The Hockey Kid

So this summer Hollywood remade The Karate Kid. I have not seen the new film, and I'm sure Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan did a good job. But for fans of a certain vintage (ie old folks like me) there will always be only one Karate Kid - Ralph Macchio.

We haven't heard much from Ralph Macchio lately. He was quite big in his heyday. In addition to being forever typecast as The Karate Kid, he was excellent in another favorite movie of mine, My Cousin Vinny. And let's not forget his breakthrough role as Johnny Cade in The Outsiders.

But my favorite Ralph Macchio role? New York Islanders celebrity team captain back in 1992! He even has a hockey card: 

Every team had a celebrity captain during the NHL's 75th anniversary season in 1992. Often teams chose famous personalities, such as James Belushi (Chicago), Mr. Rogers (Pittsburgh), Susan St. James (Hartford), Marv Albert (NY Rangers) and Larry King (Washington). I don't have photo links, but other celebrity captains included Burton Cummings (Winnipeg), Jim Kelly (Buffalo), and David Wheaton (Minnesota North Stars). Others chose famous athletes like Rocket Richard (Montreal) and speed skater Gaetan Boucher (Quebec).