Hockey At The Boston Marathon

While most of you know me as a hockey guy, truth is I don't play. I don't skate very well. I handle the puck like Tom Sestito. I can't score on the Shooter Tutor.

I am a runner, though. In fact, I have been training for a Boston qualifying attempt in May. So needless to say Monday's Boston Marathon was of interest to me.

Hockey fans will be interested to know that among the many inspiring stories out of Boston on Monday was the story of former NHLer Bobby Carpenter running the marathon while pushing injured women's hockey star Denna Laing in her wheel chair. The duo finished the 42.2km race in just over 4.5 hours - a very impressive time.

Laing was paralyzed in a women's game ahead of the 2016 Winter Classic, ending a promising career.

For the 53 year old Carpenter, who played nearly 1200 games in the NHL, this was his second consecutive running of the Boston Marathon. Carpenter has been friends with Laing's father since his youth.

The duo ran for the Journey Forward charity which is dedicated to improving the lives of people with spinal cord injuries. They have raised more than $80,000.

"I love the fact that we're running for Journey Forward," Laing told NHL.com. "It gives me a sense of doing something bigger than myself and that place has been so good to me. The people are great. And there are so many people in there working so hard every day. We're all just looking to get better and keep getting to be our best selves.

"I think that Journey Forward's the perfect representation of what the marathon stands for, because everyone's looking at the marathon to go a little further and do something that they wouldn't think that they could do before, and that's exactly what we're doing at Journey Forward. They're pushing us to be better, go forward, and do something that you might not have thought you could a couple months ago or a couple weeks ago."

You can donate to Journey Forward here.

More Can't Miss Kids?

The above image is the cover shot of the February 23rd, 1981 edition of Sports Illustrated. Not only is it a rare cover devoted to hockey - it features the very first American born hockey player to make the cover of the famous magazine.

That's 17 year old Bobby Carpenter of St. John's Prep School on the cover. "The Can't Miss Kid" they proclaim. He didn't, either. He was the first American player drafted in the first round (3rd overall in 1981) and first American player to score 50 goals in a season. In total he played 1,178 games, scoring 320 goals and 408 assists for 728 points. He won the Stanley Cup in 1995.

Fast forward to 2013 and Bobby Carpenter's son Bob, better known as Bobo, is set to chase hockey dreams on the grandest of stages, too. And it starts in the fall at Boston University.

Officially committed to Boston University! Thank you to every one who has helped me throughout the years! Love you all #Terriors
— Bobo Carpenter (@carpy_16) May 10, 2013

Bobo had been starring at Austin Prep, another Boston area high school. Now, if you think growing up in his father's famous shadow is hard, he also has an older sister who is already making quite the splash in the hockey world. Alex has played with the American under 18 national women's team and looks to be a big part of the American's womens program for years to come.

Interestingly, Alex is enrolled at BU's rival Boston College, which should make for interesting family debates.

Alex Carpenter

There is a third Carpenter kid, Brendan. He, too, has excelled at hockey at the high school level, however he is reportedly committing to chasing a career in football..

New Coach At BU - When Bobo reports to camp in the fall, he will not be the only new face on the campus ice. David Quinn has been named the new head coach at BU. Congratulations to Quinn who continues to deal with some great health issues. His profile here at GHL is one of the most read features in the website's history.

Bobby And Alex Carpenter: Building A Hockey Legacy

Bobby Carpenter had quite the year in 1985. In March "The Can't Miss Kid" became the first American born player to score 50 goals in the National Hockey League.

Then in November, he decided to fight Mario Lemieux. Bad move, Bobby.


The Sports Illustrated hero enjoyed a NHL career that lasted 1200 games and highlighted by a Stanley Cup win in 1995.  In retirement, Carpenter has had a lot of fun helping his kids learn the game.

His son Bob is doing well at a Boston area prep school.

His daughter Alex is quite the hockey star at Boston College. She may be the top up-and-coming player in the USA women's hockey scene.

Weekend Reading: Bobby Carpenter

In 1981 Sports Illustrated put 17 year old Bobby Carpenter on it's cover. Labelling him as "The Can't Miss Kid," Carpenter was being billed as the best American born hockey player ever.

Although he had a 50 goal season, Carpenter never really emerged as a superstar. But he became a very serviceable player over nearly 1200 games, reinventing himself as a defensive specialist later in his career.

You can read the original SI article here.

The Next Can't Miss Kid

In 1981 Sports Illustrated christened a 17 year old kid as the next great hockey player - Bobby Carpenter, "the Can't Miss Kid."

Now, nearly 30 years later, the Boston Globe says America's next great hockey player may be Carpenter's own can't miss kid," Alex.

That's Alex as in Alexandra.

Here's the full Boston Globe story.

US Hockey Hall of Fame inducts 4

The United States Hockey Hall of Fame (official site under reconstruction) in Eveleth, Minnesota has announced 4 new enshrinees: Aaron Broten, John Vanbiesbrouck, Bobby Carpenter and Michigan Tech coaching legend John MacInnes.

The 4 selections are all really solid picks, which also shows how far US hockey has come over the years. It wasn't that long ago that if you played more than a handful of games in the NHL with an American birth certificate you were almost automatically included in the Hall. While none of these guys are good enough to make it into the Hockey Hall of Fame, they all had a solid impact on American hockey.