The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

Not too many hockey fans are aware of the Bill Masterton trophy, but when I read today's news to discover the Ottawa chapter of the Professional Hockey Writer's Association selected Dany Heatley to be the nominee for the Ottawa Senators, I couldn't help but smile.

The Bill Masterton trophy is awarded to the player: "who best exemplifies the qualities of perserverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey." In most cases, it's given to a player who's suffered a serious physical injury or illness and, despite the odds, come back to the NHL still playing at an elite level. A player who exemplifies what the NHL should mean and should be an inspiration for the fans and aspiring players who hope one day to don an NHL uniform.

With Dany Heatley though, this nomination is a little different.

Past winners of the Masterton trophy include Bryan Berard, who almost lost complete vision in one eye due to an accidental high stick but returned despite the media predicting his career was finished, and Saku Koivu & Mario Lemieux, two players who battled cancer and won, and came back to continue their NHL careers. All worthy winners. But what if the "ailment" isn't physical, but mental...emotional?

When Dany Heatley drove his new sports car at high speeds with his teammate Dan Snyder as his passenger back in 2003, he had no idea this ride would change his life forever. Heatley crashed his vehicle and suffered multiple injuries, but was still able to walk away from the accident alive. Dan Snyder was not as lucky, and died some time later. Dany Heatley was brought in front of the courts to answer for his actions. Some people say he got off lightly: three years probation and 150 hours of community service to warn others about the dangers of speeding. Perhaps he was. But with the decision of the courts having been rendered, Heatley had to continue living, with the guilt of killing his friend forever on his mind.

If Dany Heatley would have never been able to return to the NHL to play one more game, I couldn't have blamed him. The media pressure, the hostile reactions of fans, what could he have expected? How can he cope getting to the Atlanta rink going by the scene of the accident for every practice and every home game he had to suit up for? He decided that a move out of the city where the accident occurred and the team he played for was the best thing for himself and his teammates. The Atlanta Thrashers' GM, Don Waddell, under no obligation to act on Heatley's request, traded him to the Ottawa Senators for Marian Hossa and Greg De Vries. Dany was given another chance. His career was given a clean slate; it was up to him if he had the mental toughness to continue.

He did that and more.

Dany Heatley will never be the same person he was the night before the tragic accident that happened in 2003. Now, he is more humble, more mature, more appreciative of what he has and the gifts he has been given. He has talents that his friend Dan Snyder can no longer showcase to the world. I think Dany feels he can't take what he has for granted, and despite any hostile reactions the fans might show him, feels he MUST play not only for himself but for Dan Snyder. I have been extremely disappointed with the reactions Heatley has gotten when he returns to play in Atlanta. Despite writing a farewell letter to the fans when he was traded stating, "My teammates, the fans and community will always hold a special place in my heart," he gets booed. I'm sure Dany knows that what's more important is that his friend Dan Snyder would want him to continue playing. Heatley has probably wished he could see Dan one more time so he could ask him for his forgiveness for the terrible tragedy he caused. And the best way I think Dany can show him he's sorry, is to play for him each and every night. Throughout this season, he has shown he is still one of the best players in the world, leading the Senators in scoring and shattering some records in the process. He plays hard, gets physical, demonstrates his heart that rubs off on his teammates. That mental toughness coming through in spades.

Although Heatley is gracious for the nomination, his personality is that he would prefer that he didn't win. He doesn't like being the main centre of attention. He would rather talk about his team and the new friends he's made, how he enjoys playing on a line with Jason Spezza & Daniel Alfredsson and how they want to win a Stanley Cup together.

Dany Heatley has come a long way. The shadow of Dan Snyder will be cast on him every day he wakes up to take on the day's challenges that lie ahead. But through his strength & perserverance, and the power of forgiveness bestowed on him by friends and family, Dany Heatley is a model for all of us that we can continue on, and continue on at our best no matter what we have had to endure in our past.