BERLIN, NJ – The blessed discover their passion when life is still young. Some sit at a piano – and they just know. Others may hear their calling from a box of crayons and a clean sheet of paper. Just before his eighth birthday, Chris Corbett became one the fortunate. He skated onto a clean sheet of ice.
According to his father, Marty Corbett, Chris was just ‘another player’ in his first season. One goal, two assists, lots of fun. Many of the similarities ended right there. When Springtime came and other kids signed up for baseball, Chris skated. On rainy days when they went to the movies or played video games, Chris practiced his stickhandling. Whenever the weather permitted, Chris shot pucks off the garage door.
Last season he did a little better. Forty one goals, sixty three assists, and just as much fun – even though that year he played Defense. You may want to peruse the prior sentence a bit more; that’s 104 points… in only 27 games…as a Defenseman.
Before launching into comparisons with the likes of Bobby Orr, let me provide a bit of background. As a teenager, playing in an outdoor rink in Brooklyn, I had the tremendous fortune of playing against Joe Mullen, the first American born player to score 500 goals in the NHL. The best description that I can provide of Joe is that he was ‘different’ than the rest of us. While not a speed merchant who skated circles around the other team, Joe dominated in all the other ways. For example, he never seemed to lose the puck, not even when outnumbered, and despite constant attention from ‘wannabe’ stars like myself. Nor was Joey one to turn the puck over; his passes were ‘tape to tape’ – all the time. He buried his scoring chances, found open players, killed penalties with a blend of intelligence and energy, and absolutely made you pay for even the little mistakes when he was on the ice. Joey Mullen was blemish free and it made him unlike anyone else in the league. It made him ‘different’. I can assure you that Chris Corbett is different too.
Most among things that set this engaging young man apart is the manner in which he takes the ice. Not necessarily faster, Chris is clearly better on his skates than the kids that he plays against. Jimmy Meissner, former Power Skating Coach of the Los Angeles Kings, said that Chris was “as fluid a skater as a youth player could possibly be”.
It should also be pointed out that Chris is unlike the others in that he is almost always the smallest player on the ice. Trust me, normally that lack of size is a clear disadvantage. I have often been the smallest guy out there myself; but never, not even as a youth player, was the most dominant. Nor do I recall any other players, from any era, who would fit such a description. Hmmm, the smallest and the best. That seemed like an interesting enough topic, that of being the smallest player who can then stand tallest when the game is over. Since I had no point of reference, I asked him directly.
“What is it like to skate through everyone else? What’s it like to score 40 goals, as a Defenseman?
He smiled and shrugged his shoulders, but withheld any verbal response.
“OK, tell me. What was the highlight of having a 100 point season?”
This time Chris never hesitated.
“The best part was being on a team that went undefeated and won The Grundy Cup.”
That answer alone lends to his uniqueness. How many youth players when asked about their individual accomplishments would respond by addressing the team’s achievements?
“One youth player” would be my answer.
Speaking with the Corbett family was fun. I stayed for the game. Chris was once again the smallest player on the ice. That happens when you’re a 5th grader playing against 8th graders.
This time was a little different too; this time the other team paid attention to the little kid. With only two minutes remaining, the name of Chris Corbett was not to be found on the scoresheet. Unflustered, he came out for his final shift as he did his initial one. With passion. A minute and a half later, Chris Corbett had two goals.
Describing exactly how ‘different’ he was that evening is a challenge to my vocabulary. Kindly permit this attempt: There are thousands upon thousands of us who have a life long passion for the great game. However, our love of the game far exceeds our ability to play it. I think that Chris may be ‘different’
Christopher Corbett. Remember the name. I know that I’ll never forget it.
Contact pops.ryan@prohockeynews.com
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