College Hockey: Hockey Commissioners Announce New National Awards

College Hockey: Hockey Commissioners Announce New National Awards

National Rookie of the Year, Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award To Be Given

“As the college game continues to receive more national exposure, both in terms of television and a weekly satellite radio show that’s coming soon, our Association believes it’s the right time to highlight one outstanding first-year player from what is a dynamic and highly-skilled group of candidates each year across the nation,” stated HCA president and CCHA commissioner Tom Anastos.

Consummate team player Derek Hines of Army, who was killed in service in Afghanistan, is the namesake of the new Unsung Hero award.

“Invariably, the national winner and many of the finalists will have an impact at higher levels of hockey. Players such as Marty Turco, Dany Heatley, Paul Kariya and Erik Cole, to name but a few, are some of the freshman student-athletes that would have been considered for this award in their college days.”

The National Rookie of the Year will be chosen from among the six players that are recognized as the top first-year player in their respective conferences. Voting will be conducted among the assistant coaches of all 59 D-I teams with one vote per team. Points will be awarded on a 5-3-1 basis with five points for a first-place vote, three points for a second-place vote and one point for a third-place vote.

Each of the six conferences will also submit a nominee for the Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award to honor the nation’s “consummate team player and team builder.” Hines, a former Army captain, was killed in the line of duty in Afghanistan in September. He was a four-year letterwinner for the Black Knights, graduating in 2003 after serving as the team’s co-captain in his senior season.

“Derek was a special person who profoundly impacted those around him and his remarkable life exemplifies everything that a college hockey player can strive for and achieve,” said Bob DeGregorio, commissioner of Atlantic Hockey. “We are so pleased that the Hines family has given their blessing to this award that we hope can serve as a fitting tribute to all that Derek stood for.”

The Unsung Hero Award will go to the nominee who best personifies Derek’s spirit and relentless commitment as defined by the following description:

“This award recognizes a fearless leader and beloved fan favorite who always places his team first. Displaying exemplary sportsmanship, he’s supremely competitive, intelligent and extraordinarily conditioned with an unmatched work ethic. The contributions of this individual, on and off the ice, cannot be measured by statistics alone.”

Nominees will be judged by a panel comprised of the sports information directors from the six D-I conferences along with representatives of Army athletics and the Hines family.

1ST LT. DEREK S. HINES

July 9, 1980 – September 1, 2005

Reflections of a Hero

“He stands in that unbroken line of patriots who have dared to die that freedom might live and grow and increase its blessings. Freedom lives and through it he lives—in a way

that humbles the undertakings of most men.”

– Franklin D. Roosevelt

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We gather to honor, reflect and support each other.We stand together — for you, by you, because of you.We love you Derek Steven Hines
Thursday, September 8, 2005

Friday, September 9, 2005

The Hines Family

Michael, Ashley, Trevor, Derek

Sue & Steve

CELEBRATION OF LIFE

Immaculate Conception Church, 10:30 a.m.

Celebrant Fr. Mark Piché

Eulogy Steven Hines

First Reading Pam Pappalardo

Second Reading Rob Ouellette

Offering of Gifts Derek’s cousins

Reflection from Ed Hill

Family & Friends Michael Hines

CPT. Tim Murphy

Music Soloist: Donna Postle

Accompanied by St. John’s Prep Choir

A letter from Derek Hines

Submitted to the Newburyport Daily News and published on July 4, 2005

Battle Company is aiding in the construction of government headquarters,

police stations, schools and medical clinics throughout three districts of

Afghanistan. But our job is not solely to offer humanitarian support. The

fact remains, this is a war — groups of men are fighting each other on a daily

basis. In our three districts alone, we have engaged the Taliban over 20 times in

three months. The enemy's primary weapons are AK-47 assault rifles and Rocket

Propelled Grenades (RPGs). A standard mission for the men of Battle Company

consists of moving by helicopter into a village. The village is believed to be harboring

the Taliban, according to intelligence reports. Once inserted, we walk

upwards of 20 to 30 miles in the course of a week with 50 to 70 pounds on our

back in the form of body armor and a backpack. The patrol leader and his interpreter

