Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to All from the Pittsburgh Hornets

With the holiday season upon us, the Pittsburgh Hornets want to wish everyone in the hockey world a peaceful holiday season with health, wealth and prosperity to all and a very, very happy New Year in 2007. And we share with everyone this old Hornet holiday poem crafted many a year ago.!

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE A PITTSBURGH

HORNET CHRISTMAS

(With apologies to Clement Clarke Moore)

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the rink,
Not a player was moving, not even a blink,
The equipment bags were hung in the locker room with care,
In hopes that another hockey game soon would be there.

The players were nestled all snug in their beds ,
While visions of hat-tricks danced in their heads,
With Coach in his helmet, and I in my cap,
I just started dreaming, during a long scheduled nap.

When on the lot in the Island there arose such a clatter,
I awoke from my sleep to see what was the matter.
Away to the lobby I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a Hornet midget major hockey team, a team many folks hold dear,

With players so talented, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment their team talent was thick,
These young men of character, quite confident (but not loud)
Possess the traits of champions
and make their parents and the Pittsburgh Hornets proud
More rapid than eagles these coursers they came,
With strength and determination and a will to win the game,
During warmups the assistants shouted,
and called them by name:

"Now, Machel, now Morford! Now Dellavalle and Lemieux!
On, Houston, Esche,Hannan, Mcgrath and Minnigerode too,
Now McGinty, now Windmueller, now Colin South and Ford!
On Recupero and McDonough, lets get ready to score!

To the top of the circles, now skate hard, don't fall!
Now shoot away! Shoot away! Shoot and score all!
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the ice
The skating and turning of each player so precise
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
On the ice came the old Coach with a leap and a bound.

He was dressed in a sweatsuit,
old AHAUS circa 1980 or 1982,
Been round a long time
and experienced we knew,
The old coach was seasoned
and in the sport twas an old hand,
Whom many contend,
is still the best coach in the land!

As he strode to the bench,
A bundle of plays he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler
just opening his sack.

A mischevious twinkle of his eye ,
and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me the comfort to know,
I had nothing to dread.
He spoke not a word,
but went straight to his work,
And laid out the game plan; then gave it a spin
Which guaranteed the Hornets,
most certainly would win,

As the game reached its ending,
with the Hornets winning again,
The old Coach departed,
And little was said.

After giving a nod, off the Island he drove
But as he sprang to his car, to his team gave this ode,
That evening the boys had all played like champions of might,
And afterwards I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
"Way to go Midget Major Hornets, you all are all right!
And to all of our friends, coaches, and opponents in the hockey world
A Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!