Patrick Chan -- aka "filet mignon" -- on menu at fundraiser

Chiropractor Mark Lindsay, a soft tissue specialist whose clientele has included Tiger Woods, has been known to describe Patrick Chan's muscles as “filet mignon” after working on them.

Well, you have a chance to watch those “filet mignon” legs in action in Toronto on Tuesday night and help out a very important cause.

Chan is hoping to make an impact beyond the figure skating world – and save some kids from an impact that could have life-altering effects in the process.

He's the new national spokesperson for ThinkFirst, a national non-profit organization dedication to the prevention of brain and spinal injuries. Fresh from his knockout performance at the nationals in Moncton, he's headlining a fundraising gala Tuesday night at the Evergreen Brick Works that also features top Canadian skaters like ice dancers Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje and Cynthia Phaneuf. It goes from 6-9 p.m. and costs $250.

Chan was enlisted to help by the mother of a friend who has struggled with the effects of post-concussion syndrome after a fall while figure skating.

It doesn't seem that Canadians have quite cottoned on to what an extraordinary and rare talent we have in Chan. He's a huge sensation in Japan, where figure skating is at its hottest right now. They flew him over there in late December after the Grand Prix Final to perform in the gala at their national championships.

The lengths Chan and his parents Lewis and Karen have gone to try to maximize his potential as an athlete are impressive.

He lives and trains in Colorado Springs, working with coach Christy Krall and Kathy Johnson, a modern dance teacher who introduced him to a whole new way to move and breathe. He works with renowned choreographer Lori Nichol and also just recently collaborated with another Canadian great in David Wilson on a new show program "Mannish Boy" that he'll undoubtedly do on Tuesday at the ThinkFirst benefit. It was a smash hit in Japan. (see below)

His training, nutrition and recovery program is overseen by Sidney Crosby's trainer Andy O'Brien and Lindsay.

It's a good thing that as a ThinkFirst spokesperson Chan will be paying more attention than ever to protecting what's inside his cranium as his brain is one of his best assets as an athlete.

O'Brien has had to learn the sport of figure skating in order to best help Chan, who it turns out is a very good tutor.

“When he and I sit together, it's very easy to get a clear picture of where he is and what his specific needs are,” said O'Brien. “Not every athlete knows that, but he's very dialled into what he needs to do.”

O'Brien believes the best is yet to come for Chan and explains from a body composition aspect what makes the Toronto skater so special.

“He's very purely mesomorphic,” said O'Brien. “So what he has is relatively dense muscle on a smaller frame. It allows him to get a lot of height in the air and allows him to be very athletic. He's got a lot of fast twitch muscle fibre.

“When you combine the athleticism of that kind of mesomorphic frame with the fast twitch muscle fibre and you combine it with his fine motor skills, it gives him this unique ability to have a lot of power and also do things that are very finite, like some of the step sequences that he has and some of the footwork that he does and the amount of precision he has to have in executing some of his jumps.”

Chan sees all the preparation in a practical way. He's looking for every edge and uses such recovery tools as compression pants.

“The chances of you feeling optimum at a competition are higher,” said Chan of the various efforts that go into making a world champion. “All these things add up.

“But at the end of the day, you have to do what you have to do on the ice. It doesn't mean I'm cheating. It's just as hard. It's how it makes me feel. I'm just trying out these things to see what makes me feel best so when I'm out on the ice I don't have to worry about having a sore leg or sore muscles. It's so I can have filet mignon legs when I skate.”

Tickets for the ThinkFirst fundraiser can be purchased online here.

Here's a preview of what filet mignon on ice looks like:

Sinclair Pitches In: Soccer star Christine Sinclair has mounted a campaign to help her fellow Canadian athletes training for the London Olympics. She's asking Canadians to donate her #12 for 2012 to the CAN Fund, which helps out Canadian athletes with training expenses.

To know how much CAN Fund means to the athletes and the need that remains out there, you only needed to see the frenzy created when CAN Fund was doling out gas cards and other prizes over the holidays.

Everyone who donates gets a tax receipt and to know the name of the athlete their money went to support.

