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“I’m A Drug Addict & Alcoholic”- Chris Nilan
by Paul on 12/10/09 at 02:32 PM ET
Comments (4)
from Red Fisher of the Montreal Gazette via Faceoff.com,
Once, he was the darling of Canadiens fans because he wore the CH on his heart. Doors in Montreal and elsewhere were open to him. Life was good, but that was then, this is now - and it’s not a pretty picture.
Nilan: addicted to pain-killing drugs.
Nilan: alcoholic.
He is 51, a grandfather, and he remembers the first time he plummeted into the ugly, mind-bending culture of pills and booze. He can recall how in their own clawing, gnawing way they crept into his mind, convincing him they were the only way out of a life of pain. Instead, in the light of day it was a life gone wrong, including a divorce after 25 years of marriage. (Karen and Chris have two daughters - Pauline, 26, Tara, 19, and a son, Christopher, 23.) Where does it start? When? Why? “Probably the first time I saw the pills was after I finished playin’,” Nilan said.
“I was coachin’ the Chesapeake Icebreakers in the East Coast Hockey League. Two years. First year, I got coach of the year. Second year, I’d had surgery in the offseason and I took some Percocet. It’s an opiate. I got addicted to ‘em.
I needed them. If I didn’t have them, I was real sick.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Montreal Canadiens | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Chris+Nilan,
Comments
Nilan was called Nails because he was tougher than…He’s a good man, always patient with his fans, and he had a lot of them both in Montréal and Boston. Guys who make it to the NHL, stick, and are Stanley Cup champions are not losers.
Posted by Harrald The Red on 12/10/09 at 06:24 PM ET
Nope Just Losers like Kevy
Posted by Evilpens on 12/10/09 at 07:28 PM ET
Who cares?
Anyone who has known a friend or relative who has struggled with addiction. It can hit anyone, even those you least expect to be vulnerable.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 12/11/09 at 05:27 AM ET
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Once a loser always a loser. Who cares…................
Posted by kevin on 12/10/09 at 05:12 PM ET