Atlanta Thrashers Heatley and Syder in serious car accident.<Update: Snyder has died of his injuries>

[Fausto]

Single car accident that literally tore Heatley's Ferrari in half

Snyder, 25, was listed in critical condition today after undergoing surgery for a depressed skull fracture, according to team president Stan Kasten. Snyder was out of surgery shortly before 10 a.m. A depressed skull fracture is one in which the calvarium, or roof of the skull, is pressed inward.

Heatley, 22, the NHL's 2002 rookie of the year, was listed as stable but was still being evaluated.

Snyder, 25, was thrown from the car, which was traveling 80 mph, police said. Heatley, who police said was driving, had a broken jaw, Kasten said, and several media outlets reported that he was conscious and talking. His black Ferrari was mangled beyond recognition in the crash.

 

[Aquaman]

I hope he is ok .

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[ComputerMonkey]

Damn. What a way to f*ck up your life. TSN coverage of story.

"Heatley has received five seperate charges resulting from the accident, the most serious of which is 'serious injury by a vehicle' - a felony. If convicted of this, Heatley faces between one and 15 years in prison. He also received four misdemeanor charges: wreckless driving, driving too fast for conditions, driving on the wrong side of the road and striking a fixed object."

 

[Garet Jax]

Wow. I hope they are both OK.

 

[TheBoyBlunder]

I guess the EA curse strikes again.

Um, every player that's been on the cover of EA's NHL series has had some sort of serious injury later that year. I do hope they're ok though, and ComputerMonkey, shouldn't that be "reckless driving", not "wreckless driving" ?

edit: Nevermind, ComputerMonkey, I see that it's TSN who screwed up.

 

[TheNinja]

That can't be good for the Thrashers playoff hopes, Heatley, along with Kovulchuk (sp?) are some serious players. I hope those two guys are ok

 

[Optimus]

I hope they are OK.


(What an idiot for driving that fast in a populated area!!!!)

 

[Garet Jax]

Originally posted by: Optimus
(What an idiot for driving that fast in a populated area!!!!)

What an idiot for driving like that period. Fast enough to tear a ferrari in half. :Q

 

[Fausto]

Originally posted by: Garet Jax

Originally posted by: Optimus
(What an idiot for driving that fast in a populated area!!!!)

What an idiot for driving like that period. Fast enough to tear a ferrari in half. :Q

On a heavily-populated intown road no less. Police estimates were "at least 80mph".:disgust:

 

[vi edit]

Call me callous, but hopefully any sort of insurance policy he has out on himself if he can't play anymore fails to pay out if since he was driving like a jackass.

Classic case of "All balls, no brains" syndrome.

 

[conjur]

What a fvcking dumbass!

80mph down a surface street in what *looks* like a residential area???  

Hope that other guy comes out ok.

 

[Fausto]

Originally posted by: conjur
What a fvcking dumbass!

80mph down a surface street in what *looks* like a residential area???  

Hope that other guy comes out ok.

It's a heavily-traveled road, but it is indeed a residential area. It's pretty much solid houses and high-end condos all the way. He's lucky he didn't mash someone on the sidewalk as well.

 

[ThaPerculator]

damnit, there goes my fantasy hockey team this year..... Heatley was the man too.... hope they are allright.

 

[conjur]

Originally posted by: Fausto1

Originally posted by: conjur
What a fvcking dumbass!

80mph down a surface street in what *looks* like a residential area???  

Hope that other guy comes out ok.

It's a heavily-traveled road, but it is indeed a residential area. It's pretty much solid houses and high-end condos all the way. He's lucky he didn't mash someone on the sidewalk as well.

Damn lucky!

BTW, haven't seen you at the new digs (see my sig )

 

[dquan97]

I remember seeing Heatley play in the All-Stars game and scoring all those goals...

 

[Smolek]

wow

Another victim of the EA curse...

