Terry Ryan - 1st round 8 overall
Dec 17, 2002 14:46:16 GMT -5
Post by The Habitual Fan on Dec 17, 2002 14:46:16 GMT -5
Just goes to show that no matter how promising a player may seem at 18, all draft picks are gambles.
Injury inspired Ryan's retirement 12/17/02
By ROBIN SHORT, Telegram Sports Editor
A high ankle sprain doesn’t sound too serious, but the injury he suffered over a year ago is severe enough that Terry Ryan is hobbling away from hockey at the age of 25.
The one-time Mount Pearl hockey phenom called it quits last week following a brief stint with the East Coast Hockey League’s Cincinnati Cyclones.
It comes seven years and six months after the Montreal Canadiens made him the highest-drafted Newfoundlander ever, eighth overall pick in the 1995 Entry Draft.
Ryan says while retirement papers have been signed, he leaves open a window of opportunity for a comeback some place else in professional hockey next year.
He hopes to be fully recovered from the sprain by then.
Ryan suffered the injury to his left ankle in his first game of the season last year with the Idaho Steelheads of the West Coast Hockey League.
“I haven’t been the same since,” he says.
The left-winger appeared in 12 games with the Cyclones this season before being relegated to injured reserved. It was while he was sitting and watching that he decided to retire.
“I can’t do it anymore,” he said before leaving Cincinnati Monday. “I’ve been struggling with this for a while.
“I’ve always played through injuries. I can’t with this.”
Strangely enough, Ryan had no trouble playing ball hockey or baseball last summer. Most of the time, he says, the ankle is pain-free. It’s when he skates, turning his ankle at different angles, that the pain develops.
An injury that’s common among goalies (Brent Johnson of St. Louis just returned playing after missing all season; Sean Burke of Phoenix is still on the sidelines), it can take a player up to 12 full months to recover.
“Whenever I put a skate on and play, it pains,” he said. “Every time I hit or get hit, it pains. If a guy cross-checks me, I can’t support myself on my left side.
“And if can’t hit or be hit, I can’t play.”
As part of his retirement, Ryan will collect some severance pay from the Cyclones. As well, he said, if he opts to shut it down this year and is ready to play next season, Cincinnati still owns his rights.
“I’m not screwing the team,” he warns. “They know what’s going on. There are lots of guys who retire and then come back the next season.”
While he rehabs the ankle at home over the next few months, Ryan will be taking a Professional Hockey Players Association-sponsored firefighting course which he hopes will lead to a firefighting career some day. The PHPA is the union which represents minor pro hockey players.
Ryan finishes his career with eight career NHL games with Montreal, zero points and 36 minutes in penalties.
He played three seasons in the American Hockey League, including the 1999-00 campaign with the St. John’s Maple Leafs. His best year was his rookie season when he scored 21 goals and 39 points to go with 256 penalty minutes with the Fredericton Canadiens.
‘Injury after injury’
“Since that season, take look at the number of games played,” he says. “It’s been injury after injury. I think the last time I was half-way normal was in St. John’s.”
His second year in Fredericton was plagued by kidney stones, food poisoning and an aching shoulder ligament injury, topped off when he had four wisdom teeth pulled.
He sat out the early part of the 1999-00 season before appearing in 50 games with St. John’s.
The next year, in Colorado Springs of the West Coast league, Ryan had his wrist slashed and tendons severed by a skate and appeared in only 31 games all season. Last year, he made 30 starts for Idaho.
In addition to the lingering effects from the ankle sprain, Ryan suffered a perforated eardrum this season which led to a bout of vertigo.
“I’ve been forced into this decision because of injuries,” he said.
Ryan says he has already spoken with Mount Pearl Blades coach Pat Carroll and hopes to work with the team for the remainder of the St. John’s junior hockey season.
The married father of an adopted son signed his one and only contract with the Canadiens six years ago, agreeing to a $2.55 million US deal. But because he spent all but eight games in the minors, he received only a fraction of that amount.
But he did get a $1.25 million US signing bonus, and still has a “substantial” amount left from the $500,000 US he pocketed after the Quebec government got its 58 per cent in taxes and then-agent Mike Barnett received his four per cent cut.
