| Subject: Re: Eakins to Honor Snyder (sorry to start a new thread) |
Author:
Buffy
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Date Posted: 08:36:55 10/08/03 Wed
In reply to:
Anonny
's message, "Eakins to Honor Snyder (sorry to start a new thread)" on 08:21:34 10/08/03 Wed
>Eakins honours Snyder
>
>Wearing No. 37 in memory of former teammate
>
>
>By PAUL FRIESEN -- Winnipeg Sun
>
> Dallas Eakins remembers the life. Dan Snyder was
>always full of life.
>
> And that's why it's so hard for Eakins, the Manitoba
>Moose defenceman, to come to terms with the death of
>his former teammate.
>
> He hopes wearing Snyder's jersey number this season
>will help.
>
> Eakins has traded in his No. 6 sweater for No. 37, in
>honour of Snyder, who died Sunday from injuries he
>suffered in a car accident in Atlanta a week ago.
>
> "As much as it is to remember Snydes ... it's as much
>for me," Eakins was saying yesterday. "It's been a
>horrible last couple of days. Having his number on my
>back will help me move forward. Maybe some of his
>characteristics will rub off on me."
>
> It sounds like the world could use more Dan Snyders.
>
> Eakins says if you were to sit down and make a list
>of how you wanted to be as a person, you'd end up with
>a picture of Snyder.
>
> And the funny thing is, Eakins only knew the guy the
>last couple of years, when they were teammates with
>the AHL's Chicago Wolves.
>
> "That really says a lot," Eakins said. "In two years,
>this guy embedded himself in my heart. It seems like
>I've known him all my life."
>
> In fact, they only got to know each other during the
>2001-02 season, and what a year that turned out to be.
>
> The Wolves finished eighth in the AHL's Western
>Conference, only to catch fire in the playoffs. Guess
>who was doing the lighting?
>
> A player with average skill, Snyder tied a Calder Cup
>playoff record for game-winning goals, with five, as
>Chicago won it all.
>
> "He carried us," Eakins said. "He was a guy that was
>infecting us with life."
>
> Eakins, in his 12th year as a pro, says he's never
>had a better teammate. He'd walk into the Wolves
>dressing room and always look over to Snyder's stall
>immediately -- there was no surer way to put a smile
>on your face.
>
> Not even Eakins, the old, respected vet, was spared
>from Snyder's practical jokes.
>
> Hard work, though, is what enabled Snyder to earn a
>job in the IHL his first year as a pro, despite the
>fact he wasn't drafted as a junior.
>
> Atlanta signed him, and he made it in the AHL. But
>the kid from Elmira, Ont., had his sights set higher.
>And this year, he'd reached the top.
>
> At 25, Snyder was about to start his first full
>season in the NHL, and oh, was he pumped.
>
> Eakins worked out with him in Los Angeles for a week
>this past summer. No doubt, he'll cherish those final,
>bittersweet hours.
>
> "He was excited about the season, and in great
>shape," Eakins recalled. "We were on the bikes
>together. I can remember looking over and thinking how
>here I was, kind of finishing up my career, and
>thinking, 'There's another great one starting.' "
>
> Instead, it ends in a pile of twisted metal, three
>days before the start of the season.
>
> "They always say, when someone dies, they're in a
>better place," Eakins said. "Because they were in
>pain, or they were older -- all those things that make
>it OK. This time, it's not OK."
>
> Making this harder to take were the positive signs
>Snyder showed in the days after the accident.
>
> "This thing turned sour very quickly," Eakins said.
>"Everybody was preparing for the best. I'd love to
>tell you the people that know Dan, and his family, are
>doing OK. But they're not. This is going to be a tough
>one to deal with."
>
> Eakins, himself, is on an emotional roller-coaster,
>along with his wife, who'd also been touched by
>Snyder's big heart.
>
> There probably won't be a day Eakins doesn't think of
>what happened to his old teammate.
>
> If he ever needs a reminder, he'll be wearing it,
>every game
Thanks so much annony!
"In two years,
>this guy embedded himself in my heart. It seems like
>I've known him all my life."
That sums it up right there.
Buffy
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