Ryan Straschnitzki felt at home as he was wheeled into a perch overlooking the ice at the Philadelphia Flyers‘ practice facility.
Below him
Anthony Miller Jersey , Flyers prospects in the same age range as the 19-year-old Straschnitzki skated in drills and in a hurry to impress, much like
his days as a defenseman for the Humboldt Broncos before the bus crash that left
him paralyzed from the chest down.
Philadelphia general manager Ron Hextall and other members of the organization came to visit. Defenseman Sam Morin heard Straschnitzki was in the
building and popped by for a chat.
The hopeful Flyers paused during camp Friday and raised their sticks toward Straschnitzki for a traditional salute.
Straschnitzki was right where he wanted to be – at the rink, watching the game he loves.
”Just the smell of the ice coming in today brought back so many memories of your first time skating ,” Straschnitzki said.
Straschnitzki met the coaching staff and some top prospects during a break in his rehabilitation from the injuries suffered in April when a bus carrying the
Broncos to a playoff game collided with a semi-trailer at a rural intersection,
killing 16. Straschnitzki was among 13 more injured.
Straschnitzki was wheeled on a stretcher into Shriners Hospitals for Children in Philadelphia on May 31 and expected to rehab there for six to eight weeks. He
has used weights almost daily to work on his arm muscles during physiotherapy
sessions and has walked on a treadmill with the help of therapists. Sitting on a
massage table, he’s used laser focus for the simple task of tying the laces on
his sneakers.
”I’ve made quite a bit of progress,” he said. ”The rehab pushed me to my limits.”
Straschnitzki needs two hours in the morning just to complete routine tasks like a shower and getting dressed before he starts his exercises. He rehabs for
about two hours, breaks for lunch, then has two more rehab sessions before he
ends the day in exhaustion. With the same tireless work ethic he used to move up
the hockey ranks, Straschnitzki said he was told he could return ahead of
scheduled to his Airdrie, Alberta, home for the first time in almost eight
months next weekend.
His family home is undergoing a $200,000 renovation to make it handicapped accessible and the Straschnitzkis will live in a hotel for the summer until
construction is completed.
The Calgary Flames have talked to Straschnitzki once he’s settled about a possible job in the organization.
”Hockey is my life
Derick Brassard Penguins Jersey ,” he said. ”I’ve grown up talking about it, living it, playing it. I think if there’s a job opportunity down the road, I
think it’s definitely option. Right now, though, I’m just focused on healing
first and getting better. We’ll see what happens.”
The NHL has rallied around the survivors and families of the victims. Flyers defenseman Andrew MacDonald offered the Straschnitzkis use of his home and car
when the family was in Philadelphia. Hextall, who stopped to compose himself at
times, said the tragedy has brought out the best in hockey.
”Ryan’s an inspiring young man. He’s special, he really is,” said Hextall, a former star goalie for the Flyers said. ”He’s not feeling sorry for
himself.”
Straschnitzki was among 10 survivors at the NHL Awards last week in Las Vegas at the invitation of the league and NHLPA. It was the first time so many Broncos
had been together since the crash. They wore Humboldt jerseys and head coach
Darcy Haugan, who was killed in the crash, was honored with the inaugural Willie
O’Ree Community Hero Award.
”They’re your brothers for life now
http://www.newyorkgiantsteamonline.com/landon-collins-jersey ,” Straschnitzki said. ”Just being able to see them, it’s like time froze. You’re
in the room again, you’re just enjoying the moment being with them. We all heal
in our own ways. Just being with them at the NHL awards was amazing.”
Tom Straschnitzki said he’s tried to keep his son’s spirits high during the grueling rehabilitation process.
”When he’s down, we just try to push him back up and keep him on the straight and narrow,” he said.
Straschnitzki dreams of hitting the ice again, this time playing sledge hockey – basically hockey on sleds for players with physical disabilities.
”It’s my life, so I’d love to do it,” he said.
Straschnitzki has never wanted to distance himself from the sport he’s played since he was a boy. But finding his way back to hockey in any capacity perhaps
remains a distant goal.
”I know it’s going to take time,” he said. ”I just need to be patient.”
—
Well, it turns out that maybe Panthers four-time All-Pro middle linebacker Luke Kuechly may have a minor flaw in his game.
Who knew?
The 27-year-old Kuechly, considered one of the best players in the league at his position, said after Sunday’s practice his pass rushing ability needs to
improve ”by leaps and bounds.”
And Panthers coach Ron Rivera was quick to agree.
”Yes, he does” need to improve
Cheap Christian Kirk Jersey , Rivera said. ”Like Cam (Newton) likes to tell you, `Superman has his Kryptonite.”’
Kuechly has been akin to Superman for the Panthers defense over the past six seasons.
He has 818 tackles and 15 interceptions during that span, and has staked his claim as the most productive middle linebacker ever to play for the Panthers
-with a realistic chance to go down as one of the NFL’s all-time bests along
with Ray Lewis, Jack Lambert, Dick Butkus and Mike Singletary.
Rivera has repeatedly said Kuechly is like having a coach on the field with his ability to call out an opponent’s play call to teammates before the ball is
ever snapped. He’s seemingly always around the ball and his mistakes are few and
far between.
Getting to the quarterback has rarely been one of Kuechly’s strengths.
He has 10 career sacks, including just one last season. By comparison, Seattle middle linebacker Bobby Wagner – whom Kuechly is often compared to in
the NFC – has 15 sacks during that same span.
Kuechly is working with new linebackers coach Steve Russ to improve his explosiveness and ability to penetrate the line of scrimmage, a skillset that
could potentially elevate the 2013 NFL Defensive Player of the Year to a whole
new level.
”Coach Russ has a planned attack for (improving) that and hopefully it will translate into a game,” Kuechly said.
Kuechly joked that he has to get better at pressuring the quarterback because his longtime buddy Thomas Davis, the team’s outside linebacker, ”beats me in
that (category) every year – and I have to try to get him back.”
This may be Kuechly’s year to get the best of Davis, who will start the season serving a four-game suspension for testing positive for a banned
substance.
It’s not anything new for Kuechly to target an area to improve. For the past couple of years Kuechly spent extra energy working on his pass coverage skills,
an area in which he has shown noticeable improvement.
Of course
Josh Jackson Jersey , the biggest concern for Kuechly will be avoiding another concussion. He has sustained a concussion in each of the past three seasons,
causing him to miss 10 games.
The Panthers simply can’t afford to lose him.
His speed and ability to chase down ball carriers from sideline to sideline still amazes Rivera, who played linebacker for nine seasons for the Chicago
Bears and won a Super Bowl in the 1985 season.
Rivera said he’s ”seen everything” from Kuechly, but pointed to a play he made last week in practice that caused the coach to pause the game film and
replay it in slow motion several times. As Rivera describes it, Kuechly was
chasing down a ball carrier to the outside when a blocker stepped in his way to
cut him off.
But that didn’t keep Kuechly from making the play though.
”The position he was in, he should have been cut off,” Rivera said. ”But he made a step in and the blocker came down with him and he jumped around him and
accelerated to the outside and made the play. It’s one of those where you just
sit there and go, `Wow.”’
While the focus this summer will be on improving as a pass rusher, Rivera said Kuechly remains a special player.
”He has that kind of ability and I think a big part of it is just how smart he is as a football player,” Rivera said.
—
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