Confirmed with Link: For health reasons, Derek Dorsett will not be returning to the Canucks

[Shareefruck]

Trusting hockey players about the need for fighting in hockey is about as dumb as trusting previous generations of hockey players about the need for wearing helmets in hockey.

Whatever the answer, the fact that they're right in the thick of that culture makes them more biased towards a conservative status-quo viewpoint, not an impartial voice of reason.

 

[Zippgunn]

The curse of Moore continues to dog this club. What next?

 

[thebus88]

As a small guy, fan of (and personally love) playing with an edge and being a "pest", along with being a big CBJ fan since just about expansion, this news hit me more than about any other pro sports injury/retirement news that I can remember. Always irked me when he was not given the credit I thought he was due, for literally putting his body on the line for his team and teammates. Also hated the lack of respect many CBJ posters on here had for his actual hockey talent and the scapegoating/blame he got for being a part of some pretty bad teams. Didn't follow much of what people thought of him in NY and VAN, but from little I have seen, it wasn't much of a change honestly.

As a longtime Dorsett fan, and current "owner" of his in a keeper fantasy league, I think I can somewhat relate to some of you guys, as the "timing" of this or season he has had so far is something that actually makes this situation "worse". For you guys, the positive impact he was having this year on the team could no longer be questioned. I was very prepared to come on this board and the CBJ board and "resurrect" some old threads that were not very pro-Dorsett. While I don't think he was a 20-25 goal scorer, I was pretty excited to see him finally produce some impactful offensive numbers.

It would be stupid to think that fighting all the time didn't affect his "neck". It would be even more stupid to think that all the other physical contact that he had playing the game since probably bantam wasn't the main contributor to the injuries he sustained, along with being the main reason he had the opportunity to make a good living playing a sport he played as a kid.

Those who want to blame "fighting" for his condition, do you also want to take checking out of the game also?

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

Kevin Bieksa‏Verified account @kbieksa3
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Kevin Bieksa Retweeted Vancouver Canucks
No one can argue that he didn’t give it his all every shift. #Warrior


Classy comment from Bieksa,who used to hand Derek his lunch everytime the Canucks played CBJ or NYR....

 

[me2]

Yup. He'll go on LTIR until the end of his contract before retiring.

For sure, the bright side for Dorsett is the team will cover his medical expenses and he will get another $4.5m in cash from the Canucks while sitting home getting to get healthy as he can. He will be well looked after. Wish him well, it's not his fault Benning offered him that crazy deal.

 

[Pavel96]

For sure, the bright side for Dorsett is the team will cover his medical expenses and he will get another $4.5m in cash from the Canucks while sitting home getting to get healthy as he can. He will be well looked after. Wish him well, it's not his fault Benning offered him that crazy deal.

Is that 4.5 for just next year or remainder of this year plus next year?

 

[thebus88]

Dorsett's injury history is not laid out as well anywhere, but this has been an on-going thing for him for a similar amount of time. Tiger is also about to make another comeback - Dorsett has been told he can never go back to what he was doing. The difference? I'd wager that it's probably related to fighting.

The difference??

#1: Since Tiger's injury supposedly happened playing golf and Dorsett's happened because of playing a full contact, physical, fast paced sport like hockey for YEARS, I'd wager that Dorsetts injury very well could be a bit more serious.

#1(B): The same reason that makes it reasonably possible that Derek's injury is worse, makes it more dangerous for him to come back to play in his sport.

I understand Tiger trains at a world class level, and swinging a gold club with that velocity for years and years can not be good for the neck and back, but the "difference" is pretty simple. Tiger doesn't have to deal with John Daly and VJ Singh taking runs at him while he's chipping onto the green.

 

[DL44]

Holy crap... just saw this... I'm devastated for him!!

Was sooo happy for his successful initial return...
We have been missing his presence on the team since he left..

A great guy, heart and soul player who's only 'crime'/mistake was signing a contract in Vancouver.
Good luck to him in the future..

 

[me2]

Is that 4.5 for just next year or remainder of this year plus next year?

This plus next, he's getting $2.5m/year in each. It's closer to $4.2m, but he's going to be fine financially at least.

