As one athlete died, he took his teammate's career with him.
Dan Snyder of the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers was a passenger in teammate Dany Heatley's Ferrari when Heatley spun off the road and smashed into a brick and wrought iron fence.
The car, driven at more than 80 mph, was split into two and both players were thrown into the road. It is not known yet whether alcohol was involved, although Heatley's lawyer firmly claims it wasn't.
Snyder, 25, never regained consciousness after suffering massive head injuries. He died at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta on Sunday night, six days after the crash.
Now, I debated whether or not I should comment on this sensitive issue of Snyder's death and Heatley's role in it. But after the negative outpour from fans, some not even fans of hockey, this is turning into a bigger issue of blame for Snyder's death and how Heatley should be reprimanded.
Heatley currently faces four misdemeanor counts, each of which is punishable for up to a year. He also faces first-degree vehicular homicide, carrying a possible sentence of three to 15 years in prison. Currently, Heatley is free on a $50,000 bond.
It's clear Heatley was driving ridiculously fast, and I do believe he should be charged accordingly, but not for vehicular homicide and not for 15 years in jail. There's drunken drivers, and even repeating offenders, that get off on lighter charges. His charges shouldn't go any farther than reckless driving, because that's all it was.
Heatley is dealing with his own broken jaw, a concussion, a bruised lung and kidneys, an injured shoulder and torn knee ligaments.
And he's dealing with the guilt.
Heatley's lawyer said he's an "emotional wreck" after Snyder's death. And yesterday, a judge allowed Heatley to attend Snyder's funeral.
Imagine that.
What if he hadn't been allowed to go to the funeral? How would Heatley ever have some sort of closure if he weren't allowed to go to the funeral?
It's a shame his career is all but ruined, not physically, since he's expected to make a full recovery, but in the minds of fans.
Instead of seeing his boyish face with a missing tooth and the mop of curls on his head, the term "vehicular homicide" will never be forgotten in fans' minds.
And to the man who died, there's nothing but positive comments about him.
Sports Illustrated's Darren Eliot recalls Snyder as "the quintessential undersized overachiever, the everyman who said, 'Yes, I can,' when so many around him said, 'No, you can't.'"
But this "need for speed" is not an unfamiliar issue in hockey, especially with the Detroit Red Wings. Former Wings center Sergei Fedorov lost control of his own Ferrari in Bloomfield Hills this past June.
He was lucky enough to escape injury this time around, although this was not the first time he's spun off the road driving over the speed limit. Fedorov has since signed as a free agent in Anaheim.
This past spring, Wings top prospect Igor Grigorenko nearly died in his native hometown in Russia when his car spun. Since then, he's been rehabilitating and has even made an appearance at training camp. He's expected to try out for the team next year.
And six days after the Wings won the Stanley Cup in 1997, Vladimir Konstantinov, Vyacheslav Fetisov and masseuse Sergei Mnatsakonov were riding in a limo that crashed into a tree, injuring all three.
Fetisov was able to resume his career after the accident, but Konstantinov and Mnatsakonov can never lead their lives without the aid of another person.
This is a far-fetched idea, but maybe a league-wide rule should be set that players in their first or second year in the league shouldn't be allowed to drive flashy sports cars.
Because it always seems to happen to the good guys, doesn't it?
Esther Gim is a State News intern. E-mail her your opinion of the situation at gimesthe@msu.edu.
