I was sitting on my couch watching Boston University's first game of the regular season. They were playing North Dakota, and they were raising last year's National Championship banner. As the flag went up, I reflected on the great moments from the previous year and imagined what this year's season would be like. The flag was up, the national anthem sung, and Walter Brown Arena was going crazy.

Over the crowd's cheering and chanting, I heard the referee's whistle blow, and the puck was dropped. B.U. looked really good: they were back-checking, and they had gotten off a couple of quality shots. I thought it was going to be a great game.

About 30 seconds later, (1: 56 into the game), tragedy struck. Twenty-year-old freshmen Travis Roy missed a check and fell headfirst into the boards. I knew something was wrong by the way he hit the ice. It seemed like something had just taken the life out of him and thrown it away. He lay there motionless as the trainer came out on the ice. My heart was beating faster, faster, as I was looking to see if he had moved at all. My worst fears came true as the trainer signaled for a stretcher.

The news report later that night said that Travis had broken a vertebrae in the middle of his neck. I could only think of how his family felt as I watched the news conference from Boston City Hospital. The trainer said that Travis had remained conscious throughout the incident and was breathing on his own, but chances of recovering from this injury were not good.

I went to bed that night keeping Travis in my thoughts and prayers, and hoping for better news the next day. l