Every winter, the Fortescue family used to build an ice rink in the yard of their Pearl River home.
Although they had gotten used to their house being the usual hangout spot for their friends and many cousins, no one could have guessed that homemade ice rink would house future hockey standouts at a national level.
“Back then, we were just going out there, skating with our family and having fun,” said Drew Fortescue, who was selected in the third round of the 2023 NHL Draft by the New York Rangers. “My mom would be yelling at me to go do some homework, but I would be out there until it got dark, and then we’d turn on the lights so we could play for a little bit longer. Now seeing where everyone is today, it’s something that’s really special.”
After being drafted by the Rangers last year, Fortescue is preparing for a trip to the Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minnesota with No. 1-ranked Boston College. The Eagles play Michigan on Thursday and hope to advance to Saturday’s national championship game against either Denver or Boston University.
Fortescue isn’t the only member of his family gaining national attention. Cousins C.J. McGee and Liam McLinskey have also garnered plenty of buzz at the Division I level.
McGee, a standout player at Quinnipiac, helped the Bobcats win a national title last year and reach the Elite Eight this season. McLinskey, a star at Holy Cross, is a top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, an accolade given to the NCAA player of the year.
“All these things that are happening, it’s just because of our passion and all the work we put into it,” Fortescue said. “These big games, all these awards Liam is achieving, and C.J. obviously winning a national championship, it’s what we all dreamed of, but for all of them to be coming true, it’s really incredible.”
Since their days on the homemade ice rink or as youth players at nearby Sport-O-Rama, the stage has only gotten bigger − from the Pearl River trio starring at Don Bosco Prep, to eventually going their separate paths and finding continued success at their colleges.
Along the way, their traveling band and support system has gotten bigger, too. When winter rolls around, hockey season becomes a family affair for the entire clan of McGees, Fortescues, McLinskeys and McBrides.
They’re there for every leg of the journey.
“The last two years, it’s been the world,” said Chris McBride, the uncle of the Division I hockey standout trio. “Two years ago, we were in Switzerland and this past winter, we were in Sweden. If Drew makes the U-20 team again, we’ll be in Ottawa, Canada.
“It’s really gotten crazy the last few years as they’ve taken off in the college hockey world, but we went when they were in the state championships at Bosco, and we’ve traveled to national championships and conference tournaments. It’s been great because Holy Cross, Boston College and Quinnipiac are all driving distance, so we saw a ton of games over the last couple of years.”
A family affair
The family has seen plenty of gifted athletes over the years.
It began with Robert McBride, a gifted basketball player in his heyday and a top-five all-time leading scorer at former Bronx powerhouse St. Nicholas of Tolentine. After his days on the court and in the Marines, he became a No. 1 supporter for the next generation of athletes as a father and grandfather until his passing.
His athleticism and family-first mentality were passed on throughout the generations. The McBrides, Fortescues, McGees and McLinskeys have remained tight throughout the years and all reside in Pearl River with houses a half-mile apart from each other.
“He never missed a game that I played back in my day,” McBride said of his father. “He was at every game for his grandkids. He would live and die by these kids playing games, so we went everywhere.”
They’ve seen plenty of standout athletes throughout the years in a variety of sports, including soccer, lacrosse, basketball and baseball. Liam McLinskey’s older brother, Ryan, played both hockey and baseball growing up and is now a member of the Kansas City Royals’ organization.
Chris McGee and Billy Fortescue, C.J. and Drew’s fathers, first introduced hockey to the family as they passed their passion for the sport to their sons, but everyone else in the extended family has embraced it.
“The amount of time we spend together around this sport has been really cool,” said Billy Fortescue, who played hockey at Villanova. “One weekend they’re all at a Quinnipiac game, then they’re at Holy Cross, and then next they’re at the BC game. They’re there every weekend. That’s my favorite part of it. If you didn’t have anyone to share it with, then it really wouldn’t be that much.”
A large family group chat helps everyone keep in touch, but they also see each other multiple times per week. During hockey season, they coordinate their next steps, whether that’s traveling to different games or deciding who will get to host the local watch party with multiple TVs set up to keep track of the trio’s hockey games.
“When Drew and C.J. aren’t playing, Drew and C.J.’s parents are at my games,” McLinskey said. “Then, when I’m not playing, my parents are at their games. It’s my family, so I sound kind of biased, but there’s nobody better. I’ve never seen anything like it. There’s tons of family support.”
You can always expect a traveling caravan. When Fortescue was drafted by the Rangers last year, there were more than 40 family members in attendance.
This year’s Quinnipiac-Boston College season-opener attracted more than 60 family members.
“It’s become our life, every weekend, there’s a place to travel to,” said Chris McGee, C.J’s father, who played hockey at Babson and was drafted in the 1993 supplemental draft by the St. Louis Blues. “There’s a new rink, a new team, and a new adventure, with the support of not only my immediate family, but also the extended family.”
