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writing for godot

My College Hockey Experience Totally Changed My Life

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Written by Patrick Wells   
Tuesday, 26 January 2016 00:31
I particularly remember my four-year college hockey experience and how it had a major impact on my Hollywood career, as well as my Spiritual outlook in 1961-1965.
In my Freshman year at Middlebury College, I had a stress ulcer, because I went from a 12-year all-boys prep school to a coed college. My family doctor would not let me play hockey that year because of the ulcer.
In my Sophomore year, I made the Varsity hockey team, but the day after our very first game, I broke my leg in practice and was out for the whole season. It was a very bad year for me, because my roommate and his girlfriend were run over and killed just walking on Campus, Dean Hale and Janet Lockhart. So I was very depressed for the remainder of that year.
In my Junior year, I also made the team, but I did not like the coach, Duke Nelson, and he did not like me. We also had a weak goalie and a poor record, so I quit the team before the end of the season. I still regret that selfish move.
By my Senior year, I had such a bad taste in my mouth about hockey, that I did not even try out for the team. Even though the hockey team had a new goalie from Minnesota in 1964-1965, the team was under performing, winning only about half of their games by Christmas break. The new hockey coach, Wendell Forbes, called me at home and asked me if I would play for the team after Christmas break. Of course, I said yes; I was immediately on fire emotionally!
The first game that I was back was a home game. The other team was ranked above us in ECAC Division II. I don’t add a lot offense to the game, but the other team does not score very much when I am on the ice. In addition, I am fast and I have what I call a very high energy level that is often contagious. We tied that team, 2-2, but we should have won because I whiffed on a breakaway when I was one on one with the goalie.
We went on to win 6 of our next 7 games. In our second to last game, we won the ECAC Division II Championship; I had 2 assists. Our final record was 14-8-1 (See attached newspaper article with my photo).
I know that my positive and high energy level helped bring another hockey Championship to Middlebury College. I felt like I was one of the heroes for the first time in my life. I also realized Spiritually that you must never give up on yourself or Life, no matter how bleak the future appears.
Fifteen years later, Peter Markle, my director, and I started producing one of the first totally Independent movies ever made, THE PERSONALS. The movie was distributed world-wide and also opened at the Mann Chinese Theater, the most famous movie marquee in the world (See photo).
So Peter and I had the choice of picking the subject matter for our next movie. Ironically, Peter and I also played high school hockey together at The Blake School. He was a freshmen, when I was a senior. He wanted to make a hockey movie and because of my incredible Middlebury Hockey experience, that is exactly what I wanted to make too! (See photo of our Blake High School hockey team. From left to right in the front row in is Peter Markle, then John Whitman, who wrote the treatment with Peter, then me.)
That picture now constitutes a major Synchronicity!
We also discovered our extraordinary editor, Steven Rivkin, who first saved THE PERSONALS and then edited YOUNGBLOOD. Many years later, Steven edited the movie AVAVTAR! He may be the highest paid editor in Hollywood now. (See Photo of the YOUNGBLOOD hockey team hired for the shoot).
Because of my extraordinary experiences at Middlebury College, some wonderful and some awful, I was now perfectly prepared for Life!
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