Danvers native roots for Bruins, but hopes to be a Leaf
UMass stalwart has shot at pros
Last week the Boston Bruins, trying to hold onto the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, twice faced the Toronto Maple Leafs. Both teams fought for the few remaining points that would elevate them to the postseason. As is customary this time of year, if the Bruins are within sniffing distance of the playoffs, fans are elated by a win and feel crushed by a loss.
Not Alex Berry. The Danvers native wants to see the Bruins win, but if the Leafs win, that's fine, too. The University of Massachusetts at Amherst junior forward is "a huge Bruins fan," but he's also a Toronto draft choice (fifth round, 2005).
"Obviously I'm still rooting for Boston a little bit harder, but I want to see the Leafs do well," said Berry. "It's just fun watching hockey right now, coming down to the wire. It's fun watching both teams. I definitely want to see the Bruins make the playoffs, but if Toronto makes it, that's great, too."
Berry hopes that someday he will be doing more than watching crucial games on TV.
"That's always my goal, to try to get to the NHL. Hopefully someday I get to be part of a playoff run with an NHL club," he said.
The 6-foot-2-inch, 212-pound forward has talent that long ago intrigued hockey scouts and coaches. He played one season at the Governor's Academy (then Governor Dummer Academy) in the Byfield section of Newbury before transferring to Cushing Academy, the hockey hotbed in Ashburnham.
Before college, Berry tuned his game playing for the Boston Junior Bruins in the elite Eastern Junior Hockey League. In 2004-05, his second season with the Junior Bruins, Berry powered his way to 52 points and 172 penalty minutes. Former NHL scout Kyle Woodlief, who writes the Red Line Report for USA Today, saw him play.
"Back then, he was a guy who had really good size and speed, so he was able to physically dominate at that level. He was stronger, and a much more powerful skater than guys he was playing against," said Woodlief.
Others took notice. UMass coach Don "Toot" Cahoon, a Lynn native who attended Marblehead High, saw him play as a high school junior and loved Berry's blend of size and skill.
"I walked away really excited about the prospects of him being a big-time player," said Cahoon. "He had a real, good natural stride for a big boy. His mobility, for his size, was pretty exceptional."
At first, Berry had trouble adjusting to the college game.
"I think Alex would be the first one to tell you he underestimated what the challenge was," said Cahoon. "If you're good enough, but not willing to work hard enough, you're going to be in trouble."
Berry started slowly, scoring only 2 points in 24 games as a freshman. But he began to break out as a sophomore, with 7 goals and 6 assists. This year, he came into his own, ranking seventh on the team in scoring (17 points) and playing a rugged, hard-hitting game for the Minutemen.
Cahoon has seen Berry take his game from raw talent to budding big-timer over the past three years.
"It's pretty significant, the change," Cahoon said. "He came with the requisite skills, but what was lacking was the focus on training. He spent the last couple of years dedicating himself to a high level of fitness. Now, he's a man. He approaches it 180 degrees different than he did three years ago, when he thought it was a natural occurrence to becoming a great player. He's grown up a whole lot."
If he continues to improve, Berry could be another in a recent string of UMass graduates to play professional hockey. Thomas Pock (New York Rangers) and Jon Quick (Los Angeles Kings) saw big-league action this year, while several others play in the American Hockey League. The UMass program, which was reinstated in 1991, is by far the youngest in Hockey East.
Berry hopes to follow in the footsteps of one of his best friends, Washington Capitals farmhand Chris Bourque. The two grew up together and were teammates on the Cushing Academy squad.
Bourque's father is Hall of Famer Ray Bourque, who Berry said taught both invaluable lessons, coaching them as youth players and, briefly, at Cushing.
"Just an unbelievable guy," said Berry. "I've been around him and his family for as long as I can remember. Watching him as a player and following his career, you learn so much."
It was Cam Neely, not Bourque, who was Berry's favorite player growing up. He said he appreciated Neely's competitive drive and goal-scoring ability.
But now, he has favorite players on the Leafs. He said he enjoys watching Mats Sundin, Nik Antropov, and super-pest Darcy Tucker, who's not a favorite with most Bruins diehards.
"Boston is my hometown team; I love them," he said. "But the Leafs are the team I'm looking to play for one day, so I have to pay attention to them, too."
