When Collins wasn't battling with his brothers on their backyard rink, he was either playing against current teammate Steven Gionta or digesting hockey in other ways. He followed the careers of other Rochester legends such as Brian Gionta and Marty Reasoner. He was determined not only to play college hockey, but, after realizing his potential in high school and witnessing the loss to Michigan, to play for Gionta's and Reasoner's Eagles.
While Collins' life has been geared toward hockey and playing in college, there have been challenges at every step.
First, there's the height disadvantage. Standing at only 5-8, Collins is usually smaller than the players he's competing with on a nightly basis.
"Being a smaller guy is tough because every place you go to you know you've got to prove yourself," said Collins.
Collins has done just that. He was the team's top scoring freshman in the 2002-2003 season and has added 36 points since then. His lack of height simply means that he has to work that much harder in the gym and in the corners to win the battles for the puck. Collins' height may only be 5-8 but his heart and desire measure 6-8.
"The speed and the will; just wanting to win the battles [makes up for the lack of size]. Hockey's such a big game of one-on-one battles in the corners and I take pride in winning every single battle that I can. I just try to focus on every battle and if I win them then size doesn't even really matter," said Collins.
His family's devotion to hockey was not always easy either. For example, there was the time when Collins was in the eighth grade and he moved from Rochester to Toronto. Collins' parents were criticized by family friends for pulling their son away from his friends and school. No matter where he went, though, there was always hockey.
He continued to leave friends and schools to play for new teams. Collins went from Under-17 Select Team to the U.S. Under-18 Team to the Junior B Americans and Fairport High School, which were followed by a season at Taft and another in the USHL. He's a New York native who's never even been to New York City.
Spring Break
