Heatley returns four months after fatal wreck

By The Associated Press

Posted 8:25AM on Thursday 29th January 2004 ( 21 years ago )

Dany Heatley was back on the ice, his physical recovery complete. But he wore a constant reminder of that awful night on a patch above his heart.No. 37.Dan Snyders number.Heatley made an emotional return to the Atlanta Thrashers on Wednesday night, less than four months after a car wreck killed his teammate and friend Snyder.Welcome Back Dany, said a large banner unveiled behind one of the goals.Heatley had several good chances, but failed to score. The Thrashers managed a 1-1 tie with the St. Louis Blues when Jeff Cowan scored with 2:24 left in regulation.On the bench, Heatley celebrated with his gap-toothed smile, tapping his stick on the boards and patting teammate Ilya Kovalchuk on the helmet.Like all of his teammates, Heatley wore a patch with Snyders number on his sweater.Its only been four months since the tragic wreck _ enough time, amazingly, for Heatleys right knee to mend from surgery, but hardly long enough to get over the pain of losing the friend everyone called Snydes.That could take a lifetime.I just keep remembering the guy, Heatley said after the morning skate. He was a great guy, a great teammate. I think about him every day.Heatley was driving on Sept. 29 when his sports car slammed into a wall with Snyder in the passenger seat. Heatley broke his jaw, injured a shoulder and tore ligaments in his knee. Snyder died six days later from massive brain injuries without ever regaining consciousness.The near-sellout crowd at Philips Arena welcomed Heatley back with a raucous ovation. Among the signs: Were With You Dany!Heatley was the next-to-last Thrashers player to take the ice before the game, but he didnt have to wait long to get back in the game. He was in the starting lineup, taking his familiar place on a line with Slava Kozlov and Shawn McEachern.Im thrilled, said Laura Gervais, a Thrashers season-ticket holder, sporting a replica of the sweater that Heatley wore while winning the MVP award in last years All-Star game. Im so happy to see him back.Less than 30 seconds after the puck dropped, Heatley put a shoulder into Blues defenseman Bryce Salvador along the boards.Late in the opening period, Heatley had two excellent scoring chances on a power play. He fired one shot over the net, then watched in dismay as Reinhard Divis made a dazzling pad save with Heatley parked all alone in front of the net.After knee surgery, grueling rehab and a much-quicker-than-expected recovery, Heatley was trying to jump back on his rising star while lugging the burden of Snyders death.Hes got a tough road ahead of him, theres no doubt about that, Thrashers goalie Byron Dafoe said. Hes still got a lot of hurdles to clear, but this is a huge hurdle hes about to leap over.Undoubtedly, getting back on the ice was a major step in Heatleys recovery process. For a few hours, at least, he was able to escape the memory of his Ferrari spinning out of control on a narrow, winding street.Police estimated that Heatley was driving about 80 mph _ far above the speed limit _ but prosecutors havent decided whether to file charges.I think hell be OK, teammate Slava Kozlov said. When you step on that ice, you dont think about anything _ just hockey. All your problems go away.Heatley was eager to get going.Hockey has been a big part of my comeback, he said. It helped me a heal a lot. I still have a long way to go, but hockey has made it easier.The prospect of criminal charges hasnt gone away, though prosecutors have spent more time trying to sort out the case than it took for Heatleys torn knee ligaments to heal.A spokesman for the Fulton County district attorneys office defended the deliberate pace of the investigation.People seem to have decided that its taking a long time, Erik Friedly said. A vehicular homicide investigation is always rather involved, because youre talking about recreating the incident, you have issues of physics, science and engineering. This is not an exceptionally long period of time for an investigation into a case like this.Heatleys case is helped by two factors: He consumed only a small amount of alcohol before the wreck _ far below the legal limit _ and Snyders family has forgiven the player, saying he shouldnt be held criminally responsible.Snyders parents, Graham and Luanne, hoped to be at Heatleys first game, but they were caught off guard by the swiftness of his recovery. They were in the middle of a trip Wednesday to visit a friend of their son in Las Vegas and released a statement in support of Heatley.Were glad to see Dany back on the ice doing what he does best, the statement said. We do plan to attend a Thrashers game in the near future. Were happy for him, are with him in spirit and will be watching.Heatleys return comes at an opportune time for the Thrashers, who are contending for the first playoff berth in franchise history but have struggled over the past month.The tie with St. Louis left the Thrashers with only two wins in their last 15 games. An injury-ravaged lineup sure needs Heatley, who was ninth in the league with 89 points last season.From today till the trade deadline, not many teams are going to say they added a player like Dany Heatley to their lineup, coach Bob Hartley said. Danys presence on the ice will definitely give us a boost.How much isnt clear. The Thrashers insist Heatleys knee is 100 percent, but no one disputes hell need time to get into game condition, to reclaim the timing and touch that made him a star.We say hes 100 percent, but we know hes really not 100 percent, Dafoe said. The rest of us have still got to shoulder the load. Weve got to play better than we have.Fortunately for Heatley, his comeback began with two home games. On the road, Heatley is sure to be reminded of that awful night four months ago.Thats the way it goes, he said. Im a hockey player. Ive got to deal with that.

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