People are asking me to say something good about hockey coaches
The best coach I had in minor hockey was Rob Gibb, in the @OHLHockey it was Greg Gilbert, in @TheAHL I can’t name one and in the @NHL it was John Stevens and Joel Quenneville
Not a bad word to say about them
Rob Gibb with Humberview Huskies AA club bc he showed me what it meant to be a leader & gave me all the confidence in the world as a player
Greg Gilbert in Mississauga was a master at teaching me systems of the game helping 2 keep my head on straight after the 54 game suspension
Nov 14, 2019 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
I worshipped at the alter of hockey. I perked up when Don Cherry said things like “listen up kids” when he described violence in hockey & what being a real man looks like...And I listened. When I was abused as a minor at the hands of coaches & teammates, I shut up & moved on...
2/ ...bc, well, that’s what a real man does. I also became the bully. I became a person in the hockey world that I can’t recognize today & I never want to be again. The hockey world is small & Jess Allen is right about it being a sport for privileged, predominantly white boys
May 3, 2019 • 9 tweets • 6 min read
A thread about Gary Bettman, the NHL & how the league of denial used Todd Ewen’s case to cast doubt on a link between repeated brain injuries and CTE
Thank you to @rwesthead for covering the concussion hearing in depth
tsn.ca/widow-of-forme…2/ The widow of Todd Ewen sued the National Hockey League on Tuesday, claiming the #NHL cynically exploited a botched analysis of her husband’s brain, which later tested positive for #CTE
For wtv reason, the first time I met Steve Montador popped into my head & so I decided to write about it instead of ruminating in bed with the thoughts of our first meeting
It was after the 2006-2007 season & I had just played...
2/ 18 games with the @ArizonaCoyotes
I was 22
I was asked to do @heylandsberg’s Off The Record show
It was my first real interview on tv where I wasn’t dressed in hockey equipment and delivering the standard hockey answers that r so ingrained in us...
Jan 14, 2019 • 12 tweets • 10 min read
With the opt in/out date deadline on Jan 18th 4 the @NHL#concussion lawsuit I wanted to revisit this breakdown from @SheillaDingus on the red flags of the settlement:
1/ A potential life & death situation is noted, in which the #NHL says “live or die...
advocacyforfairnessinsports.org/nhl-concussion…
we don’t care, just don’t ask us for any money.” Players are instructed to file a claim from the Additional Payment Fund—if they live long enough
2/ The NHL control of testing procedure immediately drew a red flag. It is notable that the cost of testing is NOT included....
Dec 30, 2018 • 10 tweets • 8 min read
Colin Campbell, the long-time disciplinarian — now the senior executive vice-president of hockey operations with the @NHL — is shown in correspondence to term anti-violence advocates alternately as “greenpeace pukes” & “tree huggers”
#SundayMorning#SundayFunday#SundayThoughts2/ In a 2009 email to @TSN_Sports & Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) Campbell seeks counsel in an apparent desire to help remove fighting from the game: “I hated fighting . . . had to do it though . . . particularly in the 70’s, but it is stupid.”
The year is 2002-2003 I am 17 turning 18 yrs old & it’s my @NHL draft year
I moved away from home, family & friends, to play hockey in the @OHLHockey for the @StingHockey
I endured daily bullying/abuse at the hands of veteran players
Below is my story...
2/ Moving away from everyone you’ve ever known is hard
Living with strangers is, well, strange
Going to a new high school isn’t easy
Daily practices, workouts, long travel times for games are grueling
Playing against 21 yr olds when you are 17 is intimidating
Having your...
Nov 7, 2018 • 10 tweets • 3 min read
After seeing all of the negative messages towards Stan Bowman, I’d like to take this opportunity to tell @NHLBlackhawks fans how Stan Bowman helped save my life.
1/ I blew my ACL out on January 2nd 2012 & had surgery to repair my ligament. I was on a one year deal at close to...
2/ league minimum. When I came to the #Blackhawks, I had made several lifestyle changes. The most significant being I was clean and sober for the for the first time in my career. From everything. No NyQuil. No alcohol. No opiates. No weed. Nothing. I did 90 meetings in 90 days...
Jun 25, 2018 • 4 tweets • 5 min read
1/Bettman was consistent in answering the many questions in his deposition: Because there is no medical or scientific certainty, he said, there is no reason to warn @NHL players about the risks of #CTE Nor is there reason, even after the premature deaths...washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-n…
2/in recent years of several #NHL “enforcers” such as Bob Probert , Wade Belak, Rick Rypien, Derek Boogaard & Steve Montador to look for a link between fighting in hockey & brain injuries. “I think the sample has been too small,” Bettman said... #tbiwashingtonpost.com/opinions/the-n…
Jun 19, 2018 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
1/ This is an anecdote that describes seeing & riding a punch in boxing. When a boxer sees the hit coming, they are trained to brace for it appropriately. They ride the hit @NHL#tbirealclearscience.com/blog/2014/01/t…2/ So take the 2 anecdotes I just posted together. If you don’t see the hit, you’re at greater risk for injury. If you are able to see the hit and are conditioned to take hits safely, you are less likely to get injured. This is a corner stone to what @clarkjf is trying to do.
May 2, 2018 • 4 tweets • 5 min read
1/ If u have played the game the way I have, this clip is not that difficult to break down. Notice Wilson’s right skate before or at the initial point of contact. It is leaving the ice intentionally, which means he thrusts his body into an upward direction, which is towards the
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2/ head of Reese. If we look at the left skate during the point of contact, Wilson is rising up onto his toe, as if he is trying to jump, hence the reason he ended up sitting on the dasher of his own bench after the hit. It is clear that Reese sees Wilson coming but that has very