The campaign page can be found here. Eight member of the women's soccer team received money from CAN Fund and there were 17 who applied in January among the 783 total athletes looking for some support in the critical next round of funding.

 

 (Photo of Chan above is from Sunday's gala in Moncton by Mike Cassese/Reuters)

Sledders soldier on after horrific crash they'll never forget

Canada is fortunate it’s not dealing with two winter sport tragedies at the moment.

As freeskiing legend Sarah Burke remains in a coma in a Salt Lake City hospital, we heard Friday for the first time from Canada’s bobsledders involved in last week’s horrific training crash that spurred the team to pull out at a World Cup in Altenberg, Germany.

“I remember laying on the ice and hearing stuff that you don’t ever want to hear or see ever in your lifetime, really,” said driver Chris Spring. “At the time, I pretty much retired in my head.”

Spring’s sled -- with crewmates Bill Thomas, Graeme Rinholm and Tim Randall -- slammed into the wooden roof after a late entry into the ever dangerous Corner 16 on the track. The aftermath sounds like something out of Apocalypse Now.

“Seeing Bill and Graeme on the ground not moving. Hearing the noises coming from them, which at first I didn’t think was human. It didn’t sound like anything I’d ever heard before. It sounded like things were going bad very quickly,” recalled Spring during a conference call on Friday.

“Seeing the destruction the sled was in, I didn’t think a sled could ever look like that, even if you had a half hour with a baseball bat with it. … Those noises and visuals I have are something that will stick with me a long time.”

Maybe the most remarkable thing is that all four athletes are prepared to do it again. Many reckoned they’d never slide again in the immediate aftermath. But with some reflection and now with all of them out of the hospital, they’re committed to returning to compete.

Spring was in Konigssee, Germany, on Friday with his teammates, where Olympic champ Kaillie Humphries won a silver in the women’s two-man bobsleigh World Cup event and Mellisa Hollingsworth won a bronze in the women’s skeleton.

Spring said from Germany it’s been a huge help that the team brought their sports psychologist Frank van den Berg to talk with the athletes. He said they waded through a lot of the “deep and meaningful stuff here and brought up a lot of feelings that I didn’t I think I wanted to revisit ever again.”

It’s also clear that they hope to stay together as a team.

“Chris Spring is one of the best pilots that I’ve ever had the chance to be in a sled with,” said Rinholm. “I have no hesitation jumping in behind him.”

Randall, who like Thomas is from Toronto, thought he was finished with the sport at the time of the accident, but he’s now as determined as ever.

“Going to the Olympics has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid,” said. “As severe as this crash was, I’m not going to let it get in the way of my dreams.”

You can bet if Sarah Burke is fortunate enough to recover fully from her severe head injury, she’d voice similar sentiments.

That’s the way these athletes roll.

(The pic above shows L to R: Bill Thomas, Graeme Rinholm, Tim Randall, Tom de la Hunty, Chris Spring.)

 

Last Woman Standing a compelling look at women's boxing

Mary Spencer and Ariane Fortin shut their hotel room door and whooped it up like boisterous school girls.

They hollered, jumped up and down, slapped some hard high fives. Their gold medal triumphs at the 2008 world boxing championships in China were something they could only truly appreciate and celebrate together.

They had been reserved that week around their teammates, who had not fared as well, not wanting them to feel as if they were rubbing it in. They roomed together for a reason – they were kindred spirits, singularly driven in chasing their Olympic dream.

As a story in today's Star details, the once close friends don't speak a word to each other now.

Spencer is a three-time world champion. Fortin is a two-time world champion. Only one can go to the Olympics.

It's a compelling drama and one that rookie documentary makers Lorraine Price and Juliet Lammers of Montreal knew right away was the perfect storyline to delve into the world of women's boxing.

Price and Lammers are in full production on the documentary Last Woman Standing, they're at the Canadian championships this week in Cape Breton, N.S., and will follow the two fighters through and just past the 2012 London Olympics when women's boxing debuts.

“They’re both incredibly driven they both want the same thing so badly that it’s very compelling,” said Lammers.

