Great backstory
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- March
- 27
A lot of people know about Rob Fine’s theatrics in the postseason (five straight games with a goal, including the winner against White Plains in the sectional final and in double-OT against Massena in the state quarters). That’s what likely earned the Mamaroneck senior forward his all-section honors. But perhaps more remarkable was his play in the regular season, considering the circumstances.
There was a lot of talk about injuries and illnesses this season. One that didn’t go reported, until someone referenced it in the comments this week, was that Fine broke the left thumb on his shooting hand early in the season.
When Mamaroneck went upstate for its first tournament at Saratoga in December, Rob Fine was slashed in the final game against Liverpool. The doctor confirmed it was a severe break and his left hand was put into a full cast up to his forearm. Being that it was his final season at Mamaroneck, Fine begged the doctor to clear him (which he did), and he cut his left glove open to accomodate the cast.
Fine played the next five weeks with a full cast on his left (shooting) hand. His teammates kept it quiet so opponents wouldn’t be gunning for it, and he continued to play on the first line and the power play unit. He finished fourth in League 1 in goals, assists and points, and it’s interesting to think what would have happened if he was completely healthy.
This entry was posted
on Friday, March 27th, 2009 at 6:20 pm by Harold Gutmann. 
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Congrat’s to Fine. He was definitely the best forward on the Tigers this year! Came up big when you needed him! Didn’t disappear like others….
that is very impressive, props to fine.
Steve Aruilio from S/NS dislocated both shoulders, one in november the other in january, gained 30 points in 17 games.
Shows the dedication of players to the sport they love. I’m sure there were more injuries through out the section who played through them as well…
Harold – my guess is that unreported injuries like that probably happen somewhat often and us fans never know about it. I do know that two years ago, Rich Willows, Matt’s older brother, played the 2nd half the season with a broken hand (also his shooting hand). Again, just another example of the heart and soul some of these players put into the game they love. Kudos to Fine on a job well done.
mamks sam christiansen played all season with a torn labrum in his shoulder….so what up
Wasn’t there a guy who played on Mamo a few years ago who only had one leg. Now that’s heart.
This is a good story but some how it’s got embellished along the way. First thought is: the doctor should have his license revoked for giving the Fine the green light to play. Wonder where his parents weighed in on this?
Secondly, as an ex player, it would be virtually impossible to play with a cast from your forearm up to the base of your four fingers with your thumb in a cast AND to have it on your shooting hand???? Think about it, you would not be able to close your hand..no grip on the stick..how would you shoot.??
If Robby got the “severe break” against Liverpool upstate, how was he able to play four days later in the WP loss, score a goal, and be in the middle of a game ending fight? I was there, I saw it. The facts just don’t add up. If it took a couple days for the swelling to go down then he literally had the cast put on the day before the WP game. The doctor then gives the okay to play the next night..LOL?
Nothing against Robbie, he’s an excellent player but what is a little closer to the truth is that he probably had a stress fracture or something similar that could be played through. An NHL er breaks a finger he’s out 10 days .It’s a heart warming story Harold but you got sold a bill of goods.
Why would the facts get in the way of a breaking story. It’s happened before, and unfortunately, it will happen again. He said, she said.
I’ve heard that Flory played with several bone chips floating around in his elbow throughout the playoffs.
A full cast went on Dec. 15th and came off Jan.15th. Robbie played by gripping the stick with the four fingers on his left hand. He couldn’t use his thumb as it was immobile in the cast. These are the facts.
To Sec 1 Fan- Here is the parent weighing in. The facts happen to be exactly as Harold put forth. Rob really wanted to play and the Dr. felt as though the thumb was protected in the cast. The whole point about no one knowing about it was so that no one would go for it in game situations. Rob did in fact have the cast put on just before the White Plains game you were at. He had a very hard time figuring out how to hold the stick and work with it for exactly the reasons you laid out. He couldn’t use his thumb, he could only grip with the four fingers of his left hand. So continue to LOL, but there was and is no reason to have embellished any of this. It happened, Robbie played, and he was able to salvage what was his last season playing hockey. That’s all he wanted to do.
to section 1 fan, you are wrong and you are a pathetic human being for trying to deny the facts and stating your misinformed opinion as fact. i did play with a cast in the white plains game, i was NOT part of the fight, and if you were really there you wouldve seen me taking facoffs with one hand. im not asking for apprasal im just pointing out that section 1 fan is a jealous and pathetic parent whos kids is terrible and didnt go anywhere this season. well now the facts add up for ya. stop making a fool of yourself…peace
Sec 1 Fan shut your mouth if you ask anyone on Mamaroneck or coach chap you will figure out that he played with a cast the seasons over and theres nothing to hide so trust me I saw it and so did others and even if the doctor said no (I dont know what the doc said) he probable still would have played anyway
Sec 1 fan is somewhat right. I broke my thumb just before Thanksgiving. Not a severe break just a break. The doctor told me it’s “standard procedure” to wait 3 days until swelling is completely gone before a cast is considered. Robbie must have had a magic thumb that a severe break was ready to cast from Sat afternoon to Monday. Also only 4 weeks in a cast for a severe break..pretty damn good. Mine was just short of 6 weeks. It was a fantastic season for Section 1, let’s just let it go at that.
