TRAFFORD FOUND DEAD, QUESTIONS ARISE
The disappearance of Saginaw Spirit forward Terry Trafford came to a sad, tragic end on Tuesday when his body was confirmed dead inside a vehicle in a Walmart parking lot in Saginaw Township.
Trafford disappeared on March 3, the same day he was sent home by the Spirit for breaking team rules. A day earlier, he texted his girlfriend, Skye Cieszlak, telling her he loved her while hinting he would take his life.
“He texted me and told me his life was over and that he didn’t want to do it anymore,” Cieszlak told Mlive.com.
On Thursday, a medical examiner ruled Trafford’s death was from self-inflicted asphyxiation.
Trafford’s death rocked the hockey world. He was known for his big smile, and love of playing practical jokes on his teammates.
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Trafford lived with Spirit team president and managing partner Craig Goslin, who tried serving as a mentor for the 20-year-old forward. Goslin said Trafford was very respectful and even jovial with team management when he was sent home in early March, also asking to receive his college transcripts.
“Everybody around Terry that loved him, the coaches, the players, former players, his billets; none of us ever saw any sign of depression,” Goslin told Mlive.com. “If he had depression, he certainly had it hidden pretty deep.”
As with any suicide, there are more questions than answers in the wake of Trafford’s untimely death. Author Jamie McKinven touched on hockey’s “tough guy” code, where vulnerability is perceived as weakness and whether more could have been done to help Trafford.
Former Barrie Colts forward and current Nashville Predator Richard Clune knew the struggles of depression well. In an interview with the Barrie Examiner’s Gene Pereira, Clune openly discussed how he self-medicated his depression with drugs and alcohol, how he tried hiding it from those closest to him and how he believes some plan needs to be put in place in junior to help players suffering with the mental illness.
“Depression is the type of disease where you’re in jail, but you’re also the one putting yourself in jail,” Clune told the Examiner. “It’s where you can’t run from it, but you’re putting it on yourself.
“(Trafford) was obviously in a different place than a lot of other people,” Clune continued. “He probably needed more attention than someone else and these things need to be taken serious.”
Wednesday’s game between the Spirit and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds was rescheduled for Monday. Season ticket holder tickets for Wednesday’s game, which are printed a year in advance, ominously feature Trafford’s image.
The Spirit lost their first two games since their teammate’s death. With a win Monday, the Spirit would finish third and meet Erie in the opening round of the playoffs. A regulation loss would mean the team finishes seventh and faces the Greyhounds.
TIM BOZON UPDATE
Kootenay Ice forward Tim Bozon continues to fight for his life in a Saskatoon hospital after being diagnosed with Neisseria Meningitis on March 1.
Bozon has been in an induced coma but as of Thursday doctors were trying to slowly wake him. He remains in the Intensive Care Unit and while his status remains critical, he is stable and improving according to doctors. His parents Philippe and Helene said Tim is responding to verbal stimuli.
The Western Hockey League announced Friday a trust fund was put in place to assist the family with medical and rehabilitation costs.
“I spent my entire summer training with him in Montreal,” Baie-Comeau forward and fellow Montreal Canadiens draft pick Charles Hudon told La Presse’s Marc Antoine Godin. “We were together every day. What’s happened to him is difficult to understand. I was surprised and in shock when hearing about it.
“My teammates with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar ask me questions, I tell them what kind of guy he was and judging by their reaction, I think what’s happened to Tim touches everyone in the hockey world.”
COUGARS GOING, GOING…
According to veteran junior scribe Gregg Drinnan, the sale of the Prince George Cougars isn’t yet finalized.
Reports surfaced on March 3 that the team had been sold to a group of local businessmen, including NHLers Eric Brewer and Dan Hamhuis.
Drinnan said a source indicated there are still some details that need to fall in place before a sale is finalized but that an announcement could be made this week.
— Jonathan Drouin enjoyed a record-setting night in an 8-6 Halifax win over Cape Breton.
— The WHL will have its first tie-breaker game in six years to determine the eighth and final seed for the playoffs on Tuesday between the Red Deer Rebels and Prince Albert Raiders. The last time the league needed a tie-breaker was during the 2008-09 season, when the Raiders lost to the Edmonton Oil Kings, whom the winner of Tuesday’s game will face in the playoffs.
— Had the Ottawa 67’s beat the North Bay Battalion on Sunday (the Battalion won 12-1) and the Mississauga Steelheads lost to Kingston, the OHL would have also needed a tie-breaker game between the 67’s and Steelheads on Tuesday.
— The opening round of the QMJHL playoffs will have plenty of intrigue, even for a league favourite facing a rebuilding team.
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— The Sarnia Sting may have missed the playoffs – and will pick first overall in the OHL priority selection in April – but potential first round NHL pick Nikolay Goldobin left fans with a treat in the team’s home finale on Thursday.