Former Boston Bruins’ trainer Don Del Negro helped Kevin Miller off the ice in 2019. AP Photo: Hannah Foslien

Bourque, Neely, Chara, Bergeron, Pastrnak, Marchand. These are some of the best Boston Bruins players of all time, and Don Del Negro has worked with all of them. For 29 years, Del Negro was the athletic trainer for the Boston Bruins, and on January 16, he was the guest speaker for the Psychology of Performance. Northwood’s athletic trainer, Andy Donatello, also visited the class.

The two Donnies attended the same graduate school, Indiana State. Mr. Del Negro also was the head of athletic training at Williams College while Mr. Spear was a student-athlete. My father, Luke, was also a student-athlete at Williams during that time. Mr. Del Negro has had a long-lasting connection with Northwood.

The Donnies visited class at a perfect time: the concussion unit. Mr. Del Negro talked about the status of concussion protocol in the NHL and how “it’s like a swinging pendulum.” In his first couple of years at the Bruins, concussions weren’t taken as seriously as they are today.

“Concussions were based on if you were knocked unconscious or not, and the severity of the concussion was based on how long you were out for,” he said about his early days as an athletic trainer.

“There’s still a grey area with concussions. Before, you could only have one if you were knocked unconscious, and now you have one if you bump your head and there’s no in-between,” he said.

The NHL changed how it handled concussions when the players’ union felt that the players’ health and condition were being taken advantage of for monetary gains.

“It’s bad for money when a star player is out injured; not as many people will watch the games.”

The NHL has administered stricter rules about concussions to help players with their long-term health. “There’s a direct correlation with former athletes who are middle-aged and have depression, too if they were 19 and had an undiagnosed concussion,” he said.

The NFL has also taken this stance. Mr. Del Negro said that Soccer is a little bit behind, and he proposed a rule change restricting headers in the middle of the pitch, which soccer players in the room didn’t support.

Most sports have implemented the ImPACT test, a cognitive function baseline assessment athletes take at the beginning of their season. When an athlete sustains a potential concussion, they re-take the test to see if their cognitive function matches from before. This is just one of the ways that the game is evolving to protect player health and safety.

Don Del Negro and Andy Donatello have been in the game for a while, and they are glad to see it changing to benefit the players.

Yosef Spear ’26 at a recent Rail Jam at Titus Mountain. Photo provided.

A rail jam is a freestyle ski competition where athletes worldwide come together to throw down their best tricks. The rail jam includes rails, boxes, tubes, and more.   

Northwood School has a Freestyle team in partnership with NYSEF. The two athletes on the team have had three rail jams so far during the 2023-24 season.  Sometimes, there will be a “magic carpet,” a conveyor belt for skiers to get on so they don’t have to hike back to the top of the start.  Typically, you must hike up and down the course during the jam.  

The rail jam usually consists of two heats of younger and older athletes. Snowboarders and skiers alike compete on the same course. The judges score athletes based on their tricks’ variety, difficulty, and style.  

Variety includes spinning both ways onto and off a feature, sliding left foot and right foot forward, and more. The style is how athletes look during the trick and how well they land/ride out. Difficulty is how technical and challenging your trick is. 

Rail Jams can be held at almost any ski mountain with features. Whiteface Mountain (Northwood’s home mountain) normally has one or two rail jams a season. 

Rail jams typically last 20-30 minutes, and they are either in open style or closed style. Open style is when athletes can go in whatever order they see fit. While hiking, if an athlete passes another, that athlete can choose to go before the one they passed. Closed style is when there is an order in which athletes must go in. A competition official has a list that determines the athletes’ order. That athlete waits for the judge to give the “ok,” sending the next athlete down to complete their run. 

As the season progresses, athletes rack up their points at every rail jam they compete in. The athletes with the highest points go to Nationals, competing at a special mountain with the best features.  

Below: Clay Fuller ’25 training recently. Video provided.

Below: Yosef Spear ’26 training recently. Video provided.

Student-athletes devote endless hours to their sports for months on end, on top of their/ demanding academic schedule. Since sports teams are often on the road, home games are eagerly awaited. Every year, there is one weekend when all sports teams are at home. The Northwood Invitational Hockey Tournament is unique in that it draws a crowd of both participants and fans. The Northwood community has the ideal opportunity to show support for their teams, and they did just that.

The student cheering section at the 2024 Northwood Invitational Hockey Tournament Girls Championship game. Nico Cedeno ’24 is on the left, with the drum. Photo: Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Nicolas Cedeno ‘24, who brings positive energy into the community, brought the same energy to the games at the tournament, along with what appeared to be the whole school. “It is important to support the other teams on campus,” Cedeno said. “I know what it’s like to be in a game and feel the energy from the fans, and I want to give that same energy to the hockey players,” he added.

The fans not only showed up to watch, but they brought instruments. Nico was on the drums, which caught much attention, including from parents with opposing teams. “When we were at the girls’ game, a lady from the other team was upset because we were loud and we were doing chants against her daughter’s team, but that is what it’s all about, and we love that.”

The girls’ championship game was the highlight of the tournament. “When the girls had their championship game, we were so hyped that we brought many more instruments instead of just the drums. It looked like the whole school was there, so it was exciting when we were all dancing and cheering. When they won, we all went to the ice and took pictures, and it was special because we were all family at the end of the day,” Cedeno said.

Nico summed up his goal for that game’s cheering section: “If you were not with us, you would want to be with us.”

The back-to-back Northwood Invitational Champions Girls’ Hockey Team. Photo: Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Players and spectators together created a ton of new memories. Assistant captain Katie Demers ‘24 has competed in three Northwood Tournaments. She made it to the finals every time and helped her team to win the last two. She has created many memories in those years but says none compared to their championship game. “I have been here for three years and have never seen a crowd that size. We took our victory lap and carried the trophy to the corner where everyone was; it looked like the entire school was there,” Demers said.

The student section moved throughout the rink, and many people remember them being behind the players’ bench. “It felt like a mosh pit behind our bench; I couldn’t hear myself talking, and the glass was trembling,” Gracie Hurlbut ’25 said.

A cheer you should know to become a Husky Fanatic:

Nico’s favorite cheer is “Northwood’s on fire.” We usually do it after someone scores. For example, when Brac scores, we would chant:

“Brac is on fire!
Your defense is terrified!”