The Hart of the Mariners

Written by Mariners forward Ted Hart

I have never taken the time to reflect on my hockey career. To truly think about my first skate, my teammates, and the games I won or wish I had won. At the age of 24 I feel I’ve already skated for a lifetime, even though I’m not even halfway done. With the Mariners season cancelled, and hockey leagues across the world suspending play, there is no better time to think about the hockey career I’ve had and where it’s going next.

The last time I skated as a Mariner was March 12, 2020; it was a normal practice filled with bizarre emotions as we knew the ECHL would be suspending the remainder of the 2019-2020 season a few hours later. That practice was over nine months from today – the longest I’ve gone between practicing or playing for a team. I have never sustained a long-term injury or suspension, and I’ve never finished a season without knowing if I would start another. For hockey players, the season ends in late spring and restarts at the beginning of fall. I have tried to fill this summer with small group skates and Men’s League games around the changing COVID-19 guidelines, but it’s not the same as previous summers as I don’t know when my next season will start. So, rather than thinking about my next skate I’ll think about my first.

When it was time for me to start skating, there was a plan in place for me. It was a true and tried plan that would have me skating on my own before I can even remember. It would take place in my family’s backyard where my Dad – and Mom of course – have built an outdoor skating rink for the past 25 years. I started on boots wrapped up in thick winter jackets and pants just walking around the ice. Then my parents strapped skates on me and pushed me around the rink in a small plastic chair. By the time I got comfortable with my blades on the ice, I would stand on my own and use the same chair as leverage. Once the chair became more inconvenient than convenient, it was time for me to blast off and take part in the games that were all around me.

My Mom and her side of the family loved to skate growing up and follow me and my brother’s games almost more than anyone I know – our greatest fans are my grandparents who watch every game from Zephyrhills, Florida. However, it was my Dad and his family growing up in Waterville, Maine that ingrained the sport within us. John, my father, and his brothers Rick and Tom played ice hockey at Waterville Highschool in the 1970s. My Dad then went on to play at Bowdoin College where he holds the record for most goals scored in a period after lighting up New England College for four goals in 1983. Seven years after he graduated, when Kevin was born, it was time to pass the hockey tradition along to us. Growing up I thought there would be a big gap between siblings that are 2 years apart, which Kevin, Brian, and myself are. Not just in physical size but in behavior and the things we would do. I’d be behind them in maturity so I would be left out of all the activities. I quickly found out that was one of the dumber thoughts I’ve ever had. I loved being the youngest because I was involved in almost everything they did. From Kevin’s Cumberland Soccer Club U-14 team to Brian’s Peewee hockey team, I knew everyone and was involved in what they did. I went to all their games and hung out with their teammates and friends when they came over to our house. While I’m sure Kevin and Brian didn’t always love having their younger brother around, they and their friends never picked on me but rather embraced having another Hart brother to compete with. Playing soccer, hockey, and baseball with older siblings and friends certainly helped me develop as an athlete, but also helped me grow as a person. To this day, some of my best friends are friends I share with Kevin and Brian, and some of their best friends are from the teams I grew up playing for.

The greatest example of this was at one of Kevin’s youth hockey games at Portland Ice Arena - now the Troubh Ice Arena. I played earlier in the day and my Dad - who coached both my team and Kevin’s team - brought me straight to Kevin’s game after. I’d usually put my helmet on and stand on the bench during my brother’s games, but this time Kevin and his teammates had me put my gear on and take the ice with them for warmups. I went through the quick “butterfly” warmup for 3 minutes and the whole team was psyched to have another winger for the game. The puck was about to drop when the referee pulled me aside and asked me to take my gear off and watch from the bench. I was upset at first, but soon realized it was better than not skating at all, especially since Judd Hobbs was ejected in the first period for a hit from behind and I had someone to watch the game with. At around that same age is when I first dreamed of playing at the Cross Insurance Arena, formerly the Cumberland County Civic Center. My earliest memories of the Portland Pirates are because of the Army’s. Tim Army coached the Pirates from 2002 to 2005, and he and his wife Sue had two sons - Derek and Travis. Derek was Kevin’s age and Travis was Brian’s age. We met through Casco Bay hockey as Derek played with Kevin, and my older cousin Cam, and Travis played with Brian. We quickly became family friends with the Army’s and would often go to the Civic Center to see Tim coach the Pirates. It’s hard not to love hockey when you see the level of skill and physicality that the Pirates had, especially when you see it live in front of you. If someone says baseball is poetic, then they haven’t seen clips of Graham Mink and the Ferraro twins lighting up the Lowell Lock Monsters.

