Mighty Duck Sandis Ozolinsh has started to work on his New Year's resolution a couple days early. According to both the Ducks and the NHLPA, he's checked into
the league's substance-abuse and behavioral health program for indefinite treatment.
It all happened fast: on Monday, the six-time all-star defenseman missed the Ducks' first practice after their four-day holiday break. The team couldn't get him on the phone, and on Tuesday he missed the team bus for Columbus. Now, at week's end, he's drying out in an undisclosed location. Hockey fans everywhere wish Ozo a quick and complete recovery, I'm sure.
Speaking of hockey players getting clean, our pal David found a fascinating four-part report on Theo Fleury, who's playing for the Belfast Giants in Northern Ireland. Fleury talks candidly about his trip from the NHL to the British Elite League, which wants not for length and strangeness. The thousand-point scorer and gold-medal winner hung out in crackhouses in Chicago, stood around burning barrels with New York winos, and took a beating from strip club bouncers in Columbus when he refused to leave the joint. Theo says he was "hanging out with the scum. That’s where I felt I was comfortable." It's a good read.
Intro
Part One
Part Two
Part Three was supposed to have been posted on December 10th, but David couldn't find it, and I'll be darned if I can, either.