 

[sandorski]

One thing that puzzles me though is the charge for "striking a fixed object". Seems kinda strange.

 

[rh71]

DAMIEN COX
HOCKEY COLUMNIST

This much we know for sure; Dany Heatley will never be the same again.

His physical wounds should heal, and certainly there is greater concern today for the health of his friend, Dan Snyder, who suffered more severe injuries in Monday night's horrific, high speed car accident on a quiet residential street in Georgia than his more famous Atlanta Thrashers teammate.

Snyder is in a medical coma with a serious brain injury and his life, let alone his hockey career, remains in jeopardy.

For Heatley, there's a busted jaw plus knee and shoulder problems.

Of greater consequence to a player who arguably ranks as Canada's most talented hockey player under the age of 25, however, are the criminal charges he faces in connection with the incident and the psychological scars he will carry after being behind the wheel of a car at the time of a devastating accident that resulted in terrible injuries to another.

Perhaps he will deal with this challenge and rebound, just as Edmonton Oilers head coach Craig MacTavish did after being involved in an alcohol-related car accident that killed a 26-year-old woman almost two decades ago and being sent to a jail cell for the better part of a year as a result.

Perhaps Heatley won't bounce back. Reggie Rogers, once a superbly talented defensive lineman and first-round draft pick of the Detroit Lions, killed three teenagers driving drunk in 1988. He went to jail, offended on alcohol-related driving matters several times afterward and never became the professional football player he was touted to be.

Whatever direction Heatley's life goes in now, however, he'll never be the same effervescent 22-year-old millionaire who jumped behind the wheel of his shiny black Ferrari Monday night and then drove it into a wall at speeds estimated to be in excess of 130 km/h.

No one's quite sure how Heatley or Snyder survived. The car was smashed to pieces, broken so badly investigators can't tell whether the two athletes were wearing their seatbelts at the point of impact.

There will be a long list of people in hockey today who will tell you that Heatley is a good kid, an honest kid, not the kind to get himself mixed up with trouble. But he was in another significant car accident last year, hitting a parked vehicle, and authorities have some very serious questions that require answers regarding Monday's accident.

From a sporting perspective, clearly not the priority at the moment, it's fair to say that Heatley's career is now in limbo.

With Russian sniper Ilya Kovalchuk, Heatley represented the future of a Thrashers franchise that has not been very successful at all since joining the NHL four years ago. Recently, the Thrashers were sold by the corporate entity formerly known as AOL Time Warner along with the NBA Hawks and the Philips Arena for a price that suggested the hockey club was essentially a throw-in, leaving the long-term viability of the franchise in some doubt even with the two young scoring studs.

Heatley was already earning in excess of $4 million per season in salary and bonuses after just two NHL seasons. Some were suggesting that one day, should NHLers stay in the Olympics, he would captain a Canadian national side.

That may yet happen. But Heatley has enormous hurdles to clear before then.

In MacTavish's example, his case received such notoriety that the Bruins released him, deciding it would be more appropriate for him to resume his career elsewhere.

He was also suspended by the NHL for the 1984-85 season, and one can only wonder how the NHL will discipline Heatley if he is found guilty of the charges he faces, including one felony that could land him in jail.

One can only wonder if he'll be able to resume his career in Atlanta, something that may well depend on Snyder's ability to recover from his terrible injuries.

We only know that fame, wealth, youth and fast cars remain a volatile mixture, and that Heatley will always regret the decisions he made that night.

Life in the fast lane


By ERIC FRANCIS -- Calgary Sun

Dany Heatley's father, Murray, knew the obvious dangers that came with his son's purchase of a Ferrari 360 Spider this summer.

Like any parent would be, he was concerned.

His fears were heightened during a recent trip to Atlanta, where Dany exhibited a disturbing need for speed that was obviously shared with Porsche-driving friend and teammate Ilya Kovalchuk.

