True Grit

John Lebow
Oct 23, 2001

There have been a lot of things following Toronto Maple Leafs forward Shayne Corson recently. His past is no longer one of them. In a recent article in Sports Illustrated, Corson came forward admitting that last year, his first with the Leafs, was the toughest of his career.

The three-time all star came out in the article saying that he had panic attacks that woke him up in the middle of the night sweating profusely. The attacks affected his play as well, and, despite playing in 77 games, he only recorded 26 points, the lowest of his career, with the exception of his rookie season in 1986-87 and 1996-97, a season where he was traded from St. Louis to Montreal. Corson did not play more than 58 games in either season.

Within days of speaking out in Sports Illustrated, there seemed to be something else following Corson around...the puck. In the first two games of a Western conference road trip, Corson notched 3 goals (1 shorthanded) and 2 assists for 5 points. With 6 points on the year, Corson is on pace for the second best point total of his career, which happened more than 10 years ago, in the 1989-90 season when he was with Montreal.

Another thing following around Corson is his father, who died of esophageal cancer when he was 15. In numerous interviews, Corson has talked about the bile that rose in his throat from the panic attacks made him think of his father, who died a young man. "You can't help not think about it, I mean, I felt as though I was having the same symptoms as my father" Corson said on Hockey Night in Canada.

A lot of the credit for helping the 16-year veteran turn the corner goes to his brother-in-law, Darcy Tucker. The two room together when on the road, and Corson has given Tucker much of the credit for helping him through tough nights. The Bruise Brothers, as they are affectionately known in Toronto took very little harassment on the ice last year. Tucker got into a few fights only because he felt he was protecting Corson. At the time, Tucker and Corson's immediate family were the only ones who knew Corson even had a problem.

What is a real problem, though? Would the Leaf brass accept Corson needing time off for panic attacks that only his brother-in-law saw? What would Corson have to face on the ice when he came back from his leave of absence? It is well known that alot of "pest" players will do or say anything to get under a players' skin. How many players are suffering through the same thing as Corson, and are unwilling, or afraid to come out and say something. Hockey players are people too, tougher than most of us that walk around in the 9 to 5 rat race, but people nonetheless.

Shayne Corson has been a gritty player in the NHL for the past 16 years. He is on pace for a career year with a team he cheered for as a kid, growing up in Barrie, Ontario. Darcy Tucker deserves credit for being a true friend to Corson, as well as being part of the family, and co-owner of Kewl, a clothing line created by Corson and Tucker. In the end, nobody could help Corson but Shayne himself, and if there are any other players, or regular people with his problems, they should look to Shayne, along with friends and family to give the needed "grit" to help through a tough time.

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