Both women are no strangers to boxing. Price has fought competitively and Lammers trains regularly at the same gym. It was Price who first heard about the story of Spencer and Fortin shortly after the Olympic poobahs decided to go with just three women's weight classes instead of five.

Price sees the battle Fortin and Spencer are waging against each other right now for the spot in the 75-kg class as more psychological than physical, but doesn't think their once close friendship is a factor anymore.

“They have to train themselves mentally to the same extent if not more that they have to train themselves physically,” she said. “Whether or not they are torn up about it, they certainly try to control those feelings in order to do what they have to do. They’ve done it on many occasions. It’s business.”

The documentary makers certainly haven't picked sides and display a fondess for both fighters, whom they describe as being very similar in a lot of ways as people – determined, incredibly clear about what they want, sweet and funny with an easy laugh but at the same time focused and driven.

Price says they're both good examples of sport building character and they see the documentary as a representation of women's boxing that goes far beyond the stereotypes. Lammers said they want to show people who are champions and that the athletes just happen to be women.

They've witnessed an incredible resilience in Fortin and Spencer.

“Especially Ariane right now, in the position she’s in, she keeps coming back to challenge Mary,” said Lammers. “That takes a lot.”

They went with Spencer to the Pan Am Games in Mexico, where she triumphed, and travelled with Fortin for training in Europe, where speaking to coaches from Holland and Sweden and Germany they learned that the situation Fortin and Spencer are facing is not unique.

“We want to look at the long term effects of what it means to be only given three weight categories for the Olympics, which is why they’re in this predicament in the first place,” said Price. “I mean they’re pitting world champions against each other when really they both deserve to go.”

Prospector Films are the producers. Price and Lammers expect to have the film done in the spring of 2013 and will be preparing a broadcast version for the CBC documentary channel and also a theatrical version.

It has all the elements of a great doc. Can't wait to see it. Plan to be First Man Standing in Line.

 

"The Dream Has To Be Bigger Than The Pain" -- Chris Lori

“The dream has to be bigger than the pain.”

Few know this better than former Canadian bobsleigh ace Chris Lori, who still bears a scar on his face from the horrific crash he suffered in 1987 in Cervinia, Italy.

Lori shared his vast insights and experience about last week's crash involving Chris Spring's Canada 2 sled in training for a World Cup in Altenberg, Germany, which caused the stunning withdrawal of the Canadian bobsleigh team from the race after three athletes were seriously injured – Spring, Bill Thomas and Graeme Rinholm.

Turns out two of their teammates, Tim Randall, who escaped serious injury, and Derek Plug, who is normally in the sled are staying in Germany to accompany their teammates home. As Canadian skeleton coach and Olympic champion Duff Gibson tweeted: “Unbelievably classy move by Derek and Tim. THAT is a team. Honored to be a part of the same organization.”

(The pic above shows L to R: Bill Thomas, Graeme Rinholm, Tim Randall, Tom de la Hunty, Chris Spring.)

We caught up via email with Lori, now a registered commodity trading advisor and fund manager who is currently travelling in Indonesia.

Here's the interview:

Were you surprised by the move? What do you think of it?

Chris Lori: “I'm not surprised by the move of Tom Delahunty. He bears a lot of responsibility over the livelihood of his athletes and has to act in the interest of their safety. You have to consider the consequences if a similar incident were to happen. I think it was a prudent decision by Tom. It is possible that another sled could have the same fate, which would have compounding effects. The combination of such high speed and the massive pressure at the entrance of corner 16, will see any crash out of corner 15 push the sled straight to the lip of 16, as indicated by all the scuff marks on the lip of 16. I suspect the sled hit a weak spot on the lip. "Freak" accidents are common in the sport. It is natural for the athletes to want to compete and it would have been difficult to comply with the coaches decision. This is a time when the drivers have to be strong leaders. The time when the crew become concerned for their safety. Chris is relatively inexperienced and would have to make adjustments with the 4man on such a difficult track. When the other competitors witness the fallout of an incident that causes harm to the athletes, anxiety may build up and the drivers have to show strong leadership to optimize performance.”

