Last night there was a tale of success in the NHL. It wasn’t anyone breaking records, there was no emergency goalie, and no one accomplished a significant number of goals, assists, points, or games played. It was a tale of a real person who realized his faults, did something about them and came back better than ever. I am talking about Bobby Ryan, forward for the Ottawa Senators. Some may remember him for his performance in the Stanley Cup PLayoffs three years back or for his sick goal back in 2011 against the Preds.
Bobby Ryan though is a hero for another reason as far as I am concerned. If you haven’t heard the story already the shortened version is back in November he checked himself into rehab after admitting to himself that he was having an alcohol problem taking a leave of absence to better himself and last night after 100 days of being sober he made his return netting himself a hattrick.
The story is spectacular and having that kind of a return on a team that has been one of the worst all season helping them top one of the better teams in the league this season is even better. The best part about this and what everyone out there should take out of this story is that everyone struggles. People everywhere in this world of all walks of life and all situations have issues. I in no way know Bobby Ryan at all and have no way of knowing what he was thinking but I am guessing this probably ate at him for a long time and struggled to accept the fact that he had a problem with alcohol. Him being able to accept this knowing the amount of hate he would get and then making the commitment to bettering himself is what I find so great about it.
Everyone out there who struggles not even everyday, but struggles with anything at any time no matter what it is don’t be afraid to seek help. There is no shame in it. Follow in Bobby Ryans example and take that first step to get better by accepting to yourself that something is wrong and I am not just talking about addiction, this goes for anyone who struggles with any sort of mental health problems or just feel like they are not being the best version of themself that they can be. I want anyone who does struggle at all that you are not alone and never be ashamed and there are people out there who love you and care about you even when it doesn’t feel like it. I’ll end this with the clips of Bobby Ryan’s goals from last night and the standing ovation the Ottawa crowd gave him because it just made my heart full to see him come back with all the support from his teammates and fans.
The Hamm Report 