Having voiced his apprehension with Dany on several occasions, Murray remained uneasy with the notion his 22-year-old son delighted in testing the limits of a powerful $200,000 US machine capable of going 290 km/h.

In fact, three days before Dany's horrific crash near his trendy Buckhead condo on Monday, Murray spoke with longtime friend Don Phelps about his fears.

"Murray sat in my office Friday telling me how concerned he was about Dany racing around in that car," said Phelps, who played alongside Murray as a young Calgary Buffalo before coaching Dany as a Calgary Canucks star in 1998-99.

"We talked about Pelle Lindbergh and he said, 'Jesus, don't even talk like that.' Three days later, this happens. For Dany, you go from having everything in life to something very, very serious."

Shortly after receiving the dreaded phone call late Monday night informing Karin and Murray Heatley, their oldest son, had slammed into a brick wall at upwards of 130 km/h, the shaken parents spent the night digesting whatever information they could gather.

Informed Dany escaped with a concussion, broken jaw, knee and shoulder injuries, their thoughts quickly turned to Dany's passenger and current roommate, Dan Snyder, who was in critical condition at Atlanta's Grady Memorial Hospital.

Snyder had been thrown from the wreckage of the severed vehicle, suffering a fractured skull that required emergency surgery.

As the morning approached and the Heatleys left their Canyon Meadows home for the flight south, Dany was charged with a handful of offences including a felony charge of inflicting serious injury by vehicle, which could land the league's ninth-leading scorer in jail for up to 15 years.

"If (Snyder dies), Dany Heatley could go from being a superstar hockey player with everything, to going to jail," said Phelps, shocked by Heatley's uncharacteristically poor judgment.

"I know there's nobody on the face of the earth who feels worse about it than Dany. The kid is not a criminal -- I think sometimes we almost set kids up for this -- so young and so rich. It's so unlike him -- it doesn't fit his lifestyle. I didn't think he could be this irresponsible but it's easy to make an error in judgment."

Before Monday's crash, Heatley had done a remarkable job throughout his young career of making all the right moves and building a squeaky-clean image. Demonstrating a shocking maturity as the country's top Junior 'A' player for the Canucks, he then starred at the University of Wisconsin, where he quickly assumed a leadership role at age 19.

Drafted second overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in front of his friends and family at the Saddledome in 2000, he went on to become rookie of the year and all-star game MVP while racking up close to $4 million US in salary and bonuses each of his first two seasons.

As humble and unselfish off the ice as he is on it, Heatley emerged last year as perhaps the best candidate to take over Mario Lemieux's reign as the league's best. Companies lined up at his door this summer, making him one of the NHL's most sought-after pitchmen.

All that is up in the air now as Heatley, his family and the hockey world pray for the recovery of Snyder.

"He was such an example for young (Calgary Canucks) -- a reminder that 'it' can happen," said Phelps, referring to the NHL dream all young players have.

"Now they can learn from this too -- that you're not exempt from anything just because you're rich or famous. You can smack into a wall with a Ferrari just as easily as you can with an old beater. For our guys it is a cheap lesson. For Dany, it's devastating."

Driving with speed demons

NHLers living life in fast lane


By MIKE ULMER -- Toronto Sun

They sat down expecting to hear about obstruction rules and trimmed-down goalie pads.

Instead, NHL general managers were told yesterday about events Monday night on Lenox Rd. in Atlanta, where Dany Heatley's moment of carelessness forever changed the course of his life and that of his passenger, a 25-year-old, fourth-line centre named Dan Snyder.

It is that way in life. What you are doing, in this case a meeting of the league's GMs with commissioner Gary Bettman, seems hopelessly trivial when they tell you of disaster.

Heatley's 2002 Ferrari was cresting at 130 km/h when he locked his brakes and slammed into a brick and iron fence, sending Snyder flying out of the car and into a fight for his life.

The result of blood-alcohol tests on Heatley, who was driving home from a team function for season-ticket holders, won't be available for several days.

