How Hockey Has Gotten The Maven To His 92nd Birthday

It's really been easy for me to reach my 92nd birthday today.

I keep watching hockey games and they make me feel so young!

Not always happy, and not always triumphant, but always the adrenaline keeps flowing -- and that makes me feel more like 29 rather than 92.

The feeling always comes to a simple common denominator worthy of one key word: GRATEFUL.

It started in 1939 when my Dad took me to my first game at the Old Garden and it will continue Monday when I return to New MSG and -- or, if they'll have me -- back again on Wednesday.

Were it not for Marty Glickman and Chuck Dolan, I'd never climbed into the tv realm. Marty recommended me and Chuck hired me to do the Islanders. And when Chuck returned, Jimmy Dolan kept me going (Rangers, Islanders and Devils) until I figured it was time to retire.

Then again, I couldn't forget the Islanders who invited me to do my first tv game back in March 1975 with Spencer Ross on play by play.

It was so long ago that The Coliseum still was new. I watched UBS being built and will pay homage to it on a visit this Tuesday.

Why am I so grateful? Well, for starters Tommy Lockhart of the Rangers got me on to the writing business when I still was in Brooklyn College and Herbie Goren hired me in 1954 to be his publicity assistant.

We'd be here for an hour going through all the others who've let me continue my hockey writing passion right up to the present where my buddy/rep David Kolb keeps getting me new puck gigs.

Every year I'm blessed with new shmoozing pals; Jon Ledecky at the Islanders is one for my favorites, as well as fellow Islanders owner, Scott Malkin.

And fellas who's been around the block a few times including the two guys who've made the NHL the best its even been -- The Commish, Gary Bettman.

And Deputy Commish, Bill Daly.

As a historian, what can be more fun than writing history and for that I can thank my boss at NHL.com, Bill Price and able editor Jon Lane.

My palship with Lou Lamoriello dates back to the day he came to New Jersey eventually to orchestrate three Stanley Cups in the Garden State.

None of this ever would have happened without my Mom and Dad who nurtured my hockey madness from the start and with the Rangers great publicist, Stan Saplin who hurturned me from my early days reporting for NY Journal-American.

My wife, Shirley, was a huge help co-authoring books, editing my stuff and being an inspiration from get-go.

Shirley brought forth Ben and Simon, my sons who were involved with my hockey life through Stanley Cup victories and the tough losses as well.

Simon's kids have taken the family madness to the ice, each playing -- and working -- the game as I speak.

In distant Oregon lives son, Ben, and my northwest grandsons have taken that good, old hockey spirit to other pastimes and giving them their best shot, day in and day out.

MSG Pals Joe Cohen and Mike McCarthy extended my career when SportsChannel became part of MSG Networks and each in his own way was the best boss a Brooklynite ever could have. And Andrea Greenberg hit the top for me when in the homestretch of my MSG career.

I can't forget about writing-mate, Zach Weinstock who co-authored one of my favorite books, "Rangers vs. Islanders" and my most recent Islanders 50th anniversary book.

There's a major problem here. I always told my interns and students at Fordham and Columbia to "for crying out loud, WRITE TIGHT. "

And here I am drifting into a "War and Peace" realm, knowing I've omitting a legion of pals whose names should be here.

At the expense of redundancy, my message remains the same: THANKS!

I look forward to reaching 92 and know that I'd never reach this landmark without hockey that continues to invigorate me.

Today I look forward to being 29 all over again. (Hey, whot not?)

Love,

Mave