Hockey is simple at first. I’d throw my Casco Bay Hockey jersey on, play a couple games with my best friends, then head home and jump onto the backyard rink for 2v2. I didn’t think about how I was performing, or where I would be playing a year from then. As I got older, I realized that hockey is a funnel with only the most talented players at the top. Performance and development – like all sports – are necessary to advance to the next level. I was lucky in that when I had to start choosing where I would play next season, I didn’t have to guess. I had two older brothers pave the way for me.

By the time I reached high school, there was no point in considering anything but Greely. Cumberland values education and prides itself on celebrating their sports teams, so it was an easy choice going to Greely. Whether I was playing soccer for Mike Andreasen, hockey for Barry Mothes, or baseball for Mort and Derek Soule, I was surrounded by people that develop great student-athletes. Coach Mothes, as well as Matt Gilbert and Damian Bolduc, were instrumental in helping my brothers and I learn the whole game of hockey and prepare ourselves for the next step. Kevin and Brian won the State Championship in 2009, and seeing the team celebrate and how much it meant to them showed me how great high school sports were. Three years later, as a sophomore, I won my first state title at the Colisee in Lewiston. We beat Messalonskee 5-2 and I’ll never forget the moment the buzzer sounded and we lifted the trophy as a team. The elation from winning a state title that you and your classmates have worked so hard for is incomparable, and it’s why we worked so hard to win it again in 2013. Winning the last game of the season, whether it’s Peewee hockey or the NHL, is what makes hockey so special.

After I finished my junior year at Greely, I thought it was time to move forward with my hockey career, and all the signs were pointing to Phillips Exeter Academy. Kevin went there as a PG, Brian did his junior and senior year there, and two of my best friends, Sterling Weatherbie and Griffin Py were currently at Phillips Exeter. Everyone gave rave reviews. It was certainly different moving to a boarding school with a campus and students from across the world, but it was an invaluable step in moving towards a college hockey career. I played soccer in the fall and hockey in the winter for Dana Barbin. Coach Barbin and the assistant coach, Bill Dennehy, are passionate about hockey and love winning. They understand as players move to more competitive levels, and the game gets quicker, players need to develop skills and habits that consistently create offense and win games. Learning to use your teammates, manage the puck, and compete above all else are fundamentals to Coach Barbin’s program, and without him I wouldn’t have taken the necessary steps to become a collegiate player.

Hockey has opened a lot of doors for me, but none as big as college. When Yale offered me a spot on their hockey team, and a chance to learn from one of the greatest Universities in the world it was hard to say “no”. I had the chance to play for Keith Allain and a team that won the NCAA Championship only three years before. It was a big jump moving from prep school to college hockey; nowadays almost every college player does a year or two of junior hockey before matriculating. The game – particularly in the ECAC – was physical and fast; space is not given but earned and I struggled to find consistency in my game. I would go numerous weeks without scoring and couldn’t figure out how to use my skating ability to my advantage. While I couldn’t sustain as much success as I had hoped, I was having a blast with my teammates and participated in games I’ll never forget. I had the opportunity to play in the NCAA tournament before losing to UMASS-Lowell 3-2 in OT, I played a pair of games in Belfast, Northern Ireland as part of the Friendship Four tournament, and numerous OT thrillers at the famous Yale Whale. However, one of my favorite games was played at the Cross Insurance Arena my senior year. We travelled up to Portland to play the UMaine Black Bears after the holidays. It was a hard-fought game that we eventually lost in OT, but I’ll always remember the numerous friends and family that attended the game and cheered me on. Little did I know that wouldn’t be the last time I played at CIA either.