Photos of the scene show a shattered wreckage. Only by the grace of God, said a cop at the scene, did anyone survive.

Snyder has a fractured skull and is in critical condition.

Heatley, 22, got into his 360 Modina as the league's next big thing, a third-year player on a bad team who nonetheless had already scored 77 NHL goals, copped the Calder Trophy as the league's best rookie and took home the all-star game's MVP trophy. He was the most compelling young player in the game.

Was.

Now, he faces a full docket of charges, the prospect of jail time or worse, blood on his hands that won't wash off in this lifetime, and who knows, maybe any other.

And you wonder what they thought, these men who give the boys the money to buy the cars.

Thirty years ago, Punch Imlach gave Tim Horton the keys to the Ford Pantera to gain his signature on a contract with the Buffalo Sabres. Imlach was the last person Horton saw alive in the parking area of Maple Leaf Gardens and thus began what would be a litany of tragedy.

Bob Clarke was in the room yesterday morning. It was Clarke, then and now a Philadelphia Flyers executive, who took the call in the fall of 1985 about Pelle Lindbergh, the brilliant Swedish goalie who had a few too many beers with his teammates, climbed into his car and drove to his death.

"There goes the Stanley Cup," Flyers coach Mike Keenan said when he learned of the death.

"It's not what it does to the organization," Clarke said yesterday. "The organization will survive. It's what it does to the family, to the teammates. We all lost a great young man in Pelle Lindbergh."

Heatley had crashed his Acura Infinity near the scene a year before. Now, he was a year older, a year richer, and who knows how many kilometres an hour faster.

It is a combination that makes for every parent's hell. A young male, immune, in his own mind, to the catastrophic damage that comes with risk, going way, way too fast. How do you legislate testosterone and speed? It's easier to outlaw fire when gas meets flame.

"I don't think money has anything to do with it," Clarke said. "It just seems like all young people drive too fast. I know my kids do."

Nearby, Carolina Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford must have been flashing back. They called Rutherford, too, in the spring of 1999, to tell him defenceman Steve Chiasson was dead.

Teammates at a season-ending party thought they had convinced him to take a cab. He snuck away and tried to drive home.

"It changes how you do everything," Rutherford said. "The things you took for granted, you don't take for granted anymore."

Washington Capitals GM George McPhee owns the rights to Jaromir Jagr, one of the NHL's most notorious speed demons. Every year, the Caps bring in the secret service and state police to talk to players about their driving habits.

"All you can do is talk to them about it and we do," McPhee said. "You just hope that you can influence them, or their parents can or their agents can or that anyone can."

The Vancouver Canucks give taxi vouchers to their trainers. They in turn, issue them to players.

The service is anonymous, the better to encourage the players to cab home.

"We don't care who they are," Canucks GM Brian Burke said. "We just want to make sure they get home."

Wow I didn't know that about Steve Chiasson dying... interesting...

Tragic toll


By CAMERON MAXWELL -- Calgary Sun

Here are some of the more high-profile auto accidents involving NHLers and other hockey stars:

* April 13, 1971 -- Pittsburgh Penguins centreman Michel Briere died from injuries suffered in a car crash in May 1970. He played one season with the club (1969-70) and had his No. 21 retired. He was 20.

* Feb. 21, 1974 -- Tim Horton, legendary Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres defenceman and Hockey Hall of Famer, died after rolling his sports car while speeding near St. Catharines, Ont. He was 44.

* March 24, 1981 -- Montreal Canadiens great Guy Lafleur was nearly killed when he crashed his car into a metal sign, slicing off part of his right ear. Lafleur said he'd been partying with teammates and fell asleep at the wheel.

* May 30, 1981 -- Former Calgary Centennial and Toronto Maple Leaf Don Ashby died from injuries suffered in a head-on car crash in Summerland, B.C. He was 26.