 

[RandV]

As a small guy, fan of (and personally love) playing with an edge and being a "pest", along with being a big CBJ fan since just about expansion, this news hit me more than about any other pro sports injury/retirement news that I can remember. Always irked me when he was not given the credit I thought he was due, for literally putting his body on the line for his team and teammates. Also hated the lack of respect many CBJ posters on here had for his actual hockey talent and the scapegoating/blame he got for being a part of some pretty bad teams. Didn't follow much of what people thought of him in NY and VAN, but from little I have seen, it wasn't much of a change honestly.

...

Those who want to blame "fighting" for his condition, do you also want to take checking out of the game also?

Kind of a mixed bag response to Dorsett here in Vancouver. He was generally well liked as a 4th line player, but our GM badly overpaid him and our last coach over used him. Not just in minutes but throwing Dorsett for offensive opportunities out when he thought we needed an 'edge' during a key PP or last minute push.

For the last part it would be very hard to find someone against checking. Hockey would be a very differnt game without it, and you can see the results just by playing at a casual drop-in. You'll get guys who can just start dangling through everyone who could otherwise easily be stopped simply by playing the body. Checking has a huge direct effect on the actual game, the same can't be said for fighting.

Also keep in mind that we don't know the exact effects on Dorsett's injuries here the Canucks have actually had a former player die because of fighting. Rick Rypien suffered from depression/mental illness that was a direct result from head trauma gained through fighting and committed suicide a few years after he retired.

 

[Nomobo]

Kind of a mixed bag response to Dorsett here in Vancouver. He was generally well liked as a 4th line player, but our GM badly overpaid him and our last coach over used him. Not just in minutes but throwing Dorsett for offensive opportunities out when he thought we needed an 'edge' during a key PP or last minute push.

For the last part it would be very hard to find someone against checking. Hockey would be a very differnt game without it, and you can see the results just by playing at a casual drop-in. You'll get guys who can just start dangling through everyone who could otherwise easily be stopped simply by playing the body. Checking has a huge direct effect on the actual game, the same can't be said for fighting.

Also keep in mind that we don't know the exact effects on Dorsett's injuries here the Canucks have actually had a former player die because of fighting. Rick Rypien suffered from depression/mental illness that was a direct result from head trauma gained through fighting and committed suicide a few years after he retired.

Rypien died because of fighting? I must have missed that. Do you have a link to that source?

 

[timw33]

Rypien died because of fighting? I must have missed that. Do you have a link to that source?

He had multiple concussions from being punched in the head every other night...which is just awful for your mental health.

 

[Nomobo]

He had multiple concussions from being punched in the head every other night...which is just awful for your mental health.

I guess it's a real coincidence then that he had a life long history of being "different ". I thought his suicide was caused by depression.
Did you know that depression can be an inherited condition?

 

[VanJack]

Always sad when a career ends prematurely as a result of injury, but as soon it was announced last season that Dorsett was having spinal fusion surgery in the neck area, it was clearly career-threatening. A few players have come back from spinal fusion....Gary Roberts comes to mind, but with the way Dorsett plays, the risk factor was even greater.....not a big man but still hits everything in sight....wasn't he leading the league in penalty minutes before he went down?....He can thank his lucky stars that Jimbo signed him to one last three year deal for good money.....there's a lot of fourth-liners who retire or head to Europe with a lot less.

 

[vancityluongo]

The difference??

#1: Since Tiger's injury supposedly happened playing golf and Dorsett's happened because of playing a full contact, physical, fast paced sport like hockey for YEARS, I'd wager that Dorsetts injury very well could be a bit more serious.

#1(B): The same reason that makes it reasonably possible that Derek's injury is worse, makes it more dangerous for him to come back to play in his sport.

I understand Tiger trains at a world class level, and swinging a gold club with that velocity for years and years can not be good for the neck and back, but the "difference" is pretty simple. Tiger doesn't have to deal with John Daly and VJ Singh taking runs at him while he's chipping onto the green.

Don't disagree at all.

