On a team of champions, C.J. Young, captain of the Harvard hockey team, may be the most respected champion. On a team of hard workers, Young may be the hardest worker.

As teammate Ted Donato says, "He's just Harvard hockey."

Reporters are constantly told to look for the angles and discover the bad as well as the good. But in trying to uncover a complete picture of Young, a reporter begins to feel like (dare the tabloid be mentioned) a National Enquirer hack who can't find any dirt.

The worst moment of Young's career may have been his first game. He was a freshman, and the team was challenging Yale.

"I was standing at the face-off, almost shaking...Al [former team mate Allen Bourbeau] won the face-off and hit the puck right to my side...I got rid of the puck as fast as I got it," Young recalls.

That's it. That's the worst low-down on Young. And even then, the story somehow fits into a larger framework of Young's career. Since that first game, it seems as though Young has not shirked away from any challenge on or off the ice.

"Whenever there's a tough situation, C.J. Young will be on the ice," Coach Bill Cleary says.

Young is a study in intensity, dedication and character. His teammates tell of how he spends hours in the weight room after practice and how he is usually one of the first players down at the rink.

"You just can see it in his face," Pete Ciavaglia says. "C.J. works harder than any other player."

Descriptions like "unselfish" and "committed" are constantly echoed by Young's teammates. He is a leader who seems perfect for Harvard hockey, perfect for a championship team.

"This year, we have to work twice as hard," goalie Allain Roy says. "C.J. is the right guy for us to follow."

Young is a local hero, a product of Newton and Belmont Hill. He began playing hockey when he was eight, but Young grew up around the game. Two of his uncles played at Boston College, and his father always loved hockey. As Young describes it, hockey was "in the blood."

Young's family introduced him to the game and when it came time to decide on college, Young's closeness with his family became a main factor.

"I wanted to stay local because of my family," Young says. "They are so supportive."

At every home game, someone from Young's family is in the stands or, as in the case of his 10-year-old brother Chris, on the bench. Chris Young became sort of a good luck charm for the team last season and would sit with the team on the bench.