Santini, Wood, Walsh remember starter skates

At the bottom of every hockey player is a story. A skate story.

Steven Santini’s tale begins when he was a young boy in Mahopac, N.Y., many years before he became an ace defenseman at Boston College, now with the New Jersey Devils.

"I remember feeling very uncomfortable," Santini said about the first time he stepped on the ice. "I was 3 years old. I didn’t like it at first."

Santini credits his dad, also named Steven, for helping him work through the unfamiliar sensation.

"My dad played college hockey (at the University of Maine) and forced me to do it," the junior Santini said. "I felt better over time."