Road to the NHL: Max Pacioretty

MONTREAL – Veteran coach Dan Murphy knew Max Pacioretty had a bright future in store early on in their working relationship.

Murphy, who has helmed the boys’ varsity hockey squad at The Taft School for years, recalls a 15-year-old Pacioretty making a memorable first impression after arriving on campus in Watertown, CT fresh off a two-year stint at New Canaan High School just 60 miles down the road.

“He definitely had that fire in his eyes. At that point, I didn’t know that he was going to be a future NHL star, but I just knew that he was different than all the other kids. He held himself to an extremely high standard on the ice, and he held his teammates to a high standard as well. That was…