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Sometimes, I Can’t Help But Like the Bolts
by Alanah McGinley on 08/04/08 at 03:45 PM ET
Comments (5)
There are times in the last few months when I (and many others, I’m sure) suspected the Tampa Bay Lightning organization had nearly re-defined the word “crazy”—even by NHL standards. And then there have been moments when they’ve seized my attention in more positive ways, marketing their team with such a bang this summer as they have.
But it’s the story of David Carle that I like most of all—a situation that hints they might be both a little crazy and a pretty classy organization.
David Carle is an 18 year old Tampa Bay Lightning prospect… but he’s also a prospect with no future.
In early June at the NHL Central Scouting Combine in Toronto, Carle—like hundreds of other up-and-coming young players—went through a series of medical and fitness evaluations. It was then that an abnormal EKG indicated undiscovered problems, and so medical staff encouraged Carle to be checked out further, which ultimately revealed terrible news to the young athlete.
More on that from Farhan Devji at Inside Hockey:
Carle went through a series of tests at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. On June 19th – the eve of the NHL Entry Draft - Carle first learned that he would likely never be able to play hockey again, and at that point he notified all thirty teams.
Carle was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a heart condition which puts his health at serious risk, particularly when overexerting his body. And so strenuous exercise like professional hockey is out of the question.
In an interview with Devji this past week (video is below) Carle mentioned how devastated he was at the news, going from one of the most exciting times of his life as he looked forward to the Draft, to losing his dreams for a hockey career. In the course of a few short days, his whole life changed.
But then the Tampa Bay Lightning did something rather extraordinary—they drafted him in the 7th round anyway.
David Carle will never play a day of NHL hockey in his life but this week he’s been in Victoria, BC for the Lightning’s prospect camp. The Bolts have given him the experience of a lifetime, allowing him to at least experience a taste of what he had worked his whole life towards.
A wasted draft pick? Some might say so, but to me it seems like a really remarkable thing to do for a young man who had to give up so much in such a short time.
And besides, by some odd twist of fate the Lightning really will have a Carle to put on the ice come October: on July 4th, David’s older brother Matt Carle was traded to Tampa from the San Jose Sharks.
The University of Denver will also be honoring Carle’s scholarship despite this medical setback, so his future is bright.
Many thanks to Farhan Devji’s article for enlightening me to this story. The video below documents his interview with Carle during the prospect camp in Victoria this past week.
Filed in: nhl general | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: david+carle, nhl+entry+draft,
Comments
I’m glad that this story is making its way around the web.
If you can’t notice by the tone of the article and/or video feature, Carle would really like to do everything he can to get the word out about his condition hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and use his position to possibly help save some lives.
After talking with him at camp last week, and exchanging a few emails with him, it’s not difficult to realize that this kid has a bright future ahead of him, even if it isn’t in hockey.
Posted by Farhan Devji from Vancouver, British Columbia on 08/04/08 at 03:24 PM ET
Nice find. So you can be crazy AND classy. Who knew?
Posted by Shane from Saskatoon on 08/04/08 at 04:35 PM ET
The hockey community is a good community. Can’t see this happening in the cut-throat world of the NBA or NFL.
Posted by GZ Expat on 08/04/08 at 04:48 PM ET
Mike - You’re so cynical! But that’s a good idea, especially since Farhan’s article notes that Carle seems primarily interested in business studies. The Bolts might be a perfect internship.
Farhan - Thanks for the great post and interview. I imagine his story will encourage a lot more kids at his level of athletics to get checked out.
Shane - Of course, and there’s plenty of other examples. For instance, doesn’t ‘crazy and classy’ just sort of scream “Alanah” to you?
GZ Expat - I don’t know enough about other sports, but it’s always seemed that way to me, too. (But I’ll admit to being biased...) 
Posted by Alanah McGinley from British Columbia on 08/05/08 at 01:31 AM ET
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About Canucks & Beyond
Alanah McGinley has been blogging hockey since 2003, sharing opinions, rants and not-so-deep thoughts with anyone who will listen. In addition to writing Canucks & Beyond and helping manage Kukla’s Korner, Alanah is one of the founders and co-hosts of The Crazy Canucks Podcast, as featured at Canucks.com.
She has contributed pieces to FoxSports.com and the New York Times Slapshot blog, as well as other stray destinations in cyberspace.
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The logical thing to me would be to give Carle a summer internship next season once the ownership regime has settled in. I think if they did that, the gesture will definitely be more than just a publicity stunt.
Posted by Mike Chen on 08/04/08 at 03:10 PM ET