De La Hunty said he was concerned about the athletes welfare because of the conditions, but also wanted to send a message to the FIBT re the issue of athlete safety. Do you believe that's been needed?

Chris Lori: “Safety consciousness in the sport of bobsleigh has been a long road. In the 80's and early 90's, if there was a potential issue that was raised, we would continue to slide whether the matter was attended to, or not. There are countless stories of avoidable severe injury that did not draw action. The athletes won't take a stand, because (most of them) want to race. There is also the pressure to perform put on the athletes by their own federations. There is always the next athlete in line who is ready to step in if someone goes home. So, the responsibility to initiate change is on the leaders of the organizations. There are territorial issues, as well. Altenburg, for example; the Germans won't take a stand, because they're comfortable there. It 's not their problem the others are too scared. It is also important that the sport maintains its disposition as a physically and mentally challenging sport that may result in the death of an athlete (as do many sports), otherwise, it's just another sport. If the danger is  obvious and high probability risk to the athletes, the system should be prepared to take action. Once Bob Storey was elected president of FIBT, safety issues became more respected.”

Do you think the move will gain the Canadians respect or ridicule from their peers? 

Chris Lori: “I don't have enough details on the circumstances, but if Tom felt the action taken to prevent a similar incident was insufficient and careless, then the others would have respect for the stand he has taken. Tom is a passionate leader and has a lot of experience and respect in within the group. It was Tom Delahunty who took a stand against the Swiss illegal axels at the 96' Worlds. If not for Tom, they would have gotten away with it and kept their medals, unlike the incident of the illegal German and Austrian sleds at the 92' Olympic games who kept theirs.”

Can you recall one of the upper level teams ever pulling out en masse from a World Cup before?

Chris Lori: “Yes, there were several years that teams pulled out of World Cup races in Cervinia and Altenberg.”

You went through that horrific crash in Cervinia, how does an athlete build themselves back up again after such a devastaing accident?

Chris Lori: “Chris Spring is still at the early stages of development as a driver. He has a deep desire to succeed and will certainly move passed this incident. A driver simply views a crash as a frustrating error and feel badly they subject their team to injury and disappointment. After any crash, harmful or not, the driver just wants to get back in the sled and overcome the challenge. Chris will view this as an isolated incident that will not affect his tenacity as an athlete for future challenges.  It is rare a driver will leave the sport, because they are fearful.

“The dream has to be bigger than the pain.”

 

Great video on concussions for parents, kids -- & NHLers

This is a great video that makes concussions easier to understand, prepared by Dr. Mike Evans of Toronto.  This is really worth watching for kids and parents -- and I suspect that a lot of NHL players could even benefit from it, too.

Evans is a great communicator and very passionate about what he does and the format he uses to deliver the information here is extremely effective.

Also for those looking to understand more about concussions is the new Sport Concussion Library set up by Dr. Paul Echlin. It's definitely worth checking out.

Also recently unveiled was the ThinkFirst Concussion Education Online.  Prepared by a committee of neurosurgeons, researchers, and leaders in sport-injury prevention, the course can be completed in less than an hour, from any location, with technical support available 24/7.  Participants who pass the course test can download and print a Certificate of Completion. 

It's critical for parents with kids involved in contact sports to understand this serious injury.

 

Is It Time To Start Penalizing Teams Who Put Players At Risk?

While some think Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison got off way too lightly with a one-game suspension for his helmet-to-helmet hit that left Cleveland quarterback Colt McCoy with a concussion, the main culprit has gotten off scot free so far.

It was the Cleveland Browns who by far committed the most egregious offence in putting McCoy back into the game just two plays after the violent collision left him flat on his back for a good stretch. They didn't even give the standard concussion protocol tests before sending him back into the fray. The explanation given was that the doctors didn't see the play because they were busy with other injured players.

Dr. Michael Cusimano, a neurosurgeon at St. Michael's Hospital and one of the country's foremost concussion experts, believes the time has come to penalize the teams who are needlessly putting players health at risk.

