Mike Graney Big Spark For Hilltop Hockey Success-This Day In Norwood History-February 24, 1955

Norwood High’s hockey team, which started slow and ended in a blaze of glory this year, had one hard-playing, “on-the-ball” athlete who undoubtedly was the main spark of the squad.

He is 17-year-old Mike Graney, son of the former Walpole High sports mentor, Bob Graney, whose number 6 could be seen battling every minute of play and causing trouble to Norwood’s opponents throughout the season.

Mike is the type of athlete that puts his heart and soul into any sport in which he participates. This year, in the Bay State Hockey League, he tied the league’s leading scorer, George Lambert of Needham, with 19 points. Mike was a teriffic play maker plus an outstanding star in himself.

Clean Sportsman

He was always a cool-headed player and one that could not be hurt easily. His opponents have been known to lay for Mike, trying hard to eliminate him from the game, but there just wasn’t enough power in the league to check Mike out that easily, in one game, Mike received a gash over his left eye but that didn’t slow him down a bit. He skated over to the Norwood bench, had a band-aid put on it, and continued to play the remaining two periods. At the end of the game, the gash was so big that it required six stitches.

For his 158 pounds, Mike doesn’t look too rugged. However, his opponents will tell you that he is no one to get rough with on the ice. He is noted to be a very clean type of sportsman and regardless of how often he gets roughed up, he keeps a cool head and plays a clean game.

Mike can attribute most of his athletic ability to his famous dad, Bob. As a mere tot, Mike could be seen every Saturday on the Walpole
bench, Whether it be football, baseball or hockey, taking in all the coaching hints his father was dealing out. When he was but six years old, Mike could handle the silver blades as though he were born with them on.

While at the Hilltop, Mike has been a three-star athlete. On the baseball squad, he excelled at second base and shortstop. He has quarterbacked the football team to some great victories, and of course this year, he has shown the Bay State league just how hockey should be played.

During the 53-54 football season, Mike hit tough luck during the Quincy game. He broke an ankle which kept him out for the rest of the season and the hockey squad lost him all of that season. However, he did bounce back in good form to play his usual terrific baseball game that year.

Mike will tell you that one of the big factors in Norwood’s hockey team being so successful this year was the able coaching of Lennie Ceglarski. Lennie, incidentally, was trained and coached by Mike’s father, Bob, while attending Walpole High.

With Mike’s athletic career coming near a close at the Hilltop, his present plans for the future are uncertain. However, his dad plans to send him to a prep school prior to entering college. It will be Norwood’s loss of a great athlete, but the name of Mike Graney is sure to make sports headlines no matter what school he attends. It is our prediction that he will follow the long list of Norwood “greats” in the field of sports.

By FRANK DONAHUE

(All articles originally published in the Norwood Messenger)