Content provided in partnership with

Too much GRIT to QUIT

Sporting News, The, May 29, 2000 by Larry Wigge

<< Page 1 Continued from page 1. Previous | Next

"It was no fun and totally needless," Modano says. "There was obviously no respect on Salei's part to shove me the way he did when I was so close to the boards. I could have broken my neck."

The NHL pays lip service to this issue, saying the players have to police themselves, that referees can call only so many penalties.

"Yeah, you tried to hurt other players, but that was in the heat of the battle with hard work and effort and physical play," former Blues defenseman Bob Plager says. "Now you see guys deliberately do things to harm another player, taking the easy way out."

The year of the freak accident

Most Popular Articles in Sports: The first family: Archie, Peyton and Eli are incredibly famous, immensely ...; The growing gap: driving distances are skyrocketing on the PGA Tour. So why ...; Which pistol caliber for self defense? Four different people come to four ...; Drag racing - National Hot Rod Association; The world's most popular .22: the Marlin Model 60 just keeps on ticking; More »

A player can make the same play a thousand times in his career--and then, suddenly, the next time it's the wrong play at the wrong time.

Like on November 20, when Montreal's Brian Savage tried to throw a check and suffered injuries to his vertebra and neck that nearly left him paralyzed.

"I couldn't feel anything in my back for a long time," Savage remembers. "I said to my wife, `Pinch me so I know this is not a bad dream.'"

After missing 44 games, Savage, who had been leading the league in goals for more than a month before the injury, came back to play in early March but wasn't the same.

Montreal was hit again with a traumatic injury in late January, when winger Trent McCleary slid out to block a shot by Flyers defenseman Chris Therien. Instead of McCleary blocking the shot with his legs or stomach, the puck hit him in the throat.

"I remember gasping for breath," McCleary said later. "The doctor cut into my throat to give me air before they brought the stretcher out to take me off the ice.

"I can't count the number of surgeries I've had since. But if the Canadiens give me a chance, I'll be back out there next year."

Lastly, Maple Leafs defenseman Bryan Berard, who often is criticized for not being gritty enough on defense, found Ottawa to be the site of another horrible accident. Berard was struck in the eye by the stick of the Senators' Marian Hossa, who was following through on a shot.

Critics were heard loud and clear, demanding everything from action against Hossa to forcing players to wear shields.

"I don't blame Marian for the incident," Berard says. "It was purely an accident. There was no intent to injure me. It was just a freak accident."

Berard, who still has fuzziness in the injured eye and might never be able to pass the NHLs sight requirement to play again, says he wouldn't support forcing players to wear the shield.

"I said earlier that I probably wouldn't wear a shield and that the stick that hit me in the eye likely would have still been able to slip under a shield because of the awkward situation to me," Berard says. "But truth be told, I'd probably try the shield. I've had too many nightmares about the incident not to give in to that now."

Equipment check

Yes, players are bigger and stronger, and the ice surface is still 200 by 85 feet. Yet the NHL is on a collision course with more injuries. More key players are sidelined. More salaries are wasted on the injured list.

Too much GRIT to QUIT

Sporting News, The, May 29, 2000 by Larry Wigge

Find Research Guides for:

Find Featured Titles for: Health

Most Popular Articles in Sports

Most Popular Publications in Sports