Last week was a bittersweet moment for the family, as Quinnipiac and Boston College crossed paths again and played each other in the Elite Eight.
“The whole time, we were praying to God they could both be somewhere else and we didn’t have to have them play each other,” the elder Fortescue said. “It played out the exact way we didn’t want to happen. Maybe years from now, you’ll look back and go, ‘How cool is that? They got to play and one of them got to go to the Frozen Four,’ but in that moment, it was very bittersweet.”
Fortescue’s Eagles outlasted McGee and the reigning national champion Bobcats, 5-4 in overtime.
“In the handshake line, I told (Drew Fortescue), if my season’s going to end, there’s no way I’d rather have it happen than to see him now be able to go to the Frozen Four and have a chance at the national championship,” C.J. McGee said. “I’ll definitely be watching. I don’t find myself to get nervous before games, but that one, thinking about Drew and how much family we had there, it was a win-win because someone’s going to the Frozen Four, but also a lose-lose because someone’s season is going to end.”
Onwards to Minnesota
Fortescue has won a pair of gold medals with Team USA, helping them finish on top in the U-18 Men’s World Championships and the World Junior Championships, but he hopes to experience reaching the pinnacle of Division I hockey after watching his cousin climb to the top last year.
The freshman defenseman has played in 38 of 39 games for the Eagles this season, and is one of many NHL draftees on the Eagles’ talented roster.
The Eagles enter with a 33-5-1 record. The nation’s top-ranked team is on the hunt for their first national title since 2012.
Boston College begins its Frozen Four against Michigan, which upended top-five nationally-ranked teams North Dakota and Michigan State to punch its ticket to St. Paul. It will be the Wolverines’ third straight Frozen Four, and they’re trying to capture their first national title since 1998.
Rival Boston University faces Denver in the other Frozen Four matchup. The Eagles toppled Boston University, 6-2, in the conference tournament title game, while Denver aims to win its second national title in three years.
“You always dream of playing in the Frozen Four and being able to have that opportunity, it’s something that I’m super excited for,” Fortescue said. “We’ve just been practicing and getting ready, because all the teams left are really skilled. Anyone can beat anyone, so I’m just really excited for the opportunity and I know what our team has, and I think we’ll be able to get it done.”
The family group chat has been buzzing for the past week as the entire clan prepares to make another Frozen Four trip.
“I’m looking forward to it, I can’t wait to go,” Chris McGee said. “I said before that (Boston College-Quinnipiac Elite Eight game) on Sunday, I just hope whoever wins that game runs the table and wins the whole thing, so I’ll be pulling for BC and Drew big time.”
McLinskey’s national breakout year
McLinskey had a junior year to remember at Holy Cross.
The Crusaders finished 21-14-4, but the standout forward was a consistent bright spot.
He led Atlantic Hockey in points, assists and plus/minus. McLinskey finished his standout season with 47 points on 19 goals and 28 assists, all of which are in the top five in the program’s record books. His +23 plus/minus was tied for the highest mark in program history in the Division I era.
He registered at least one point in 31 different games, and became Holy Cross’ first-ever Hobey Baker Award top 10 finalist and the school’s first Atlantic Hockey Player of the Year since 2006.
“It’s a huge honor obviously, never thought for a second that this would be happening,” McLinskey said. “Just appreciate everything that’s happened and I owe everything to the team.”
McLinskey, who prefers to not be in the spotlight, has plenty of praise for his teammates and his cousins, who have also found their own success this season.
“If we’re not playing in our games, we’re watching each others,” he said. “My buddies are always chirping me like, ‘oh you’re talking about Drew again, you’re talking about C.J. again,’ it’s so funny. I love talking about them, I love those two guys.”
McGee’s next chapter
While McGee’s time as a Bobcat has come to a close, he looks fondly at what he’s accomplished throughout his career.
The standout defenseman appeared in 139 games over his five years with the Bobcats, which includes last season’s national title run.
He won’t be able to attend the Frozen Four, but he’ll continue to keep close tabs on his cousin.
“Week by week, just seeing stuff on Twitter on how they’re doing, or always checking in to see how they’re playing or what they’re up to,” McGee said. “I’m always checking in to see how they’re doing, the two of them had pretty damn good years.”
Shortly after the Elite Eight game, McGee signed with the Savannah Ghost Pirates of the East Coast Hockey League to finish out their season.
The three-time conference all-academic selection is unsure of what comes after, whether he pursues professional hockey or decides to enter the business world, but he’s looking forward to catching up with his two cousins on the Jersey Shore this summer.
The family is hoping for another national championship to talk about.
“We don’t see each other during the year as much as we would like to, but over the summer, when we go down the Shore, it’ll be like we’ve been seeing each other every day,” McGee said. “The dynamic has always been super close, and we’ll always be super close. It’s almost like you’re back in it with your best friends that you haven’t seen in a couple months.”
Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay.
