As I watched the West Point Class of 2001 receive their diplomas today via
the webcast; I have to reflect on the success of Army's first and only NHL
player- Dan Hinote who has made a big splash with the Colorado Avalanche in
the Stanley Cup finals. Hinote left WP after his Plebe year when he was
signed to a contract by Colorado. He has never forgotten his WP experiences
and said Beast Barracks was tougher than any NHL game. As a plebe Hinote
played on Army's number 1 line with 2 of Army's all time greats (Ian Winer
'96 & Bill Morrison '97). That team was 24-9-1 and beat RPI, Yale, Cornell,
RMC, USAFA 2x). Outsiders may think athletes at WP live a privileged life;
ironically both Winer (hearing loss) and Morrison (lost part of his leg in a
helicopter accident) were permanently injured in the field but neither has
any regrets about WP or serving their country. Hinote's guests for game 3
included Winer, classmate/teammate Mike Duggan; and his squad leader from
Beast Barracks. Something we can all be proud of.