Happy half-way point to our A to Z challenge!! As I’m writing this, it’s still March so hopefully, we are all still doing well. I have faith in us! Are you doing ok? Do we need a group hug?

Today it’s a double entry, as I’m sure you have deduced from the title of this post.

First up, is Paul McFarland.

Paul played for the Rangers from 2002-2005. He was traded halfway through that season to the Windsor Spitfires. Then spend his university years playing for his alma mater in the AUS league. Then OMG THEN!!! He moved on to bigger and better things. He was the assistant coach for the Oshawa Generals for two seasons before moving on to be head freaking coach of the Kingston Frontenacs! AND THEN if that wasn’t enough, he was also assistant coach to a Canadian U18 men’s team before, and omg hold onto your hats for this little detail, going on to be the current assistant coach to the NHL’s Flordia Panthers.

ARE YOU READING THAT?! I went to high school with the freak assistant coach of an NHL team. Mmmmhmmm, that’s right!

PS: he looks exactly the same as when he was 17.

So Paul and I actually had a few classes together, and when he wasn’t trying to be all “ooo I’m a Ranger I’m so cool” he was a pretty decent guy. A friend of mine, Sara 4 was partnered with him for a project and she had to email him. He said it was just his name @gmail or Hotmail or whatever so she tried to add him to messenger and that’s when she got a different Paul Mcfarland, in Australia. Tres weird mes amies!

Next up, Evan McGrath.

Evan played for the Rangers for 4 seasons, from 2002-2006. It was his only OHL team, he won Memorial Cup with them, and he was drafted by the Red Wings (pause to let me control my gagging) 128th overall in 2004. Despite being basically the golden boy of the Rangers after Derek Roy left (we’ll get to him in a few days, don’t you worry!), Evan never actually got to play in the NHL. Which is so surprising! The kid had talent, everyone loved him, he had hockey royalty connects, but he only achieved a few seasons in the AHL and then some European teams. He’s currently in Germany playing for the Kassel Huskies.

Remember all the way back to D? And Carlo? Evan and Carlo were best buds. They did everything together. Evan was attractive, popular, skilled at hockey, got more minutes on the ice than almost anyone else – basically the polar opposite of Carlo. Evan grew up around NHL royalty, as I previously said. He knew Doug Gilmore and actually dated his daughter. Well, she was his home girlfriend. When he was with the Rangers, he had quite a few other girlfriends – aptly named “hockey hunnies”. Now, you don’t just cheat on Doug Gilmore’s daughter. We were all pretty sure he could have people killed and no one would suspect a thing. It’s Doug freaking Gilmore! But I guess it all worked out because a year or two or something ago Evan actually married Doug Gilmore’s daughter. So congrats to him!