"People have to take responsibility," said Cusimano. "You can't hide behind this veil of 'I didn't see it' or 'I wasn't paying attention' or 'I was busy doing something else.' And that goes all the way from the league to the Players Association to the clubs to the sideline doctors. How can you say a doctor was too busy, especially at the NFL? All he has to do is look at the replay. It's all over the place. Every single level is shirking their responsibility."

Cusimano said what's needed for every level of the NFL and other pro leagues "is a disincentive or incentive that means something to them" when it comes to their management of concussed players.

"The club understands money and understands winning," he said. "But if you put in a rule where if you do something like that you lose those points, that might mean something to them, or it's a $10 million penalty. But right now it doesn't mean anything. The NHL and all these professional leagues are in the same boat and they're hiding their heads in the sand."

In some ways, the McCoy hit doesn't seem a whole lot different than the one Sidney Crosby took in the Winter Classic in that it was obvious to all that watched that it was significant and left him down on the ice for quite some time. Even Don Cherry thought Crosby was in trouble after the hit, yet he ended up coming back for that game and the next one. And look where he is now.

Maybe they need to look at holding players who take significant head hits out for the rest of the game, even if they aren't exhibiting concussion symptons. It's tough to know the real answer, but it's obvious what they're doing currently isn't working.

How important is the game they're playing in or the next game it might mean you're going to miss the next 30 or even the rest of the season and beyond, as in the case of Crosby? Consider the potential damage to the delicate brain and an athlete's future health and suddenly sitting an athlete for a game or two or three – until you are sure there are no post concussion symptoms – not only seems a wise one but a financially prudent one in protecting your asset. That does seem to be the only language these teams understand.

Instead, they minimize the injury by talking about “concussion-like symptoms” -- see colleague Joseph Hall's fine piece on this in the Star this week. What that does more than anything is put pressure on the athlete to come back early. You don't think a competitive athlete like James Reimer isn't affected when his team isn't willing to put the real name on his injury so people can truly understand what he's dealing with. It took his mother to explain the extent of what her son was trying to cope with – and weren't the Maple Leafs pleased about that?

In McCoy's case, his father is a football coach and he didn't hesitate for a second in nailing the Browns for mishandling his son's case.

Heck, even with someone with the medical accumen of Kim Kardashian would have known Colt McCoy was in trouble.

"I think if you had 10 non medical cases, probably 9 out of 10 would say that's a concussion," said noted concussion expert Dr. Charles Tator of ThinkFirst Canada. "It was one of the more obvious ones. So I don't get it. Was their doctor at the field when this happened or was he out having a hamburger or something. I don't get it. It really is puzzling. It's a real breach of conduct in my view. The player himself has to feel mismanaged.

"What would happen if he went back into play, got another concussion and died, got what we call the second impact syndrome, which is a devastating effect when the second impact comes before you fully recover from the first and you get either a terrible brain injury or you die from it. Wouldn't that player's family seek redress from the team? I think the answer's Yes. I think they're setting themselves up for significant repercussions if they don't follow the rules they put in place."

Both Tator and Cusimano had thought the NFL was making progress on the concussion front.

"Frankly, I'm a bit surprised," said Cusimano. "The NFL has lawsuits pending against them, they were taken to task in front of the U.S. Congress, they put $1 million towards the brain brank, so they looked like they were doing things. Then then allow this to happen. There's some failure of leadership there. The penalties have to be there and they have to act quickly and decisively. Otherwise, they're a laughingstock. They can't defend themselves."

 

These Fighting Women Deliver a Powerful Message

Maybe it was a fellowship of the ring kind of thing but wrestler Ohenewa Akuffo, boxer Mary Spencer and judoka Kelita Zupancic -- Canada's Women Warriors -- had an immediate chemistry when we got them together during the Olympic Excellence Series recently in Mississauga.

It was one of those chance things as Judo Canada's communications director Luc Beaudin, a passionate guy with a real creative bent (His colleagues kept an unofficial 'Book of Luc' during the Pan am Games), came up with the concept while we were setting up a photo shoot for Zupancic.

This would be a great video to show to kids as there are strong messages about being yourself and also chasing your dream.

