The X-rays revealed that his right tibia had been fractured several inches above the ankle. The prognosis was eight weeks of plaster cast, and uncertainty about the hockey future of Greg Olson.

They said eight weeks, the Minnetonka, Minn., native says, "So that brings me to the second of third week of February. Then it should be three of four weeks to get back to normal. That's the middle of March. The only way the team is still going to be playing then is of we make the nationals. So it's an outside chance that I'll play again. As of right now, I think my season's over I'm basically retired."

An early retirement for someone who loved the game as much as Greg Olson did, and who played as hard as he did every minute on the ice has not been easy.

I'm not doing too bad now he says. "It was tough when we went to Duluth [Minnesota, where the team played its vacation tourney only three hours from Greg's home]. But life goes on, hockey goes on," he adds with a laugh.

"The toughest part is going to the games. You play an active part and then you play a passive part. Before the game I can go down and just talk to the team I'm psyched up, too, because I just want to win. But there's only so much I can do I don't want to be a cheerleader."

Cleary has decided to rotate the remaining seniors as captains for each game. But he emphasizes that Olson, despite his injury, is the main man. "He is still captain of this team and always will be captain of this team," says the coach. "I'm just sorry he isn't wearing No. 8 out on the ice."

As is Olson "When I first walked into the locker room at the first game and saw every one dressed and ready to go. I almost cried, It was really sad."

Those of us who have been privileged to witness the spectacular on ice feats of Greg Olson for three-and-a-hall seasons, and to know him as a person as well, are sorry, too.