One thing I have always noticed about Canadians is they can all tell you the NHL players who grew up in their town. Well, I grew up in NJ and in the history of the league, 23 players are from NJ. But only one players grew up on my hometown.
Bobby Ryan. Even when you look at coaches, executives and mainstream media, Bobby and I are the only two people in the small world of NHL from Cherry Hill, NJ. We have joked about together on several occasions and will probably never agree if Ponzio's or Olga's was the best diner or if King of Pizza, Vito's or Johnny's Pizza was best. I was Eastside and he was Westside.
He is great guy who went through a ton of stuff with a very tough family situation as a kid, and even though I am older than Bobby I heard all the stories and rumors that perpetuated through the local youth hockey world in South Jersey and Philly.
When I finally met Bobby he was already a pro, but he lived up to all that I had heard about him from my friend's kids who grew up playing with and against him. He is down to earth, kind, and just makes you feel comfortable right away. I was always amazed at this after knowing some of the craziness of his childhood.
When I heard he was going through a struggle with alcohol I was very saddened, but also very understanding based on all that he'd endured growing up. Now that he is on the road to recovery I am so thrilled for him and thrilled that he is willing to open up about it to help others in the league who are in need of help but are living in denial or afraid to coem forward. He is not alone among NHL players. THAT is for certain. There is an alcohol problem in hockey as well as a completely misunderstood opiate issue that needs to be dealt with sooner than later...I hope his receiving this award serves that important purpose.
I don't like the term "winning" when it comes to the Masterton. While overcoming tough situations is definitely a win, I feel this is more of an acknowledgment because "winning" implies you are better than the other candidates. This award is more of wake up call to others and hope that you can overcome the tough times.
Rumors to Come...
I will be updating the Rumor Chart as well as starting the "Buyers and Sellers Tracking" that we all love this time of year!
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