* Aug. 27, 1981 -- Russian great and a star of the 1972 Summit Series, Valeri Kharlamov, and his wife died in a car accident as they were driving into Moscow.

* Jan. 25, 1984 -- Edmonton Oilers head coach Craig MacTavish crashed his Datsun into another car near Boston, killing a 26-year-old woman. Alcohol was a factor and he served a year in jail for vehicular homicide.

* Nov. 10, 1985 -- Philadelphia Flyers all-star goalie Pelle Lindbergh, 26, died when his Porsche hit a wall in Sommerdale, N.J. He had been drinking.

* Aug. 30, 1986 -- Calgary Flames No. 1 (16th overall) draft pick George Pelawa died when he was struck by a car on a rural Minnesota highway after his vehicle had broken down. He was 18.

* Dec. 30, 1986 -- Four members of the WHL's Swift Current Broncos -- Chris Mantyka, Brent Ruff, Trent Kresse and Scott Kruger -- were killed when the team bus crashed near the small city. The team was on its way to Regina for a game.

* May 12, 1987 -- Calgary Flames defenceman Jamie Macoun suffered a broken arm, internal injuries and many cuts after losing control of his Datsun 280ZX.

* June, 1995 -- Calgary Flames defenceman Petr Buzek crashed his vehicle into a tree going about 115 m.p.h. back home in the Czech Republic after falling asleep at the wheel. He broke both his legs, a hip, an ankle and a kneecap in the accident.

* June 13, 1997 -- Detroit Red Wings defenceman Vladimir Konstantinov, along with teammate Viacheslav Fetisov and team masseur Sergei Mnatsakanov were injured when the limo they were in crashed into a tree. Konstantinov never played again.

* May 3, 1999 -- Former Calgary Flames defenceman Steve Chiasson, 32, was killed after his truck left the road and he was thrown from the vehicle in Raleigh, N.C. Alcohol was a factor.

* July 4, 1999 -- Calgary Flames defence prospect Robyn Regehr was involved in a head-on car crash near Saskatoon, breaking both his legs. The accident left two dead and five others injured.

* Feb. 15, 2002 -- L.A. Kings head coach Andy Murray was injured when his truck slid off an icy Wisconsin highway, down an embankment and rolled 300 ft.

* Oct. 8, 2002 -- Jacques Richard, the Atlanta Flames first ever draft pick in 1972, was killed when he lost control of his car near Issoudun, Que., and struck a culvert.

* May 16, 2003 -- Highly-touted Detroit Red Wings prospect Igor Grigorenko, 20, drove his vehicle into an advertising sign in Togliatti, Russia, and fractured his hip but went into a life-threatening coma afterwards. He is still recovering.

* July 25, 2003 -- Boston Bruins defenceman Jonathan Girard, 23, broke his pelvis outside his home town of Rawdon, Que., after crashing when he lost control of his Mitsubishi sedan on wet roads.

* Aug. 10, 2003 -- Former U.S. national team and NHL coach Herb Brooks, 66, died when his vehicle rolled over near Forest Lake, Minn. The 'Miracle on Ice' bench boss likely fell asleep at the wheel.

Explain to me how someone can fall asleep at the wheel while driving 115mph.

 

[Smolek]

Unfortunately, he has died

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/nhl/

 

[Aquaman]

Originally posted by: Smolek
Unfortunately, he has died

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/nhl/

Awe crap

RIP Dan Snyder

Condolences,
Aquaman

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: Smolek
Unfortunately, he has died

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/nhl/

So sad

Heatley will now be charged with Vehicular Manslaughter.

 

[Grey]

Two promising stars taken out on one careless act. RIP Snyder.

 

[iwearnosox]

Where was Roy's tiger during all of this?

 

[Grey]

Originally posted by: iwearnosox
Where was Roy's tiger during all of this?

On his way to remove you from the gene pool one could only hope.

 

[bunker]

Son of a.....