It is both humbling and scary how fast life can change.
A year ago, September 11th dawned bright and sunny over the New York City skyline. It seemed like it was going to be a perfect day. In fact, there was even a touch of hockey in the air around Manhattan.
For the first time in years, the Rangers were going to have training camp in Midtown Manhattan, starting on Sept. 12. Outside Madison Square Garden, which sits atop Penn Station, one of the biggest commuting hubs in the city and the busiest train station in North America, folks were handing out schedule posters that heralded the news that training camp would be open to the public.
NHL.com remembers Sept. 11
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For someone who works in hockey, it got the early morning off to a great start to see so many people taking a poster, giving it a quick glance, and then tucking it away for future reference.
I took one on the way to the office, figuring anything that helps keep me organized is a good thing.
A couple hours later, the poster was forgotten. As was training camp and the sunny weather, and good thoughts.
We all know what happened a year ago, it is a scene forever burned into the collective psyche of Americans. It remains an especially painful time for New Yorkers and those of us who commute to the city everyday from neighboring states.
The skyline is forever different. There are so many people gone forever. There is a different way of going about life now. In the course of a day, everything changed.
Saying anything good came out of September 11th is obscene. Nothing good can be taken from the scenes of such horrific death and destruction. Yet the courage showed by countless firemen, policemen, emergency workers, construction workers, soldiers and average citizens is heartening. In sports, we often refer to a player "coming up big." On September 11th and its aftermath, thousands "came up big."
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A view of the Staples Center lobby on September 18, 2001 displaying photos of Los Angeles Kings scouts Garnet "Ace" Bailey and Mark Bavis.
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Everyone who lives in the United States paid a price one year ago. For many, that price was too horrible to bear. The NHL lost both Ace Bailey and Mark Bavis. The two Los Angeles Kings scouts were aboard one of the jets that was crashed into the World Trade Center. Former Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres forward Bob Sweeney lost his sister-in-law, Madeline Amy Sweeney, in the attacks. She was a flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 11. She was in touch with her ground superintendent explaining the horrible details of what was happening inside the hijacked jet until moments before it crashed.
And so many firemen and police were lost. We still feel that loss today and are still awed by their bravery and selflessness.
Today, Americans are humbled by the sacrifices of so many who made the ultimate sacrifice in New York City, Washington D.C. and aboard Flight 93 over Pennsylvania.
We will always remember, because it is impossible to forget.
Phil Coffey is NHL.com's editorial director.