Also included here are some parts of the discussion that didn't make the newspaper story:

Can you talk about young girls looking up to you and being a strong female role model?

Spencer: “I think it’s really cute when you get these really young girls who look like they should be in gymnastics or something. Maybe, they are in gymnastics. They come and they’re like ‘I think you’re doing so good and you’re so cool. I want to get boxing gloves and train like you.’ It’s like ‘Oh really, you’re a cute little gymnast but you wanna box. That’s awesome.’ Even for me, I don’t feel like it’s normal for younger girls but when they see me and other girls in my gym who have stuck with it and accomplished things and won titles, they’re inspired to try it. Wow, that’s really neat because when I was that age I didn’t have the opportunity to put on some gloves and go to a boxing club. But now they do. It’s kinda cool.”

Akuffo: “When I go to schools and speak, some schools have wrestling programs and it (attendance) goes up so much. Some of the girls or even some of the guys recognize the potential in it. It just makes me feel blessed to be doing what I’m doing because you just realize the impact or the handprint that you have and it’s a responsibility also to make sure that you conduct yourself in a way that if a young girl came up to you, you’d always be proud.”

Zupancic: “I have so many young girl cousins. I have 10 of them running around. Whenever I come home, they just run to me. They’re all starting judo now. They’re at that age. Just being a role model to them and showing how hard work can get them travelling the world, competing at the Olympics. A Canadian girl can do it.”

Do you ever get any neat fan letters from kids?

Akuffo: Getting ready for the Olympics last time, you got letters. You should see the writing. It’s so cute. It’s like ‘Wow, you know you story has touched others. That’s pretty remarkable.”

Spencer: “I got a homemade letter/card/piece of art from a 5-year-old girl this one time. It was cute because I’m like ‘Do you even know what boxing is. I don’t think you know what boxing is.’ But it didn’t matter because she knew I was doing well in my sport. It was exciting for her and she just wanted to say congratulations, go reach your goal. It was so cute.”

Zupancic: “I love the little pictures they draw. They try to draw the judo gi and the Canadian flag and it’s always against the American. It’s really funny.”

Did you guys often hear growing up ‘No, sweetie, you want to do ballet.’”?

Zupancic: “I did ballet. My parents saw me doing judo and said ‘Oh, this is her sport for sure.’”

Spencer: “I remember doing figure skating and I was on one half of the ice and the other half was boys’ hockey practice starting. I’m like ‘I don’t want to do this figure skating. I want to play hockey.’ My mom’s like ‘Put your dress on.’ I couldn’t convince her to let me play hockey but eventually I got to pick my own sports.”

Akuffo: “People were always like ‘Why wrestling? Couldn’t you do something else?’ They were always questioning my choice. And I’m like ‘You know what, it’s made for me and I’m okay.”

 

NHL blowing smoke harkens to Big Tobacco era

Reading Gary Bettman’s recent comments about there not being enough data to link concussions and the degenerative disease CTE, it reminded this corner of the Big Tobacco denials about cigarettes and lung cancer back in the day.

It sure seems like Bettman is blowing smoke on this one, refusing to commit to what many top brain surgeons are saying is the obvious.

At a time when the NFL is dealing with multiple lawsuits related to the treatment of concussions – the latest launched last week – the NHL might want to be seen to be as being pro-active as possible, even just to protect their owners.

The one thing they have going for them is the hockey mentality has tended to be less about litigation and challenging the status quo – hence all the chicanery Alan Eagleson was able to get away with for years.

One of those agreeing with Bettman last week was Dr. Ruben Echemendia, directed of the NHL’s concussion working group. This is the same guy who once told the Star the general medical consensus is that players should be kept out of the lineup until they're symptom free – unless it’s the playoffs.

Bettman might want to think about his legacy on this one, if not the players’ brain cells. More and more the consequences of repeated blows to the head is becoming frighteningly evident.

Does he want to be remembered as the guy who twiddled his thumbs while more and more players were knocked into future dementia as he waited for more to die so their brains could be studied to help him decide what to do about it?