I really do not understand why anyone would question that this happened? What would be the sick motivation to have made any of this up? Our son was injured, we went to a Dr. as soon as he came home from upstate, the hand was cast as per the Dr., Rob played, 4 weeks later the cast came off. We didn’t question how soon the cast was going on, or how soon it came off, just followed what we were told. It’s unbelievable that people would suggest that this was a fabrication. Why??? I guess this just proves all the more that what Rob did was pretty good which was the point to begin with and that was all. Nothing more.
So what, Christian Glaser played with a hernia, 3 cracked ribs, a collapsed lung, a tooth cavity, Torn ACL ligaments in both knees, a hangnail, a rash, post nasal drip, and cracked vertabrae in his back…. and still took his regular shift…. whats up with that? I heard he did not even go to a doctor about. Just took one aspirin all season.
I am very surprised the school district and a doctor would allow a student to play a sport with any kind of cast for fear of lawsuits if something more happens. When my son played school hockey years ago he had a cast on his wrist and that cast had to be off and he had to be cleared before he could play although he would have played with it on if he could have. It’s one thing to play with an injury and no one knows about it but it’s very surprising to me that a school district would let a student play with a known injury and cast.
Iknowwhenmy son broke his wrist he as not even allowed to practice with the team till he got a clearence from the dr. And the dr. would not give him one until 6 weeks and even after that he put on the note he could have no contact for two weeks.
I once played a hockey game versus the Devil, and as a handicap he took away both of my arms and legs. After I scored 666 goals in the game (Ironically enough), Satan knew I was too superior for his world and he planted my limbs back. Beat that.
I don’t think anyone is questioning whether Robbie was injured it’s just that the story Harold presented seemed a little far fetched. Perhaps it was given to Harold by a third party who interpreted the facts to their own liking. It happens all the time but it doesn’t make anyone a bad person. It’s just that a severly broken wrist that has a cast put on two days later and then has the doctor clear that player to play two days after that, well you can see where it would invite skepticism. With todays overprotective schools, doctors, and parents, i don’t know about this one. To me it doesn’t matter. The kid is a good hockey player, he got hurt, he played through it, end of story. I know a parent of a Burke Catholic player. This kid played with partially torn knee ligaments all year. Imagine that, cutting and accelerating. Another kid on Burke had a ruptured disk. That’s the nature of sports
Rob did in fact play with a broken thumb, the cast covered and protected it. If you look at the tape of the White Plains game he’s actually holding the stick with one hand at all times when he doesn’t have the puck and keeping the left hand behind his back
Breslin- It was a broken thumb, NOT wrist. The school required clearance before Rob could play and it was provided by the Dr., he felt the thumb was protected in the cast. 4 weeks was the prescribed time in the cast. The whole team as well as Mike Chap knew about this and thank god that it did not go public so that no one could hurt him further in games by intentionally going after his left hand which we all know would have happened. What I find un imaginable is all the analysis about this and skepticism. The season is over and Rob is not trying to gain anything, Harold actually asked us if he could post this when he learned about this after the season was over. There was no third party. Rob only wanted to play without looking injured and be able to contribute to the team which he did better than he even imagined he would be able to. The fact that no one knew he was injured and no one leaked it and he did what he did and now it is being questioned just proves that what he did was notable. And that’s all Harold was doing. But did it happen? Yes. It did….exactly as Harold wrote. The insinuations that we made this up or mirepresented this to Harold is really pathetic….!
That Superman wears Chuck Norris pajamas to be at nite.
Of course that’s supposed to be to bed at nite.
Its not that hard to play with a broken finger, one of my linemates at my school is playing with a broken thumb right now and doesn’t even have a cast, just a splint. All the questioning about why it is surprising the doctor cleared him, and he should have his license revoked? Please… Hockey is a contact sport, believe it or not, kids in high school hockey can deal with some pain.
Well if the story is true Fine should have been suspended if he was involved in the WP fight because fighting with a cast is 10000% not allowed.
nobody on Pelham had or has a broken thumb
Just a point-
I’m sure Robs first thought once the fight broke out was “let me throw a punch and aggravate my thumb even more!!”
You’re an idiot
haha nah i dont go to pelham anymore
It’s a real slow day for me…to be reading these blogs. I didn’t see anyone say that Rob DIDN’T break his thumb just questioning the validity of the story/timeline. For Rob and his parents to weigh in on this blog..shows that they have very little to do, if it was indeed them.
Last year a player fr Pac broke his pinkie (Fitchett I think?) and missed two games. Severly broken thumb and played the next game?? It seems that if you question people today that you are sick and have sick motivation. People just don’t want to be challenged. Bottom line is that Mamo lost the state c’ship. It was a great season but their are far more compelling stories out there, that is if you want to find them
Happen to notice a pattern here? All the questions about the timeline of Robbie’s injury are coming from people representing teams who couldn’t beat Mamaroneck this past season and couldn’t do it while one of our lead scoreres was playing with only one good hand. If I got served like that I guess I’d be in disbelief also…..
I reread posts and couldn’t tell what team bloggers were from?? Has nothing to do with teams that couldn’t beat Mamo, it has to do with stretching a story. Maybe he found something to ease his pain and mellow out along with his team mates, but who am I to get in the way of a good bull**it story
The bottom line is that the story is in fact true, if you don’t believe it then that is completely fine. If you want to continue to make jokes about smoking weed then grow up
For the record, Fine wasn’t involved in the Mamk player behavior/suspensions upstate in Saratoga, nor was he involved in the White Plains fight. Get your facts straight before you make horrible accusations about high school athletes.
haha this blog are hilarious some people on here are just so stupid