Bryan Fogarty

[SML]

It just boggles my mind how someone can say this is a disappointment. Training hard every day is no comparison to depression mixed with an anxiety disorder. Luckily for me, the worst days are over (I hope).

It might be much to call Fogarty a disappointment as a person. In terms of only his career, the description is not that far off. He had unlimited potential and didn't ever fulfill the expectation. The true sadness that you can feel when you read stories about him is what leaves me feeling so empty. In fact, the only thing that ever really brought his true issue to light was his death. Then, and only then, did you hear what was really going on. His is not an isolated case, though, as you and others have pointed out. How many others silently battle issues that only they and their immediate family, friends, and teammmates know about? How would it feel for you if you struggled through an issue like anxiety or depression, only to have a bunch of people who have never met you or know what you're dealing with judge your efforts as failure? Hockey could be the most secretive of the major sports. It's taboo to discuss what is really going on, and everything is kept in the dark and behind the scenes. If Bryan Fogarty didn't die, don't you think the tone of this thread would be completely different? He'd be a loser, a washout, a headcase who had no heart, etc. You cannot view part of Fogarty's case properly without taking his personal problems into account, they are intertwined and cannot be viewed apart from one another. But you could fill in the blank with any number of guys who had all the skills in the world but couldn't get it together and you won't find any sympathy on any message board for them. By the way, I'm glad you're doing well in your battle, keep fighting the good fight. These issues are not choice the way a guy who just doesn't want to put in the effort working out or plays lazy. They permeate every layer of the person, and make even things that are simple for others seem monumental. Hopefully, like Eric Lindros really brought concussions to the forefront (Everyone just "sucked it up" before him and it wasn't treated as a real injury), there will be professionals who can intervene and help a kid like Bryan Fogarty should he come through an organization in the future.

 

[NeedleInTheHay]

It might be much to call Fogarty a disappointment as a person. In terms of only his career, the description is not that far off. He had unlimited potential and didn't ever fulfill the expectation. The true sadness that you can feel when you read stories about him is what leaves me feeling so empty. In fact, the only thing that ever really brought his true issue to light was his death. Then, and only then, did you hear what was really going on. His is not an isolated case, though, as you and others have pointed out. How many others silently battle issues that only they and their immediate family, friends, and teammmates know about? How would it feel for you if you struggled through an issue like anxiety or depression, only to have a bunch of people who have never met you or know what you're dealing with judge your efforts as failure? Hockey could be the most secretive of the major sports. It's taboo to discuss what is really going on, and everything is kept in the dark and behind the scenes. If Bryan Fogarty didn't die, don't you think the tone of this thread would be completely different? He'd be a loser, a washout, a headcase who had no heart, etc. You cannot view part of Fogarty's case properly without taking his personal problems into account, they are intertwined and cannot be viewed apart from one another. But you could fill in the blank with any number of guys who had all the skills in the world but couldn't get it together and you won't find any sympathy on any message board for them. By the way, I'm glad you're doing well in your battle, keep fighting the good fight. These issues are not choice the way a guy who just doesn't want to put in the effort working out or plays lazy. They permeate every layer of the person, and make even things that are simple for others seem monumental. Hopefully, like Eric Lindros really brought concussions to the forefront (Everyone just "sucked it up" before him and it wasn't treated as a real injury), there will be professionals who can intervene and help a kid like Bryan Fogarty should he come through an organization in the future.

that was a really good post

 

[Wetcoaster]

Talk to me about him. I know he broke Bobby Orr's OHL record for single season goals by a defenseman and the point for a defenseman in single season. He supposedly, according to one minor league official, had more God-given talent than Wayne Gretzky.

I know about his drinking problems and stuff. All things considered, is he among the greatest dissapointments in NHL history?

he was considered a potential superstar - that is why he was drafted before Joe Sakic by the Nords. His OHL record of 47 goals by a defenceman is phenomenal.

"He had everything. He could skate like the wind. He could see anybody on the ice. He could make the perfect pass. He was as talented as anybody I've seen in junior hockey. He broke all of Bobby Orr's records. Everybody was telling me you can't go wrong with him."
-Maurice Filion, former Quebec GM, who drafted Bryan Fogarty with the Nordiques' first pick in 1987, six picks ahead of Quebec's second selection, Joe Sakic

"Bryan Fogarty could skate faster, shoot harder and pass crisper drunk than the rest of us could sober." - Mats Sundin

"Fogie and I lived in the same apartment complex as Sakic. One night we came back late and had to help him to bed. We were worried about him making practice the next day. The next morning, we went knocking on his door. He was already at the rink, whistling and having coffee. Then he's skating circles around people. I thought, "If I drank like he did last night, I wouldn't be able to drag myself out of bed in the morning." But it wasn't affecting him. That's when we all became more concerned." -Ron Tugnutt, Fogarty's teammate in Quebec

ESPN did a piece on him:
http://espn.go.com/magazine/vol5no20fogarty.html