittsburgh. That time really helped me.''
As a Bruin, he said, ''all I can do is work as hard as I
can,
on and off the ice. I've known the frustration of not
being
put in a situation where I could prove myself in the NHL.
But you have to realize that it's never too late. Players
make it when they're 27 or 28 and have made a name for
themselves. You could say this is the opportunity I've
been waiting for.''
This story ran on page E02 of the Boston Globe on
09/18/98.
) Copyright 1998 Globe Newspaper Company.
Dan Doucette
*** Isn't it fitting someone named Garth Snow is playing ***
*** for a hockey team in Canada ??? ***
Maine - National Champions 1993 and 1999 -
first in the new Millennium ?
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