move into the village and find the "mullah," usually the oldest and wisest

male. At this point, a systematic search of the compounds that make up the village

begins. About two hours into the patrol, the interpreter's walkie-talkie starts

making noises. It is the Taliban. We are hunting them, and they are hunting us. It

is a game of cat and mouse. The interpreter tells the patrol leader what the

Taliban is saying. They are beginning to prepare their attack. As the signal gets

better reception, we know they are getting closer. Every word said over the

radios the "terp" is telling us. The patrol starts to gear up, knowing it may have to

fight the mysterious enemy. We search the high ground looking for suspicious

activity in the rocks. The enemy is smart in this regard. They use the high ground

to their advantage. To try to reduce this advantage, Battle Company walks it.

Most mountains in Afghanistan range from 8,000 to 12,000 feet in elevation. At

the end of the day, we either get into a gunfight or wait until the next day when

the walkie-talkie chatter is heard again.

The enemy in Afghanistan uses intimidation and weapons to influence the local

populace. They are professionally trained fighters educated at madrasses, or religious

schools, in Pakistan, where they are taught that coalition forces are in

Afghanistan to destroy Islam. They have absolutely no connection to the people

of Afghanistan. They spend the day walking the mountains, then move to the villages

in the evening to terrorize the people. One of the most pivotal events in

our one-year deployment will be the provincial elections. The responsibilities of

Battle Company include securing the election sites and workers. The United

Nations teams are taking responsibility for the actual elections. If the elections are

a success, it will move the Afghan government and the country closer to sustaining

itself without Coalition troops and assistance. The Afghan government is

allowing women to vote, but in our three districts, which are very traditional, the

elders have stated women will not vote. In more developed areas like Kandahar

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and Kabul, they will. Coalition forces are working with the Afghan National

development, but every day show improvement. The men who join receive no

formal training. They are recruited, travel to the district they will work in, given

weapons and asked to secure the people. They range in age from 13 to 50. You

may think 13 is young for a police officer, but these brave boys are sometimes

the sole providers for their families — the only hope their families have to survive.

When we arrived, the number of police officers was dwindling because the

government hadn't paid them in six months. Those men who stayed on to serve

despite the hardship will be why Afghanistan's government makes it. The best

missions Battle Company has conducted have been joint patrols with them leading

the way. They live with the people and know who the bad guys are in the

local villages. Battle Company would have no idea who the enemy is if not for

them. The war would not be won without the brave ANP and ANA because the

Afghan people listen to them a lot more than they listen to us. The U.S. will not

win this war without the cooperation of every village because we cannot recognize

the enemy unless he is shooting at us. To prepare for the elections, Battle

Company scheduled Surrahs (town hall meetings) with elders of each of the three

districts on Fridays, which is their Sabbath. In these meetings run by Army lieutenants

and captains, groups of men attempt to solve district issues such as

hunger, drought and security. I've found that Afghans are looking for guidance,

and they want strong leadership. The elders listened to me talk about simple concepts

like security, cooperation and leadership.

I wanted to write this article to tell America of the war in Afghanistan. The press

has slowly made people think this is a humanitarian assistance mission. This is

false. Coalition forces are on the fast track to rebuilding this country, but there is

fighting, too. The men who surround me are America's heroes. They are between

the ages of 18 and 21. Most of them are just back from one year in Iraq and are

making the ultimate sacrifice for another year. Day in and day out, they amaze

me with their perseverance and determination. Their mission: secure three of the

most contentious areas in the country, Arghandab, Deh Chopan and Khak

Afghan. In the past four months, these brave men have successfully met every

challenge presented them. There are no days off. Recently, the fighting has been

as intense as it was when Special Forces Units and the Rangers initially came in

to defeat the Taliban and Al-Qaida in the Tora Bora mountains. In four major

engagements with the enemy, we have destroyed 15, 16, 40 and 80 Taliban fighters

without the loss of a single American soldier. These soldiers make every day I

am out here worth the trip. As a young officer, I am beginning

to understand why our Army is the best in the world.