After I graduated in 2019, I was excited to try out my game in the professional ranks, and what better spot than my hometown team. Riley Armstrong gave me the opportunity to try out for the Maine Mariners in October and I jumped on the chance. I trained and skated all summer in anticipation for the camp, but I knew it was a strong team and earning a spot would be difficult. I had three practices and a preseason game against Worcester to prove my worth, but ultimately fell short as I was cut following the game. It was frustrating and embarrassing. All my family and friends were hoping I’d make it so they could see me play every weekend in Portland, but I wasn’t quite good enough. In the moment I was questioning my ability as a hockey player and whether I even wanted to continue my career. However, Riley and Danny Briere pulled me aside and showed their faith me in as a player, and said there was a coach – Jean-Guy Trudel – out in Peoria, Illinois that would help me get my game where it needs to be. The Peoria Rivermen belong to the Southern Professional Hockey League, one step below the ECHL. I trusted Riley and Danny and believed Peoria would be the best spot for me. I told myself that whether I would have the opportunity to rejoin the Mariners or not, I would give Peoria everything I had as a player and as a person. I wanted to enjoy playing hockey like I did as a kid, and that was exactly what happened in Peoria.

Jean-Guy Trudel (2nd from the left). Photo credit: PJStar.com

Jean-Guy Trudel is the coach, assistant coach, and GM of the Peoria Rivermen. He signed players, ran practices, and managed the bench all by himself. He is passionate about winning and loves his players. He taught me how to use my speed and skill to my advantage, and more importantly how to enjoy my time at the rink. We rattled off five straight wins to start the season and showed no signs of slowing down. After the fifth game, at the beginning of November, Riley called me and asked me to fly back to Maine to join the Mariners. It was difficult leaving the Rivermen as I believed in our group and thought we could win the championship, but I needed to advance my career as a hockey player and knew I’d enjoy playing for the Mariners just as much as I did for the Rivermen.

I made my debut for the Mariners on November 9th, 2019. We were taking on the Adirondack Thunder at home in front of a packed crowd. I was nervous; I wanted to show my teammates and my friends in the crowd that I belonged at this level. I started the game on the wing and after a few shifts I was able to settle down and start making plays. We won 5-1 and I had an array of scoring chances but couldn’t find the net – something that would haunt me for games to come. I was thrilled to play my first game as a Mariner and accomplish a dream I had since I was a kid. I couldn’t wait for the next game and to see what our team could accomplish over the course of the season.

I scored my first goal on a road trip in Norfolk, Virginia. I received a nifty little pass from Mike McNicholas in the slot and fired a wrister passed the goalie. It wasn’t the goal that I’ll remember the most though, it was how the team reacted on the bench. They erupted in cheers for me and were psyched I got on the score sheet. I finally felt that I was part of the team, and not just a temporary call up from the SPHL.

 

I hadn’t played with my brother Brian since we were in middle school. We played for Greely as 8th and 6th graders; Brian was a man-child at that age and took the puck to the net almost every shift. It was a blast playing with him and I always wondered if we’d get the chance again. Fortunately, everything aligned for Brian to join the Mariners in January. He had finished his degree from Harvard in December, and we were in the market for a power forward. Before I knew it, Brian was strutting around the locker room hootin’ and hollering with all the guys over a cup of coffee. I thought it was special finally suiting up for my hometown team, but to do it with my brother made it even more memorable.

Hockey has been with me at every stage of my life. From when I first learned to skate in my backyard to eventually lining up with my brother at the Cross Insurance Arena. It has given me education and character as well as joy and laughter. Even though I may not know where my hockey career will go next, I’m proud of how I got here and thankful for all the people I’ve met along the way.