Okay, so I’ve been wanting to put together a solid list of Massachusetts high school hockey champions for ages. It’s surprisingly hard to find all this info in one place! So, I finally decided to just do it myself. Here’s how I went about it.
Digging Through the Archives (and My Memory)
First, I tried to remember the most obvious source, you know, the MIAA. I hunted around on their website, hoping for some nice, neat list. No such luck. Bits and pieces here and there, but nothing comprehensive. I guess they figured keeping online records easy was not a top priority. Seriously.
Then, I moved to some old newspaper archives. That was a little better. I found some championship game recaps, and names of winning teams. It was like working on a jigsaw puzzle made of newsprint.
I even tried hitting up some local sports forums. There were other people like myself who were looking for the same info! There was a lot of, “I think so-and-so won in ’98, but I’m not sure…” Not exactly helpful for, you know, accurate records.
Building My Own Spreadsheet (Because Why Not?)
After that, I hit up the most helpfull sites for scores. It was a bit like a treasure hunt, checking for old brackets and final results. I was hoping for clean data, that I could copy and paste. Again, no.
Since I couldn’t find a ready-made list, I decided to create my own. I opened up a good old spreadsheet and started filling it in. Year, Division, Champion, and any other notes I could find (like runner-up, score, maybe a key player). It was slow going, to say the least.
Filling in the Gaps
The real challenge was the older years. It’s like the further back you go, the harder it is to find anything concrete. I started cross-referencing everything. If one source said Team A won in 1985, I’d try to find another source to confirm it. Painstaking, I tell you.
Still a Work in Progress…
Honestly, it’s still not perfect. I’m sure there are errors and omissions. My spreadsheet is pretty extensive now, but I’m always looking for more info. It’s become a bit of a personal mission. Consider this an open invitation: If you have any old programs, newspaper clippings, or even just solid memories, let me know! I’d love to make this the most complete list out there.
I am going to try and find photos or vidoes as well, so It will be fun.
