The McKelvie Twins: One in the Army, One with the New York Rangers

by Christopher Botta

Filed under: Rangers

Zach McKelvie may not get his shot at pro hockey, but he still keeps his Bauer X-60 skates and 195 sticks in a bag at the United States Army base in Fort Benning. An executive officer at the Basic Training Unit, McKelvie doesn't get many chances to skate in Georgia, but the game of hockey is always on his mind.

"The dream is not dead," said McKelvie, whose plans of playing a season in the the Boston Bruins organization were scrapped last year when the Army reversed its Alternative Services guidelines for exceptional athletes. "But I know a hockey career is probably unrealistic if I go too long between years of development. There are other things in life."

While 25-year-old Zach McKelvie waits for his next appointment -- including possible enrollment in the Army's Ranger school for enlisted officers -- 25-year-old Chris McKelvie (pictured right) is making the most of an invitation to the training camp of the New York Rangers. On Feb. 25, 1985 in New Brighton, Minn., Zach and Chris were born. While Zach went to West Point and Chris spent the last four years at Bemidji State, they remain so close that the Army officer can now live the hockey life through the eyes of his twin brother.

 

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