“Hockey has given me a great start in life,” he says. “I’ve got a house, a cabin, two cars.
“But it’s going to be hard. I love hockey, I love competing, I love being around the dressing room.”
Injury inspired Ryan's retirement 12/17/02
By ROBIN SHORT, Telegram Sports Editor
A high ankle sprain doesn’t sound too serious, but the injury he suffered over a year ago is severe enough that Terry Ryan is hobbling away from hockey at the age of 25.
The one-time Mount Pearl hockey phenom called it quits last week following a brief stint with the East Coast Hockey League’s Cincinnati Cyclones.
It comes seven years and six months after the Montreal Canadiens made him the highest-drafted Newfoundlander ever, eighth overall pick in the 1995 Entry Draft.
Ryan says while retirement papers have been signed, he leaves open a window of opportunity for a comeback some place else in professional hockey next year.
He hopes to be fully recovered from the sprain by then.
Ryan suffered the injury to his left ankle in his first game of the season last year with the Idaho Steelheads of the West Coast Hockey League.
“I haven’t been the same since,” he says.
The left-winger appeared in 12 games with the Cyclones this season before being relegated to injured reserved. It was while he was sitting and watching that he decided to retire.
“I can’t do it anymore,” he said before leaving Cincinnati Monday. “I’ve been struggling with this for a while.
“I’ve always played through injuries. I can’t with this.”
Strangely enough, Ryan had no trouble playing ball hockey or baseball last summer. Most of the time, he says, the ankle is pain-free. It’s when he skates, turning his ankle at different angles, that the pain develops.
An injury that’s common among goalies (Brent Johnson of St. Louis just returned playing after missing all season; Sean Burke of Phoenix is still on the sidelines), it can take a player up to 12 full months to recover.
“Whenever I put a skate on and play, it pains,” he said. “Every time I hit or get hit, it pains. If a guy cross-checks me, I can’t support myself on my left side.
“And if can’t hit or be hit, I can’t play.”
As part of his retirement, Ryan will collect some severance pay from the Cyclones. As well, he said, if he opts to shut it down this year and is ready to play next season, Cincinnati still owns his rights.
“I’m not screwing the team,” he warns. “They know what’s going on. There are lots of guys who retire and then come back the next season.”
While he rehabs the ankle at home over the next few months, Ryan will be taking a Professional Hockey Players Association-sponsored firefighting course which he hopes will lead to a firefighting career some day. The PHPA is the union which represents minor pro hockey players.
Ryan finishes his career with eight career NHL games with Montreal, zero points and 36 minutes in penalties.
He played three seasons in the American Hockey League, including the 1999-00 campaign with the St. John’s Maple Leafs. His best year was his rookie season when he scored 21 goals and 39 points to go with 256 penalty minutes with the Fredericton Canadiens.
‘Injury after injury’
“Since that season, take look at the number of games played,” he says. “It’s been injury after injury. I think the last time I was half-way normal was in St. John’s.”
His second year in Fredericton was plagued by kidney stones, food poisoning and an aching shoulder ligament injury, topped off when he had four wisdom teeth pulled.
He sat out the early part of the 1999-00 season before appearing in 50 games with St. John’s.
The next year, in Colorado Springs of the West Coast league, Ryan had his wrist slashed and tendons severed by a skate and appeared in only 31 games all season. Last year, he made 30 starts for Idaho.
In addition to the lingering effects from the ankle sprain, Ryan suffered a perforated eardrum this season which led to a bout of vertigo.
“I’ve been forced into this decision because of injuries,” he said.
Ryan says he has already spoken with Mount Pearl Blades coach Pat Carroll and hopes to work with the team for the remainder of the St. John’s junior hockey season.
The married father of an adopted son signed his one and only contract with the Canadiens six years ago, agreeing to a $2.55 million US deal. But because he spent all but eight games in the minors, he received only a fraction of that amount.
But he did get a $1.25 million US signing bonus, and still has a “substantial” amount left from the $500,000 US he pocketed after the Quebec government got its 58 per cent in taxes and then-agent Mike Barnett received his four per cent cut.
“Hockey has given me a great start in life,” he says. “I’ve got a house, a cabin, two cars.
“But it’s going to be hard. I love hockey, I love competing, I love being around the dressing room.”
