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+--- Thread: A career thrown away? - Heatley in deeper than before (/showthread.php?tid=7530)
- Faceman - 10-06-2003
ATLANTA -- All-Star Dany Heatley will face more serious charges after the death of Atlanta Thrashers teammate Dan Snyder, who never regained consciousness following a horrific car crash.
Snyder died Sunday night at Grady Hospital, the team said, six days after sustaining massive brain injuries in the wreck. He was 25.
Police said Heatley was driving his Ferrari at about 80 mph on a narrow two-lane road last Monday night when he lost control, spun off the road and smashed into a brick-and-wrought-iron fence.
Snyder was a passenger. The car split in half, throwing both players into the road.
Heatley already was facing several charges, including a felony.
"The charges will be upgraded. It hasn't occurred yet," Sgt. John Quigley, an Atlanta Police Department spokesman said Sunday night. "I expect them to be upgraded in the near future."
He said investigators will meet with the district attorney's office on Monday morning.
"It would likely be vehicular homicide first degree," Quigley said.
That charge carries a prison sentence of three to 15 years. A plea bargain to the lesser charge of second-degree vehicular homicide, a misdemeanor, also is possible.
Heatley, who posted a $50,000 bond, already faced a felony charge of serious injury by vehicle and three misdemeanor counts. Police were awaiting test results to determine if Heatley was drinking on the night of the wreck.
Heatley and Snyder had been at an event for season-ticket holders at Philips Arena shortly before the crash.
Snyder underwent surgery for a skull fracture but remained in a coma until his death.
"We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Dan Snyder," the Thrashers said in a statement. "Dan was a teammate and friend to all of us. We feel a tremendous amount of pain as an organization and extend deepest sympathies to his family."
"The news of his passing fills all of us with an overwhelming sense of sorrow," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said.
Snyder, a center who had 10 goals and four assists in 36 games for Atlanta last season, had surgery on his ankle in September before the start of training camp. He was expected to start the season on the injured list.
Snyder signed with the Thrashers as a free agent in 1999 after playing four seasons of junior hockey for Owen Sound in the Ontario Hockey League.
Los Angeles Kings forward Sean Avery played three years with Snyder in Owen Sound.
"He was such a strong guy, such a fighter," Avery said. "I figured he would battle though this like he did everything else. I never, ever thought this would happen."
Snyder spent most of his first three professional seasons in the minor leagues, helping Orlando win the International Hockey League title in 2000-01 and playing on the Chicago Wolves' American Hockey League championship team in 2001-02. He also played 35 games for Chicago last season, getting 11 goals and 12 assists.
"He was a battler," general manager Don Waddell told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "He made his career by being a battler."
In addition to his legal problems, Heatley also sustained serious injuries in the crash.
He underwent surgery Saturday for a broken jaw and an MRI found two torn ligaments in his right knee. He will undergo knee surgery in about a week, certainly threatening any return to the ice this season.
Heatley is the gap-toothed leader of the Thrashers, a 22-year-old with both toughness and great skill with the puck. Last season, he scored a team-record 41 goals and was MVP of the All-Star Game.
The Thrashers have only said that Heatley is out indefinitely, but it's clear Waddell is planning for the season without his best player. He traded for Carolina Hurricanes goalie Jani Hurme on Friday with an eye toward acquiring help up front.
Atlanta also claimed left wing Serge Aubin from Colorado and left wing Ronald Petrovicky from the New York Rangers in the waiver draft.
Waddell said it's not known if Heatley will miss the entire season.
"Until doctors go in and see the extent of the tear, it's impossible to give an accurate recovery timetable," he said Friday.
This can't be what the NHL needs this season. Already facing what seems to be the most antagonistic situation between owners and players in a long time, now we have one of the players that this league could market for a long time is now out indefinately, if not permanently. It's just not a very good situation for everyone involved
- HedCold - 10-07-2003
less people care about this than one of gonzo's boxing threads