Sounds of Silence: Bill Daly responded to the Star’s story on former Maple Leafs’ sports psychologist Paul Dennis’ call for an independent inquiry into the deaths of the three enforcers this summer and the suggestion that the league hasn’t done enough to look into the tragedies.

Dennis said he wrote the NHL and the NHLPA to offer his help with an independent inquiry, but while the players association responded they’d take it under advisement, he never did hear back from the NHL.

Daly wrote last week: “Sorry for the delay in responding, but I was on the west coast at our Board of Governors' meeting and I had to do some digging to see about the letter we purportedly haven't responded to yet.

“As for the latter, I can say that I have checked around internally, and no one recalls ever receiving or reviewing a letter from Paul Dennis. I'm not suggesting it was never sent, but I am saying that to the extent it was sent and received by the League, it never got to the right person for response.

“As for the substantive suggestion that we haven't done ‘enough -- or anything for that matter -- to look into the recent deaths,’ I would say the opinion is unfounded and unsupported by the facts. How can anyone make that assumption without having any knowledge whatsoever of what we have been and are doing -- including with respect to retaining an independent? We undertook to look into this matter thoroughly, and we are fully engaged in delivering on that commitment. We will make appropriate public comments and announcements if and when we have something to report. Until then, it will continue to be treated -- appropriately so in my view -- as an internal League and PA matter.”

Dennis replied: “My correspondence was sent to Brendan Shanahan. Since he's the vice-president of hockey development I thought that he would oversee that area of concern. Since the PA acknowledged receipt, I was quite surprised Mr. Shanahan did not.

“In your column, Randy, you quoted me as saying, ‘...if it is happening, they're (the NHL) keeping it to themselves.’ So I wasn't condemning them for not doing anything. I had no idea one way or another. I am very pleased to hear Mr. Daly's comments that the league is ‘fully engaged in delivering on that commitment.’ This is very good news.”

We’ll see about that. By keeping it internal and giving no details, they keep us all in the dark, which is exactly the way they like it.

Dennis later pointed out a follow-up New York Times article in which Rangers’ players refused to comment about the recent findings regarding CTE in Derek Boogaards’ brain.

Sean Avery told the Times: "We've been told not to talk about it...I certainly have opinions on it, but we've been told not to comment".

Goalie Martin Biron told the Times: "It's for the people in charge to really talk about, not so much us players.”

Dennis wasn't impressed.

“It reinforces the problem,” said Dennis. “This demonstrates the disconnect not only amongst players themselves, but between the athletes and management. Even more reason why they need an independent inquiry.”

Concussion Library Opens: Dr. Paul Echlin, one of the great advocates for concussion education, has made a huge contribution to the cause with the unveiling last week of the online Sports Concussion Library.

He was concerned about the lack of information for parents out there and wanted to create a resource to help educate them fully. It’s aimed at parents, athletes, researcher, medical practitioners, coaches, trainers and educational institutions.

One of Echlin's personal favourites is an interview with the Honourable R. Roy McMurtry that gives a 40-year perspective of hockey violence.

(The Associated Press photo is of Marc Savard, laid out on the ice after one of many concussions. It's not hard to come up with compelling concussion photos, that's for sure.)

 

 

Some alert Tweeters pointed out some glaring ommissions on the potential Lou Marsh Award winners list posted here Wednesday.

Thanks to Ian Mortimer for quickly noting that his Olympic champion teammate Adam van Koeverden should be right in the thick of it for his second Lou Marsh after his crushing victory in the men's K-1 1,000 metres at this year's world championships in Hungary.

Like Patrick Chan – who was given the nod for the trophy from this corner – van Koeverden had one of those other worldly performances that an athlete can only dream of in leaving the field in his wake to win by more than three seconds. It was Canada's first world title ever in the event.

Not only did he not get a mention here, but both CBC's Scott Russell and Sportsnet left him off their lists for athlete of the year, too. Talk about potentially feeling underappreciated.

He's also a role model off the water and is working with Clara Hughes currently on the Mali Youth Initiative for Right To Play. They've got a fundraising drive going to help break the poverty cycle through sport and play.