All the men are respectful when they are pushed to their

edge by rude Afghans, are willing to take on any task and

are humble about their huge accomplishments.

– Robert Louis Stevenson

From Trevor…

From Michael…

“Greater love hath no man than this,

that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

– John 15:13

www.derekhines.org

You had to hear Pierre A. Raymond laugh. He would toss his head back and let his laughter escape without shame or self-consciousness. "My greatest fear," said his sister, Barbara Bell, "is that I will forget the sound of my brother's laughter. And he was always laughing." Raymond, 28, of Lawrence, Mass., died Sept. 20 at a military hospital in Germany of injuries from a Sept. 15 attack in Ramadi. He was based in Harrisburg. "Pierre just had this capacity that very few people have," Bell said. "This capacity for life. Even as a kid, we don't have many family photos of him because he was always running in the park." He graduated high school in 1994 and attended Northern Essex Community College. Raymond, who had a passion for fixing cars on the fly, was a military mechanic. He joined the Army in 1998 and spent 13 months in Bosnia. He also is survived by his parents, Santina and David. "I'd give anything to have my brother back," said his sister, who was at his bedside in Germany. "But to be there, to be able to laugh with my family when we remembered his jokes was amazing. It was a gift."

Pierre A. Raymond

Monday, September 26 2005 @ 08:48 AM EDT Boston Globe -- When Delta Flight 1880 landed late Saturday at Logan International Airport, the pilot went on the intercom to make a request of the passengers preparing to grab their carry-on bags: Sit for a moment and honor a fallen soldier. ''The pilot said, 'We have a hero on this flight and sadly, he isn't with us, but his mother is escorting his remains,' " said Barbara Bell, sister of Sergeant Pierre A. Raymond, 28, an Army reservist from Lawrence who died Tuesday in Germany after being wounded in Iraq. The normal bustle of an emptying airplane immediately ceased, she said. ''He went on to say that 'a sergeant from the Army is escorting them as well', and then [the pilot] thanked him for doing what he did and for keeping us safe and free." As Raymond's mother, Santina, got up to walk off the plane, her fellow passengers gave her a standing ovation. ''I was thankful that he was remembered like he was angel," said Santina Raymond, who spent yesterday at her Lawrence home preparing for her son's funeral on Wednesday. ''He was a hero, so everybody cheered. It was wonderful. He was wonderful." Pierre Raymond died from injuries sustained after a Sept. 15 attack near Ramadi, Iraq, where he was hit in the chest and neck with flying shrapnel while in his sleeping quarters. Immediately after he was wounded, Raymond was talking and even flirting with the nurses who treated him, said Bell, who lives in Palo Alto, Calif. But military doctors in Iraq couldn't stop the bleeding and sent Raymond to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany for emergency treatment, where he was kept alive until his family arrived. ''We were all flown out on military orders," said Bell, also a former reservist. The family stayed at Raymond's side during his last hours. ''Pierre just had this capacity that very few people have. . . . This capacity for life," said Bell, 30. ''Even as a kid, we don't have many family photos of him because he was always running in the park." Bell said her brother joined the Army in 1998 and spent 13 months in Bosnia as a military mechanic. He was discharged in 2001, she said, and spent some time traveling before being called back in the National Guard to serve with the 228th Forward Support Battalion, 28th Infantry Division, which supported a Marine Expeditionary Force. Raymond was dispatched for retraining and arrived in Kuwait in June. He'd barely been in Iraq a week before he was wounded. For two weeks prior, he called his mother nearly every morning at 6 a.m., Boston time, his sister said. ''He'd even sent letters saying Kuwait was kind of boring," Bell said. ''He was waiting to be attached to a unit." Raymond had been a student at Salem High School in New Hampshire and attended Northern Essex Community College for a short time. He enjoyed fixing cars and joined the Army in part to use his skills as a mechanic. In Iraq, he was maintaining Bradley fighting vehicles. A funeral Mass will be said at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Patrick Church in Lawrence. Besides his mother and sister, Raymond leaves his father, David, of Londonderry, N.H.; and two brothers, Joseph, 26, and Alfio, 32.