It was a night for NHL fans to remember that storybook endings are found only in storybooks.
Dany Heatley, anointed "The New Face of the NHL" a few months ago by the Hockey News, made his return from career-threatening injuries and a life-altering mistake. On the same night, a man they used to call "The Next One" went down with the eighth concussion of his troubled career.
In Atlanta, Dany Heatley's first appearance of the NHL season turned out well: 22:55 of ice time and four shots in the Thrashers' 1-1 tie with St. Louis. His hockey senses need sharpening and his conditioning might waver as he settles into the mid-season grind. But it was an encouraging performance by a man trying out a reconstructed knee.
Of course, this is no ordinary comeback. At the end of each night, The New Face of the NHL has to go home and live with the car crash that killed Dan Snyder. "I think about him all the time," said Heatley after the game.
While briefly acknowledging this grim fact, most media blowhards appeared far more comfortable falling back on the usual talk of an "inspirational comeback" and "emotional night." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, for example, relied on the quasi-fascist banalities that define the worst in sports reporting ("triumph of will," "unquestioned determination," etc.).
There was no skirting the ugly truth in New York, where Eric Lindros' medical history was revived with one hard, clean bodycheck.
In the Rangers' 2-1 loss to the Capitals, Washington defenseman Jason Doig sent Lindros tumbling to the ice with a hit in the second period.
Lindros challenged Doig following the next faceoff and the two were sent off for fighting. After serving his penalty, Lindros remained on the Rangers' bench for the rest of the period. He did not return following the intermission. "He saw some stars, white flashes," according to coach Glen Sather.
Sather added that early indications suggest a relatively mild concussion. But even the mildest concussion threatens the future of a player who has suffered eight of them before the age of 31. It should also be noted that Doig's check was not especially brutal; most players would probably have skated away unscathed.
"Eric dropped the gloves, and I said, 'I'll fight you, but my hit was legal. You had your head down. You have to keep your head up,'" Doig told reporters. "I don't think he got hurt then because he stayed in the game, and I know I didn't hurt him during the fight. I hope he's back real soon. He's a great player and this game needs him."