Here's a video with footage of VanKayak's world championship win and a post-race interview:

 

Just as bad, though, is that world champion cyclists Tara Whitten and Catharine Pendrel aren't getting much love from the year-end selectors, either. Whitten won her second world title on the track in the omnium event, while Pendrel took her first world mountain bike title.

Guess we all -- especially this guy -- need to do a better job on our homework.

-----

 If you want to get an idea of the effort going into Heather Moyse's transition from bobsleigh brakeman to track cyclist, watch this video from her website:

 

Patrick Chan said nothing wrong – in fact he’s dead right

Listening to a couple of commentators talk about Patrick Chan on the radio this morning, it sounded like he was going to have to surrender his Canadian passport before the Grand Prix Final in Quebec City this week.

They were talking as if the world champion figure skater had reportedly said he would rather skate for his parents’ birth country of China.

The only thing is he never said that. Not once in the Reuters report that is being cited as the source did Chan say any such thing.

Here’s the first block of quotes from Reuters:

"If you look at all the sports in China, the government is extremely involved and they are extremely proud of their athletes. People understand better what we do as skaters," Chan told Reuters in a telephone interview ahead of this week's Grand Prix Final in Quebec.

"Sometimes I feel we are not appreciated for how much work we put in. If my parents hadn't emigrated from China and say I had skated for China, things would have been very different. My parents wouldn't have had to make as much sacrifices as they have and there would be a lot more respect for what we do as figure skaters.

"I'm extremely well recognized in Korea just because of what I do on the ice and there is a lack of that in Canada because hockey is our sport and it will be for eternity. Figure skating has lost the draw and the attention (it used to have before)."

Okay, so what’s wrong with that?

Athletes are better supported in China and many other countries. Would he want to live and compete under that regime in China? Unlikely. But he’s NOT saying “I want to skate for China.”

He’s saying his parents wouldn’t have to make the sacrifices for him they’ve made here – which for them has meant going into debt and living apart as Chan trains in Colorado Springs, where mother Karen oversees things.

Let’s face it, Patrick Chan’s initials don’t stand for “politically correct.” He says what he thinks, but does not always think before he speaks. Better to have that than the robotic responses you get in most hockey dressing rooms.

Figure skating has lost its lustre and with it Chan’s chance to cash in on his world record breaking win at the world championships. It had to be disappointing to win so big and so impressively in Moscow and come home to a minimum of fanfare.

Let’s face it, very few people eve knew or cared there was a Grand Prix Final in Quebec City this week before Chan’s comments created a stir.

As for not being appreciated in his own country, he’s got some very good company – almost all of his fellow Olympians. Wasn’t that Olympic skeleton champion Jon Montgomery and teammate Mellisa Hollingsworth practically having to beg recently for a major sponsor for their federation just over a year after the Vancouver Games?

Most of our athletes and their sports are way more appreciated in other countries. Heck, the Canadian canoe and kayak team used to be sponsored by a Hungarian company.

Okay, here’s the other main quote from Reuters regarding his Chinese heritage:

"Several years ago I felt more Canadian but I'm slowly feeling more Chinese and feel I should be more proud of being Chinese and appreciate where I've come from. (This is because) of the support I get from the Chinese community in Canada," Chan, who is fluent in English, French and Cantonese, said as he took a break from his intensive training schedule.

"I do (wish I could have represented both China and Canada when I compete). That would be the ideal situation... in a perfect world."

What’s wrong with that? He DIDN’T say “I want to compete for China.” He’s gaining more appreciation as he gets older for his Chinese heritage and wishes he could pay it homage by competing for both.

The Chinese community in Toronto has given him huge support with at least two big fundraisers.

People are hammering Chan on this. Undoubtedly, Don Cherry will use him as a punching bag on Coaches Corner, though he should take note the kid does play hockey.

In Canada more than anywhere else, people should be able to understand his pride in his background.

Everybody loved it when wrestler Daniel Igali kissed the Canadian flag after winning Olympic gold at the 2000 Sydney Games, but a big part of his heart was still in Nigeria – in fact he’s a politician there now.

When Chan won big in Moscow, he was only carrying one flag. Take a look at the picture above to see which one it was.