Was simply responding to the poster who was insinuating that the physical beating Dorsett's body has had to take over the years has little to do with his retirement because Tiger also has back issues.

 

[Nomobo]

Don't disagree at all.

Was simply responding to the poster who was insinuating that the physical beating Dorsett's body has had to take over the years has little to do with his retirement because Tiger also has back issues.

You must have misunderstood me.
I was only thinking that perhaps fighting wasn't the main reason that he had back problems but I do fully agree that fighting would aggravate that condition.

 

[vancityluongo]

You must have misunderstood me.
I was only thinking that perhaps fighting wasn't the main reason that he had back problems but I do fully agree that fighting would aggravate that condition.

Whether it was the "main" reason or not is semantics. Again, I'd wager that it was, but even if this was specifically induced by something else...it's still a valid question to be asking about the role of fighting in hockey going forward.

 

[dwarf]

Devastating news. Dorsett was my favorite Canuck. His contract not so much, but that was not his fault.

I wish him the best, and hope his health improves.

 

[MadaCanuckle]

I didn't like him as a player, but I can respect that he gave everything in every shift. Overpaid as hell, I am sad to hear that he had to choose life instead of his passion.

 

[Eddy Punch Clock]

Rick Rypien suffered from depression/mental illness that was a direct result from head trauma gained through fighting and committed suicide a few years after he retired.

I thought he was Jets property and was getting ready for the upcoming season when he committed suicide.

 

[Addison Rae]

Nothing but respect for Dorsett the person, hoping for a healthy long life for him.

 

[RandV]

I thought he was Jets property and was getting ready for the upcoming season when he committed suicide.

Actually you're probably right, I just made the assumption there but don't actually know where his career was.

 

[Nomobo]

Whether it was the "main" reason or not is semantics. Again, I'd wager that it was, but even if this was specifically induced by something else...it's still a valid question to be asking about the role of fighting in hockey going forward.

Something about a dead horse delete

 

[ChilliBilly]

Really? REALLY? I guess I shouldn't be surprised; as I mentioned this site fails wildly at understanding analogies and comparisons ("YOU JUST COMPARED HIM TO LIDSTROM?!?!?")

I'll spell it out for you then. Look, I'll even involve your example since the point of making an analogy is showing how you can swap out different concepts and observe the same pattern...!

1. Bad event happens ((a) career-ending injury; (b) mass shooting; (c) death in car accident)

2. Discussion takes place about the enabling factors for the bad event ((a) lax rules on violence; (b) lax rules on gun ownership; (c) lax rules on seatbelts)

3. People who are opposed to tightening the laws try to characterize the discussion as insensitive ("now is not the time! Someone just (a) lost their career! (b/c) lost their lives!")

edit: See krutovsdonut's post above for a fine illustration

4. It is, however, quite obvious why the discussion takes place in the wake of these events, because the debate has just played out in real life and illustrated why reform is necessary.

It was bang-on as an analogy, and you trying to claim otherwise is a reflection on you, not the validity of the point.


Canadian pro hockey = fighting
Canadian junior hockey = fighting
NCAA hockey = no fighting
Swedish hockey = no fighting
Finnish hockey = no fighting
Canadian lacrosse = fighting
NCAA lacrosse = no fighting

HMMMMMMMMMMM... clearly "part of the game"!

olympic hockey - no fighting
World championships - no fighting

The only fighting is in Canadian junior hockey, and in NA pro hockey. Studies from years ago found that Canadians were pretty much divided on fighting, but americans wanted it because hockey is not as entertaining to them. They wanted the same appeal as pro wrestling.

Sorry i find fighting ignorant and barbaric. I have played hockey for about 55 years, been in a number of fights, have season tickets, have coached hockey, and have a referee's ticket.

I still think it has no place in pro sports. You don't let fights control violence in football. you don't let fights control violence in basketball. You don't let fights control violence in baseball. You don;'t let fights control violence in soccer .... see where I am going with this?

 

[BeardyCanuck03]

Celebrate Dorsett for being the guy who stood up for his teammates, helped the younger players learn how to be a pro and being a glue teammate who players rallied around.

The fighting debate doesn't belong here.