Jacob Campbell was named the captain of his varsity hockey team on Monday.
The last few months have not been quite as happy for the Forest Hills Central senior.
"I was in the offensive zone taking a shot and some guy came to hit me and I put my arm out to brace for the hit and my arm went into my stomach," Campbell said describing a wrist injury he suffered playing in a fall league back in October. "My hand bent backwards way too far and I basically broke my scaphoid bone."
If the bone was displaced, his hockey career would have been over.
Campbell dodged a bullet when he found out it was just broken and surgery would not be required.
He had hope for one final season with the Rangers.
"My biggest motivation was just these guys right here," Campbell said pointing to the locker room full of his teammates. "I couldn't imagine never coming back to the ice. I had to get back at some point and be with my guys especially now that I can lead them."
In a cast for three months and long before he was named captain, Campbell was leading his team.
"He would always skate and not have equipment on because he wanted to be there for his team," first year head coach Bill McSween said. "The way the guys reacted to him and the way the other players on the team were drawn to him I could tell that he was a good leader."
Campbell made it back, only to find out out the season he once thought he might not get, was fading once more.
"With every new delay it just hurts more and more," Campbell said. "Before the February delay my hope was the highest because that one was completely blindsiding, it was an absolute gut punch I had no idea it was coming so that one was really crushing to my hope."
Even though it continues to get tougher, Campbell is remaining optimistic that a season he has worked so hard for will happen in some form.
"I am not sure what else we can really do," Campbell said about getting a chance to play the season. "We have done everything that could possibly be asked for, so I am really hopeful that something changes soon."
